Moongate > Overland Map

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Thunder Chicken, Aug 25, 2014.

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  1. Thunder Chicken

    Thunder Chicken Avatar

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    I would like to have moongates and or something similar instead of the "click to move and wait" option, I really see no point in it. I would also like to see the combat more like UO,,, hell all I really want is a 3D version of UO lol
     
  2. Azurafox the Moon Dragon

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    The overhead map has been brought up many times, and I am one who is not a fan of it in its current state.

    I agree that currently moongates would serve better than the overhead map. IMO, the overhead map currently adds nothing to the game except extra step to get from point A to B. In all honsety, it takes more away from the game more than anything.

    Now it's obiovusly Pre-Alpha, and there was probably be a lot of changes. But I do agree that unless they make drastic changes to the overhead map, I simply see no point to it. We can't stop along the road and talk to another player, we can't stop to harvest, or stop to fight a monster, etc. I believe that they created the overhead travel because the game will not be open-world. But like I said, to me, it only adds inconvience in having to load screen, click, click, click, click across the world until you are where you want to be, and then have another load screen. Why not just have a moongate with one load screen for point A to B?
     
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  3. Thunder Chicken

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    My thoughts exactly, as I watch the game progress it reminds me of seeing your favorite band try to go in a new direction when all you really want them to do is stick to the original music that you know and love.
     
  4. mindmage44

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    As of now there really is no point in the over world map. For now there is not really enough content (areas/zones/scenes) to make me want to click up and down. Also there is no benefit to having a mount to ride on. Unless we got a bonus speed on the overland map. We are missing tons of detail in order for this to be appealing. I wonder if they have much of this addressed in some later update, or if they are doing things on the fly with it. The one thing I hated about EverQuest was all the zoning and waiting. If the zone kept me busy for more then 3 minutes, then maybe I wouldn't mind. For now every area in the game is way way to small. If I zone into a area, I would expect to be able to spend time there playing the game, traveling, resource gathering, hunting dare I say exploring.

    Let's say I was in Town (X) left the town on the overland map. I am on the overland map. I then enter a forest area which is connected to mountains, 1 city/town, and 1 path further to a direction north/south whatever makes sense. I could then adventure through this area (much bigger map), Say I wanted to sell something, I would goto one of the closest city zone spots. Enter the city sell the stuff. Then I could go back to that city entrance and have a choice to go into the forest in which I came, or onto the overland map to travel that way. This is not a perfect idea, but it would be much better then the wait 30 sec, to zone into a area, farm the mats kill a few animals, then waith 30 sec to zone back to the over land map. then click again wait 30 seconds again.. It got kinda old fast.

    It is not that the load screen is the wrong way to go. At this point, it is not worth it to wait for zoning in its current state and such low content. I am sure most of the community will follow the SotA Team down this rabbit hole. Just give us a reason, and as much uninterrupted game time as possible is all we ask.
     
  5. Beaumaris

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    Ultimately a moon gate doesn't do anything different than the overland map. It moves you from point A to point. B. The power of the overland map is that it can do more than that. Consider this. Would an overland map be meaningful if it:

    - Random PVE elite boss mobs appeared on the map?
    - Random PVP zones appeared on the map?
    - Random treasure hunts appeared on the map?
    - 'Events' like natural disasters, orc invasions, etc. could be seen?
    - Weather conditions could be seen, knowing that some reagent maybe only grew after a rainstorm?
    - Random temporal (time travel) events could be identified (go back into an alternative version of Ultima's past, anyone?)
    - Dire criminal locations could be seen and tracked for those participating in a bounty quest?
    - Virtue-driven quests popped up guiding you to a certain choice or action in a certain place?
    - An indication of a control point's current status?
    - What else?

    Remember that the scene-based system allows scenes in a given map hex to be changed to suit a particular game situation. The power of the overland map is to provide clues and ques of what is going on in the game world. It doesn't have to be a totally static, dead, overland map.
     
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  6. Azurafox the Moon Dragon

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    Yes that would be terrific. Hence why I said "in its current state". If they do add a lot of features such as the ones you mentioned, it would be great. I stated in another post that I love the "idea" of the overheard map, I just think it's useless and very poor quality right now.
     
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  7. Beaumaris

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    I totally agree. Hopefully it will see some love in the next release or two.
     
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  8. pyro660

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    I am a new pledge that didnt get a chance to play this past weekend because of travel. Some of my questions to a friend that didd get to play related to travel and the size of hexes. The curent map concept doesnt bother me if the hexes contain a reasonable amount of content that keeps me in a hex for a reasonable amount of time.

    I guess we will see as the game develops. On a different topic - From what i have seen on youtube, i never expected pre alpha to look this good
     
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  9. redfish

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    Yes, they've talked about this. There'll be random encounters with monsters and weather events. LB suggested that during night more monsters will come out, making night time travel inherently more dangerous. There'll also be certain contraband quests, where certain players will become targets for bounty hunters, and you'll want to travel through forests to escape detection, instead of traveling along roads. Mountain passes and such will also serve as chokepoints that guilds will be able to control. You'll also be able to see if a friend or party member is in a hex, so you can join them.

    I'm thinking that in guild vs. guild PvP this concept can also be expanded so that the overland map basically becomes a strategy map on which a larger war is taking place. Different parties under a guild will collaborate and plan how to carry out a war, cutting off the enemy at passes. I'm hoping that in certain PvP (brigandy) this will also allow planned ambushes. And if they add camping in the game, that campfires will show up on the map making you visible to other players, either attracting enemies, or attracting recruits for an adventure.

