Overland Map Poll [UNOFFICIAL]

Awesome presentation and implementation; I think the idea is bad ass! This guy should be part of the dev team... Thanks man!

 

I never said I liked the Darkmon's example myself. Yet our brown, burnt, lifeless map is sooooo bad visually and has such a no-feel-of-immersion to it, that even the dumbest looking cartoonish things anyone could show, will look better.

The current overworld map, with that most vile, sliding parade-flag-chess-piece monstrosity begs to be hated, sorry. THAT is indeed the first thing to fix, the sliding flag

 

Don't like the style at all. It is still a map we would be walking on and not a world.

 

Haha would you listen to yourselves! Now call me an optimist for what am about to say or a noob if you like seeing I have only come on board pre R4 and not as early as kickstart nor have I played any Ultima (I care not). Lets first of all look at the concept and how visually pleasing it looks (this is coming from someone who much prefers free roaming 3D open world exploration of that of WoW or Rift) a concept that got you all pretty excited if I am not mistaken? Also lets throw into the bargain RG and his passion for exploration and what not as I understand from the various videos/interviews I have watched since learning about his success. The feedback in this thread pretty much all negative and you believe you are not being listened to? Do you see any of those "in the know" posting here or are they remaining tight lipped (yes we have had chris as I can see post on another thread saying they were surprised *coughs* BS) Do you honestly believe they'd put out anything close to "the real thing" in "PRE-ALPHA" removing the mysticism and adventure of whats still very premature? Now I'll repeat perhaps am being the optimist but in my own opinion they will not only be doing an injustice to the community as a whole but an incredible injustice to their credibility if whatever does come is anything like what we witnessed in R4 and anything short of pure brilliance!

 

Milzer78: so, you're hinting that maybe the map was a bluff by the devs? Maybe an early April fool's joke? I certainly hope you're right! I admire your unwavering optimism.

 

huzzah

 

No, we don't think this is "the real thing." Most of us have said that we understand that most of the functionality is not in place, that we understand the potential for the new art direction, we just don't like it.

You'll find a post by darkstarr in one of these that says the new art is the direction it's taking even though it's not nearly done and will include lots more bells and whistles. He also said that the shield in place of avatar was an intentional design decision, not a place-holder. There are some people who have complained without doing their homework, but there always are. Most of us are trying to get them to reverse a design decision that we believe detracts from the experience of the game, not complaining because the new direction is in a very early state.

 

What exactly are you "just sayin" ?

If you think we're missing some vital bit of information, please elaborate and we'll listen. But if you just want to sling condescending one-liners, please don't waste our time.

 

No not an April fools, yes you might say a bluff "Smoke and Mirrors". I may be totally wrong but I just can't for the life of me see how they'd put out something way off an original design concept that most seemed so positively enthusiastic about and pacify you with calling their new approach a GoT like map, what makes for an interesting opening to a television show does not carry into a game in this day and age. I guess we'll just have to wait and see but I imagine there are going to be many unhappy folks if what goes live remotely resembles what we have traveled via in R4.

 

I wish you were right.
Even with a stylistic approach to the overland view I cannot imagine myself liking this style after having to use it for months. I am certain that at some point people will get fed up with this style and then you will get even more of it when the next episodes are released and the world gets an even bigger paper map...
It's with everything - especially stylistic things - you have to look at for a long time. In the beginning it is cool but over time you wish for something different which is a little bit dangerous in a game as once it is in there it will stay there and when you cannot look at the stylized graphics anymore after some time you still are forced to if you want to continue to play.
It's not with a wall you paint in extreme colors because you think it is cool but after some time you begin to hate it and color it anew. You won't get a new map then.
But I doubt that one could get fed up by a more realistic style of the grahics otherwise I couldn't look out of the windows anymore...

 

I would say, based on Starr and Lum's comments, that it is not just smoke and mirrors. The dev team believed this was positive change which addressed issues they were having with the original map. Our team doesn't strike me as the smoke and mirrors type of group.

 

This is true of any contentious subject. There are a number of different people in these threads all with different views and opinions. Some of them are just trolls, some of them haven't thought any of their arguments through. This will always be the case. You have to filter out the bull and listen to the people who are constructing valid arguments (even if you don't agree with their position). That is the nature of forum discussion. And the community here at the SoTA forums are far less contentious and contradictory than many gaming communities (have you ever been on the D&D Next forums? Now that is a vipers nest).

