Design Excerpt: Maps and Exploration, Part 2

Here's part 2 of the Maps and Exploration excerpt, Area Maps. As an apology for the lateness of this excerpt, I'm tossing in the Local Maps section as well.

Area Map

Area Maps display a subsection of the World Map, roughly US state/European country sized, in greater detail than the World Map does. Smaller geographical features, such as ponds, streams, groves, and so on can be seen, and known towns and adventure sites are marked. Similar to the World Map, portions of each Area Map that have not been visited are displayed in greyscale, with possibly missing details. The main difference is that Area Maps are not separated into discrete sections like the World Map; instead, each party has an “exploration radius” around it. Any parts of the Area Map that have not been covered by a party's exploration radius are considered unexplored.

Movement on the Area Map is dependent on the type of party. The primary party (the one the player's character is in) is under the player's control and moves wherever the player selects from the map with a right-click. Secondary parties move based on their orders from headquarters. Speed of movement is determined by several factors: whether the party is mounted (and what they're mounted on), how many characters are in the group, how thoroughly they're exploring their surroundings, and whether they're living off the land. Similarly, exploration radius is determined by the party's overall speed, the number of characters in the group, how thoroughly they're exploring their surroundings, and the highest Scouting and Survival skills in the party.

Local Map

Local Maps display a single site in an Area Map. They provide the greatest detail, displaying buildings and terrain down to a resolution of one to two square meters. Unlike in the other two map types, Local Maps display the characters in the party graphically and may show enemies as well. Also unlike the World and Area Maps, Local Maps rely extensively on light and line of sight. Only the section of the Local Map that is both within line of sight and lit by some sort of light is colored; areas that have been in line of sight and lit in the past are displayed in greyscale, and areas that have never been seen are solid black. The third main difference is that Local Maps are displayed graphically using a tile map, rather than a single large background image or a background image with icons, as the World Map and Area Maps are displayed.

Movement on the Local Map is controlled either with a simple point-and-click interface or with keyboard commands. Speed is constant on the Local Map (characters automatically dismount, and the party moves at the speed of the slowest party member so as not to spread out too thinly in a dangerous area).