NWN2: World Map

NickD · Post by **NickD** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 9:42 pm

I think we should have an preliminary and unseen discussion and decision on how we use the World Map.

Can anyone use it anywhere anytime?

Only useable when you're in an inhabited area (i.e., village, town, city)?

Only useable at specific spots (e.g., like our current inter-server portals)?

Only useable when you speak to a caravan master/ship captain and pay to use it?

Rotku · Post by **Rotku** » Tue Apr 04, 2006 11:12 pm

Do we know how it will work yet? How much can we customise it? How many 'world' maps we can have per mod? And so on.

NickD · Post by **NickD** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 12:28 am

I don't think we know exactly how it will work yet, but there are assumptions that can be made about it, and we can work off those assumptions and then adapt if those assumptions are incorrect.

It would be infinitely better than waiting until the game is released and only then starting a 5 month argument about how to do things under NWN2.

Blackwill · Post by **Blackwill** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 4:37 am

There are, at this time, hardly any answered questions concerning the world map. I have found nothing on interest on the Bioware boards.

NickD · Post by **NickD** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 11:21 pm

Blackwill wrote:There are, at this time, hardly any answered questions concerning the world map. I have found nothing on interest on the Bioware boards.

It's been heavily hinted at that the world map will be able to be used in custom mods, so I'd be surprised if it can't be fully customised. I think it's also safe to assume that it can be restricted for use in certain areas (they probably won't let you use it in the middle of a dungeon), random encounters can be set up with it and there will only be one world map per mod. It's probably not safe to assume that it can be restricted to use on conversation only, but for the purpose of pre-NWN2 ALFA I think we should make that assumption and have a backup plan if it doesn't eventuate, such as have a conversation that will port you to an area where you can use the world map after taking some gold off you. I also don't think it's safe to assume that you can adjust the speed you travel on the world map, be we can decide on a speed of travel if we can adjust the speed.

... And if it turns out that you can use the world map no matter where you are (or as long as you are outside a la Oblivion) do we disable the world map?

Rotku · Post by **Rotku** » Wed Apr 05, 2006 11:42 pm

If you can enter the world map no matter where you are, I would seriously suggest disabling it.

I believe world maps should only be entered via ATs. Think BG1. For use of scripted transport such as the cart system in SD, I do not think they should use the world map. You pay to get from X to Y, so you are teleported there. You shouldn't have an option to go where ever you wish on the server.

Arkan Bladesinger · Post by **Arkan Bladesinger** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 12:43 am

My preferite would be if it could only be used within a server as showing the options of where the caravan/whatever will go and then going there (with possible harassments on the way) whenever the caravan is ready and if you have the gold. Not touching the timetables and prices.

If you can´t afford the caravan, then you walk, but by walking you go the harder way aka no world map.

Between the servers the worldmap might be ok, if the first (and possibly coming) servers end up being not connected in a realistic way, but then the risk of traveling and the time spent should be implemented in some way.

NickD · Post by **NickD** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 1:09 am

Rotku wrote:If you can enter the world map no matter where you are, I would seriously suggest disabling it.

I believe world maps should only be entered via ATs. Think BG1. For use of scripted transport such as the cart system in SD, I do not think they should use the world map. You pay to get from X to Y, so you are teleported there. You shouldn't have an option to go where ever you wish on the server.

Hmm... good point. However while it probably won't allow the module to automatically control where in the world map the person goes and stop them from deviating, I'd hope there would be some way to enforce going from A to B where you have to re-catch a caravan at each stop, in which case we could still use the world map.

To use TLR as an example: You'd have three caravans in Triboar. One will automatically take you to the TFN portal (via the world map), one will take you to Yartar and the other takes you to Westbridge. In Westbridge there are 3 caravans, one takes you to Triboar, one takes you to Guswin, one takes you to Red Larch. And so on.

So to get from one end of the server to the other from TSM to WD, you'd have to catch the Yartar caravan to Triboar. The Triboar caravan to Westbridge. The Westbridge caravan to Red Larch. The Red Larch caravan to Amphail. The Amphail caravan to Rassalantar and the Rassalantar caravan to the Waterdeep portal. Each one would take you through the world map to the next stop.

If you're not using it for caravan travel, what's the point in having caravan travel when you can do it just as easily with the world map and only a little bit slower?

Fionn · Post by **Fionn** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 1:34 am

While it may work well for the OC, I can't imagine BW screwing over *every* mod builder out there by requiring us to hack the world map to control it. At a bare minimum, I expect to see a mod-wide 'AllowWorldMap' variable that can be overridden per area.

The question have is, do we have an onExitWorldMap event we can use to make sure they go where they paid to go?

NickD · Post by **NickD** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 1:42 am

Fionn wrote:The question have is, do we have an onExitWorldMap event we can use to make sure they go where they paid to go?

If we can diable control on the player side of the world map then that won't be necessary. Perhaps allow a way for them to exit the world map and be deposited in the wilderness and have to walk the rest of the way, but otherwise, disallow the players from changing their course and presetting an x,y co-ordinate.

Inaubryn · Post by **Inaubryn** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 3:22 am

World map will be useable by individual modders and in PWs. And multiple world maps will be supported.

NickD · Post by **NickD** » Thu Apr 06, 2006 3:27 am

Inaubryn wrote:And multiple world maps will be supported.

That could simplify things a whole lot. Each caravan could have their own world map, where there are only two points, the departure and destination area. I don't know how much extra work that would involve, though. Cities could do things differently, having a point per possible destination on a single map.

Ethbaal · Post by **Ethbaal** » Sun Apr 16, 2006 9:20 am

Wait...so how would this work in regards to travel, time systems and distance.

Ronan · Post by **Ronan** » Sun Apr 16, 2006 12:15 pm

Latest news from the devs is that the world map works like so:
You click on a possible destination, and a script fires. Thats it, nothing more. The scripts can do whatever, you want of course, but there aren't any travel delays by default.

NickD · Post by **NickD** » Mon Apr 17, 2006 10:27 pm

If I'm reading that properly, that's a fair bit different from what they were saying a while ago. From the way I understood it, your movement would be shown on the World Map until you arrived at the destination.