View Issue Details
| ID | Project | Category | Date Submitted | Last Update | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0028329 | Heart Of The Machine | Gameplay Idea | May 21, 2024 9:05 pm | May 21, 2024 9:19 pm | |
| Reporter | Cyborg | Assigned To | Chris_McElligottPark | ||
| Status | closed | Resolution | won't fix | ||
| Product Version | 0.511 The Monday Crew | ||||
| Summary | 0028329: Easy alternative to minimap; Improve compass with latitude and longitude per zone | ||||
| Description | I can't locate where the Minimap conversation went. But how about if these different square zones had some locator? Label it with latitude and longitude with the compass, incremented per square | ||||
| Tags | No tags attached. | ||||
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One improvement, the forces list should have the latitude/longitude next to the unit so we know which zones they are all occupying |
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I had a nice and much longer message written out, but the submission ate it. The short answer is that I don't want you to know your way around the city too well. It's imperative for the city to retain the feeling of being vast and hostile. As soon as you have a really detailed map, or other constant aids, even large places wind up feeling small. A great example of this in action is the game Planetcrafter, of all things. People on steam complained about how small the map was. The map is vast. I played 15 or so hours without any map, and was learning the space, and it was great. Then I got the map upgrades, and... wow, that feeling. The map is tiny. I agree with the reviewers. The map influences how big I felt like Baldur's Gate 3 maps were (small), and it changes how I feel about the largest of the Supreme Commander maps (mostly empty, small). AI War shrinks as soon as you see all of the planets, which is why in AI War 2 I worked to preserve the mystery for so long. There are so many other examples. I actually almost took away the large outer map. That would have made navigating over long distances incredibly tedious, though. So I'm glad I did not. But at the moment, map-wise, you have exactly the amount of information I want to give you, if not a little more than I'm comfortable with. Random exploration of the map for the sake of it aside, you never need to navigate anywhere without a beacon of some sort. So you will build up a sense of your own space where you build, which is part of why building is so important. But then beyond your "borders" (so to speak), it's a confusing and impenetrable and hostile city. You're never lost when you need to go somewhere, but you're constantly a little bit disoriented about where you are relative to where other things are. That disorientation is a really key part of the feel of the game. You have enough to feel comfortable at home, and to get to your place you're heading, but the rest is mysterious and dangerous. It's how I dodge the small world problem that plagues the other games I mentioned. |
| Date Modified | Username | Field | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2024 9:05 pm | Cyborg | New Issue | |
| May 21, 2024 9:09 pm | Cyborg | Note Added: 0068466 | |
| May 21, 2024 9:19 pm | Chris_McElligottPark | Assigned To | => Chris_McElligottPark |
| May 21, 2024 9:19 pm | Chris_McElligottPark | Status | new => closed |
| May 21, 2024 9:19 pm | Chris_McElligottPark | Resolution | open => won't fix |
| May 21, 2024 9:19 pm | Chris_McElligottPark | Note Added: 0068469 |
