Map Mode

[Naira]

Just to add my two cents.. I try to think of Ps taken as a real life view point for my character. So I have always enjoyed not having a mini map and only getting those couple of starting maps when making a new character. But this is of course just my personnel opinion. I know of a few different people who have managed to make some amazing maps and other cool looking trinkets using the scrolls. Most tend to use an out of game program to make whatever it is they want then transfer the data in game so it shows when looking at the right scroll. They manage to make some particularly cool looking things from this. I myself or Naira at least tries to make some wilderness herbal location maps. That I have sold during markets. I have only ever used the scrolls in game program to make these and they are very time consuming to make one. I want to be able to have a set for every "wilderness" map one day but they are quite long to finish just one. I have only ever managed to map out so far the roads from Hydlaa to Oja. Figure it is a good start as well as you never really run into a new player asking how to get to Grug before they have at least made their way to Oja.

So really before this becomes to long. There is the possibility to have maps in game. Make them, find them, Role play to find out some names of people who might have made something amazing already. If you want to find out who might have some maps already made best advice , Rp those questions. Also if you have trouble finding your way around without a minimap. Use that as inspiration for rp. Don't force role play but something like getting lost easily sounds like a perfect trait to explore rp venues with and for a large variety of other players.

[Chessire]

something like getting lost easily sounds like a perfect trait to explore rp venues with and for a large variety of other players.

This. If people tried playing the more popular rpgs without ever using the map it would be well known, not having a map immerses the player to the game significantly. The real problem with PS is we don't have an appealing and dynamic environment yet, this takes much part of the beauty of exploring while also making it easier to get lost, since most areas use always the same, few, small textures. Concerning the dynamic environment its actually being worked on, npcs will have more interesting behaviors soon... as for the appealing nature part I don't know when we will work on it yet, with all the char models, animations etc being on the way. But in any case, throwing a map  in the game is not much of a solution

[Candy]

Frankly, I've never really noticed a difference in immersion between games with a minimap and games that don't have one. If I'm roleplaying, the map is useful as the characters I play usually ought to know their way around paces I as a player don't. Having played PS for years, I don't get lost much any more, but much of the game looks so samey that it might be useful for newer players to find the road. It doesn't really encourage roleplay much if you're lost in bd2 with no other players on the map, or nowhere near the path more experienced players would travel to the EBD on. Even a system with little markers that show you where things within a certain distance are would be nice, especially if players had the option of toggling it on and off.

[tman]

If I'm roleplaying, the map is useful as the characters I play usually ought to know their way around paces I as a player don't.

This.  If you're lost in an area your character is supposed to be familiar with (the streets of Hydlaa), then you're being OOC and there's nothing you can do about it.  And if you're lost in the wilderness, you're probably not going to run into anyone who can help.

Has anyone considered maybe just a compass?  If you're lost on the road to Oja, but you know that Oja is east and Hydlaa is west, then a compass would be enough to find your way without giving away any "spoilers" (idk if I would consider a map a "spoiler" in the first place but whatever).

[Pakarro]

When Pakerl first came to Yliakum it was quite hard to see how to survive without map features. But, I soon found out that it greatly enhances the reality of the situation, enhancing immersion. I think that the ps way to enforce inter-player contacts that way is really nice and useful. Maybe when coming in spoiled from single player adventures with rp character, one has to learn a little...

As always, just my personal opinion...

[LigH]

* Erelenga Karal announces again:

The Department of Stalactite Studies in the Yliakum Universitsy of the Knowledge Seekers offers courses in Yliacography, orientation and Ranger skills...

[novacadian]

Has anyone considered maybe just a compass?

Venorel had a compass of sorts when first journeying from her home village. One can use the /pos command (think that is what it is named). It will give the x,y,z position of the character on the current map.

- Nova

[LigH]

@ tman:

You may be forgiven to be new.

A simple compass has been denied for years already. You won't believe how the "Hydlaa East" quarter forced the Settings to invent a Vigesimi named East Stronghand to deny any relation to directions.

[tman]

A simple compass has been denied for years already. You won't believe how the "Hydlaa East" quarter forced the Settings to invent a Vigesimi named East Stronghand to deny any relation to directions.

Forgive me for my ignorance, but that just sounds stupid.  No complex civilization is going to develop without some way to describe locations in relation to one another.  It's such a simple thing.  I don't care if they call north "shlorb" and south "bonerfart" but they would have developed words for these concepts.

[LigH]

Many solutions have been offered already which do not even rely on a magnetic or magic field. Like the direction towards the Eagle Bronze Doors being "north". Or the direction towards the center being special.

The available part of the world is still a very small fraction. We will see if any degree of change will happen while it grows.

[Bonifarzia]

Concerning suggestions for cardinal directions:
http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/flyspray/index.php?do=details&task_id=4668

[mistnmc]

Yliakum is, by all means, different from Earth. By different I mean everything, its races, its plants, its topology, geography, climate, everything. A compass or other navigation terms and themes won't apply to Yliakum IMO. We should use something totally different. Something depth and angle based maybe. But a compass would be inappropriate for Yliakum. And probably wouldn't work either.

[Chessire]

Technically speaking, the people of Yliakum wouldn't have much trouble with orientation simply because they would always be able to see the crystal that never changes position. Thus a thing as a compass wouldn't ever need to be invented because the sun itself is a reliable point of reference. In real life we need compasses because the sun changes position with time, actually it is even possible to use a simple hand watch instead of a compass if you configure it right.
The fact sun never changes position would also mean parts of land behind hills and big rocks would always be shaded and a bit colder than the rest allowing the flora to develop in interesting ways (and shapes) along the land. For the warmer areas as the Dome plants should flourish in these parts as water wouldn't dry off as easily after the rain. With time we could even get plants that prefer the shade over others that prefer light.
I don't think anyone has put much thought to these things yet but it would be interesting. 
And sorry for the 

edit: mistnmc, great minds meet! 

[tman]

A compass doesn't have to be magnetic.  Have a compass with a small magically charged crystal that always points to the Azure sun.  Call that direction "crys" or something, name the other three relative to them, and suddenly you have a coordinate system that makes sense.

The whole "looking toward the sun" thing works great.  As long as you're not in a cave or dungeon or sewer (the places someone new is probably most likely to get lost).

[Candy]

I think that the ps way to enforce inter-player contacts that way is really nice and useful.

The problem with forcing player interaction is, you need players. Which we lack much of the time, and even when they are on they can't always be found and not everyone has gossip on. Yes, some stay, but frustrating players out of the game because they get lost is counter-productive to getting more people in the PlaneShift community.

The fact sun never changes position would also mean parts of land behind hills and big rocks would always be shaded and a bit colder than the rest allowing the flora to develop in interesting ways (and shapes) along the land. For the warmer areas as the Dome plants should flourish in these parts as water wouldn't dry off as easily after the rain. With time we could even get plants that prefer the shade over others that prefer light.
I don't think anyone has put much thought to these things yet but it would be interesting. 

This sounds brilliant, and can even be brought on-topic - perhaps if there were some "rule" to it (like the myth that moss always grows on the north side of trees. Untrue in real life but still useful if you're lost, like the one-side rule in a maze), then we wouldn't even need maps or compasses.