I don't care for overland travel

I agree and I think this is overlooked because of the state of the map currently.

People say it kills immersion, but part of reading and enjoying a fantasy book is seeing the world map. For me, immersion is tied to classic Ultima games and having a cloth world map. I want to feel like there is a larger world.

On top of that, I want the world map to be useful. I want to see if a town is under siege, or where some wildlife or monsters might be to inform decisions I make as a player where to go next. The map doesn't have this information now, but it seems it will in the future.

 

You are literally pro-inconvenience and anti-gliding. Your words, not mine.

 

OK, you qouted an old post and this means what? That I'm pro loading screen? I guess you missed the part where I said that combat is an inconveinance, puzzles as well and getting travel interupted....I'm not really sure what you are trying to say at this point.

 

I think its telling that a lot of us in this thread and others, have basically said "I didn't like the overland map at first, but it's grown on me." I've heard the same thing applied to the deck aspect of the combat system. I know a lot of us have a passion for past Ultimas and its easy to see beyond the blemishes. I hope for longevity's sake, the majority of new comers can appreciate SotA as a whole like we have.

 

I did not like the overland map at first but things are getting better about it.

I am used to zoning from area to area. Even in UO, when zoning there was a bit of a lag while the new area loaded (in tram and fel anyway). I'm starting to get ideas about how to use the new overland map to my advantage so I will give this a chance.

However I do like exploring and continually zoning in and out of the map does break immersion. It just does. I have been travelling on the overland map and been pulled in by random encounters and this breaks the immersion of the overland map. Which now seems funny.

The overland map I think has a purpose but I would like to be able to just explore without having to use the overland map. Maybe this could be toggled so we could load into the overland map when we want or stay in the instances and travel the long way.

 

I don't think the problem is the map itself, but how long the load screens are. We need to stop bashing the map and more clearly state that we want to decrease load times. That is a difficult task, but I think Chris plans to try and tackle it.

 

@TCL, I am completely in agreement based on the current state of things, but other members have alluded to a more interactive overland map which could be like U1, the classic Zelda, or even similar to the pokemon games. If that is the case, our concerns may be unwarranted.

 

The devs have said in the future we should have a more interactive map.

 

they have stated only a few extra functions on the OW map. they have so far maintained that the map will primarily be used to travel and not to interact with.

Sent from my GT-S5690M using Tapatalk 2

 

I'm not sure why they wouldn't add more...it seems trivial since it is now a scene....adding interactions shouldn't be that hard.

 

Maybe interactive is a poor choice of words. But being able to see when a town is under siege for example can inform player decisions on where to go next.

Seeing wildlife and monsters roaming the map will feed into immersion as well.

 

That familiar rpg feel; like an old friend you haven't seen in years.

The overland map; like the fond memories of an old car you used to own.

Nostalgia or evolution? I guess that depends on why you stopped talking to your friend, and what ever became of that car...

When design is pulled from a time capsule there should be an effort to balance its positives with the expectations of the modern market. Design decisions shouldn't be implemented because they were fun 20 years ago. Improvements over modern design using elements from the past however, is progress in itself.

We'll just have to see what Potalarium do with it.

 

Can you be ambushed with PvP on the overland map? How does PvP incorporate with this feature?

 

I never considered that very interesting idea. I don't know what they have planned, but since we have selective PVP world and even a confirmation dialog when entering PVP instances, I don't think it is on the radar.

 

You do not see other players on the overland map unless they are in a party with you.

 

We'll see players on the map if they're on a contraband quest, for instance. That's what RG said.

Right now you can technically meet with a PKer through ambush if you and him get pulled into the same hex with one another. I'm sure if two people are flagged PvP, this might happen even without any monster encounter. It would be interesting to be able to set up an ambush for a passing traveler. That was something you could do in Darklands.

Plus, I hope when campsites are in, we'll be able to see some player campfires on the overland map... which would open up a variety of interesting gameplay scenarios. You might either be ambushed, or you might hold your fire long enough to recruit people who are looking for an adventure.

 

Excellent ideas! Thank you everyone for the replies. I see potential in the overland map even though I'm not 100% sold on it. I really hope the developers add PvP dynamics like you mentioned (contraband quest, campsites, etc) to the overland map and make it fun to travel.

 

I think it'll also be interesting if two guilds are at war with each other, and they see the guild enemies on the map. Then, a full scale war can take place using the overland map as a kind of strategic battleground. They'll want to use scouts to gather intelligence and plan moves, like cutting someone off at a pass, etc.

 

And just like with Ultima V, campsites could take place in a special scene similar to an encounter scene. That way they could also serve as a kind of meeting place for parties. "Everyone meet us at the campsite south of Ravensend"

 

Precisely. I love love love this idea. Please keep talking about it and let's get the developers attention on this one. Campsites are a MUST for overland maps.