Mini Map Add-On: contribute or take away from the feeling of Adventure

Disto

One of the aspects I really enjoy about the Elder Scrolls games is the feeling of being submerged into this gigantic world of wonders and experiences, with that feeling of adventure and unknown. The non obtrusive compass seems to achieve this in the game, but in the case of a MMO a mini map can be very handy.
That being said, does a Mini Map take away from that feeling of adventure for people?
Or from peoples experience's do you still get that feeling?

By no means is this a complaint about such add-ons, I am merely just interested in what peoples opinions are on submersion vs easily accessible information.

staggerlee

I for one want a minimap. I found it incredibly frustrating to keep stopping to open up the big map to look where I'm going or deciding to go somewhere different. I sent in feedback in every beta phase asking for it as an option the player can turn on or off. I get the immersion thing but give people a choice to use it or not.....A lot of people playing this are not skyrim or TES players so they won't get why its not in the game. It will be a turn off to a lot. So to answer your question yes I think its less immersive but this is an MMO so I personally don't expect a single player experience and total immersion. I expect to play with friends and guild members and have a community experience. A minimap just makes that easier IMO.

kimboh

I think having to keep stopping to check the map breaks immersion more than a mini map would

Disto

Thanks for the opinions guys,
I definitely understand mini maps coming from a MMO point of view, @staggerlee @kimboh you both make a good point about the current map taking away from immersion.
At least there is an add-on currently that fixes this, but I wonder if Zenimax will implement a inbuilt Mini map in future patches.

zeuseason

I don't think it does, and in my opinion, the ease of use from a minimap far outweigh any immersion IMO.

Smaxx

If you feel disoriented and/or keep opening the map:

Try the custom waypoint. Open the map, pick your target destination, and hit the F key.

A colored diamond will appear, which will also be shown in your compass. So you'll always know which direction to go, even if there isn't any landmark nearby, and you don't need a minimap nor do you have to constantly look at the map.

Vilixiti

I think minimap is right up there with auction houses - they have no place in MMOs. Now, that doesn't mean we as MMO players haven't been ruined by these features and need to be weaned off them to realize this..

Where have the days gone where you broke out the grid paper and drew the dungeon as you explored it, keeping detailed notes about various facets of the game?

I definitely think that people have been ushered into a carebear era of dependency on such "features" they've become accustomed to.

Kvothe

I saw some images of a UI, that were suppose to be early in the development of the game, when there was a mini map. It actually looked awesome in my opinion for two reasons:

First (the biggest plus to me): The compass and "points of interest" icons, were around the edges of a circular mini map instead of across the top of the screen. That was great because you could see where you were without opening the main map and you could see the "points of interest" 360° around you.

Second: It was small and tucked away in a corner of the screen where it was out of the way and not immersion breaking. If an option to toggle it on or off had been included in the settings it would have been the best of both worlds.

Bunzaga_ESO

Some like it, some don't. At least give us the option.

Pang

I find it GREATLY adds to my enjoyment of the game. I HATED having to hit M every 5 seconds and have the whole screen blocked. With a Mini-map i can keep my view of the game world and still know where I'm going and where to go.

Left_Hand

Pang wrote: »

I find it GREATLY adds to my enjoyment of the game. I HATED having to hit M every 5 seconds and have the whole screen blocked. With a Mini-map i can keep my view of the game world and still know where I'm going and where to go.

Agreed, having to hit "M" every minute just to situate myself is a right pain in the ass, so Minimap is the first add-on on my install list, great work.

LIQUID741

Vilixiti wrote: »

I think minimap is right up there with auction houses - they have no place in MMOs. Now, that doesn't mean we as MMO players haven't been ruined by these features and need to be weaned off them to realize this..

Where have the days gone where you broke out the grid paper and drew the dungeon as you explored it, keeping detailed notes about various facets of the game?

I definitely think that people have been ushered into a carebear era of dependency on such "features" they've become accustomed to.

Respect the opinion, just dont agree...as you stated about having hand written maps. I remember having printed maps of EQ1 zones...pre-kunark. I would however only request one thing when it comes to a mini-map...that it's fog until you have explored a specific part of the map.

In regards to auction houses. I love'em! Beats the hell out of standing in EC tunnel and spamming your crap. If ESO was a real life environment, I feel they might have consignment shops. Which would be just like a auction house...Don't feel it takes away from anything. Just my thoughts on it...

daim

I tried it but decided I rather want to explore and use the default map when needed. Probably at later date I'll start to use the minimap addon again when I'm done with my exploration.

OZGODUSA

Pressing M over and over again doesn't do much for immersion. Unless you want to REALLY hardcore immerse yourself and make screenshots of the maps and print them out and use those so you don't have to press M ever again.

