area maps

[Tbone555]

plain n simple. just, maps.

you don't start out with one, but places like lookout towers, the camp office of mystery lake, the quonset station of coastal highway, hibernia processing of desolation point, all these places and survival bunkers and logging camps should have a slight chance of giving you a map of the surrounding area. you should be able to mark certain spots for points of interest. BUT, no big flashing marker saying 'you are here' on the map. no big quest arrow pointing us to our marked location and no radar. we should have to read these maps just as we would in real life. good idea? i think its a lot simpler than hand drawing my own on a sheet of paper

[sierra 117]

+1 i agree the places you have mentioned would/should have a map, however i dont think it should be a pickup map, but should be a fixed map like the one on the side of the counter in the camp office.

I would say this way is more immersive, as you would have to study the map before headin out on an expedition and go on memory alone. Just as you would in real life.

But maybe for later stages of the game you could find items in transition zones and other areas(like map making tools/map fragments) that would require you to have searched/ atleast been to most of the areas in order to build a connected map of all areas which once crafted can be placed in your final home base.

Then the devs just need let us pick up those pins on the notice boards in cabins etc

And hey presto map markers

Please let me know what you guys think as i have seen a lot of requests for maps on here , and i do not want to see a standard carryable map with position marker etc in this game. It will ruin the game

[Tbone555]

You do make a point with all that, and I agree entirely.. But in real life in that situation I'd just be like "screw that, I'm not getting lost" and cut that map off the wall, bring it with me. Everyone craves different things when playing this, I've seen, and I personally crave realism. If I could do it myself in a real survival situation I should be able to do it on the game

[merrysteel]

I agree that we should be able to find a detailed map of the area at certain drop points, like the camp office or the fire watchtower, and I do also think that if you have the tools to unbolt it from the wall, you should be able to take it with you. However, regardless of whether you score one of these detailed topographical maps, I think the player should be able to keep a crude map of the areas he or she has been to. The character already keeps a journal logging his/her experience, so it doesn't seem beyond the realm of imagination that they he/she might also draw a crude map as they go. It would be particularly helpful if the map could be annotated - marked as having supply stores of food, or clothing, or being a good place to snare rabbits, or as having a grove of saplings, for instance. That way you could disperse your supplies through the landscape and easily make your way back to what you needed.

Having a map is only half the battle, however. I would love to have a working compass as an item drop. The world has gotten huge - (Which is fantastic! Don't get me wrong.) - and it's just a little ridiculous to try to navigate by landmark and memory alone any longer.

[Tbone555]

+1 on the compass idea!

[odium]

i always thought it would be cool if mapping was a skill you could learn. once you are long term settled, dedicate X amount of hours per day to learning the skill and then spend time drawing your own maps of the areas you have already explored in game. you could only map the area you are currently in of course even if you have already explored PV, you cant map it from ML. these maps could then be carried around the map and updated, accessed from the inventory while standing still, but still no HUD to fit the minimalist theme

[mboochin]

I think we should totally be able to find old park tourist maps and old trucker maps in the world, they may not be as useful as they were when everything on the map was accurate, but they could provide points of interest to explore and be marked on by the player /'survivers'

[crimsonal10]

+1 on the map idea in general and maybe some feature to write on it so you can put an x on places you've looted completely or markings to other points of interest

[SEAplane]

Perhaps a map on a wall or table that is in fixed location, like a topographic diorama.

Keep the same graphic theme so its vague. I don't want to be able to take it with me out of challenge. The online maps people have are fantastic and at time spoil it a bit, but to discover one in game would be a great moment.

[sir ice]

too easy

[jackattack]

I'm a long-time advocate of maps fixed to surfaces at various locations (dam, radio station, gas station, towers, bunkers, camp office), perhaps with variable markings that would help out finding variable locations, but I (now) fully support no meta- or portable maps in the game.

If future regions are larger, or contain terrain mazes that actually require a map for survival, I may change my mind.

[Grimsley99]

The best thing about these maps is that they are completely outdated. Tunnels could be collapse, cliffs may have opened up, roads could have been swallowed by the immense amount of snow. This would make things more "fun." 1+ the idea

[Killjoy]

I also like the idea of a fixed map, in particular one at the Camp Office seems logical and plausible. Outdated to be sure but having the ability to modify it through marking it with colored thumbtacks and/or some kind of marker. Since the disaster is recent stuff like pens and paper should still be around. Or one could use a simple stick that has been burned to charcoal at one end.

Other logical places for some sort of fixed map would be the wooden lookout towers on ML, CH, and PV. For DP I would say the Rike or Hibernia, as it makes sense that both locations would at least have nautical charts.