Overland travel map question

[Messier-31]

The overhead map for the Legends of Eisenwald looked like it would make a pretty decent overland map.

 

 

Am I the only one seeing a huge sign www(dot)SuperCheats(dot)com instead of a map?

[Lord_Darkmoon]

 

Off course it is meant as an eye pleasing abstraction, but we still need to be mindful of scale, which iswhy I posted examples for both world and city scale maps.

 

Furthermore, for reference here is what we have:

 

 

World map from several month ago GDC presentation:

 

 

Now, what exactly you guys suggest that can be added and at what level...   

 

 

 

I think the first pic I posted would show best what I imagine. We still have a map as a the map level, but it is much more alive as it looks 3D with all those animated elements. When you look at the pic you see some locations and you can also see the party somewhere in the upper left half of the map. You click on the location you want to go to and a broken line shows the path there. Your party auto travels along the path and you get to experience the atmosphere of the surroundings and the world that feels alive. Panning and zooming the map would of course be cool as then you get the illusion of the world being larger, but it would not be a must have feature.

 

Edited April 17, 2014 by Lord_Darkmoon

[Mor]

Sorry, I don't see it. It works well for huge strategic maps where those are small elements which blends in, but I really like to see an example of those 3D effects on a world map(not your example) where it doesn't overwhelm and subtract from the purpose of that map.

 

imo a better idea would be to animate the locations i.e. on hovering over a location "icon", you'll see it and maybe the area around it become alive (like a gif with few stylized frames) So hovering over defiance bay will show couple of wave lines, a ship moving into harbor and smoke rising from the city proper. Dyrford icon will have the water wheel turning with minor reflections in the river, tween elem will have a flock of birds rise from it or its canopy rustle in the wind. It wont be your 3d effects, but IMO it will be far more notable ins style and without overwhelming the map.

Edited April 17, 2014 by Mor

[Lord_Darkmoon]

Sorry, I don't see it. It works well for huge strategic maps where those are small elements which blends in, but I really like to see an example of those 3D effects on a world map(not your example) where it doesn't overwhelm and subtract from the purpose of that map.

 

imo a better idea would be to animate the locations i.e. on hovering over a location "icon", you'll see it and maybe the area around it become alive (like a gif with few stylized frames) So hovering over defiance bay will show couple of wave lines, a ship moving into harbor and smoke rising from the city proper. Dyrford icon will have the water wheel turning with minor reflections in the river, tween elem will have a flock of birds rise from it or its canopy rustle in the wind. It wont be your 3d effects, but IMO it will be far more notable ins style and without overwhelming the map.

 

Wasteland 2 uses such a map, but it may not be the best of examples as it is a... wasteland and aside from sand there is not much to see  But there still are birds flying by and dust swirling around.

 

Another example of an animated map would be Blackguards, although it is not really 3D but instead it uses some stylistic approach. But it still is animated with clouds drifting by...

 

 

[JFSOCC]

Just to clarify: the whole map mechanics should not change in the least. Using a 3D overland map or in the case of Pillards of Eternity an overland map that looks 3D it could add a lot to the atmosphere. The map would look more alive with clouds drifting by, birds flying around, trees swining in the wind, waves crashing to the shores by etc. It would be something unique and interesting without changing any of the mechanics. You still would click on discovered locations on the overland map and auto travel there. It would just look a lot more interesting, supporting the atmosphere and immersion. 

That was the whole idea behind it, to make the overland map more interesting and atmospheric and look unique compared to regular paper maps.

 

 

 

 

 

My interpretation such features is that they are "representational" of the terrain. Obviously it can't map trees or other vegetation 1-to-1, so the developers may use a stand of trees to represent a copse or light forest, for example, while a green canopy would indicate a larger forest. Its meant to to be an eye-pleasing abstraction. But then that is true of many a map.

 

I think a 2D map with some after effects, like floating clouds, birds, some ambient audio based on your location would be enough to "dress up" the plain 2d representational map.

[rjshae]

My interpretation such features is that they are "representational" of the terrain. Obviously it can't map trees or other vegetation 1-to-1, so the developers may use a stand of trees to represent a copse or light forest, for example, while a green canopy would indicate a larger forest. Its meant to to be an eye-pleasing abstraction. But then that is true of many a map.

 

I think a 2D map with some after effects, like floating clouds, birds, some ambient audio based on your location would be enough to "dress up" the plain 2d representational map.

 

From a budget perspective, a relatively straightforward approach to implement a world map would be to use the existing area view technology, but change the scales. That would provide a 2D map with baked in shadows, providing visual depth.

[Lord_Darkmoon]

 

From a budget perspective, a relatively straightforward approach to implement a world map would be to use the existing area view technology, but change the scales. That would provide a 2D map with baked in shadows, providing visual depth.

 

 

Yes, the map should/could use the same technology they use for the areas. This way the graphics style would also stay consistent when in an area and when traveling on the map. This way traveling on the map could look like a zoomed out version of the world which would be very immersive, imo. Adding some animations to it and maybe a day/night cycle would be fantastic!

Edited April 18, 2014 by Lord_Darkmoon