Wait, there was a map, right?

[droid_orat]

I cannot find the map. <???>

[Patroklos]

There's no longer a visual map of the layout, it's now more of a fast travel menu. The old map worked for the pit, but didn't do so well for some of the newer locations, like the multistory mission control, and the devs have struggled to find a way to create something visual that would work too replace it.

Plenty of us have voiced a desire for something to help visualize the layout, but it sounds like it's harder than we'd think to create something useful.

[skaudus]

The map was changed to be text-based, mostly for technical reasons.

I do miss the old map myself, and I was wondering if it couldn't be brought back for the large areas (the Pit, the Habitat in the future). I do like the change for the smaller areas, but the Pit really felt easier to navigate before.

Perhaps a toggle between text view and map view for the larger areas such as the Pit?

[Elhoim]

We'll consider it for locations like the pit and habitat.

[droid_orat]

Originally posted by Elhoim:

We'll consider it for locations like the pit and habitat.

I personally think you need something like a general map (i.e. of a whole ship) - like in Fallout 2 - perhaps even with some random encounters during travelling. Otherwise such jumping between location really breaks immersion

[Pink Eye]

>Random Encounters
No. No random encounters. They add nothing to a game besides tedium. That's one of the things I disliked about Knights of the Chalice 1.

[arhin]

I have not entered game for a long time, and... well, new map is awful. Yes, it's simply so. Awful and completely unusable.

Map is by definition graphycal product. The old map was not good, but with new "map" I feel completely lost, it simply kills any desire to play. It's better the absence of any map than... those.

[droid_orat]

Originally posted by arhin:

I have not entered game for a long time, and... well, new map is awful. Yes, it's simply so. Awful and completely unusable.

Map is by definition graphycal product. The old map was not good, but with new "map" I feel completely lost, it simply kills any desire to play. It's better the absence of any map than... those.

I agree with your point. The list of locations is just killing the immersion. I am surprised devs think it is ok :/

[Pink Eye]

Guyz. It's Early Access. Certain parts of the game are unfinished. The current map is just a temporary one until they get around to implementing a new fancy one. As right now they're focused on sticking to the schedule for content. Another thing to understand is that they're currently having issues with finding someone whose willing to work on the art assets while guaranteeing quality. From another thread:

Originally posted by Vince:

We talked to quite a few studios and artists that have done some work in this style. Nobody's willing to do for less than 3-4k due to the complexity and even at 3-4k there's a hard limit to how many hours they're willing to commit to it, meaning there'd b very little back and forth and corrections if something doesn't look right or way off. One guy who was willing to do a free test spent 10 hours (that would have cost us over a grand) and got nowhere (nothing we can even share here as work in progress).

Source: https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads/colony-ship-early-access-release-thread.137958/page-49#post-7540967

[Vince]

We changed it because the old setup didn't work for the Factory at all and wouldn't have worked well for the Mission Control. The new setup solved one problem and created another, at least for some players.

When we have time we'll consider an alternative solution.

Originally posted by arhin:

The old map was not good, but with new "map" I feel completely lost...

Can you elaborate? Lost as in what? Don't know where you are, where to go, etc? I didn't think the locations were big enough to confuse the players in any way.

...it simply kills any desire to play. It's better the absence of any map than... those.

For clarity's sake, are you talking about the old world map or the local map? You do need the world map to travel but you don't need to fast travel if you don't want to.

[arhin]

Originally posted by Vince:

Can you elaborate?

Okay.
Map (by a definition) shows spatial relationships between the objects. It answers questions "Where I am?", "How can I get from point A to point B?"
Current map does not show spatial relationships at all. And so, for example, I want to go from point A to point B and do not want to use fast travel (for example, I want to check if I missed something. Or I want see is there something new. Or to hear new banters. Or simply to gaze at the ship). But I do not know where to go! Simply, at all! It is good if I remeber spatial arrangement from the previous version. And if I do not?

Of case, there is fast travel. But in the previous version you could quickly check the map and then either go to the neighbour location or use fast travel. This version deprives the choice: you can only fast travel. This dissects one big location into the multiple sub-locations - and I believe that game's locations deserve better.

As for the global map - I would definitely prefer the existence of global map. But I understand that game is in Early Access, and simply wait for a global map in some moment in the future.

Previous map was not good, but it was passible. This downgrade is unpleasant surprise. It is even more surprising if you take into account that maps in "The Age of Decadence" were ok. Good, even - because they were stylish (Maadoran. "Извечно"). Of cause, there were no maps in some Myterious Locations (such as Al-Akia) - but this were explicable because those Locations were Myterious.

[Pink Eye]

>Current map does not show spatial relationships at all. And so, for example, I want to go from point A to point B and do not want to use fast travel (for example, I want to check if I missed something. Or I want see is there something new. Or to hear new banters. Or simply to gaze at the ship). But I do not know where to go! Simply, at all! It is good if I remeber spatial arrangement from the previous version. And if I do not?

Not to disparage the above poster's grievances with the current map, but I would like to share my opinion about the levels. They're really not as complicated as the poster is leading on. Everything within the level is compact, easy to reach. Certainly not disorientating. I've often *not* found myself to be completely lost when trekking the ship. Finally, I would like to add that the levels haven't changed at all from patch to patch - excluding the beta phases of new areas where things are added or modified - things have mostly stayed the same. Meaning if you remember where the medbay is at in the Pit. It will still be there. All that *has* changed is that you no longer have a map that adds geographic flavor to the game.

[wizard1200]

Originally posted by Pink Eye:

They're really not as complicated as the poster is leading on. Everything within the level is compact, easy to reach. Certainly not disorientating. I've often *not* found myself to be completely lost when trekking the ship.

You have played the game for how many hours? ;)

[Vince]

Originally posted by arhin:

Map (by a definition) shows spatial relationships between the objects. It answers questions "Where I am?", "How can I get from point A to point B?"

Technically, it's a fast travel device not a dictionary-definition map. There are games with expansive locations that do require a map to orient yourself, but neither AoD nor Colony Ship are such games. Even the urban locations like the Pit are focused on relatively small central areas acting as the main focus. They don't go for in-game miles in every direction.

Anyway, your opinion is noted and will be considered. We'll try to find a solution that works for everyone.

[Vince]

Originally posted by wizard1200:

Originally posted by Pink Eye:

They're really not as complicated as the poster is leading on. Everything within the level is compact, easy to reach. Certainly not disorientating. I've often *not* found myself to be completely lost when trekking the ship.

You have played the game for how many hours? ;)

How long would it take you to familiarize yourself with the Pit's two main areas? 10-15 min?

[Arrogant Savant]

Originally posted by wizard1200:

Originally posted by Pink Eye:

They're really not as complicated as the poster is leading on. Everything within the level is compact, easy to reach. Certainly not disorientating. I've often *not* found myself to be completely lost when trekking the ship.

You have played the game for how many hours? ;)

lol I understand his point I have all the locations memorised and good visual memory so I like the fast travel menu more though I miss the age of decadence map it was quite neat. Maybe colony ship can have a holomap or something