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Game News Underrail Dev Log #55: Global Map

Unwanted

Kalin

Unwanted
Dumbfuck Zionist Agent
Joined
Sep 29, 2010
Messages
1,868,264
Location
Al Scandiya
Total waste of time and resources. What kind of moron needs a map in Underrail? Not the kind you should appease with updates, that's who. Underrail could use plenty of enhancement, but that is in the realm of less railroading (lol) and more alternatives for the player.

For example, wouldn't it be cool if you could betray SGS and *really* work for one of the oligarchs, or just stick with the Protectorate, or the Drones, or heck, just going at it as a free agent? Wouldn't a Core City faction war be all kinds of awesome? (One that's actually supported by the factions and not something you engineer yourself and don't even get appropriate ending slides for) Wouldn't it be nice to be able to blow up that damn Institute door and gun them all down, or if you want, actually join them truthfully. Wouldn't it be cool if Eidein didn't die like a fuckin schmuck in a cutscene? Wouldn't it be swell if you could kill Gorsky without getting locked out of the story?

The answer is: yes, yes it muthafuckin would! But hey, instead of adding even a fraction of incline, let's throw in a map for manboons and some snazzy jet skis.
 

Sneaky Seal

Aurum Dust
Developer
Joined
Sep 14, 2016
Messages
346
Location
Sealand-upon-Duck
If you need a map in underrail you're weak, and your bloodline is weak.

Honestly, the actual feeling of exploration with a possibility of being truly lost, and then somehow emerging in a familiar area from a direction you've had no idea you can show up at - it felt great. It felt even better to know ins and outs by heart and feel like a badass underground stalker.

Obviously, one can just not use the map, but I liked it when it was a design choice not to have it.
 

TwinkieGorilla

does a good job.
Patron
Joined
Oct 19, 2007
Messages
5,480
Serpent in the Staglands Divinity: Original Sin Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 BattleTech Pathfinder: Wrath
+1 to the "Way to waste time dilly-dallying on useless bullshit for shitty casuals instead of working on the actual goddamned expansion guys."
 

jungl

Augur
Joined
Mar 30, 2016
Messages
1,420
It makes zero sense maps not existing or being scarce in this universe. It actually kills the immersion. The people of underrail have a much higher collective iq then people on earth. Everyones a tech, mechanic, chemist psionic whatever. But hurr durr drawing maps man too complex.
 

ArchAngel

Arcane
Joined
Mar 16, 2015
Messages
19,889
I want hand-drawn maps, I think someone mentioned Thief?
Essentially:
  • Physical objects, you actually have to buy or scavenge them.
  • Doesn't tack where you are. No moving markers or highlighted map sections.
  • Allows you to write notes on them.
  • (Perhaps even draw on them. Filling out missing cave connections and tunnels.)
  • Flawed proportions and missing details. Player can't take everything for granted and has to pay attention to landmarks.
  • Accurate maps could exist, but be very rare and very valuable.
This is stuff that would both exist in-universe and preserve the exploration element.
So you want Maps the Game? How nice
not really
 

Goral

Arcane
Patron
The Real Fanboy
Joined
May 4, 2008
Messages
3,552
Location
Poland
It makes zero sense maps not existing or being scarce in this universe. It actually kills the immersion. The people of underrail have a much higher collective iq then people on earth. Everyones a tech, mechanic, chemist psionic whatever. But hurr durr drawing maps man too complex.
It makes perfect sense. We're starting as nobodies and the only people who would have maps would be experienced scavengers or wealthy merchants. Sharing such maps with anyone would be stupid (more competition, also no one would want to make it easy for others while they had to do it the hard way, especially in a post-apocalyptic world).
 

ArchAngel

Arcane
Joined
Mar 16, 2015
Messages
19,889
It makes zero sense maps not existing or being scarce in this universe. It actually kills the immersion. The people of underrail have a much higher collective iq then people on earth. Everyones a tech, mechanic, chemist psionic whatever. But hurr durr drawing maps man too complex.
It makes perfect sense. We're starting as nobodies and the only people who would have maps would be experienced scavengers or wealthy merchants. Sharing such maps with anyone would be stupid (more competition, also no one would want to make it easy for others while they had to do it the hard way, especially in a post-apocalyptic world).
Then people would be selling fake maps or partly correct maps, not zero maps.
 

