Identify Nationality of Ports on Map

[Maxer der Grosse]

The map function with have during the game is better than nothing, but it could do so much more. 

 

- Showing the actual location of the ship would be great, but that would take away from the challenge of navigation by compass.

 

- Could we show the nationality of the ports?

 

- Could we list goods sold and traded there?

 

- Could we introduce currents to the whole game? Normally, a ship would have to navigate by estimating the course (with a compass) conpensate for true north, adjust for water current and wind drift. I find it almost to easy to navigate in the open world.

 

- Could we hide a few islands? It would be great to find an island that wasn't on the map at all.

 

- Would it be possible to add notes to a map used by only one nation? Example, the british map could list all goods traded at their ports for use among members.

 

A few things to think about

[Henry d'Esterre Darby]

Personally, I think that the map we have is too much.  

 

I'm not a fan of knowing the nationality, goods bought/sold, etc before I get there.  The entire point of this age was that you could leave port and arrive only to find that your destination's nationality or goods available have changed since you left.  You didn't have a way to call ahead and find all of these things out (though you might be lucky enough to get some news off of another ship you encountered on the way).  I'd like to leave a sense of mystery where possible just to reflect the time this game is set in.

[OlavDeng2]

Personally, I think that the map we have is too much.  

 

I'm not a fan of knowing the nationality, goods bought/sold, etc before I get there.  The entire point of this age was that you could leave port and arrive only to find that your destination's nationality or goods available have changed since you left.  You didn't have a way to call ahead and find all of these things out (though you might be lucky enough to get some news off of another ship you encountered on the way).  I'd like to leave a sense of mystery where possible just to reflect the time this game is set in.

why do you think the map we have is too much? i think it isnt enough, i think we should be able to draw on it and it should have a more old look to it, that being said, going any further than changing the look, allowing us to draw on it and the rest is kept the same would be taking it too far as i think it is a good idea having to figure things out your self.

 

also, id like to see it be more realistic with also indicating how deep it is in certain places together with the implentation of actually factoring in how deep the keel of the ship sticks in the water and the depth of the ocean for getting stuck, but that is all for another day in the future some time.

[Henry d'Esterre Darby]

It's too much right now because it's complete.  I like your idea of a map we can draw on, etc, but I think it should be filled in by you, and only if you spend some time at it.  I've posted in the past about a cartography setup tied to Exploration that would create an ongoing need for people to plot and chart areas of the coastline (requiring you to spend time at a very slow pace in an area to get accurate readings), with drift over time to ensure that after a while, you needed to either make or purchase new maps to stay up to date.

[Haratik]

It's too much right now because it's complete.  I like your idea of a map we can draw on, etc, but I think it should be filled in by you, and only if you spend some time at it.  I've posted in the past about a cartography setup tied to Exploration that would create an ongoing need for people to plot and chart areas of the coastline (requiring you to spend time at a very slow pace in an area to get accurate readings), with drift over time to ensure that after a while, you needed to either make or purchase new maps to stay up to date.

 

It would need to be done in such a way that cartographers/explorers are needed throughout the game.  Perhaps only society/guild/organization members can have access to said maps?  Or a cartographer/explorer can draft a map of a specific area, make a copy of it (labor hour intensive), and sell it on the market?

[admin]

The map function with have during the game is better than nothing, but it could do so much more. 

 

- Showing the actual location of the ship would be great, but that would take away from the challenge of navigation by compass.

 

- Could we show the nationality of the ports?

 

- Could we list goods sold and traded there?

 

- Could we introduce currents to the whole game? Normally, a ship would have to navigate by estimating the course (with a compass) conpensate for true north, adjust for water current and wind drift. I find it almost to easy to navigate in the open world.

 

- Could we hide a few islands? It would be great to find an island that wasn't on the map at all.

 

- Would it be possible to add notes to a map used by only one nation? Example, the british map could list all goods traded at their ports for use among members.

 

 

Many games prefer to hold the hand of the player providing convenient markers and distances.. We don't. The feeling of knowing the local waters should come with experience not because of the marker

 

1. We do not plan to show player position on the map. 

2. Nationality of the port: please identify the nationality of the port

3. Trading resources and goods - also judging by the picture above how we can identify the goods sold there? If you were there once you know (probably written it down somewhere).

4. Currents - we don't know yet how and how it will affect the gameplay

5. Hiding islands works until it appears somewhere on the internet.

 

PS. 

I know many of you will finally appreciate the fictional map idea after sailing for quite a while (A-la Civ random world). Where the whole world is unexplored and there are no google maps to place the markers on. 

 

Current map will eventually be reworked visually to incorporate some ideas from Tda, Siegfried and Booyah and several other cartographers work.

 

Great log book by the way

[SteelSandwich]

@Admin, Kingston Jamaica?^^ British

[admin]

@Admin, Kingston Jamaica?^^ British

 

yes indeed. It looks like a real thing actually - amazing procedural tech we have

[SneakyTurtle]

If this was the age of Columbus, I would say yes we need to explore without maps or minimal coastline drawings.  