Next we will be able to use Kinect type controllers when we are attacking things for the ultimate immersion which will be a good incentive to hit the gym again.

Just because something wasn't done in the past doesn't mean that its absence was good. We all drive cars with power steering and fuel injection these days.

Loxy37

Personally Ill never use one but I'm not against anyone else wanting to use them.

MercyKilling

My god. Are you actually listening to yourselves? "Pressing a button is annoying!! I don't want to have to press a button!"
I really feel sorry for you people complaining like this, because you must not know how to get anywhere at all in real life.

There's an easy solution, however...and I'll tell you completely free of charge, that's how nice I am.

Open your map ONCE by pressing the M button. Find where you want to go, hover the mouse pointer over that place and press F. Now you have a marker that is visible on your compass(which is on the top of your screen) that you can follow JUST BY GLANCING AT IT LIKE YOU WOULD BE GLANCING AT A MINIMAP.

Amazing, I know. Thanks are completely unnecessary.

nzblustone

I like the compass, and I rarely open my map unless I am setting a waypoint.

Luckily those with a different opinion can just grab a mini-map addon (I have seen at least one).

Everyone wins, lets have cake.

Depechenova

Many a time I know where I want to go, but the map in places doesn't state your blocked by a wall of rock, it looks on the map in certain locations yeah go straight up there, but it isn't always the case. I loathe and love it atm the map.

Travler

No to minimaps. The overhead bar is unique to ESO.

zmidponkneb18_ESO

This being an MMOG, I was, at first, annoyed by the lack of a minimap, which is really a pretty standard feature of MMOGs. However, I got used to it, and I now actually prefer relying on the compass and the occasional glance at the in-game map, as it gives a greater sense of actually exploring and enjoying the game, rather than simply running on to the next quest in a mad dash to max level.

Lord_Wrath

I like the minimap. Its very useful when questing back and forth. I feel the game isn't as free roam as it other ES games but the minimap sure helps you go the right direction on the road without having to constantly check your map.

Arthur_Spoonfondle

Vilixiti wrote: »

I think minimap is right up there with auction houses - they have no place in MMOs.

If you don't like a mini-map, then don't add one. Don't come here seeking to deny people who would like one, just because you don't want one.

Kryptorchid

Put me in the camp that thinks the compass detracts from the sense of exploration compared to using a minimap. All the compass does is suggest to you that the only way to travel is to line up your next objective directly in front of you, and just auto-run. At least with a minimap, you are getting to see surrounding terrain in real-time.

Grumblestiltskin

Auto-run, open map. Easy.

If you want a mini-map get an add-on. But if you were riding a horse a wanted to look at a map, what would you do? Stop.

Pang

Yeah its kind of a moot discussion. There is a mini-map addon that works quite well. I have it to use so I don't care in the least what anyone thinks about a mini-map. You can have it your way by using the game default and I get my way by having a mini-map addon. We all win. /thread.

AbeFroman

I would like to have a toggle-able mini map. Also the ability to make it as opaque to almost clear.

Felarrond

I think adding a minimap feature to the game would be great, so long as it can be toggled off an on, then people get their personal flavor. I like how a lot of people point and laugh at single player gamers that are trying their first mmo. As an old-hat mmo player, this game feels like a single player game that others are invading. I guess everyone's perspective is different.

darce

One thing people might not have noticed is the functional purpose of the map. When you open your map your character actually opens a map, this can be very useful for tanks in groups because it essentially removes the need for ready checks. If a group member is doing anything other than waiting for the pull their character will be holding a bag/map/etc.

That being said it's one of the nice hold overs from the Elder Scrolls series and it seems an intentional choice made by the developers. I personally hope the developers maintain their vision rather than make concessions for "ease of use", past examples have shown that doing so is an excellent way to kill an mom.

Before the devs put in a built-in mini-map I would rather have a search feature for guild stores and inventories, and perhaps some player housing to help with inventory management in particular.

James_Keenan

Smaxx wrote: »

If you feel disoriented and/or keep opening the map:

Try the custom waypoint. Open the map, pick your target destination, and hit the F key.

A colored diamond will appear, which will also be shown in your compass. So you'll always know which direction to go, even if there isn't any landmark nearby, and you don't need a minimap nor do you have to constantly look at the map.

That is a lot more immersion breaking than a simple minimap.

Ragnar_Lodbrok

No minimap. Elder Scrolls games dont have them and we will leave this an elder scrolls game. Not generic wow clone 369

Pang

Ragnar_Lodbrok wrote: »

No minimap. Elder Scrolls games dont have them and we will leave this an elder scrolls game. Not generic wow clone 369

Morrowind had a Mini-map.