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A Nintendo community for the fans, by the fans!
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Maps in games - a crutch for the weak? [roundtable] |
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Posted: 02/01/12, 20:13:12 |
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on: 02/01/12, 20:13:23 |
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Posted: 02/01/12, 20:19:55 |
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Posted: 02/01/12, 20:25:06 |
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I like maps. They aren't necessary most of the time in games, but I like having them. Ant it's not just a video game thing, I just love maps. I like having my GPS on in my car all the time because I like knowing where I am even when I know where I am. I keep all the maps for cities/locations that I travel to. Maps are awesome. I mean, there are games for which a map would seem superfluous. A Mario game, for example, does not need a map on screen while you are playing the level, but the world maps are totally cool, obviously, and gave the Mario games a sense of travel and exploration. But even with 2D platformers, there are times when I would love a map; just a simple representation of how far into the current level I am and how much further I have to go. This would of course only apply to games that are focused more on difficulty than on finding secrets. Because then a map would totally give the secrets away... obviously... unless the developer hid locations that the map didn't reveal. @New FormsI actually used to love drawing maps for games. I remember waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back when I used to play BBS games that were entirely text based, and I would have stacks of graph paper with super intricate maps. That was half the fun for me. "You come to a crossroad, do you continue forward, turn left, turn right, or go back the way you came?" Even when I played table top RPGs like D&D I would always be the cartographer for our group. |
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Posted: 02/01/12, 20:33:37 |
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on: 02/01/12, 20:37:17 |
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Posted: 02/01/12, 20:56:37 |
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Posted: 02/01/12, 21:04:07 |
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Posted: 02/01/12, 21:31:59 |
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Posted: 02/01/12, 21:36:08 |
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Posted: 02/01/12, 21:45:49 |
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Posted: 02/01/12, 22:21:36 |
- Edited by |
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on: 02/01/12, 22:22:37 |
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Posted: 02/01/12, 22:22:30 |
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Posted: 02/01/12, 23:28:38 |
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Posted: 02/02/12, 00:12:00 |
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Posted: 02/02/12, 00:22:02 |
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Posted: 02/02/12, 05:45:46 |
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I think maps are generally less of a necessity in games that have better level design. While yes, I relied on the map in Metroid Prime heavily during my first playthrough, eventually I got the lay of the land, and I started to need the map less and less.
While at the beginning of Metroid Prime, I look at the map and say "I need to get to this side of the room, and then this side of THAT room," at the END of the game, I can say "I need to get to Phendrana Drifts so I basically need to keep going in this direction." Rooms get more unique, and you kind of get the idea of where you're supposed to go.
Contrast that to the original Halo, and even though it's a very linear game, it's actually quite easy to get turned around because at times, every corridor looks the same.
On the other hand, sometimes when a game has a map, I just stare at it way too much, and I'm almost playing the map more than I'm playing the game. Final Fantasy X jumps to mind here. Because areas are often prerendered or have invisible walls, I have no idea where I can and cannot go at times. So, I wind up just looking at the map half the time. FFVII was a game that was also prerendered, but it didn't have a map. I just figured out where I was going and accepted the game for what it was. It really didn't need a map.
I think about this stuff a lot from time to time. I DEFINITELY thought about it while playing Skyward Sword, and I had to traverse the Eldin Volcano over and over. I always got turned around. While the subscreen map was more detailed than in past Zelda games, I would've KILLED for a compass to just let me know which way north was. I must've paused Skyward Sword hundreds of times to look at the maps in the game. How many times did I run around the forest area thinking I was going in the right direction, when really I wasn't? Zelda is a slower game, so an on screen map isn't a terrible idea - I can look at it briefly without being distracted. Mario 3D Land, on the other hand, wouldn't need a map at all, because if you look away from the screen, there's a good chance you'll be dead.
I'm actually excited to have the WiiU tablet screen there, if just for a map. Honestly, I'd be fine if it was just relegated to being a map most of the time. I'm not into holding it up to the TV to see things differently. I'm not into moving it around to use the motion control (unless it's something like Fluidity). I AM into having a super convenient map that I can refer to that doesn't require me to pause the game, and doesn't take up screen real estate.
So yeah. WiiU. Maps. And multiplayer where the tablet player is doing something different from the TV player. Yep. And HD. |
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Posted: 02/02/12, 06:13:39 |
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Posted: 02/02/12, 07:05:18 |
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Posted: 02/02/12, 07:14:39 |
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Posted: 02/02/12, 07:23:41 |
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Posted: 02/02/12, 18:56:52 |
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@AnandBut if someone is using an option as a crutch, how is it detracting from their game experience if it's what they want to do? I can think of a few recent examples with BioShock, Arkham Asylum, and Skyrim. Each of these titles have crutch options that one can use, abuse or totally ignore. In BioShock you had the Vita-Chambers that gave you zero death penalty. Batman: AA had Detective Mode that let you see through walls as long as you want. In Skyrim you can instantly fast-travel anywhere on the map. I've used all these crutches sparingly in my time with these games, but the bottom line is having the option was better than not having them at all. While I mostly played these games "cleanly", you can bet your buns that there were times when I just didn't feel like walking 3/4 of the way across that map in Skyrim, or feel like reloading the double Big Daddy face off once again in BioShock, etc. etc. Sometimes I welcome the path of least resistance and that's okay. I know "gaming the system" can be unfulfilling, but that is only if I deem it so. Many people have less time, patience, or skill levels and just want to plow through a game by any means at their disposal. Nothing wrong with them using crutches if they want, esp. if it makes them enjoy the game more. Same goes for me policing myself so I don't cheese my way through a whole game. That's my choice. It's just a matter of balancing our own personal goals with any game. Sometimes I'm in the mood to use developer crutches in games, most of the time I'm not. But I either way, I value the player choice these options give me, regardless if I ever use them or not. |
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Posted: 02/02/12, 19:45:52 |
- Edited by |
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on: 02/02/12, 19:50:54 |
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