Stop pushing SotA in the wrong direction!

That's how I see it too @sn0tub

 

Well I like the overlan map, but I also like the open world. Perhaps if the two could be combined somehow...

 

Finally, some people are starting to talk about the choice to use this method in terms of reality and not wishful thinking.

Changing to a seamless world, or anything close to it, is a MAJOR shift and not done on a whim.

 

I'm so concerned with the direction of the game I went ahead and got a Holdfast to add to PaxLair and dropped more $$ in the stretch goals.........

 

There are examples of this already in the underworld. I think that we will see more and more linked maps where you can go from one to the other. But if you want to skip it you go to the overland map.

 

I personally do not see how this limits exploration in any way.

Yes, the way they have implemented it RIGHT NOW is such that only one scene per hex is what is able to be entered.

However, picture some of the following examples of possibilities, if you will:

• Leaving Owl's head through the path leading south takes you to the world map, but when you approach the scene limits to the north, east or west, the paths leading out of those areas take you to another neighboring scene within the Owl's Head hex... maybe even allowing you to visit the windmills on the hills or eventually the volcano!
• On the overland map, you see an area that has a couple of icons... one indicating combat, and another indicating an encounter or other event. Clicking on either takes you to the appropriate scene, while clicking on the hex itself takes you to the hex's native scene (unless one of the other events supersedes it)
• Overland to native scene travel is direction of travel sensitive... meaning if your marker was moving south into a hex when you clicked on it, you enter at the scene's north entrance. (this one would be somewhat tricky to manage, but tbh, I think it needs to be considered, especially in combat/pvp scenes)

These are just a few ways that the current set up can be further leveraged to provide the freedom the explorer is looking for, yet also afford the dev's the flexibility of deployment and modification they were seeking.

Another possibility to consider:

• Using the overland as a fast travel type of movement, while hex scenes can be knit together into a cohesive map that one can travel through possibly without the immersion-breaking event horizon of the load screen. Each mode of travel has its advantages and disadvantages:
  • Overland: Move slightly faster than walking through intermediate scenes, but will miss things that can only be accessed via sub-hexscenes
  • Scene-to-scene: Move slower than through overland, and might miss overland events entirely, but will have the advantage of being able to ferret out hidden areas and secret POI's.

Now, keep in mind, this is just ideas rolling off the top of my head, and I have no idea how much it would cost in terms of data handling, level design and so on, but it seems that the model they have in place now has so many advantages as to make arguments against it all but pointless, if they leverage the platform correctly.

 

I like this route and could be tied in with the consensual PvP. It really meshes with the safety of the "light" and risk of the "darkness" when traveling. Some places might be open to safe travel but could be opened up to hostile situations and should be avoided if you wish to remain safe.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Faery_Tale_Adventure

Yes, if this was your current expectation for an RPG you would be drooling for SotA...
Release date: 1987

 

This thread has become a magnet for bickering and trolling. As the OP's original purpose has been addressed and noted, I'm closing her down.