    Finally, even taking out all of these benefits, its just important that travel have at least a minimal time cost, just so the sense of a believable world isn't totally killed. Time cost will also be an opportunity cost in some instances, I'm sure. I'm also sure this will play a role in the story. You go somewhere for to complete an errand, and by the time you come back, you find out the errand-giver was murdered, for instance.
     
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  10. Sweetmcpwnsauce

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    The only problem I see with moongates, in this game. Is that there will be SO many hexes that if moongates we're to be the final product the list of choices would probably be like 10 pages long lol that could take more then 30 seconds to find your place although I don't like overworld map either. I'd rather it just be a huge open world with very little fast travel but I don't have that kind money to give to this game to make it like that. <];D
     
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  11. fumblefingers

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    You and many of us have said the same from day one .. but as they say it isn't Ultima. There new and better game , sadly i fear well never be even close to the game Ultima was..
    I also had hoped this game would be the one i would play for years to come. But with the small housing , poor crafting , clunky movement , and just bad combat ,, [in my opinion ]
    will take some time if not years .Hang in there , its just in Alpha as they keep saying .
     
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  12. rune_74

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    No thanks.

    They have a lot of plans to add to the map sysetem as stated by those above.

    Random encounters, weather, camping etc...it obviously isn't done yet.

    UO wasn't Ultima to me.
     
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  13. 3devious

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    I do like using the lunar rifts better than traversing the map. I've said many times that the system does not feel responsive enough and the pathing is frustrating. I've never played Ultima but if its overworld map plays like this I'm glad I sat those games out. We used to love systems like that because we didn't even have mice, dang it! Now we have more interface tools available to us, let's not use an abacus over a calculator for nostalgia's sake. If we had more money, it would be fun to have an interface that I will call "through 6 feet of snow uphill both ways" mode. It would be funny and it sounds like something that folks might enjoy at least some of the time. I feel the current interface doesn't lend itself to the routine tasks that we'll be doing while playing.
     
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  14. Scolari79

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    Its my opinion that moongates and recall spells are a must have for sota. Running to a mining location or friends house will take at least 2 loading screens for hexes. If you can reduce that number to 1 it would allow those of us who cant play for more than an hour at a time to actually accomplish something each play session.
     
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  15. Wagram

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    Random encounters = instance loading
    weather = what difference will it make to travelling the map and looking for an instance. And can you see the weather for the whole World to lead you these resource hotspots.
    Camping = What happens you may be drawn into an instance.

    They are creating maybe 200 hex's with something happening the rest are just towns and now player towns the rest just generic empty spaces.
    They are not going to have quest markers over NPC's but the overland map will have an icon to lead you in, that's not a sandbox MMO it will be a very linear experience.
     
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  16. Time Lord

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    "We All Come Here With a Corporate Trained Mindset of Possibilities"
    All the spaces between point A and point B, are where our connected minds will fill in the blanks from Richard Garriott and his staff of computer game renegades very deep thoughts, without corporate influence becoming the restrictive parameters.


    "Filling in the Blanks"
    If we take away the areas where creativity can take place, then we set ourselves back into what the larger gaming giants have trained our minds for, "which is easy quick reward" for little effort, which only causes us to become bored after a mountain of attainment came to easy.

    "The Beran's Reach Example of Expanding Spaces for Fun"
    https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/f...uilding-the-metropolis-of-berans-reach.12884/
    Our Mega-Metropolis of Beran's Reach first began from an idea to create a small Pub where the adventuring Avatar could come in and find all they need to continue their adventure, or join in on what new adventures the pub was sponsoring. Yet this idea took hold of our larger community like a flame and through ever expanding player donations, is now one of the most grand places to live in all of our New Britannia because of everything it has to offer.
    BTW :rolleyes: Beran's Reach still has housing spots available from City lots to Village lots and is very inviting to not only the independent adventurer, but also to Independent Guilds looking for a great place for them all to gather and have the support that only a great gathering of players like the good people at Beran's Reach has to offer in a centralized location.

    When we look at places like Beran's Reach, we can see where a small space can be expanded to encompass more and more as our gaming time progresses. Our current seemingly small hex instances are very expandable which will only provide us even more for our future in all things that can be well thought out and imagined in ever greater detail to fill those blanks.

    "The Distances Between Us"
    As others have stated here, there are many uses for distances that enhance our future adventuring. I remember some years after UO was first invented, where a player came up to me and asked me to gate him somewhere. I told him that the city he was looking for was not far away, and he asked me in what direction it was. I lead him a simple way there and on the way he told me that he had been playing UO for 3 months every day and how excited he was about it, but that someone had given him a rune book, house and everything he needed as a friend. Yet from this short story, we can see where this player had been missing so much of the game by instant travel, and had truly never been outside of the confines of the rune book he ran out of scrolls to fill.

    "The Lessons From Prophecies Past"
    :oops:
    http://oev.hilands.com/library-books.html
    Look up a UO book from this list here called "The Bold Stranger" by Fabio the Poor and give it a read from the link. Then you may be able to see where our game is right now, and where it will be going to in it's very bright future...
    "Without any gaming giants to steal it's cloths, or run it off with the threat of any corporate board's hammer" :)
    ~Time Lord~:rolleyes:
     
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