Map Mode

[tman]

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.

Still this only works for people who are outdoors.  Doesn't help at all for someone stuck in the sewers or caves.

[Pakarro]

Still this only works for people who are outdoors.  Doesn't help at all for someone stuck in the sewers or caves.

And, this is the exact point why auto-maps of any kind are counter-productive in ic rp. You cannot walk into an underground system, whistling a song and not think about getting lost down there. You have to find someone who can search for you, or progress very carefully...

[tman]

Which is still a good argument for a compass.  If I walk south into a cave, I'll at least have a general idea that I'll need to go north to get out.

I'm surprised no one has brought up the fact that the players who are lost and want a map will probably just end up googling one if there's no IC way to obtain one.  I agree that a whole moving minimap with a "You are here" arrow would be too much for realism, but city maps and even wilderness road maps seem like they shouldn't be that difficult to obtain (from both an IC and player point of view).  I would LOVE if there were more cartographer characters willing to put in the time and effort to make basic maps, and then to be online enough to distribute them.  But the fact is they just aren't out there right now.

[Cirerey]

My initial thought had been for a cartography skill. You would need to stand still to map the area within your line of sight when you executed a "/map survey" command. Quality of the resulting map would depend on your skill level. Integrating map segments would require that they be contiguous. So your map might have multiple maps on it until you mapped the areas between. Producing copies might be possible, but would also require some effort. Annotating the map would require that you stand next to a named object or a signpost and "/map annotate". So it wouldn't be too easy or quick. It might even require or benefit from specialized survey equipment like a transit or at least a compass. And some areas could be declared magically unmappable if desired. Reading the map would be a "/map read" (or just /map) command. This would mean you would have to study a little to read a map effectively even if you were given or purchased one.

[tman]

I like the idea in that it at least provides a framework for players to learn their way around without giving the information to them in an OOC way.  I just have two concerns:

1. Learning a new skill in PS is always long and tedious, so by the time players have played enough to get to level 20 they'll probably already know their way around all of the main areas anyway.

2. From an IC point of view, there's no reason for everyone to be mapping the same areas.  It's like every character is reinventing the wheel.  Presumably (in a realistic world) this is all information that would have been recorded long ago by explorers/cartographers and be available to anyone through the library or by purchase.