A mapping system

NansenNansen Join Date: 2017-06-02 Member: 230896Members
There is maybe one thing that I think Subnautica is needing the most. A mapping system. Yes you can open the debug panel from f1 and get x, y ,z courdiantes, and you can search on google for locations etc. The problem with this is that it breaks the immersion of the game. Having the temptation of lookong up locations online is also taking away something from the exploration of the game. A mapping system would not fix this problems completely, but It may mitigate and reduce them.

Taking the scanner room as an example, it is the closest to a map function in Subnautica, and to be honest it does a good job. It shortcomings makes it in my oppinion redundant. The information it gather is limited to your base (or bases) only. Yes it is possible to study the topography of your suroundings, and the memorize how to get the desired location, but the other alterantive to just travel at random is more effective (if the desier location is a resource, and the whole area is not completely scavanged). This kinda makes the scanner room useless.

The solution:
Having a mapping section in your PDA could be a solution to both problems above. This i think should not work as in The elder scolls games where the whole map is preloaded on starting a new game, but an empty grid system, with N, S, W; E directions and a coordinate grid. In my oppinion it should not update the area around the player when you are traveling, but needed to be synched with a Scanner room to get the topography, and information in the area. It would be cool to make beacons visible to the map, but have the option to make them only visible on the map.

This would also make it so that the player is challanged to build bases other places than the safe starting area, this area it at the center of the map so having bases other places is less practical. Many will do it since it is cool looking, fun etc, but you do not have a real benifit of doing so. With the ability to update the map by having a scanner room, you would make players build bases various places to synch with the map, building on the exploration aspect of Subnautica.

Another thing that would be cool is to be able to place scanned spieces to areas to manualy map Subnautica fauna to different biomes.

I a mapping system would tie a lot of gameplay mechanics together in a nice why. Happy exploring :smile:

Comments

  • ateveleftfielderateveleftfielder United states Join Date: 2017-06-03 Member: 230919Members
    I agree with this a mapping system would be nice just have it in a sub page in the PDA
  • jamintheinfinite_1jamintheinfinite_1 Jupiter Join Date: 2016-12-03 Member: 224524Members
  • Kyman201Kyman201 Washington State Join Date: 2016-01-23 Member: 211880Members
    If there were a mapping system, I'd tie it into some kind of additional thing. Like, constructing some kind of scanning spike that you place throughout the world, and these fill in a certain part of the map within a certain radius. So as you explore more, you get a more complete map.
  • gamer1000kgamer1000k Join Date: 2017-04-29 Member: 230121Members
    I've heard that very early versions of Subnautica did in fact have a mapping system. This was before I started playing and I'm not sure exactly why it was removed, but from reading some of the dev comments on Trello (see https://trello.com/c/jobGb2JL/6376-make-scanner-room-fragment-findable-earlier), I got the impression that some of the devs thought they "made the game too easy" and "discouraged exploration".

    IMHO, omitting a map in an open-world game mostly makes it annoying and time consuming to find points of interest again if you forgot to bring beacon and makes exploration more difficult since you can't see which parts of the map you might have unintentionally missed.

    But I digress, this is a great suggestion and I really hope that the devs reconsider this decision and implement a proper mapping system at some point. There is some hope in that there's a Trello ticket for potentially implementing some sort of map after 1.0.
  • MaxAstroMaxAstro Join Date: 2005-07-07 Member: 55451Members
    I would definitely be opposed to there being a map system. Beacons are a really fun mechanic, and an actual map would make them mostly useless. It took me a while to learn to always carry at least two beacons everywhere I go, and I got annoyed at not being able to find some places again for sure. But since then I've gotten a handle on it, and now slowly "mapping" my surroundings with beacons is a large part of the fun of exploration for me.
  • gamer1000kgamer1000k Join Date: 2017-04-29 Member: 230121Members
    MaxAstro wrote: »
    I would definitely be opposed to there being a map system. Beacons are a really fun mechanic, and an actual map would make them mostly useless. It took me a while to learn to always carry at least two beacons everywhere I go, and I got annoyed at not being able to find some places again for sure. But since then I've gotten a handle on it, and now slowly "mapping" my surroundings with beacons is a large part of the fun of exploration for me.

    I've had some fun with mapping things out with beacons as well, but I still miss having a world map to actually see the layout of the world. I enjoy reading maps in real life, and it's disappointing to not be able to the same in Subnautica. Maybe beacons could be part of a system to reveal the map to preserve their use, I wouldn't be opposed to the player putting some effort into building a good map.

    Also, beacons still don't really address the problem of indicating which areas of the map you might have unintentionally missed (unless you're putting them absolutely everywhere). I know that for myself I tend to take the same routes repeatedly to make use of landmarks, and there's sizeable portions of the map that I'm unintentionally skipping as a result.
  • jamintheinfinite_1jamintheinfinite_1 Jupiter Join Date: 2016-12-03 Member: 224524Members
    I like the idea. I don't really care that much if it is added or not since I don't need it. But I can see how it can help people
  • NansenNansen Join Date: 2017-06-02 Member: 230896Members
    Well I might be a bit bias since I am a map nerd i real life studing GIS (geographic information system), but I don't want the mapping system to make beacons useless, but to have tha map and beacons to build on eachother @MaxAstro.
  • WiirlakWiirlak Blaton Join Date: 2017-05-26 Member: 230772Members
    Let's have a map system using beacon for triangulation, maybe even combining this with a scanner room : The room would calculate the position of at least 2 beacons relatively to itself and create a basic map which you could expand / upgrade by adding beacons.
    Wrecks and precursors stuff would only appear on the map if a beacon is close enough (50m maybe), having upgrade to the room like "Biomes analysis" could visualy show the biomes on the map (colours ?)
  • CAPSHAWCAPSHAW Nevada Join Date: 2016-09-29 Member: 222692Members
    Honestly that should have been implemented awhile ago. Triangulate between 2 nonmoving objects and the Aurora. This can be set up like a side quest for the player: After you have visited both the floating island and the precursor gun, your PDA gives you a blueprint for some special beacon. You need to go back and put them on each. Then you can build a map from there.

