Group play - minimap

Dhaylen · November 2021

ZOS - please add an official mini-map.

I just started playing again, (after a looong pause after Elsweyr),
because I bought my daughter a copy of the game so we could play together.

Two nights of frustration... and the issue is: no-mini map.
Imagine being in Diablo or WoW - you can go all over the place and not only EASILY FIND your friend...
... you can actually tell them where to go.

i.e.
Im running around in wolf form, I pop off my daughters screen as she is collecting something -
I run across a dead body on the road and start a quest to gather alligator teeth.

"Go to the road"
... (What part)
"Depends on where your at"
... (?)
"Try by the bridge"
(lucky it was by a bridge)

"Come back to me"
(fumbles with big map) - runs around...
(with mini map - boosh - you are there)

* Its all about seeing that my daughter was not going anywhere near the bridge, and/or saying up/down, etc.

No to addons.
I had a heck of a time even getting ESO to start on my new computer.
WoW, Read Dead Redemption, Trine, etc - you name it... worked fine.

Eso would not launch (had something to do with Micro$ofts one drive not syncing and locking the user file)

We are both grown adults - and sure, most of you would say not needed, "we this or that"
Fine... all Im asking is an option to turn off and on the map - options dont hurt, they help, and would make the game fun for both of us.

Thanks (As I definitely know this wont be added)
I mean, since when has anyone added the most popular addons, etc (Its already there - yeah... not official, and dont need/want to test the fates with any headaches it may cause at any point)

* Look at Skyrim,
Never took the bug fix mod and put it in there - first thing you hvae to download with whatever billionth version you bought of the game.
They finally put some things of creators in Creation Club... yet, the best follower mod - Inigo, not part of the game.
(CAn you imagine having a Skyrim anniversary release that upped all their characters to that interaction level)

Point is - ZoS doesnt look interested in upating anything beyond maybe pvp and the crown store.

Welcome back... (played from beta to Elsweyr - and they lost me with not being able to go in houses... suppose the excuse was cats are thieves too, so you cant get in?
Not to mention it started going down with no Assassins update in Morrowind... best time for such content.)

Sorry for the rant - just after a horrible time trying to get it to even launch to no minimap for clear communication and just seeing off hand where someone is at...
... kinda a let down to what can be a fun game

Maitsukas · November 2021

There used to be a minimap in the early days of ESO Beta that was disabled later, the minimap assets are still in the game files though.

VaranisArano · November 2021

I'm on PC, so I use one of the minimap addons.

I try to ask if people need the quest in dungeons. I also can't tell you the number of times I've learned that a groupmate was doing the quest in a dungeon because I glanced at the minimap to make sure me were all together before the next boss fight, and saw that they'd hung back in the room where there was a quest NPC with dialogue.

(Optional) minimaps are just plain useful in group play.

Dhaylen · November 2021

* Dungeons... Im in wolf form.
My son is watching my daughter play (kids are all grown adults)

And my son is "she needs help"
... Im like, "I thought she was just behind me"

I look around - and dont see her.
You guys may say "open the map"

... when Im in wolf form (though it feels it last long now),
I dont need a pause - with the map filling up my screen - just a click glance, (as I run around),
at my friends location on the minimap.

This way I can continue to kill/eat and stay in wolf form and have confidence of her location.
Quite simple really - my first post was a long rant.

*** My daughter just said she wants to type sometimes,
but - unlike WoW - we lose each other way too fast due to no mini map.

ZoS - come on guys... you can slip it in an update.
Wont break your game, and it can be optional.

There are so many things that you could do with this game that I can see you hem-hawing about
(i.e. seemless world... Skyrim in ESO is horrible how detached it is)
But a mini-map... give an old time player and a new one something to be excited about.

Dhaylen · November 2021

Maitsukas wrote: »

There used to be a minimap in the early days of ESO Beta that was disabled later, the minimap assets are still in the game files though.

Wow... didnt know that.
They could really easily pop it back in then.
* Did they ever say why they took it out?

Dhaylen · November 2021

VaranisArano wrote: »

I'm on PC, so I use one of the minimap addons.

