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Overland Map Feedback [Merged Thread]

Discussion in 'Release 17 Feedback' started by Lord_Darkmoon, Apr 30, 2015.

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  1. Drocis the Devious

    Drocis the Devious Avatar

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    Just a thought about travel on the overland map. Maybe we're looking at it wrong and the speed shouldn't change. Instead, maybe to "simulate" off road travel it should impact stats temporarily? Maybe you can eat certain foods to lessen this impact?


    And when I say stats I mean both combat and crafting success would be impacted.
     
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  2. Lord_Darkmoon

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    Why not remove the overland map and have instant travel to scenes by selective them in a menu?

    I think travel should be interesting, exciting and even somewhat realistic. I wouldn't mind different speed for different terrain but it shouldn't be tedious and annoying. Traveling through a swamp, a deep forest or mountains is not as easy as on a road.
    Also we are crossing huge distances on the continent. This should be considered, too.
    If not why can't we move at superspeed in scenes, too? Why can the hero travel at sonic speed on the overland map? There should be some consistency and at least a bit realism to travel.
     
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  3. draykor darkale

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    I'll have to respectfully disagree, its a great change, very happy with it.
     
  4. Lord_Darkmoon

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    Even the constant automatical zooming in and out like shown in the video?
     
  5. Lord_Darkmoon

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    The overland map now behaves more like a scene due to the new camera. I read that some people now want an additional map for orientation - a map for the map so to speak.

    How about just pressing a key in order to change the camera to a fixed isometric view which you can then zoom out way, way further than we can now? So we would basically have two camera modes: the new one and the old one with way more zoom which would also work as an overview map.

    So you walk around in "scene view camera", press the key, the camera goes to isometric view which you can now zoom out until you see half of the continent. If you want, you can also use this view to walk around.
     
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  6. ThePompousPeasant

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    First off great work on R17! From R1 to R17 there have been consistent improvement in the game and that makes everyone happy.

    I am one of the backers that fell into the, "NO NOT AN OVER WORLD MAP!!" camp. I do see the benefits of having one as it's true that open world games do have tons of wasted space. The issue I have with this current over world map is, though it's beautiful, it seems to not fit...almost like it's meant for another game. I strongly dislike walking around on it since scale is off and no matter how shiny you make it it's always going to be different then the actual game.

    What I would love to see is a map system like they have in Pillars of Eternity or Dragon Age where it's an old school map with POI's that you can click to go to. I think in Dragon Age a blood red line would travel over to the POI. I also would like to have it not suck me into combat as that again breaks immersion.

    I almost did not post this because I know how hard you all have been working on the map system but it does not fit with the rest of the game imho. I would rather use my imagination then have to look at this map that makes me feel like Gulliver or a Bobble Head....it's just off to me. I'm sure many do not care or feel it's an issue so that's why I would love an option to have an old school map to go by. The one below would be FANTASTIC :)

    Wishes
    [​IMG]
     
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  7. Lord_Darkmoon

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    The current, new camera makes it feel off, imho. It should have stayed isometric. With the ability to zoom out even further to see half of the continent and with the ability to maybe tilt the camera a bit for those who want to see the horizon. Then it would have had the feeling of a map as well as a second game-view - just like in the old Ultimas.

    With the new camera view and being able to play from third person view everything seems odd and the scale is absolutely off. It doesn't behave like a map anymore but instead as a substitution for an open world we can roam around in. But due to the scale being completely off, this doesn't work and simply feels odd.
    The constant automatic zoom does even make this worse.

    At least we should get the option to switch between the old camera and the new.
     
  8. Nemo Herringwary

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    I believe the code for the different terrain is still there, because I just bugged into having it again (Thanks, OBritish!); I must say from a playtesting point of view running around at faster speeds feels much better, but it does undo some of the sense of real world on the overland map again... Perhaps there should be some sort of Wilderness Lore skill that, after weeks of pushing through trees and learning about them, allows you to move through certain terrains at a faster rate?
     
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  9. ThePompousPeasant

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    That's the thing Lord_Darkmoon. It does not matter what they do it will always be off because the scale will always be off. It's almost as if it's trying it's hardest to be an open world where players are traveling around in but it falls short, way short imho. That's why I think the old school map would be fantastic.

    I just traveled to PaxLair from some far away city. The entire time I'm thinking I just want to get there and get off this odd map. It would be so much easier and less work for the dev team (at least I would think) to simply have the old school map there with POI's. Now some POI's may be locked off until you do xyz and I get that but this current system is horrendously breaking immersion.

    I've always felt it was off but it was not until now that I realize that it's just not ever going to "feel" original in this current state. I wish I could of articulated it earlier because they have worked so hard on it and it IS beautiful but I feel it does not fit the actual game.
     
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  10. Koldar

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    I have merged all of the "map feedback" threads into a single thread for ease of consumption. Please remember to search for existing topics before creating a new one on the same subject.

    Thank you and enjoy R17!
     
  11. Lord_Darkmoon

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    I think from an isometric zoomed out view it is not as apparant as it is now that the scale is off.

    Also, traveling on a map like in Pillars of Eternity would create the problem of being able to instant travel across the continent. Alternatively we would have to watch a marker move across the map which could be very boring. You cannot skip time in an MMO.
     
  12. ThePompousPeasant

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    But this is not your traditional MMO. Look how many players want a faster travel speed on the overworld map. The reason they want that is because they want to get off it and to the actual game. The overworld map does not fit with the actual zones. Why have it in it's current form when we could just have the hand drawn map?
     
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  13. ThePompousPeasant

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    The reason we don't travel at super sonic speeds in the scenes is because that's the "actual" game play. This overworld map will never be realistic.
     
  14. Lord_Darkmoon

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    The idea was to make it like the overland view in Ultima 4 or 5. There, travel on the overland map was fun, exciting and it made sense. There were roving encounters and you could find secrets and even rest in this view.
    In SotA it was meant to be similar. In future versions - as long as this is still the plan - you encounter creatures and even NPCs on the overland map. You can discover secrets and even new scenes (for example a special scene could appear during a certain time of day and weather). Things will happen on the overland map. Right now it is bland and just a means to get from point A to point B. But there wil be much more to it - at least according to the original plans.
     
  15. ThePompousPeasant

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    Interesting, had not heard about that and never played Ultima 4 or 5. These happenings all include getting "sucked" into combat and off the overworld map?
     
  16. Lord_Darkmoon

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    I think that most of them will. But I hope that there will be things you can do on the overland map, too. Maybe in the form of some windows popping up, telling about some things happening to which you can react.
     
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  17. Sir_Hemlock

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    Good points. I do indeed like with what you have written here
     
  18. ThePompousPeasant

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    Maybe that would be interesting. I guess I will just have to wait and see how it goes. Currently I would just want the hand drawn map and be able to go where I want since the overworld map now is just, "How do I get OFF this thing as fast as I can," in my head.
     
  19. Xi_

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    the over land travel needs to be way faster in my opinion, its just painfully slow as is .....
     
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  20. ThePompousPeasant

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    Just give us the hand drawn map with POI's to travel to and problem solved :)
     
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