Maps...

[loneranger]

It would be nice to have maps to navigate with. I havent been in the game to see how well the navigation system works but i just thought it would be a good idea.

[Aduin]

Maps, while being very useful, remove something from the game. At least for places outside the city, like the labrynth, and what lies beyond. Because with maps, you loose a sense of exploration, and adventure. Plus, maybe go UO style, and make cartography a skill. So that maps are possible, but someone has to goto a place, and make them first.

[TheGeneral]

I would like the OPTION of having to buy pieces of the map as you visit the world. Like, you stop at a town, and buy a map, for a low price, of that area. And than you get to piece it together. This gives you the general sence of direction, and such. As for maps of dungeons, those should only be revield once you explored the dungeon, or killed the \"dungeon\" boss. All in all, a nice idea.

[BaretteDeBeurre]

yep cartography should be a skill. Then you can sell your map to merchants that copy them and sell them to players. You could do exterior and interior maps. And a cartography guild should arise from that.

[Aruneko]

Perhaps each person could start out with an \"Automap\" and as you explored the area it would become full.  Also you could purchase maps of towns and it would fill the empty Automap space there with the appropriate map.

[Silverblade]

Yes, that sounds good, and nice and simple.

Then you could go to a new area, fill out the whole map, and sell it to someone.

One of the skills could be exploration. This could make it so that you have a larger vision range on the map screen. Then, if you were proficient in exploring, you would have to walk around less to uncover the whole map.

[Aduin]

I like that idea Aruneko. A self filling auto-map would work very nicely.

While I like the idea of the exploration skill Silverblade, i don\'t think it will be a very useful skill, except for at the very begining of the game, because explorers will go out quickly, and will mass-produce maps, and pretty soon, there will be no need for that skill.

[Link]

Or everyone will make maps and just drop them everywhere since they will cost nothing when they are everywhere and no one will explore, maybe you should keep your maps and they are untradable, but then someone would just have to take screenshots and put them on a website.

Oh well...

[Fiere]

Sounds a lot like the way the map system works in all the Legend of Zelda games Silverblade.  ( I don\'t know what other games employ this map function)

It makes sense really, once you visit an area you know your way around and would have a mental map portrayed in game by the map screen. Would definately save printer paper

[Aruneko]

What I was saying is that ONLY town maps could be sold, not area maps.  Also the map would be fairly small, and would not show too much detail.

[loneranger]

Well what im thinking is more of a like a  treasure map with not alot of deatail but so you know what your doing some what like the postions of major landmarks and stuff .... not a road map or anything...... otherwise how do we know whats north for south...... there would have to be maps too for each \"plane\" or level .....  and the fabled \"surface\" 8o ..... of course obtaining these maps would take some sort of quest or something.....who knows..... basically we need someway of knowing withour speanding our entire time memorizing the vast worlds..... you get the idea right??   Then again im sure you guys have better ideas than me... what do you all think?

[Vengeance]

The last time this idea was raised it was as a cartography skill and I thought it sounded very cool.  Search on cartography if you want to find it, I guess.

- Venge