I try to ask if people need the quest in dungeons. I also can't tell you the number of times I've learned that a groupmate was doing the quest in a dungeon because I glanced at the minimap to make sure me were all together before the next boss fight, and saw that they'd hung back in the room where there was a quest NPC with dialogue.

(Optional) minimaps are just plain useful in group play.

Totally - just posted about our dungeon experience.
Im in wolf form, she gets left behind - had no idea... have to stop, look around - open the big map.
(out of wolf form by then)

minimap would let me know where she is, and I could zig zag my eating path to her to keep in wolf

p.s.
which add-on?
(trying not to use any - but curious)

VaranisArano · November 2021

Dhaylen wrote: »

VaranisArano wrote: »

I'm on PC, so I use one of the minimap addons.

I try to ask if people need the quest in dungeons. I also can't tell you the number of times I've learned that a groupmate was doing the quest in a dungeon because I glanced at the minimap to make sure me were all together before the next boss fight, and saw that they'd hung back in the room where there was a quest NPC with dialogue.

(Optional) minimaps are just plain useful in group play.

Totally - just posted about our dungeon experience.
Im in wolf form, she gets left behind - had no idea... have to stop, look around - open the big map.
(out of wolf form by then)

minimap would let me know where she is, and I could zig zag my eating path to her to keep in wolf

p.s.
which add-on?
(trying not to use any - but curious)

I use Votan's minimap which is basically the minimap ZOS planned to implement.

https://www.esoui.com/downloads/info1399-VotansMinimap.html

ZiggyTStardust · November 2021

I believe Rich (Lambert) has been asked about adding a minimap in his streams before, but he's against it, since he doesn't believe it fits into an elder scrolls game.
While it's true that the single player games didn't have minimaps, I feel like this is one of the things that should be adapted because of the shift to mmo.

While playing without a minimap is totally possible, it would be super useful, especially for new players

Odovacar · November 2021

Its been a long time requested feature and a pretty simple add to the game, imo (a mini-map shouldn't even be called a feature or QoL tool..IT should be standard) . Not sure why ZOS has not implemented it into the base game...Also, OP, yeah... imagine doing Meph runs without a mini map to durance lv.3

whitecrow · November 2021

I use Votan's minimap as well but I agree that such a basic and integral function should be in the game to begin with.

PeacefulAnarchy · November 2021

I use addons for other things but I don't use the minimap ones because they're either too zoomed in or too tiny, couldn't find the right balance. Instead I just regularly pull up the normal map. Yeah it takes up the whole screen, but I can still move while looking at it so it serves most purposes well enough.

redspecter23 · November 2021

ZiggyTStardust wrote: »

I believe Rich (Lambert) has been asked about adding a minimap in his streams before, but he's against it, since he doesn't believe it fits into an elder scrolls game.
While it's true that the single player games didn't have minimaps, I feel like this is one of the things that should be adapted because of the shift to mmo.

While playing without a minimap is totally possible, it would be super useful, especially for new players

I believe Rich also mentioned that Todd Howard was also against the idea of a minimap in Elder Scrolls games. Whether that opinion extends directly to ESO as well is unclear.

Would it be a massive help to many at least some percentage of players? Yes.

Could it be completely optional to not ruin immersion? Yes.

Will it happen? No, because ZOS doesn't want it with no reason given other than Elder Scrolls games don't do that.

The actual reason might be as simple as, Todd said no. If that's the case, there is nothing players can do to argue the point. It's just not happening.

AlnilamE · November 2021

I don't use a mini-map, but if you are so far away from your group members that you can't see their chevrons in the distance, they would not show up on the mini-map anyway, would they?

If I need to find/guide someone, I just open the main map (just as I do in Diablo, btw) and guide them.

But as others have said, there are addons that activate the mini-map that exists in the assets, so you can use those if you'd like.

redspecter23 · November 2021

AlnilamE wrote: »

I don't use a mini-map, but if you are so far away from your group members that you can't see their chevrons in the distance, they would not show up on the mini-map anyway, would they?