Black Angel

Arcane
Joined
Jun 23, 2016
Messages
2,910
Location
Wonderland
It makes zero sense maps not existing or being scarce in this universe. It actually kills the immersion. The people of underrail have a much higher collective iq then people on earth. Everyones a tech, mechanic, chemist psionic whatever. But hurr durr drawing maps man too complex.
Remember, the map system has always existed but not in the form we see it now in this dev log, as mentioned by epeli. Hell, we already have a map covering the entirety of Underrail which was possessed by the Oculites, though not something our character can interact with in any meaningful way.

I vaguely remembered the map system was thrown into the piles of 'maybes' because the game grew bigger than expected, and Styg kinda don't want to bother making the maps for all of them, but maybe it's just my memory messing with me again.
 

Fenix

Arcane
Vatnik
Joined
Jul 18, 2015
Messages
6,458
Location
Russia atchoum!
I want hand-drawn maps, I think someone mentioned Thief?
Essentially:
  • Physical objects, you actually have to buy or scavenge them.
  • Doesn't tack where you are. No moving markers or highlighted map sections.
  • Allows you to write notes on them.
  • (Perhaps even draw on them. Filling out missing cave connections and tunnels.)
  • Flawed proportions and missing details. Player can't take everything for granted and has to pay attention to landmarks.
  • Accurate maps could exist, but be very rare and very valuable.
This is stuff that would both exist in-universe and preserve the exploration element.

I would give hairs from my left testicle for that.

+1 to the "Way to waste time dilly-dallying on useless bullshit for shitty casuals instead of working on the actual goddamned expansion guys."
I can reiterate - I don't need exactly map, I need somethin to track where I have been and haven't been.
I don't mind being lost, I just don't want to miss something.
 

TwinkieGorilla

does a good job.
Patron
Joined
Oct 19, 2007
Messages
5,480
Serpent in the Staglands Divinity: Original Sin Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 BattleTech Pathfinder: Wrath
I guess that's just part of what was always the allure to me from the beginning. Not having a map to let me know. The environment itself does a good enough job letting you know if you've been there or not. And not getting there just means you didn't explore enough. *shrug*
 

quasimodo

Augur
Joined
Oct 11, 2006
Messages
372
I played the game a couple of times. Sometimes I drew maps sometimes I just wandered around. The maps are not complicated enough (like Wiz 6) to make mapping a fun part of the game. The game is not big enough that getting lost ever bothered me (like Daggerfall) so in the end while I don't think that a map is necessary I also don't think that not having one contributed any fun to my playthroughs.
 

Fenix

Arcane
Vatnik
Joined
Jul 18, 2015
Messages
6,458
Location
Russia atchoum!
The environment itself does a good enough job letting you know if you've been there or not. And not getting there just means you didn't explore enough. *shrug*
Except when you got to crossroad with 4 exits, and then another one, so you can't actually tell where have you been.
 

wyes gull

Savant
Joined
Apr 20, 2017
Messages
424
Aaaaah bullshit. The only map this thing needed was a mall-style map of CC. Half the fun is getting lost in the undercaves.
 

wyes gull

Savant
Joined
Apr 20, 2017
Messages
424
So..... don't use the map. What's the problem then?
The problem is how the map then can become a crutch for the quest design. It wouldn't be the first instance of games getting worse by trying to accommodate for everyone's complaints.
 

ciox

Liturgist
Joined
Feb 9, 2016
Messages
1,279
Yeah, none of the "quest arrow" complaints apply for this type of map, it only tells you where you've been.
 

Trashos

Arcane
Joined
Dec 28, 2015
Messages
3,413
I bought Underrail when it was released, but unfortunately didn't play more than 1h because my eyes couldn't take it. Has the font/icon size issue been addressed (or is it completely out of the question)?
 

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