Mapping

[WhiskeyJack]

I'm not up to date on the plans for mapping in the game, so disregard if this is irrelevant.

When I first started playing I expected to find maps. Maybe not of a whole playable area, but of regions. I.e. you find a map in the Camp Office on Mystery Lake which maps out the lake itself. You can combine it with other maps you find. Maybe you'd find maps hidden away along the Coastal Highway which actually show locations in Pleasant Valley.

We could even find different levels of maps - some that are low quality, some that are medium and show buildings and stuff, and some that are high quality and have annotations on certain locations and wildlife patterns in the region.

My second idea is that the player can map places themselves in a fashion similar to chopping wood. You go to a location (maybe the higher, the better?) and require gear, such as a pencil or pen plus some paper or a notepad.

The action would have a cutscene maybe - with the clock ticking by, but showing the character rotate around as they map what they can see in a 360 degree arc. The more often you map, the faster you get at it. But you'd also break pencils and pens would run out of ink etc.

Hell, you could even combine the two ideas and have the player produce maps of certain areas and have to combine them. Or combine handmade maps with maps you've found.

[toebar]

Interesting suggestions.. I am curious... why did you expect to find maps? (edit: and I really mean this purely out of curiosity)

Having to explore the area myself, without the benefits of (in game) maps is something that I find refreshing about TLD.

[Hitchhiker]

Personally, I like the whole no maps to start idea myself. However, I do like the idea of being able to map an area myself as I explore. putting in prepper's caches and houses that have been discovered and places where items have been found when one's pack is too heavy to carry any more would be great. just about anything could be used to do the mapping. scrap news print or other paper found around, some pencils or pens found in glove compartments, desks or tables even crayons would work.

[The_Hawk35]

There is a big map in the camp office mounted on the face of the counter as you enter the front door.

[toebar]

There is a big map in the camp office mounted on the face of the counter as you enter the front door.

so technically, you CAN find maps

[The_Hawk35]

Yup you just can't read it or interact with it.

[WhiskeyJack]

There is a big map in the camp office mounted on the face of the counter as you enter the front door.

I had actually tried using that one before!

Interesting suggestions.. I am curious... why did you expect to find maps? (edit: and I really mean this purely out of curiosity)

Having to explore the area myself, without the benefits of (in game) maps is something that I find refreshing about TLD.

I honestly love it too, but part of survival, especially in a large area like that, would surely involve mapping out your surroundings at some stage. I guess it's a personal choice.

And I say I expected to find them because you don't get a freebie and the game encourages exploration and self-mapping/memorisation, so I just assumed they'd be available but something you had to work for - like everything in this game! I honestly don't mind lacking them, but I think it'd be a great feature - optional, and not necessarily essential, but certainly adds some good flavour. Especially the idea I noted about finding maps other people in the world had left notes on.

[caverdude]

Something like fog of war map as you go seems reasonable. But I also like no maps and find it refreshing.

[jackattack]

I agree, no fog of war map, no auto mapping, and I lean against maps as findable items.

I do like the idea of adding maps to locations, so they can be consulted but not moved. (Does the "map" in the Camp Office actually represent anything in the game, or is it just a piece of artwork there for show?)

[Scyzara]

I agree, no fog of war map, no auto mapping, and I lean against maps as findable items.

I do like the idea of adding maps to locations, so they can be consulted but not moved. (Does the "map" in the Camp Office actually represent anything in the game, or is it just a piece of artwork there for show?)

Well, as far as I remember it shows Mystery lake and the surrounding area. It might be a map once used for Hiking or Biking (would make sense to have such a map in a camp office, I guess), but it's very blurred.

[BigJayA]

A pamphlet with a map of the lake and surrounding cabins in the camp office that would have been available to guests. A folded map of the logging road in the trailers showing the clearcut, trailers, and log road intersection with the railroad. Things like that would normally exist IRL so to find them in the game would be a nice touch. The ability to mouse-write stuff on such maps would be nice too.

These maps wouldn't be very detailed as in not showing individual tree locations and whatnot. Just general information.

Fishing huts would probably not be on the map either since they are not permanent structures and wouldn't be in the same spots year after year.

[jackattack]

I assume that portable maps were taken in the early phases of the GME, and were either burned for tinder as things got desperate or lost when snow buried the early victims.

The last decent map probably went down with that plane.

[Shadowthrone]

There should be a way to map places out... At the very least, a paper/pen or other tool to draw. It would be just like MS paint and you could mark pages out however you like! The most realistic method.

Barring that idea, you could have a map that looks like a sketched out to fill in as you find new areas. It would only draw in finer details once you search everything.

[caverdude]

There should be a way to map places out... At the very least, a paper/pen or other tool to draw. It would be just like MS paint and you could mark pages out however you like! The most realistic method.

Barring that idea, you could have a map that looks like a sketched out to fill in as you find new areas. It would only draw in finer details once you search everything.

I briefly thought about its too. Then I thought that I can do this with a real pencil and paper and not bother the developers. A problem though is sense of compass directions or lack of.

[Atta]

Heyho!

I would also like to see at least something like a map in the game. :idea:

Everybody in such a situation would start drawing his own map sooner or later.... this would even work with coal.

For me, it would also be ok if you could "mark" houses (already visited) and paths (with wood or something). That's probably the most realistic option, because i would mark such houses with a cross, just to be sure i was there before .

Greez,

Atta

PS: Again sorry for my bad english :oops: