Larian Banner: Baldur's Gate Patch 9
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Hi everybody,

Baldur's Gate 3 has a beautifull worldmap that smell Baldur's Gate so much.
Once again, I guess that the worldmap in this next Larian game is going to be close tp useless.

I suggest that the worldmap become the tool for fast travel rather than those very convenient TP runes.


SUGGESTION

* Remove all TP runes in the game except the one for Gale's spawn
* Add the camp location on the world map
* Add the name of the locations on the map
* Change the "fast travel" button so it become a "worldmap" button
* When you click the new "worldmap" button, you're not on the "act map", but on the worldmap
* When you click a location, you "fast travel" to this location.
* (Small map changes if necessary)

[Linked Image]


WHY ?

This way you would easily improve the general experience for several reasons :
- Increase the feeling of a Baldur's Gate game
- Increase the consistency of this representation of the FR (I guess using a map to travel in the FR is more usual than runes)
- Increase the feeling of a "real" and living world
- Increase the personnality of BG3
- More proper transition to camp

This suggestion could also lead to other improvement :
- Random encounter while traveling to camp ? Could perhaps increase the ressources management and the rest mechanics
- Add the notion of "time" during those travel ? (I.E a short message "you travel for 2 hours)
- Add the notion of "meteo" during those "fast travel" ? Easier cosmetic meteo (I.E after "you travel for 2 hours", now it's raining on the entire map)
- Add the notion of day / night during those "fast travel" ? Easier D/N cycle (I.E after "you travel for 2 hours", now the night has fall)

Anyway these are some ideas that could be imagined by going further.
Maybe when you're on act 2, the name of the act 1 location should dissapear so player understand that he can't go back.

The only "problem" I actually think of is the "fast travel" to the underdark... I Let the question open but here are a few ideas...
- I guess a popup when you click the goblins camp or the blighted village could spawn to ask where you want to go IF you already discover the entrance
- A "mini underdark map" on the worldmap could suit too
- Nothing could also be cool... Going to the underdark is dangerous and you have to be well prepared. If you can't rest in the underdark, just walk to the surface.

So what do you think about it ?
Is that important to you ? Any problems according to you ?


Last edited by Maximuuus; 04/11/20 08:01 AM.

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Originally Posted by Maximuuus
Hi everybody,

Baldur's Gate 3 has a beautifull worldmap that smell Baldur's Gate so much.
Once again, I guess that the worldmap in this next Larian game is going to be close tp useless.

I suggest that the worldmap become the tool for fast travel rather than those very convenient TP runes.


SUGGESTION

* Remove all TP runes in the game except the one for Gale's spawn
* Add the camp location on the world map
* Add the name of the locations on the map
* Change the "fast travel" button so it become a "worldmap" button
* When you click the new "worldmap" button, you're not on the "act map", but on the worldmap
* When you click a location, you "fast travel" to this location.
* (Small map changes if necessary)



I agree it is better both for RP and more BG to use the map for fast travel.

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A very good suggestion.
It keeps convenience of fast travel, while solving some problems. Like: those teleportation circles being completely lore breaking, absence of time, no consequence for rest spam.

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When I think of my time in Baldur's Gate, and Baldur's Gate II, I don't spend a lot of time romanticizing the world map. In fact, the only thing I clearly remember about it, when I think of it at all is that you don't get up and hit the Little Bard's Room, or go get coffee while you're fast traveling. There's nothing like being "indisposed" just to hear "You have been waylaid by enemies, and must defend yourself".

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I sort of agree here.

There's one scene that makes me sort of question the "size" of the world.
Nettie talks about her and Halsin was attacked in the woods, by the Drow and Goblins. but What woods? There really isn't any Woods between the Goblin camp and the Druid grove.

Every thing felt very close. I would much rather see many smaller locations on a bigger map, that way things automatically feel bigger. Things can be further apart.


I also like the idea of random encounters. It adds suspense, and makes going to camp a risk/reward scenario. I think depending on how much you have cleared out a sub area should affect how high your chance of getting attacked is. Going into the Underdark, while the goblin camp is hostile, might not be possible, unless you have opened the spider cave path. Or you could go through the goblin cave, but the chance of a combat is high.

Underdark should really be it's own "world map" too.

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i hope that they add random encounters with an option to turn it off,
Many people find it annoying while others love it, and it really shouldn't be to difficult to add an option : Disable/Enable random encounters

Last edited by jayn23; 04/11/20 12:05 PM.
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I would like it if they broke the map up into separate regional chunks, and we travelled between them on the world map. It would get rid of the whole "why is the goblin camp a 2-minute walk from the druid grove?" thing.

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Originally Posted by Firesnakearies
I would like it if they broke the map up into separate regional chunks, and we travelled between them on the world map. It would get rid of the whole "why is the goblin camp a 2-minute walk from the druid grove?" thing.


Haha yeah, and the Goblins never found the camp?


Originally Posted by jayn23
i hope that they add random encounters with on option to turn it off,
Many people find it annoying while others love it, and it really shouldn't be to difficult to add an option : Disable/Enable random encounters


While true, it has mechanical reasons to be there, and usually it comes down to how it's implemented. I think if it's just on travel, and maybe with an indication on the chance, then it will add more than it takes away.
Point is the game is already proving why "no risk" makes some game mechanics work wrongly. Now Long Rests are "super short rests".

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Like the other thread, of course I would say yes, but I feel like it doesn't really matter.
In previous games the characters moved through the terrain, they didnt teleport (at least at such low levels or in particular situations).
Will this really interest to Larian? I have my serious doubts.

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Amazing Idea PLUS ONE!!

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Yea of course it wouldn't be like on the old games because maps aren't designed the same, because the side you get out of a map mattered.

I'd probably find better that the game had more but smaller maps but it won't happen because it's not the way larian design their maps.
We have to deal with it (even if I agree, it create a few consistency problems especially when we're talkingg about goblins/druids).

That said, this suggestion is only cosmetic and changes nothing to the gameplay.
=> It just add a BG flavor, a better immersion in the FR and give players the opportunity to discover the Sword Coast step by step in it's context like Larian designed it.
==> I think it could be enough to interest them. Not sure it's a very complicated and huge job to do.

About the Underdark map yea... I agree with Aurgelmir. It deserve it's own worldmap.

PS : About random encouter, D/N and the other few things... I talked about it because this cosmetic suggestion could have consequences on them... But these are other suggestions already discussed in other topics.
I just wanted to show you that little cosmetic changes could have great (or not, depending each one's point of view) consequences on manu other things.

Last edited by Maximuuus; 04/11/20 01:38 PM.

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Originally Posted by robertthebard
When I think of my time in Baldur's Gate, and Baldur's Gate II, I don't spend a lot of time romanticizing the world map. In fact, the only thing I clearly remember about it, when I think of it at all is that you don't get up and hit the Little Bard's Room, or go get coffee while you're fast traveling. There's nothing like being "indisposed" just to hear "You have been waylaid by enemies, and must defend yourself".

+1, assuming it's a sarcasm.

Creating the "Ye Olde BG feel" by replicating the unwieldy UI decisions made 20 years ago because of engine / performance limitations is... not the best approach, in my opinion. The entire industry has moved forward since then, significantly. Nowadays, people prefer smooth experience, they are used to it, thanks to all the progress we had in the last 2 decades. A new generation has grown, and they won't understand it.

I remember the so-called "world map" in BG1, vividly. Or rather "checkerboard", should I say.

Having said that, it would be very much appreciated if Larian would somehow manage to reduce loading times. The time required to load a game saved while in intro / tutorial differs drastically from that made after it ends. Which leads me to think that the engine loads the entire Act into memory, even though it might be an overkill. Some sort of "sliding window" algorithm would be way more performant, although I'm well aware of debugging / synchronisation challenges such a solution is usually bundled with.

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Originally Posted by RutgerF


Creating the "Ye Olde BG feel" by replicating the unwieldy UI decisions made 20 years ago because of engine / performance limitations is... not the best approach, in my opinion. The entire industry has moved forward since then, significantly. Nowadays, people prefer smooth experience, they are used to it, thanks to all the progress we had in the last 2 decades. A new generation has grown, and they won't understand it.

I remember the so-called "world map" in BG1, vividly. Or rather "checkerboard", should I say.



Why do you understand that the suggestion is about replicating anything and what is the point about the industry ? Are TP runes an evolution ?^^

It would not be a "checkerboard" because what you'll discover in the worldmap (fast travel point) is what you discover with your eyes while playing (locations)

What I suggest is to click on locations on the worldmap to fast travel rather than the "locations name" in a list.
Exactly like it is actually, except that we wouldn't talk anymore about runes and assumed teleportation.

Anyway not really sure what's your point.
Is that your way to say that you like TP runes for fast travel more than fast travel through the worldmap ?

I guess this is a great reference to the old BG and on the other hand, it give a more specific personnality to this new Larian IP.

Last edited by Maximuuus; 04/11/20 03:58 PM.

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Strongly agree on almost everything with the OP, it would be much more immersive. Waypoint TP is very gamey and breaks the suspension of disbelief. However, I'm mostly against random encounters - they're more annoying than anything.

Originally Posted by Firesnakearies
I would like it if they broke the map up into separate regional chunks, and we travelled between them on the world map. It would get rid of the whole "why is the goblin camp a 2-minute walk from the druid grove?" thing.


Also this, very much so. It's just so unbelievable when enemy factions are practically sitting on top of each other.

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i think that would be a neat feature to tweak with the current map/waystone ui - also the map shown so far in game is a nice little nod back towards the og bg games

related, have we had any further word from larian regarding the significance of 'act' maps? i hope that regardless of where you are in the narrative of bg3 you are still able to travel to areas you interact with earlier (ie check in on the druid grove or goblin camp or follow up on treasure you may have missed out in the ruins, for example). i know they have intimated that there would be companion locks but do we know if we also will be locked out of areas of the world as we complete acts?

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This is a great idea! Simple and smart.

However, I reckon we are unlikely to see this change. I doubt we are going to be able to travel back to old maps as we progress through the Acts of the story, unfortunately. Consequently, a map like this might be somewhat misleading. Of course, they could always grey out inaccessible areas

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Maximuuus,

I sort of agree that waypoint runes do look a wee bit ridiculous the way they are implemented now. They don't provide any functionality other than being a marker on the map that designates your landing point when you fast travel.

Travelling via the world map would be nice, sure, but it doesn't mean that the list of waypoints on the right side of the Act map should go away. People will prefer one over the other. Personally, I'm rather comfortable with using waypoint list, yet I suspect that world map travel might be more convenient once other Acts will be added.

What I didn't like in Infinity-based BGs was wriggling my hands trying to enter an area from a particular side. It made sense with Infinity engine because pathfinding was atrocious, and avoiding having to navigate your team through staircases or narrow passageways was sometimes worth that extra effort. In 2020, however, I think we don't really need multiple entry points per location anymore.

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Originally Posted by RutgerF
Maximuuus,

What I didn't like in Infinity-based BGs was wriggling my hands trying to enter an area from a particular side. It made sense with Infinity engine because pathfinding was atrocious, and avoiding having to navigate your team through staircases or narrow passageways was sometimes worth that extra effort. In 2020, however, I think we don't really need multiple entry points per location anymore.


Oh yea I totally agree with you on this.
Different entry points doesn't really make sense on "open areas".

I guess the act1 map design won't change so it's not necessary to create i.e 4 entry point to the blighted village. We would just travel to a single specific point on these locations, like it actually is with TP.


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