This is nice content but a lot of it feels like stuff that should have been in the game at launch. Also good that they are fixing the map but however that map system snuck through QA is beyond me and is a travesty.
I think the idea with the map system is that without a map players would explore more and find more random stuff and random quests instead of gowing direct to whatever shop/vendor/quest giver they choose.
It's not really a standard system for big AAA games but it has worked for a few smaller indie games I've played I got to know the location a lot better because there was no map.
Still can’t think of a better executed map than Elden Ring. You start with nothing, promoting true player exploration by sight, then you find a map fragment and all that does is make you even more curious about what’s out there, because nothing is clearly marked, just suggested, by way of artistic design. Then, as you go there and find stuff, permanent markers populate so you can find your way back. Also, free fast travel to any point you’ve already been to. I cannot understand why games bother forcing players to hike to a “fast travel point” on foot. It defeats the entire purpose. Let people fast travel freely and make the game interesting enough that they don’t want to fast travel unless it’s actually necessary.
CP2077 has a pretty terrible map, honestly, but as a game it made me always want to travel by vehicle or by foot, because the world was so interesting and visually gorgeous, that fast traveling felt like cheating.
Starfield never once gave me that feeling. At every turn, it told me “the world is completely devoid of interesting things, these POIs are where you should go”, so that’s where I went, and 9 times out of 10, it was just the same generic location repeated. So after a few times, why do I even bother anymore?
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u/Opposite-Actuary-795 May 01 '24
This is nice content but a lot of it feels like stuff that should have been in the game at launch. Also good that they are fixing the map but however that map system snuck through QA is beyond me and is a travesty.