    OR

    Have some kind of beacon that is anchored to the seabed.

    I honestly think that the map should not work within the lost river and lava zone, for many reasons that I'm sure you can think of. I also think that beacons above the lost river shouldn't work unless you are within a certain range from them.
  • ThePassionateGamerThePassionateGamer Germany Join Date: 2016-06-07 Member: 218219Members
    I would love to have a map feature that creates the map as you explore and displays info in a certain radius around you. I would not like to see this coupled with beacons or scanner rooms as a way to extend your map. It should expand itself as you explore the map. That way you could see the "outer layers" of the map and everything you havn't been to is black. As you explore you slowly discover the map bit by bit. I know this may be the most "common" implementation of a map, but I think this would be a nice solution. Beacons could and should show up on the map but they should not be needed to extend your map imo.

    If that would be too easy (which I don't think it is), maybe extend your map via Sonar use? Ping around with your Seamoth or Cyclops Sonar and the area "pinged" is mapped/displayed on your map. That would explain where you got the terrain data from and would restrict your range. Maybe add a handheld sonar device for cave mapping with shorter range? You could give each sonar type a different range. Handheld having the smalest range, Seamoth Sonar beeing the middleground and Cyclops Sonar having the biggest range.
  • gunmetal563gunmetal563 Join Date: 2015-09-30 Member: 208239Members
    perhapse the map in the scanner/map room could be linked with the players PDA to make a higher definition, less transparent, interactive and easier to read map as the current one is so transparent its hard to see

    r1h9i1argbv9.jpg

    especially if your in the lava zone and the scanner room is also picking up the ceiling it really could use a way to manipulate the map/ make some parts more solid then others atm it is impossible to see anything like caves let alone the lava castle

    azrcwa6aee2h.jpg


    the seaglide having its own map of sorts could link with the pda to record terrain creating a map piece by piece

    r1famfbv0gap.jpg

  • WiirlakWiirlak Blaton Join Date: 2017-05-26 Member: 230772Members
    @ThePassionateGamer Using the already implemented sonar is a great idea !


    The PDA should be able to create a map by having the topograpic infos.
    We could gather the infos from the seaglide sonar, the Seamoth sonar and the Cyclops sonar.

    We could expand this by adding a handled tool, or even better (and coslty) a HUD upgrade :
    - Crafted at the scanner room specialized fabricator
    - Wherever you are / look, the map syncronize in real-time

    Since you have to find the fragment for the scanner room, the build cost for the room and the chip; The others sonars can still be used : I think it is balanced toward the (early solution) tool.



    Maybe building a scanner room would include its own beacon, so we don't need one for our base ?
    And a such, we should see the beacons in the PDA map.

    Thought ?
  • ThePassionateGamerThePassionateGamer Germany Join Date: 2016-06-07 Member: 218219Members
    Wiirlak wrote: »
    We could gather the infos from the seaglide sonar, the Seamoth sonar and the Cyclops sonar.
    @gunmetal563

    Ha...totally ignored that we already have a "handheld" tool to map things where the Seamoth can't go. The Seaglide has it's own always actice sonar going on. Thx for reminding me. :wink:
  • DactylosDactylos United States Join Date: 2016-07-11 Member: 220055Members
    I like the sense of exploration on the surface and the upper biomes... but as soon as we get to the deep areas of the game and the caves then it suddenly becomes a frustrating mess. Everything is so dark, and your trying to wedge a gigantic cyclops into tight spaces while avoiding predators and ALSO looking for whatever it is your there for.

    I ended up looking for a map of the lost river and ILZ, and no I'm not sorry. I have a terrible sense of direction that not even beacons can help.
  • WiirlakWiirlak Blaton Join Date: 2017-05-26 Member: 230772Members
    @Dactylos I agree with you, I'm forced to use a map to help me navigate since I can't remember the path I used.
    The deeper biomes being so dark make me feel lost (and an easy prey).
  • jimmy_1283jimmy_1283 Melbourne Join Date: 2017-06-21 Member: 231217Members
    edited June 2017
    Although I'm not entirely sold on the idea of a map, I do have other thoughts.

    Signals need to be added directly to the PDA as a toggle-able waypoints.
    Areas that have previously been 'scanned' by sonar (Seaglide, Seamoth, Cyclops, Scanner room/drones) should provide a toggle-able 'wireframe' view (just as sonar itself provides) to assist in caving/navigation.

    I also wouldn't be entirely opposed to doing away with beacons altogether and just allowing custom signals/waypoints, but that's another matter entirely.
  • DragoWhoovesDragoWhooves UK Join Date: 2017-05-30 Member: 230836Members
    jimmy_1283 wrote: »
    Although I'm no entirely sold on the idea of a map, I do have other thoughts.

    Signals need to be added directly to the PDA as a toggle-able waypoints.
    Areas that have previously been 'scanned' by sonar (Seaglide, Seamoth, Cyclops, Scanner room/drones) should provide a toggle-able 'wireframe' view (just as sonar itself provides) to assist in caving/navigation.

    I also wouldn't be entirely opposed to doing away with beacons altogether and just allowing custom signals/waypoints, but that's another matter entirely.

    even if a map is implmented you could not use it, or maybe there could be an option to disable mapping during map setup (toggleable for later on and saves form older builds)
  • WolfGamerWolfGamer Join Date: 2017-07-03 Member: 231565Members
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