Innate ability of knowing where you live.

[aliksteel]

The other night as I set in front of my laptop wishing that the update note was about them adding tribes into the game. I started thinking about things I wanted in the game. And the compass idea came to mind. As I debated the pros and cons, It hit me. It's not a compass that I wanted. It was a innate ability of knowing where I lived. One of the reasons I have been wanting this game, Are one like it. Is that I don't want someone holding my hand to learn every little thing about the game. I miss the way I felt in the first days of Eeverquest when every thing was new and finding some new ability, Mob, Area, Was what made the game fun. But at the same time there was a lot of time I spent running around in circles because the gaming world is not like the real world. I love learning new stuff, But I also understand that things don't work in-game as they do offline. In RL every tree has it's on feel and look. In-game every Aspen, Douglas Fir, Jeffrey Pine look the same as every othere Aspen, Douglas Fir, Jeffrey Pine. When I was a kid, And out playing in the woods. I knew where I was at all times because I knew the woods, By what trees was where. We want have that in-game.

So here is the idea, This would not be a compass. It would be more of a basic directional gauge

that only works in a smallish area. Like maybe only in the same zone that your tribal camp is in, Or solo camp if that does make it in game.
This would not be fine tuned, It would only say you was headed northward, are east, west, or southward. Heck this does not even have to be a graphics thing. You could just have it pop up when you start to walk/run saying you are headed northward, The same way it does when you cross a zone line. Also have an option to turn this off.

Again, This would not be a true compass, But more like a basic directional gauge that only worked in a limited area, And could be turned off from the options.

[Virtus]

can you explain the compass/fuel gauge a bit better?

[aliksteel]

Lets see, I could have used this
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this
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or even this
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But I am not talking about us having a compass. I said basic directional gauge. I used the fuel gauge to show how it would be cut up in to 4 wide area's and not show your exactly direction.

Say you are going Northwest. The gauge would only let you know you are going Northward. Later on if they wish to add compass to the game, Fine. But for now, What I am talking about is an innate ability to know your surrounding lands of your tribal camping area. This could work for the solo homesteader as well. To know about where North, East, West, and South is around your home area should be an innate ability.

Also, Like I said in my OP, This does not have to be anything like a real gauge window. It could be a pop up saying your going Northward when you start to walk/run.

[bruisie159]

Maybe they could make an actual compass a rare but scavengable item

[Cunk]

aliksteel wrote:

But I am not talking about us having a compass. I said basic directional gauge. I used the fuel gauge to show how it would be cut up in to 4 wide area's and not show your exactly direction.

Say you are going Northwest. The gauge would only let you know you are going Northward. Later on if they wish to add compass to the game, Fine. But for now, What I am talking about is an innate ability to know your surrounding lands of your tribal camping area. This could work for the solo homesteader as well. To know about where North, East, West, and South is around your home area should be an innate ability.

Also, Like I said in my OP, This does not have to be anything like a real gauge window. It could be a pop up saying your going Northward when you start to walk/run.

Knowing which way north is around your local area isn't an innate ability (which seems to imply some sixth sense). It's just you being familiar with your surroundings and understanding where landmarks are. For example, when I'm running around Round Hill I know which way north is because I know the area and where it is on the map. So I know the lake is to the west. The same will happen in any area you spend a lot of time in. No need for onscreen gauges to tell you these things.

[Virtus]

just some thoughts

Maybe trees are all the say but the land pattern is different (i know when I am near round hill)

The sun moves so it is easy to tell which way is N S E W

real constellations will be out at night (southern hemisphereits will have to swat up)

Personally I would thing this would be enough. I learned the round hill area pretty well.

Also...I think there will be plans to put in an in game compass if you find one while scavenging, but not sure.

[aliksteel]

I see what you all are talking about, And thats cool. I see that you all think this is a bad idea. And I can deal with that.

But Cunk, I do have issue with the thought that this could not be an innate ability. By innate ability I mean that it's somthing that you are born with. Or better yet a built in tribal ability you get just by joining a tribe.
In the real world you are right, But we are talking about an game that you all ready have innate abilities that you would not in the real world. So I am not to sure why this would be such a far-fetched idea.

[Kitsume]

I think what Aliksteel was trying to refer to is that people use familiar landmarks to know where they are located or how to get to their known destination. When you can't use those landmarks, it is easier to get lost. The meter he suggested would be a tool representing where are heading in approximately the right direction to your desired location.

Most games handle this by providing maps and compasses to the players through some sort of interface. Or they are of a linear type game environment where there is only forwards and backwards.

Once you loose sight of the lake, it is harder to know which direction you are headed unless you can observe the sun or moon rise or setting. The star patterns can be used at a lesser degree.

But with out dropping bread crumbs or following a road, it is hard for someone who is not familiar with the layout of the lake to know where they are, or even which side of the lake they are on. Once away from the lake, most anyone would be hard pressed to quickly tell you which direction is north without using the coordinates system. And that will be going away when the game goes live.

A compass will tell you which direction you are facing but not pinpoint your location. Eventually most players will learn their local landmarks to their camps, but further away and out of sight of the lake or another significant landmark, navigation will be more difficult. Even worse for those who little natural sense of direction.

People in history successfully navigated unknown lands by using existing landmarks like rivers, roads and mountains. They used the sun, moon and stars. And they had the help of locals they met along the way to point them in the right direction.

I think at first there will be many 'lost' players in Xsyon, until they learn their local landmarks and until some sort of mapping or navigation skill allows us for more accurate direction finding and pinpointing our location.

[Zarma]

Why can't you learn this on your own? If you're sticking around one area long enough you'll probably be able to tell which way is north by the shape of the land...

[Kitsume]

Aww, you sound upset, Prokop. Don't burst one there, you're almost as cute as Crunch.