Is there a map of the planeshift overworld/underworld somewhere?

[Baxendale]

Also, remember that in RP, your character would not have a little dot on his map saying where he is at the moment ...

So you\'d have to look at your map of the caves, wandering around a bit, and trying to remember where you are in relation to the entrance, even though you have a map. You\'d look at the map for landmarks and try to find those, just like a map in the real world. You could count left and right passageways on the map, so you could get where you want to go in the world, but if you took a wrong turn it could really screw you up.

Pretty much a map that was just a single image, without player location, but including various landmarks like \"weapon shop\" and \"three waterfalls\" would be the best for RP. Utility-wise, it might not be the best, but the player should experience some of the difficulties that their character would trying to use a map.

It would be nice to be able to add text notes to a map when it\'s open and have them stay as data in the map item. People could make maps with cartography and then add special notes that other cartographers might not. Then again, this isn\'t simple and it\'s not neccessary. They did it for Thief 2: Metal Age and it rocked.


EDIT:

Also, all NPCs could have the same speech set for a given area, say a town, that if you asked for directions they would tell you the major things in town. If you asked about those things they would tell you how to get to them from a central starting point in the town. So it would be a paste job for all the npcs, written once per civilized area.

Of course it would be better if the directions were all slightly different, since you wouldn\'t want everyone to speak the same way ...

[Karyuu]

I definitely agree - I think being able to write \"notes\" on the map is one of the great things about having your character create one. And it expands the opportunities for RP extraordinarily - draw a map and write a note about something hidden using obscure language and vague clues - and pass it on. Various IC games can come forth from this, and chances for secret communication between a few characters (somehow always a desired thing ) will be numerous.

[DormentBlackstress]

ooooooooooooooooooooooo!!  making secret personalized maps as a skill would be so good!  I love this idea!  Any way so I\'ve only been in PS for under a week and I\'ve been able to find my way around fine... it\'s been great actually!  I\'ve explored almost everywhere I think.. or atleast that\'s what people have told me.. mm.. I stumbled upon the Explorers Guild the other day.. I like the looks of them and this whole topic which seems to be in numorous threads and seems to be for them.. why haven\'t they been included on the Guild listing sights like the Tavern?  I havn\'t seen much member presence by them yet.. it\'s been strange to see that whole Dragon guild making such a presence.. there\'s always two Dragon members together everytime I see them.. This make a good RPG experience.. they seem serioius.. I\'d like to see more from the Explorer\'s.. I\'m not ready to join.. but perhaps one day.. enough of me rambling..

[Karyuu]

The Explorers have been listed on Kada\'s site for a very long time, actually. Since May 2003 (and we\'re still there). We\'re quite common in-game, though rarely idling around Hydlaa\'s plaza or the blacksmith. And we\'re one of the top 5 active guilds (checkable through the guild page at laanx.fragnetics.com, once the server returns). The reason we do not have an active Recruiting thread in the Guild forums is because we do not recruit here - we recruit in-game. We like to meet with players and their characters, and make sure all current members agree to a new family member before the adoption ;) We\'re also heavily into roleplay, and sadly the great majority of people who search for guilds on the forums are not. So it\'s a way of weeding out those who may not have true interest, or interest that does not match the goals of the guild.

Either way, I\'ll stop hijacking this thread further. *grin* Feel free to read more on our website, and perhaps we\'ll meet in Hydlaa in time.

[DormentBlackstress]

*Bows with gratefulness*    
So it seems I truly am a nubie.. I thought I had payed closer attention.  I havn\'t been in the city much either.. prefer open landscape and wild beasts.  Thank you for your guidence.

[gissamuel]

you had better hope the people have cartography skills or you will find maps leading to a dead end in the wilderness wondering what big monstrocity stole the whole city.

[BlackAcre]

Originally posted by Golmir
Who needs a map? Adventurers?  :baby:
What\'s next? a compass, ILS, GPS, ...
It would be much easier to have only one big room with  monsters, trainers and merchants...
What\'s the point of a whole world to explore is you don\'t want to explore?
Instead of begging for a map, thank the devs for the big world and pray for more to explore.
Too dark at night? night vision for everyone.
monsters are too strong? immortality for everyone.
hmm...wait! Why are you playing games?




