» Tue Dec 15, 2009 11:24 pm While playing Morrowind you were presented by some directions and then, supposed to discover you're way out (or in). In the other hand, Oblivion gave you a more direct pointing style marking, in which you just have to follow the marker everywhere.
I liked both methods, even though I was sometimes frustrated trying to find cave entrances from the directions given in Morrowind. My idea behind new marking system would be somewhat different from both approaches. So, let me explain it. It all begins with the map being a little more interactive. Any NPC in the world (and the player, why not?) should be able to make annotations on your map, but REAL annotations, like drawings, letters, numbers, etc.
In practical terms during gameplay an NPC will come to you and say: "I know that the location of that rare item you're looking is in the Valley of Winds. I don't know exactly where it is, but if you let me, I can make a circle in you're map indicating where you should look."
After you handled the map and received it's annotation you check the map and see a circle in a mountainous area. You know it's inside the circle, but don't know exactly where it is.
After a little more research in this quest, you discover that another NPC knows a little more, he says something else: "I know this rare item you seek it's in the Valley of Winds, and I know that it's between two great mountains north of here. You have to go through a cavern to reach the Valley in the other side. Please, give me your map and I'll mark for you."
When you check the map again, you see, not only a circle in that area, but an X mark between two mountains in that region. The X mark the spot where you should look more precisely, and you don't need to check the whole area inside the circle anymore, only the area near the X mark.
For gameplay reasons, the compass should be maintained to indicate the cavern entrance, since it's frustrating to look for a hidden door under a group of giant rocks in the mountain foot.
Returning to your quest, you continue to research the rare item you're looking for when a woman comes to you and say: "My husband died searching for that damned relic! I still remember the last day I saw him. I begged him not to go, but he didn't listen. Said it was all going to be okay. I don't know why, but somehow, I knew that it would be the last time I'd see him. So I took my red scarf and wrapped around his neck, just above his chest plate to bring him luck. I guess that wasn't enough! He then departed with other soldiers in search for that stupid thing! If you have any prudence, then forget about this relic or you'll have the same destiny as my husband!"
You then say goodbye to the lady and start looking for the relic. You manage to find the Valley of Winds and notice some unusual bodies of soldiers lying down. When you go near it you see a soldier with a red scarf, a note then comes to you: "The husband of that lady is lying down in front of me, the relic must be near!"
When you check your surroundings, you see a huge troll, you fight, you get wounded, blablabla, you kill and grab that item.
The end!
The map, a little more explained:
As I said earlier, the map will be more interactive. I'll use another example to explain how it'll work:
You start your game with nothing in your map, since you're a prisoner. When you discover, for example, a cave, the game automatically marks it, but in a "crude way", indicating that the character draw the location in the map himself. The more you find things, the more your map will have things in it. After some point, the map becomes illegible, and you have to buy another one. So let's say you buy it in a big city. When you purchase the new map, it automatically incorporates the things you've discovered in a more minimalist, easier to identify (Oblivion like) map, PLUS the indications of places in the surroundings of the city you bought that map. After some more traveling, you find a bandit. By his looks it seems an old man, full of scars... must have seen a lots of fights and places. You fight him and manage to kill him. By looting his corpse, you grab his map and find out that he knows a great portion of all the west side of Skyrim. You see annotations like: "Fort of the imperial Blades, if they get me, I'm screwed!"; "Cave of Sheogorath, big monster lying in here".
You then take the map with you, and go to a shop in a city to buy a new map and transfer the places you already knew, and now the places indicating in the map of the bandit. The new map is more clean, but does not have the information of the big monster on the cave, if you wish that information, you must keep that old man's map. (An alternative: In the new map, when you hover the mouse in the map over Cave of Sheogorath it shows the note: "Big monster allegedly seen here.")
As you can see, the map you have will now exist in the world.
Your character make notes and drawings in his map.
Others players will have a map as well.
Another adventurer can have his own map full of notes, and you may retrievet it.
NPCs can give you hints and tips for the whereabouts of whatever you're looking in your map.
After some time, your map starts to get polluted with lots of scribbles.
You may buy a new map and address everything you have seen onto to the map in a much cleaner style.
So, what you guys think of these ideas?
