Did anyone else prefer Oblivions 2D map? : V - Skyrim

» Wed Dec 14, 2011 7:22 pm

When I look at the map it is rather obvious where the roads are... Or better yet, find a road and stick to it. look at the signs along the road. Don't be stupid

» Wed Dec 14, 2011 6:09 am

The map, the UI, the quest log - everything is leaps and bounds better in Skyrim than that cluttered mess of Oblivion and that mindless mush of Marrowind.

» Wed Dec 14, 2011 7:10 pm

They really shoulda marked roads at the VERY LEAST, buuuut... ill just wait for dem mods

» Wed Dec 14, 2011 8:03 am

It shows the cliffsides and hard to reach areas much better than the Oblivion map, that cannot show elevation.

... now if we could only rotate it fully...

As for roads and such, neither did Morrowind show any roads, and it was for the better, as it tend to help encourage exploration.

Exploration is fine, when you want to explore. But when you're trying to get from point A to point B, it's a nothing but a hindrance.

» Wed Dec 14, 2011 4:36 pm

I like the new map. (says shadowblood quietly in the corner)

» Wed Dec 14, 2011 10:22 am

I love how nice Skyrim's map look, but it's kind of hard to see roads and such on it... thus partly destroying its purpose as a map. HOWEVER, a 2D map like Oblivion's would make it very hard to make mountains and paths on the mountains properly visible. I think that's why the map is 3D.

So I'm fine with it. I kind of like it.

» Wed Dec 14, 2011 3:28 am

Skyrim's map and UI are both huge steps backward.

The first is impractical, wasteful of screen area and not at all friendly to use.
The second is a large sacrifice of usefulness due to graphics and whizz bang effects. The vintage 1985 Apple Lisa icons dont help either.

Game is brilliant but whoever they got to do the UI and other interface elements needs to go back to tossing pancakes at street corners because clearly designing UI's aint your field.

» Wed Dec 14, 2011 3:35 am

I love how nice Skyrim's map look, but it's kind of hard to see roads and such on it... thus partly destroying its purpose as a map. HOWEVER, a 2D map like Oblivion's would make it very hard to make mountains and paths on the mountains properly visible. I think that's why the map is 3D.

So I'm fine with it. I kind of like it.

It's very possible to combine altitude maps with topographic maps. They should've done that, best of both worlds.

Edit: Made me go nostalgiamode, drawing maps of countries I imagined as a kid, with elevation/altitude all very clearly being there. And then it made me wonder if I, as a 8 year old, was thinking more logically than some people at Bethesda.

» Wed Dec 14, 2011 1:47 pm

The immersion of having the map in Oblivion beat the map in SKyrim, yes. I agree with OP. I modded the Skyrim one to get rid of clouds and to not be blurred so it is actually helpful now, but it's still butt ugly.

» Wed Dec 14, 2011 6:36 pm

Being able to see the mountains is neat and all, but you can only see one side of them, so that kind of negates the whole notion that navigating terrain is easier with a 3d map, it's actually harder if that terrain is on the backside of your map...

» Wed Dec 14, 2011 11:37 am

Skyrims map is terrible. Theres no other way of saying it.. it svcks. It has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Having a 3d model gives no insight or assistance to my travels at all, it hinders it infact. Gimick through and through.

I agree. I hate it. I would have preferred a 2D map by far. Not only is it simply more practical, its also better for roleplaying and immersion reasons, which are very important to me. Oh, well. Waiting for a mod...

» Wed Dec 14, 2011 7:53 am

It's very possible to combine altitude maps with topographic maps. They should've done that, best of both worlds.

Edit: Made me go nostalgiamode, drawing maps of countries I imagined as a kid, with elevation/altitude all very clearly being there. And then it made me wonder if I, as a 8 year old, was thinking more logically than some people at Bethesda.

Topographical maps is actually what I was thinking too. It would show where the mountains are and how tall they are while being easier to navigate, not telling us what an area looks like before we even get there, and it would just feel more like a map.

» Wed Dec 14, 2011 4:33 am

I was shocked when I first saw Skyrim's "map". It can't even be called a map. I hope a future mod will bring a good old hand-drawn 2D fantasy style map to replace it. You can't really make out anything on this 3D map.

To compare with real life, if you look at Google maps, you want to see the real map to actually see it properly, not just look at the satellite imagery. Skyrim's map is like only using the satellite imagery.

I learned to live with it, but I seriously hope a good 2D map is coming.

» Wed Dec 14, 2011 1:00 pm

Overall I think Skyrim beats Oblivion in pretty much every way, buuut the one thing I think I liked more about Oblivion so far is its 2D map. I'm only level 17 so maybe I'll find something else eventually, but I just find Skyrims 3D map hard to navigate and it just doesn't feel like a map.

I prefer Oblivion's map menu design as well.

» Wed Dec 14, 2011 6:04 am

I much preferred the oblivion map. It is especially jarring when people offer to mark things on your map, i keep picturing my character whipping out a fully 3d (but somehow crappily scaled) hologram of Skyrim which magically updates everything.

I think this is the case of Beth doing something because "OHHH IT LOOKS COOL" as opposed to thinking about actual functionality or lore friendliness. Heck, that could be said about the whole UI, IMO.

» Wed Dec 14, 2011 1:56 pm

I like Skyrim's map.

The only thing about it that svcks is the default cloud value. If you're on PC, you can remove the clouds, which makes the map actually useable beyond selecting a fast travel marker. You can also tweak it to zoom right in to street level or rotate/pitch the camera angle a full 360 degrees.

» Wed Dec 14, 2011 6:43 am

I actually like it. The fact that no roads are shown helps me in my exploration, I find loads of new things by not sticking to the roads.

» Wed Dec 14, 2011 6:28 am

Yeah, the map, UI, all of that's totally inferior compared to Oblivion.

» Wed Dec 14, 2011 7:30 am

Agreed, it may look cool, and test the engine. But it is not nearly as helpful as the Oblivion map was.

» Wed Dec 14, 2011 5:41 pm

i prefer oblivions map

» Wed Dec 14, 2011 6:34 pm

I prefer the 3D map of Skyrim especially with it fitting in with Skyrim's get the most immersion possible mentality. With previous maps there was a sort of disconnect from game reality temporarily. The ingame map for Daggerfall was so huge and unique it added to the immersion and illusion of life in a great big world.

» Wed Dec 14, 2011 9:15 am

Another here who much preferred the Oblivion map.

» Wed Dec 14, 2011 10:01 am

It's easier/quicker to navigate. That's about where it stops being convenient, but I don't mind it. It's whatever. Oblivion's map was kind of slow to navigate, and didn't show enough of the map/world on it at once in my opinion.

» Wed Dec 14, 2011 4:51 pm

I agree, that's why at least attempt to use the map that came with the game, its a somewhat viable option.

» Wed Dec 14, 2011 7:39 am

One of the first real mods is going to be a map replacement mod. Trade in the worst map ever released for any game for a useful 2d map that only need a tiny fraction of the resources.