Overland Map Poll [UNOFFICIAL]

I would have preferred that myself but don't think it is really possible at this point. I think one big reason they did not go for the open world concept like Skyrim is because their budget is so small. I do love exploring in Skyrim it is great, but Skyrim also had a huge budget to work with many times what SOTA has.

I do think though they should go back to their original idea. That at least still kept some of the sense of exploring a real world. Versus what we were shown in this release which as others have put it is more like pushing a piece around a board game. They would probably need to push back the release but I think even without the map issues there is enough reason for them to push back the release date. I mean look at the state the game is in now does any one truly believe they can actually manage to release this game finished and mostly bugfree by October? I think they are still trying to foolishly shoot for that October release date and this new map is a result of that.

 

I always assumed that the map was just that, a map. I am starting suspect that the map is going to be THE mode of transportation. Tell me I am wrong.... I want to be able to walk from one end of the lands to another, and use the map for rapid transit by picking my destination. Otherwise, I want to take my time going from location, exploring along the way.

 

I think what you're seeing is how travelling is meant to be done.

To me, it's a lot like Dragon Age -- you click where you want to go and the marker moves to the destination. If any random encounters are met along the way, you are tossed into an instance to deal with them.

 

I don't think anything has ever been said about random encounters along the way, its just move from A to B in a linear way and go to what ever is there once you Stop. I was hoping this game would not have invisible barriers which breaks immersion, it was even better before they introduced the overhead map in the latest release where you got to the edge of a zone and then had loading screen and appeared at the start of the next zone. Now its move game piece on map, enter zone at one end, leave zone at the other end, sorry but you cant go east or west out of the hex because an invisible wall stops you. The over head map could still work, but god its looks like **** at the moment. Why show us what we was going to have in 3 month release video then give us this piece of crap map we have now and after some people paid there money too, because that original overhead map might have been one of the things that made them decide to give money towards the game in the first place.

Are we even going to be able to see where people in party or or friends are on the world map now?
Is there going to be a map when you are inside the hex to see where you are? and if so will i again be able to see party members and friends on it?
Will there be any sort of compass to show you which direction you are moving in?

 

It may have been a bug then, because I got what appeared to be a random encounter. I was in the process of moving and, while still moving (and not pushing the mouse button), I got tossed into an instance.

Now, I know when you stop, you can double click and have that happen, according to the location you're in, but this happened while I was moving, no mouse button pressing involved. Bug, I suppose?

 

Most likely a bug, as the overhead map that we have at the moment has only a certain number of events happening on it, and i don't think a random encounter was one of them.

 

I still have high hopes for this, this is not Lord British's first production. There are still alot of things that need too be fixed yet and like some others have pointed out they don't have a 30 million dollar budget. Furthermore this is still a pre-alpha release and they are only showing chunks of there actually work right now not everything. I for one still wish for an open world concept and not the paper doll map but this is not going too happen. The map is not that bad, it almost reminds me of the old cloth maps that came with the boxed Ultima games. I'm sure after a few tweaks here and the a few tweaks there, it will look streamlined and function well. I for one am highly anticipating the final release Sota and seeing how each one of these releases changed the aspects of the game. Like a piece of unfinished clay in the hands of a master craftsman creating his Pièce de résistance!!

 

1. Random encounters that "pull" you into an event have been mentioned ... for me it reminds me of the old rpg's ... I like the concept

2. They are considering showing party members in the overland map - no final word yet

3. There is going to be a mini map - I imagine a compass as well (not sure on the compass)

4. Not sure if you will be able to see a party member on a minimap - good question

Concerning the invisible barriers - I'm hoping they go away - and that you can walk to hex to hex ... instance to instance

I think overland maps - 2d or 3d - are not truly meant for "exploring" ... it's really there for visual appeal and to represent travel ... the real exploration happens within each hex ... the overland maps are there generally to mark major landmarks / points of interests

While I understand/agree with the sentiments expressed by many - I would rather the dev team - concentrate on creating a multitude of varying "hex instances" rather than spend too much time on a 3d map that by in large is just eye candy

There are things they can do to make the 2d make more "interactive"

- Bring back the "Avatar doll" - there is probably around 90-95% agreement on this - just judging from the responses on 3 threads discussing the same thing

- Animal Animations - or - animals on the map

- Possibly - I think that this is a very good idea - use "wasd" to control you "Avatar doll" on the 2d map ... this will go a long way in helping people feel more in control over their travels

 

Nice points, and i agree.

But i guess wasd movement would be impractical with diagonal movement.

 

My first impression about the overland map: what a crap - I was disappointed and upset. After a while I realized the simple reason why I was so frustrated - the map was not what I expected by the kickstarter movie. Lord British and the dev team changed the kickstarter approach of the overland map without any announcement - and we all run without prior warning into this alternate implementation. Too bad - no good information politics.

Then I read the DarkStar clarification in this thread and calmed down. Ah, the map is a placeholder and will be refurbished with some nice features . Ok, let's try a second look. I played some hours and acquaint myself with the map. These kind of map is unusual but after a while it unfolded a special charm and makes the game somehow unique imho. And now - to my surprise - I like it a lot! So give the overland map a second chance plz

 

We don't need diagonal movement ... lol .. very good point Akro

Although folks are not expressing it - I get the impression that the disconnect (break of emersion) pertains to "click and go" in combination with the "board piece" makes travelling seem more of a "spectator sport" than your mini avatar traversing the landscape (while you are in control)

wasd might go a long way with helping folks "feel" more in control

 

That is part of it for sure. Still, this format, no matter how many bells and whistles they add, is quite a disappointment compared to what we were shown.

I could learn to live with it, if we got WASD movement and paper cut-out dragons and animals which flew over/darted around the terrain. If it turns into a paper cut-out vision of the original idea, basically; then I would have less of a problem with it.

The fact that it was sprung on us with no forewarning definitely did not help.

 

i do not like the drawn pop-up book style map that the devs seem to be going towards. i do not see what was wrong with the original. it was far more in style of the game and gave more of an impression of scale. even with more animations and swankyness - i do not want a crayola spectacle. i would prefer to have a hand drawn scrap of creased paper with player made notes scrawled over it, which your character pulls out of his pocket and you look down at it "in-world".

really not liking the direction of the game anymore. if i were richer i would whinge in dev+. but i am just a peon... with a pitch fork!

 

Yeah I think the surprise factor has had a big impact ... hopefully they can show us a more fleshed out template (soon) so some of our concerns could be eased

 

The pitch forks are out... watch out!

 

yes. im narked.

 

Vjek you can see the hex to hex movement in the prototype, it's just not anywhere near as obvious as the animation of the avatar and the environment draw your eyes elsewhere. Besides there weren't huge hex lines everywhere, hehe.

 

And just to reiterate what Starr said regarding the map, as a lot of people seemed to have missed the line....

"Our attempts to make the real map look good were not going anywhere quickly and it didn't feel unique or Ultima like."

 

@Margard

You made some good points after my post. I like the direction of the game as a whole, i dont like the new overhead map but i know that it is something they are probably working on to improve it on top of everything else. I would also agree with a point i read that maybe they should consider delaying release till end of Q1 next year so they still have a whole year ahead of them to improve more things with out rushing, and it would not put it too far behind the estimated date of release.

 

We need the map we were promised....or if this 'Game of Thrones' Map is what they are suggesting then okay, just about but it MUST have the 3D models as in the opening credits to GoT.
The castles, mountains and other interesting animated geographical features.......:



AND it must be available on release not some pie in the sky future add-in.