Game Map Rotation

@augunslingin Im pretty sure upon release the map is going to be alot bigger, although we dont know how as of yet.

@knifelife said in Game Map Rotation:

@augunslingin Im pretty sure upon release the map is going to be alot bigger, although we dont know how as of yet.

I think you're right knife, as in a dev diary they mention 3 regions but only show 2 that we currently have access to. It may be a slip of the tongue but I am really hoping the map is going to be a tad larger with new islands. Or they could just add them as updates, slowly enlarging the regions as time goes on. Both are good possibilities.

We shall have to wait and see...

https://i.giphy.com/R8Mjo2d0vKCYw.gif

@cayden-black We're always had three regions ever since the first and only world expansion. The Wilds, The Ancient Isles, and The Shores O' Plenty. They are three distinct biomes that existed in the alpha.

@cayden-black Yeah as @Natsu-v2 said there is 3 biomes in the alpha. But i do want the map to be bigger, i would like to have great expanses of water, maybe not to big. But it would be nice to be sailing around and just have nothing but water on the horizon.

Even if they dont necessarily add new islands i think they should spread the islands apart alot more. You dont necessarily "Sail" between islands currently its more of a ferry. I wanna voyage into unknown territories.

Thats also why i think everytime you join a new session you should have a fog of war, i think that would make thr exploration part of the game a whole lot more fun and worthwhile. :)

@natsu-v2 I suppose to me two of them look near identical.

I've brought this up before, but after playing in the tech alpha for a year, I don't actually need to use the compass or big map under almost any circumstances. I know pretty much everything there is to know about the current game world. I can identify islands on the X maps instantly, by name and location (except those smaller ones that only recently got usage out of the new progression system). I also know what island is what just by looking at its shape in-game. And if I'm on an island, I automatically know where the cardinal directions are.

How big a problem it will be in the full release is unknown, as hopefully there will be lots of enemies and activities stopping you frequently enough to delay this level of mastery. I think one thing that should be done, is for the islands to be scrambled from alpha/beta to full release. They've done this before when they expanded the world the first time. Certain islands were completely rearranged in relation to each other. This will hopefully start everyone at level 1 in terms of traversal knowledge, though long-time players will still know exactly where certain landmarks are on each island. Continuously rescrambling might not be the best course of action as it might cut into further content development.

@cayden-black Shores O' Plenty is the Northwestern part of the world, and Ancient Isles are the entire Southern 1/3 of the world. They do look similar. The key difference is that the Shores have gatorade/kool-aid blue water, and their islands tend to be more tropical and Caribbean. The Ancient Isles have more Indiana Jones looking islands, with "normal" looking water.

@shadewolf-dk It doesn't really work that way in practice. I've been a part of random crews from time to time, and it is absolutely infuriating to hear them try to figure out where to go, or to ask me. It ends up turning into a situation where I'm like "Dude, just let me guide you around the world without telling you." It gets so old hearing them try to solve where the next island is when I have already figured it out instantly. If anything, it completely destroys any potential bonding between newer players and older players. It is simply not fun for me to play with people who don't know the map as well as I do.

@donyasson It's more-so the feeling that we are duplicating effort that is frustrating. Just imagine a situation where you have all the answers and everyone around you pretends you don't exist and are trying to solve basic problems that aren't even problems if they'd just ask you.

@donyasson I pretty much only play with friends as-is, but I love playing solo from time to time. And when I do, I tend to form alliances with other crews. It's fun for me. Sometimes I'm in the mood to sit back and let them figure stuff out for themselves, but then there's other times where the crew is trying to solve a riddle and I already know exactly what spot it's buried before they can even get past the first clue, or they are scouring the big map all-over when the island they are looking for is right next to the ship. And it gets kind of irritating for both of us when I have to keep stepping in.

Where do I begin with all of this...

So to start - no, under no circumstances should they "level the playing field" in terms of actual skill progression. This is the ONLY form of progression - no matter how fancy your ship looks, or how spiffy your character be outfitted - your skill will be the determining factor. Maybe you've got tens of thousands in gold stashed away, and maybe.. you've been lucky. Sure - you could regularly turn in 20+ chests that's great - but when that one scrappy vessel that you laugh at because it still has basic designs comes along and you hear their captain shouting orders as the sails turn and the broadside echos - you realize that for all you gold, you're outmatched.

I understand with the Alpha that people will be experienced with the game world as it is - and I'm not against a map re-arrange/scramble from alpha to release - but not at all after release. Introduce some new territories, sure - maybe even expand the map gradually - but it would be foolish to re-arrange the map.

Now here's the flaw in your thinking there - If they keep re-arranging it, what's the point of learning it? It's a skill to navigate, and navigate well, so learning the courses is a major boon for the seafarer and pirate alike. You'll know which routes are most heavily traveled (or should be) - you'll learn the places to hide, where to skip a pursuit, and where to run someone aground who may not know about an islands shallows as well as you. This is a Skill and needs to be allowed to blossom in the game.

Now - that being said, the next argument is that this causes division in new/old players. I argue against that point. Of course, some will be used to sailing with crews of experienced players - but I for one, even when friends were online, have been known to join random sessions with new folks during alpha invite waves to teach them some things. And before you say "oh that's a rare occurrence" - Let me posit this, veteran players have a lot to gain by teaching new players. It will get lonely upon the sea if no one can actually challenge you. So it would be beneficial, and smart, for veterans to teach new players from time to time (as I did, and plan to do).

I am all for new features, and changes to the world (Maybe based on world events?) but I'm against some means of "skill balancing" like suggested. I've never seen a game like Halo/CounterStrike/Destiny attempt to cripple players who have learned the ins and outs of a game just so the new guy joining the lobby doesn't feel outclassed. Heck, what would be the next step - aim assisted cannon balls?

To this I say, learn the map - like we have. It will take you time to learn, just as will knowing when to fire a cannon on the waves to hit where you'd like on a ship. Or when to use a blunderbuss, and when to use a cutlass - let alone how to use either. They're all skills, real player skills - not some experience bar that gives a buff - so take the time to learn them. Clean slate, once, sure - but not after release.

@m457ersp00k Learning the map is fun, though. If it was reset bi-weekly or monthly, there is still a large incentive to learn the map. You will learn it to dominate the trade routes for that given period. It would be like a ranked/ladder reset in a competitive game. The ranks reset and everyone comes out of the woodwork to get a leg-up. Having resetting ranks doesn't deter people from building up their rank in these games, in fact it does the opposite. People are much more focused on rank because they get the chance to dominate for a certain period if they try hard enough. Having certain shopkeepers migrate, and you have to find them all over again, and things like that would be incredibly fun for me. That encourages long-term play as your work is never done, and that "work is never done" kind of experience is why I enjoy games for the most part.

The only reason I'm not completely for this idea is that it would take a lot of work from Rare.

@augunslingin Actually - the carry over from Destiny 1 to Destiny 2 was in part so they could rehash old content as new again - and to allow for their story to be scaled rather than rushed through due to imbalance from old gear. Their PvP was (and still is) trash with no hope of balance. All in all - Most good games don't cripple players who learn legitimate strategies just to balance it.

I'm not against the change because I'm a veteran player - that's rubbish to consider. I'm against the change because it's overall a suggestion in the name of balance that is wholly unnecessary. There are still parts of the map I don't know and I've played since last year as well - I'm still impressed by old locations I revisit and I still enjoy trying to find solid routes to places, especially with a storm being about. All in all - I absolutely disagree with world rending changes to the final map - especially if done in the name of some faux balance.

On that note - I'll carry on.