If I need to find/guide someone, I just open the main map (just as I do in Diablo, btw) and guide them.

But as others have said, there are addons that activate the mini-map that exists in the assets, so you can use those if you'd like.

The minimap is a much easier method of locating players than the chevrons. At a glance you can see not only direction, but distance.

PC players have the ability to use a minimap already. The QoL request is to have it fully integrated into the game for both console and PC.

There is potentially a case to be made for a performance hit that consoles can't handle, but that was never given as a reason why it can't happen. The only reason given that I'm aware of is ZOS doesn't want it to happen.

Danikat · November 2021

I don't understand why they don't have it as an option. At least one of the mini map addons works by enabling a mini map which is already built into ESO and just hidden. So it's already there and can already be turned on or off optionally, meaning anyone who doesn't want it can simply not turn it on.

I use it because I have very poor sense of direction (apparently it's related to being dyslexic) and can easily end up going in the wrong direction if I stop for any reason, but I also use it for the reasons described in the OP - seeing that 2/3 group markers are moving and one is staying behind is a much more immediate and informative notification that you're leaving someone behind than one of the markers moving out to the edge of the compass and then disappearing off it entirely when you get far enough away. It's often alerted me that someone is doing a dungeon quest or looting something or is having connection problems or whatever and we need to wait for them before anyone else has noticed.

But whatever the reasons are that players might want it the important thing IMO is ZOS has already built it, it's already in the game and works, all it needs is an option to turn it on so it seems very strange not to offer it.

redspecter23 · November 2021

Danikat wrote: »

I don't understand why they don't have it as an option. At least one of the mini map addons works by enabling a mini map which is already built into ESO and just hidden. So it's already there and can already be turned on or off optionally, meaning anyone who doesn't want it can simply not turn it on.

I use it because I have very poor sense of direction (apparently it's related to being dyslexic) and can easily end up going in the wrong direction if I stop for any reason, but I also use it for the reasons described in the OP - seeing that 2/3 group markers are moving and one is staying behind is a much more immediate and informative notification that you're leaving someone behind than one of the markers moving out to the edge of the compass and then disappearing off it entirely when you get far enough away. It's often alerted me that someone is doing a dungeon quest or looting something or is having connection problems or whatever and we need to wait for them before anyone else has noticed.

But whatever the reasons are that players might want it the important thing IMO is ZOS has already built it, it's already in the game and works, all it needs is an option to turn it on so it seems very strange not to offer it.

I also have issues with directional sense. Without a minimap, I'd get far too frustrated with the game and likely not bother playing anymore. In some ways, it is an accessibility quality of life change. Those in charge of decision making may not have these same issues with directional sense so it's not a concern they can relate to, similarly to how a color blind individual will struggle with certain color based game situations or a deaf person may struggle with any audio based game situations. Poor directional sense doesn't have a clinical diagnosis associated with it that I'm aware of, but it is something that many people do have issues with.

Holding back a potentially optional tool that could assist players with directional issues feels very unfortunate, especially if the only reason is that they just don't want to do it.

AlnilamE · November 2021

whitecrow wrote: »

I use Votan's minimap as well but I agree that such a basic and integral function should be in the game to begin with.

Optional. Always optional.

I personally don't like mini-maps as they cover things I need to see on the screen, but I'm fine with others having the option if they so wish.

SilverBride · November 2021

I can't play without a minimap. It's extremely annoying and disruptive to have to stop and check the big map constantly, which is what happens without one. I wish they would include one, but in the meantime my addon does the job.

AcadianPaladin · November 2021

I agree that a minimap is essential (I use an appropriate addon). To me it is much more immersive to simply glance at the minimap to confirm my navigation rather than stop, open a full map screen, study it, close map menu, continue a few steps, wash, rinse, repeat. I found this to be equally the case in Oblivion and Skyrim.

The reason a minimap is not so essential in the single player TES games is because when you open your main map, the game pauses - so time is nicely altered to support what you are doing. In ESO there is no pausing and trying to use your main map inside a public dungeon (with its insane trash respawn rate) is simply an exercise in futility. So a minimap really is an essential feature in my view.