______________________
Remember that the map is licensed material

Stop with the slippery slopes, already.  Online games have always recognized that new players are at a tremendous disadvantage.  A map of the originating city is a great idea.  Detailed maps of the entire place are inevitable no matter what you do, if this game is at all succesful.  Giving the new guys a leg up should not be an issue.  It\'s a far cry from night vision and GPS.

[Karyuu]

Originally posted by BlackAcre
Detailed maps of the entire place are inevitable no matter what you do, if this game is at all succesful.  Giving the new guys a leg up should not be an issue.

The issue is about this game being roleplay oriented, and automaps not fitting in. There will be maps, you can rest assured - in fact there already are, but sharing them on the forums is not allowed - they will just be handled in as realistic a way as possible.

[Ecolem]

I\'m tired of hearing about having maps. If you bother spending an hour or two you can easily explore at least the city of Hydlaa.

And you shouldn\'t be complaining now, PS as it stands is only a tiny part of the 1st level, don\'t forget there are 7 other levels to the stalactite in the world of Planeshift.

We assume that the little light is where Hyldaa is, now look at the rest of the world.


And just to keep you quite here\'s a map i found on my comp. Not made by me so don\'t come saying \"THAT\'S MINE NOOOOB\" cause ill wack ya. I just added the name tags (hence the shocking handwriting skills and using the program Paint)  

[BlackAcre]

Originally posted by Karyuu

Originally posted by BlackAcre
Detailed maps of the entire place are inevitable no matter what you do, if this game is at all succesful.  Giving the new guys a leg up should not be an issue.

The issue is about this game being roleplay oriented, and automaps not fitting in. There will be maps, you can rest assured - in fact there already are, but sharing them on the forums is not allowed - they will just be handled in as realistic a way as possible.

No offense, but when I die and wake up in a poorly lit gothic principal\'s office, and have to trudge my way through a skull to get back to my house, I think realism is really not all that important.  It\'s cool, but realism should be the last criteria that is considered in a fantasy mmorpg.  

If you want to see how realism can go wrong, go check out WWIIOnline.  Those guys masturbate thinking of which type of ammunition was used with each different type of 75mm barrel used in 1942-43--although ironically, they have a map and compass, and it didn\'t destroy the game.

Again, though, I understand the fear of a slippery slope, I just don\'t think it has to do so, the developers have ultimate control of when something starts and stops.  They can do what they want with the idea.  I suggest a map of your starting position, nothing more.  Two weeks later, nobody would even care what it used to be like before they had a map.  And noobs would still not have a clue, but at least they\'d know what you are talking about when they said to go see Harnquist by the plaza.

[dragonfire999]

Auto maps are damn unrealistic, but when we think of compasses we have to think:

What is the planet magnetic orientation?

Would a compass work underground?

Would the Azure Crystal cause interference?

I think maps will be good, not \"You Are Here\" type maps, but maps where you need to look for landmarks, that are acurrate based on the cartographers skill.

[Hadfael]

If you think PS needs a map, why not using the wishlist forums? Probably because there are already thread about maps, automaps and mapmaking.
You thought one would be posted in the newbie forums for your char to read?

Don\'t worry you are not lost
--> X <--  You are here.

(don\'t ask me how I knew where you were, it\'s a secret)

Now that everyone gave his opinion about why maps would be cool just see the good aspect of not having any:
Your char has to interract with others. You ask your way to NPCs, other chars. Some can help you, some can send you to traps. You must be ready to face new adventures at every corner instead of moving a little cross on an automap.
To go to the mines follow the guys with pickaxes and to the tavern look from where the drunk dwarves are coming.

[Talad]

Making a long story short, I think that maps should be done by players as their char explores the world (like someone already noticed on this thread).

An adventurer can probably buy it in game, since it makes sense to get it from a local store, but people should avoid to post it here or in any out-of-game resource.

Posting detailed maps is considered cheating, and for it we follow the same rules of other cheating actions.

I agree on being able to draw maps in game. Will probably be added later on.

[Ecolem]

oh so is my map considered cheating?

Just wanted to help the people who are understandably lost  

[Karyuu]

It\'s not exactly detailed ;) If you posted a color-coded map of the sewers, it might be different.