Overland Map Poll [UNOFFICIAL]

It's not about being open minded. It is about having been shown and teased with something completely different. If they had outright said that the overworld travel would play out like a board game, ok. But they said it would be like a zoomed out version where you travel around in a living 3D-world and see animals, dragons etc.
Suddenly they change that completely!

And you cannot say that this crayon cardboard map is as immersive as traveling across a great, beautiful landscape... Come on!

 

Even though I'm willing to see where the new overhead map goes, I agree. This was a radical shift and some form of communication would have been beneficial.

Using the overhead map as a means of exploring the world in all it's glory is lost with this new overhead map. This probably is my greatest draw for a return to the old demo version. Devs, are we able to see what the current state was of the old demo overhead map is like so we can get a side by side comparison? Ultimately, the decision is yours, but this overhead map is a critical element to the game. If it is like the old Ultima's, we will be spending large amounts of time looking at the overhead map and it needs to be something that really draws us in and makes us feel like New Britannia is alive.

 

Unfortunately, since there seems to be a new thread concerning this in Dev+, I doubt we'll hear much more about it out here in the boonies.

 

This is why I hate Dev+! It seems that the "normal" folk is ignored and only the opinion of the elite in Dev+ matters.
Maybe the new overland map was decided there without talking to us...

 

I have no issue with dev+ in principle, but it can be frustrating at times. Especially with a brand new, hot-button issue.

 

No it was not, they never told us anything that I'm aware of

 

It's upsetting that they would make such an enormous change in the design and tell no one. I mean, in the end, it's their game, but they've been so open with the community and this is a really big deal. A massive change in one of the fundamental systems.

I hope they can be convinced to go back to the old design. I'd MUCH rather wait longer for release, then use the proposed map.

 

Yes, I would also wait longer if they decided to put the old version of the overland view back into the game and polish it a bit. Heck, I wouldn't even have a problem with them starting another Kickstarter to add some more features, including a better overland view. Other games did that and were successful - for example The Repopulation.

@Sir Icycle: As you seem to be a Dev+ member, maybe you could keep us up to date about what is decided over there regarding the overworld map?
What is the general opinion about the map in the Dev+ thread?

 

It's the same as here. Mostly negative, with a few people trying to find the good in it.

So, it's just a more expensive thread with the same turn out.

 

I like the R4 overland map artistic style.

I hate the slowing down part. It's annoying enough trying to get from one place to another, slowing down the icon arbitrarily isn't fun. It's tedious on the island, I can just imagine how tedious it will be with a 5k/10k/20k hex mainland.

I wish each hex would tell you exactly what it was before you enter. In some cases, both hexes that appear to be either hills OR forests are the same Forest01 instance. In other words, what is shown on the map doesn't match with what you enter, even when the icon is completely inside the target hex.
There's also no point in having 10 forest hexes clumped all together when there's really only two actual separate instances. Zoning into a hex finding it empty of people, but all the animals dead and everything harvested? Makes no sense. If a hex is empty? Reset everything immediately so it's fresh for the next player.

Also, the overland map really needs pan, rotate, and zoom. As it is now, it's far too restrictive. The concept is fine, the execution needs some polish, and there needs to be VASTLY more variation in zone style.

As feared, without further information or public goals, civ hexes have one entrance and one exit. This creates a massive problem for housing and lot location desirability.

 

What did you expect? Every update we get via email is about this house or this lot or check out the lord's throne or get this cool tool , blah blah blah. No concrete info shared or any worthwhile updates to the game mechanics.

Then they just use the Alpha dates to spring things or changes on us.

Why couldn't there be updates regarding the UI , map, combat etc, so we have some clue how things are progressing and give feedback?

 

Because unless it's a subscription title, money and monetization of the player experience is always the number one priority, forever.

 

Why do I agree with Vjek and Gunga Din ?!

What has the world come up to !!!

*runs down the hill ripping his hair off*

I really don't get why people say the actual world looks like an old game tho... although I admit the only other game I played other than UO Siege (where I spent most of my life) was WoW and I didn't even reach level 40 before I got totally bored and went back to Siege...

The actual world looks very nice to me, and I can see well how it can be improved easily, so that was encouraging.

 

Potential? Entirely too subjective. It could go any direction, so you're asking people to "trust."

Nope.

 

Actually it really IS about being open minded when the "Crayola" map haters put up pixelated EGA screenshots from the 80s and say that they look better than the R4 map....

 

I guess it's all perspective, when it comes down to it. I mean, people absolutely love Minecraft but the graphics look like c***.

The video that DNA Cowboy posted earlier in this thread, showing Ultima IX - I was pretty blown away that it looked almost exactly like the current SotA pre-Alpha, but works a little bit better. I mean, what standards are people following, or expecting? If someone is pretty old (age wise) in the gaming world, and hasn't kept up with modern MMOs, they might think the current SotA looks great, or has "potential."

The map, well it can be considered "artistic" but it's not art to my liking. I mean, there are tons of games on Steam you can buy for $2 that have decent graphics, even maps fairly identical. If they want to only charge that much on Steam sale for SotA, I'd be happy with the game the way it is. But I guess I was expecting a whole lot more.

And YES, I know it's only pre-Alpha. But come on. Unless they do a complete overhaul, it's not going to change dramatically.

 

Minecraft isn't *supposed* to look like anything other than what it is tho - it's the style of the game...

not everything has to have photorealistic graphics !! This btw isn't just my crazy opinion but it's known thing on the internet - people always gravitate towards *nice* graphics at the expense of
every other game aspect - I even do it - I bought Thief for PS4 based on (total lies btw) screenshots on gameboards ! The game turned out to be a total turd !

I even think that graphics that look supposedly good aren't all that great - Star Citizen is a perfect example... really nice graphics, modern -

BUT they have this fake plastic look on surfaces that's like a new trick you can do with graphics cards - and it looks horrible - it looks so fake - plastic doesn't look like that - also the same thing with glass windows -

all kinds of timey wimey oooh look reflection and refraction but it's not how glass in the real world actually looks !!!

Graphics for graphics sake is the worst !!!

 

No, see, back in the 80s, they were doing the best they could give the EGA palette and low-resolution.


This crayola map is not the best they can do. We already saw better in demonstrations and such.

 

It's not about the quality, it's about the direction. We were shown one thing and are getting something wildly different. And frankly, I don't like the direction it's taking. I hated the overland map in Dragon Age, and this is very reminiscent of that.

They can give us zoom, and cool animations and clean it up and make it pretty, but it will still be a game piece on a map, rather than a zoomed out avatar in a zoomed out WORLD. It radically changes the dynamics of the game.

 

Wait, how does it change the dynamics of the game if the overworld map is not 3D docdoom ?

I understand you don't like the style. But I don't think it affects the gameplay at all ?

The old 3D version was only going to show 3d models that were basically icons right ? It wasn't going to *actually be* the world with a different camera angle ....