 

Maps are a very valuable commodity and would be a good trade item.  Buy or capture a map and fill in that area even if you have never been there.  Along with the maps would come the captains logs.  Another good item to learn from and I think these  with the maps were extensively copied.  Not always an accurate copy, but still a copy.

 

But this is still a game and world maps are normal in games.   I use and appreciate the hard work of the Booyaah map along with my own spread sheet of port data that I'm compiling (i.e. my captains log).

[admin]

 

Maps are a very valuable commodity and would be a good trade item.  Buy or capture a map and fill in that area even if you have never been there.  Along with the maps would come the captains logs.  Another good item to learn from and I think these  with the maps were extensively copied.  Not always an accurate copy, but still a copy.

 

 

They were very valuable before internet indeed. 

But right now - whatever some discovers becomes available to everyone through the forums or other means. 

[SteelSandwich]

What the admin says is spot-on.

 

When OW was released most dutch players acted as explorers as well. Within no-time we had the entire south end of the world mapped.

That knowledge was priceless, up to the point where Booyaah started a community map.

 

Shared knowledge=worthless.

[Schuetzengel]

are there really any good arguments against a completely new map besides realism?

why bother with cartography, when you can just google_image caribbean?

but even with a new map, exploration gameplay will loose some of it appealment, after the whole gameplay area is discovered.

 

how about a race to the west scenario, like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westward_Expansion_Trails ?

a new map generates with limited resouces, which leads to ports being useless after depletion. after a while old parts of the map get deleted and new area spawn in.

of course  it will be difficult balancing to provide enough area to explore and for economy for all players involved.

[admin]

 

 

Shared knowledge=worthless.

 

I would say that shared knowledge is priceless. Community efforts on map making were spectacular. 

But it does make all in game limitations on the maps useless. Whatever you chart in game will be available online. 

[Henry d'Esterre Darby]

It would need to be done in such a way that cartographers/explorers are needed throughout the game.  Perhaps only society/guild/organization members can have access to said maps?  Or a cartographer/explorer can draft a map of a specific area, make a copy of it (labor hour intensive), and sell it on the market?

 

The idea I had was to "age" the maps.  Over time, their points shifted and became more and more inaccurate.  You'd have to go resurvey to refresh them.  Is this possible on a large scale?  I'm not really sure.  It would certainly take a nightly process.

[Maxer der Grosse]

Gentlemen, Officers, and Admiralty, 

 

I am extremely sorry to have started a discussion about using a map to our advantage (meaning for the British) when other nationalities were included in the forum. My mistake. We had very good pro's and con's to the topic in this thread (even from the Dutch) and it really proves that some sort of map would be useful, if it were bond by the limitations of the era we are playing roles in. At no point in time would I suggest having an in-game map that shows your position. I would rather have wind and water currents actually pushing your ship off course to make the game more realistic. Additionally, adding degrees to the compass would be more satisfying. Still, the suggestion to make the in-game map we now have at our disposal, look more reminiscent of the era, I do favor. Also, as mentioned above, if someone is taking the time to note in excel which goods are being traded at various ports, then a google map is something I will continue to use, unless we receive an in-game map that we can add notes to as a team. There has to be a way within the game to communicate to one another and use the common knowledge to our advantage. A national map would be one way, even though we know there are spies in our mist, which is also the same as 250 years ago. So, if you would like to use the map I have started and contribute to it, I will gladly share. Hopefully, game-labs will make improvements to their map and make it more useful and look more its age.

 

With all due respect, thank you for your opinions,

Edited October 13, 2015 by Maxer der Grosse

[Prater]

Many games prefer to hold the hand of the player providing convenient markers and distances.. We don't. The feeling of knowing the local waters should come with experience not because of the marker

 

1. We do not plan to show player position on the map. 

2. Nationality of the port: please identify the nationality of the port

3. Trading resources and goods - also judging by the picture above how we can identify the goods sold there? If you were there once you know (probably written it down somewhere).

4. Currents - we don't know yet how and how it will affect the gameplay

5. Hiding islands works until it appears somewhere on the internet.

 

PS. 

I know many of you will finally appreciate the fictional map idea after sailing for quite a while (A-la Civ random world). Where the whole world is unexplored and there are no google maps to place the markers on. 

 

Current map will eventually be reworked visually to incorporate some ideas from Tda, Siegfried and Booyah and several other cartographers work.

 

Great log book by the way

 

 

The civilization map would work for areas outside of what we have now.  I don't know about anyone else, but I really like the map we have now.  It isn't google maps, a modern map, or a single historical map, but a combination of different maps and art.  If it was all civilization type map, I wouldn't like that.  I prefer the Total War series over Civilization and even in EU 4 I use the historical map instead of the random new world map.

 

The problem with the civilization map is that unless it is a massive area the size of what some space games claim to be, it will all be figured out and mapped within 6 months to a year anyway.  No joke.  The guilds will have it all mapped out within a few months.  We have the manpower and brainpower to figure it out unless it is so massive it would be a full time job.