I just spent several hours wandering around the broad and amazingly hilly swath of land between Gugrontid and ... I don't know where. Why don't I know? Because I don't have a map. I know that I passed the Lake of Tears, the Pick and Ore, and the Guardian Stones. How do I know? Because I found (by pure chance) markers along a path - one that I never seemed to be able to follow for very long. But all that came after that - and there was some pretty amazing stuff - I have no idea. I didn't see any other people around, so I had no one to ask. So I found this amazing... place. Where was it? I'm not really sure. I don't have a compass, so I don't even know which direction I was walking in. All I know is I was walking away from Gugrontid.
I think maps are important. Very important, in fact. They are important in the real world, and they would be important for any civilization in an imaginary one. The map and the compass are two central inventions that allow civilization to flourish. In fact, I would venture to say that
not having a map and a compass in PlaneShift is a big hinderance in making the experience seem "real".
As for those who say that having a map would somehow "spoil" the treat of discovering Yliakum, I would like to ask them this: If you wanted to go to a big city - say Paris or New York - to see the sights it has to offer, are you honestly going to tell your travel agent "Map? Ha! What fun would that be? I am here to explore!" Of course not. You want a map to find those places you have heard stories about, perhaps seen pictures of, etc. And no map of Paris is going to "spoil" the effect of actually standing in front of the Eiffel Tower.

I live in a medium-sized city in Central Europe, and every time I know I am going somewhere I have never been before, I take a pocket-sized map of the city with me. You can get one at every train station. (I guess my city is full of people who like to "spoil" other people's fun!

) And if I'm going for a hike in the mountains, you can be dead certain I have a map and compass with me - right next to my water and trail mix.

My point is: Maps and compasses are good things! They encourage exploration! They help you find and appreciate the sights and wonders of the world! I would love to be able to tell others about my adventures in that land beyond the Lake of Tears when I return to Gugrontid - provided I ever get back there. Though I may be able to tell them what I did and what I saw, I can't tell them the name of the place. Heck, I can't even tell them which direction to go in to find it...

D'oh!