Maps and Coordinate locations

[sashok]

It\'s probably been discussed, so bare with me.


First of all, it\'s crucial to have good maps that will pinpoint your location in the city or forest, or anywhere, that will be different for different sections of the world.  maybe like in nwn you would have to buy a diff map for diff city/location, maybe it\'s once single map a player can have that will uncover hidden paths as you go along(so that it would be easier to go back where you came from once you opened a path).   Also the maps could be zoomable from little area(200mx200m) to up to different continents, just for players to have a sence where they are standing).  

ok, enough for that.

coordinates.  basically it would be nice if your friends tell you where they are located, and send you a position somehow, it would show up on your map and you could easily travel there(well maybe not easily, but you would at least see where they are standing, so that you could reach there faster).  This is all useful for people who are not very good with coordinates.(I know I am).  it takes me very long time to memorize an area.  
So to make our lives easier this would be great feature.

Eh, what do you think?

[Wedge]

Just so long as you are buying maps and this isn\'t some kinda auto-mapping crap.  And of course maps are made by players, who explore an area and have the cartography ability.  Anyway though... for returning someones position... there has to be a more logical way of doing that.  It\'d have to be an item or a spell you could use on a map, and then a magical marking would show up if they were on that map.

[sashok]

eh, magic this, magic dat.  Let this be just for people\'s convenience.  I hate spending lots of time lost and wandering in weird directions.  When I could have the map and easily see where I\'ve been, what I\'ve uncovered.  Or even place pinpoints on map on buildings/cities/areas important to me so that I wouldn\'t get lost.

[Wedge]

Well I just mean there is a mechanism for pointing a specific person out... as opposed to some games that have a radar that shows all the people on it... that\'s pretty dumb.  That\'s just a fun way to implement as opposed to doing \"/showpos Tycho\", or what have you.

[sashok]

oh, yeah, the pinpointing of all people around you is not great idea, but pinpoint of yourself on the map is I think.  it\'s as if you were looking at the real map while holding a finger to where you approx standing.

As for your buddies location, well, I don\'t know what the magical/mechanical idea could be behind it, but it would really be helpful.

p.s.  auto-map walking is horrible.  it\'s not good idea to make it so that you can click on the map and your character will walk automatically

[KwartzTheKran]

I actually hope they dont do any kind of buddy pin pointing, automapping or maps in general, guilds could make and produce maps for their guild to use and things, and experience is in a way rewarded with no maps as u learn the territory better, or if maps are introduced its a seperate compass and the maps are flat and not interactive... but thats just imho.

[lynx_lupo]

Yeah, I\'d like to have scroll maps. You know, you have a tattered scroll with a sloppy map on it...

How good a map is would be determined by the maker\'s skill. And he should really go out to get his info. Maybe map makers should have an ability... the more they walk on some teritory the more they know it and their skill for mapping it would increase.

[Wedge]

I guess it really all depends on how large and complicated the world is.  Unless the world is really huge I\'d prefer an aboslute minimal mapping aswell... I\'m generally for anything that could be seen as an inconvinience to some, coz\' the game should have kind of a hardcore RP aspect to it, while being practical about the biggest issues (like death).  I\'d hate to say discourage people from playing it... but rather just people that want to really \"play\" the game would like it, instead of some... other... kinds of people.  Mapping is something that I think needs to have a middle balance between being really easy, and totally useless... perhaps slightly swayed towards being more difficult.

On a (somewhat) unrelated note... how would a compass work here anyway... would it just always point to the center of the world?

[Axsyrus]

First of all, it\'s crucial to have good maps that will pinpoint your location in the city or forest, or anywhere, that will be different for different sections of the world. maybe like in nwn you would have to buy a diff map for diff city/location, maybe it\'s once single map a player can have that will uncover hidden paths as you go along(so that it would be easier to go back where you came from once you opened a path). Also the maps could be zoomable from little area(200mx200m) to up to different continents, just for players to have a sence where they are standing).

There is a Cartography Skill in the skills list, maps will be made by players/npc\'s and you will have to buy/get them.

coordinates. basically it would be nice if your friends tell you where they are located, and send you a position somehow, it would show up on your map and you could easily travel there(well maybe not easily, but you would at least see where they are standing, so that you could reach there faster). This is all useful for people who are not very good with coordinates.(I know I am). it takes me very long time to memorize an area.
So to make our lives easier this would be great feature.

this is what the /pos command is for

[sashok]

Axsyrus, I\'m hoping the pos command won\'t be in the future releases of the game

[Watcher]

You should have to pay for maps from players so you could have a dude make you a map and sell it to you.

[Axsyrus]

Originally posted by sashok20
Axsyrus, I\'m hoping the pos command won\'t be in the future releases of the game

why hoping? but you\'re right, the /pos command is only for debug purposes,it is the only command that gives you the co?rdinates&area though..

Originally posted by Watcher
You should have to pay for maps from players so you could have a dude make you a map and sell it to you.

jeh, that\'s what i was saying

[Dathias]

A compass and coordanates would be the only things \"needed\"