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Showing results for tags 'navigate'.
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I love that there is no icon on the map to show your position and I love the gameplay spirit that this creates: one of having to navigate for yourself just like the captains of the day.I think though, that the current system of OW navigation is too simplistic and could be improved without making something so complex as to be a turn-off. I propose that a ships’s log mechanic be introduced into the game, along with the ability to mark the in-game map. I would also love to see leeway added to ships but I suspect that this idea has already been rejected by the devs or we would have it in game. SO: how would the ship’s log work? At appropriate intervals your log would record your average course and distance travelled for that period. This would build up into a table of records with which you could plot your course and (if done well) derive your near exact position on the map. (Let’s not forget that, far from being lost in the open ocean a good Captain of this age had the tools to accurately fix their position on the globe within a very few metres). Plotting your position Give players the ability to freely add simple symbols to the map: I suggest an ‘x’ and a line. I would love to see this skinned as a pair of dividers and a pencil Taking distance and bearing information from their log, players would mark their point of departure and then plot the information from the log on to their map resulting in a series of marks giving them a good idea of their current position even when out of sight of land. For example: I've marked an x on my map at my last know location e.g. Kingston. As I move my cursor away from this x the UI tells me the length and bearing of the line that I am drawing. I match this to my ship's log, placing another x and repeating the process for each log entry to build up my course. Not sure if you've sailed past that mission in the fog? Are you just being impatient or might you need to turn around? Now you know: reassure yourself by plotting your course on the map! Advanced players could even fix their point of departure EXACTLY by taking bearings from headlands in the OW view and plotting intersecting lines on the map! Other minor tweaks needed The ability to take a bearing when sailing in OW would be nice. This might either mean a change to the compass UI to give you a bearing as you pan the camera, or an additional tool like a hand-bearing compass view (similar to the spyglass view from battles) which would allow you to take your bearings. I hope you’ll agree with me that this would be a great addition to OW navigation and add meaningfully to the gameplay.