 

I fear that the overhead map in R4 is exactly what you'll see in the final product.. only a little more jazzed up with some paper-style animations. At least, that's what we're hearing from Darkstarr. Unless they change directions again, what you see is what you get.

Here's to you being right and me being very, very wrong! /toast

 

Caught myself trolling. Sorry about that - the post has been deleted.

 

That was gutsy, mikeaw1101. Kudos.

 

Thanks, I too hope you are very very wrong and not I

Firstly an apology to the "haha" opening to my previous post which probably come across insensitive to something I too feel strongly about, Sorry. Also on Chris's statement for the "*coughs* BS" sorry was not meant to be abrasive in approach!

For me "What you see is what you get" is not true, based on some external articles including videos that I have watched as early as 12 days prior to the end of kickstarter campaign which I believe had already exceeded a $1M target and shows quite clearly the same concept. In the video RG reaches out for people to come on board during this!

In other videos on threads we see the same concept 3 months on from that where RG states as others have picked up on "close to finished" and it looks pretty awesome, flowing water (although I found looked a bit basic) animated animals, detailed housing on a small scale, mountains, trees and so on. Notice also from which the 3D map emerges is pretty much the same art "concept" we navigated in R4.

My point here is not to get peoples backs up and to build false hope, you could argue that that's exactly what Portalarium have done I guess but under no circumstances am I trying to degrade them in any way and I do hope that SoTA exceeds all expectations. So with the above said and a gap of what 9 months between the RTX concept/pitch (which was said by the RG to be close to finish minus polish etc) the community who they "Portalarium" keep reiterating want feedback from and to be involved have done what? Sat scratching their heads with no reaching out to the playerbase who are behind it? saying things such as "Look folks we have decided that this just does not fit the bill there is far too much complication, suggestions on how to overcome/work around?"

If R4 is exactly that, it would appear negligent of the feelings of their backers. Now one year on suddenly it's scrapped at what cost? I seriously hope is not the case although I do understand if they are holding back the finished work in order to keep the magnificent spectacle for all to witness simultaneously near release!

Surely in those 9 months after RTX and most likely prior have been spent creating the full scale world. To turn around and say in R4 they have decided to go with something resembling a paper map and basically say this is how it's going to be with little to no feedback after 1 initial post each by both Darkstarr and Chris, that does not wash with me and fully understand the displeasure of you all.

As a side note: It was mentioned during a Trion development team stream during my time playing Rift that they actually thrive on feedback more so when it is heated and contrary to their own beliefs as it shows the level of care those voicing concerns have for the game they have a vested interest. That said, many people who seem to be so easily placated by anything and everything that is put out there are somewhat not contributing to a better quality end product.

I hope the dev's here too are really enjoying the level of concern and not taking it as personal attacks at what must be a very challenging time given the multiple avenues of gameplay and styles they are trying to satisfy.

 

So it looks like someone took the Game of Thrones intro and made a version for Skyrim:

Link on Vimeo here.

 

As cool as it looks the first time you see it, the second time and maybe a third time, I wouldn't want to walk around on it. It is sterile and lifeless and I think it could get boring really fast...

 

Yes, without other dynamic elements on the overland map, it doesn't offer much. At that point it just boils down to personal taste on the art direction. I'm still willing to give it a chance if they do indeed add all those bells and whistles to make the GoT-like map more dynamic and alive, especially with 3D models vs. 2D paper cut outs.

I'd even prefer a 2D direct overhead tile (hex) map just like in Ultima 3-5 with all its sprite/bitmap glory and I'll be happy. And yes, graphic bells and whistles and MOBs, players, etc. moving around on it.

 

They did a great job at making it look like Game of Thrones. The problem is: how many people find the Game of Thrones beginning immersive ? Artistic, yes. As an overhead view of a world it lacks intrigue. A Thrones style map is inconsistent with the rest of what we've seen in SotA. It motivates the player to get to their location as soon as possible so they can get out of the map and back into the game. The map should be part of the game...not the antithesis of it.