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Minimap - Looking for Feedback

  • Deltree
  • 02/26/2013 11:54 PM
  • 1461 views
I scrawled out a little minimap script today and would like to get some feedback on how to go about implementing it, if at all. You can see it here: http://rpgmaker.net/games/4395/images/34963/

Right now, it shows the portion of the current floor that's been uncovered (walls and floors). Floor elements like grass and water are marked in blue. The player is marked white, and any staircases that have been revealed are green. I am not including enemies or items on the map to make it more of a map and less of a convenient method of clairvoyance.

My current plan is to have it toggled on and off with a keypress in order to conserve screen real estate and performance on lower-end machines. My real concern is how to implement it with some cost to the player, if needed. For those who played the demo: Would it make the game too easy to have a floor map available?

I was thinking of having a purchasable/collectible item that would let the player have access to the map just for the current floor when used, but the item would be used up and the map would disappear once the floor is exited. Does this sound like a reasonable trade-off? Or should the map be available all the time, as with many dungeon crawlers? Or does anybody have any better ideas for implementing a trade-off? I'm open to suggestions!

Posts

Pages: 1
Gibmaker
I hate RPG Maker because of what it has done to me
9274
02/27/2013 12:26 AM
I believe that more collectables = love in these games. So yes it should be an item. Perhaps you find a "compass" item that unlocks the mapping ability, but then another item/power will fill out all the unsearched areas?
Ro9ge
150
02/27/2013 06:40 AM
I don't think it will make things too easy. The floors were just the right size so that I pretty much remembered everything anyway, at least enough so that I didn't ever feel truly lost and recognized places easily. I'd probably not use it most of the time just to make things feel more real.

Maybe it could be another one of those advanced traits? No map for a small bonus? Or perhaps you can just buy it in the opening area. That seems to be the most realistic. I don't think it should be a huge cost since it seems easy enough for an adventurer to do himself with some pen and paper, or other map making tools. Making a map kit to buy would be cool for world immersion, but runs the risk of making what some think should be an included feature as something they have to buy.
Deltree
doesn't live here anymore
4556
02/27/2013 01:45 PM
Sounds like an item is the way to go! So now my question is, should it be a consumable that's good for one floor, or something that basically always works so long as you have it in your inventory? I'm leaning toward the second; it would mean sacrificing a precious item slot, but at the same time it could mean the only way to get one is to buy it. Something else for Alito to do, I guess.

I know the "magic mapping" scrolls that show the entire floor are somewhat common to the genre, but I'm hesitant about implementing them. Maybe it could work as a super rare item dropped off boss monsters, as using one would completely trivialize an entire floor.
Pages: 1