Landmarks

[Teh_Az]

A large problem, it seems, for people who would like to locate certain places is the lack of semi-permanents landmarks. This is a thread to ask around if there are any ideas on how to create artificial landmarks using the features of the game as it is now.

My own idea is to create large images made from paved ground that could appear on local maps, just enough get people to notice where the place is. Then I could possible place rune stones or place small names underneath the images that are written in paved ground.

[Swordmage]

That would work. I tend towards villages as landmarks.

How many of these would you suggest per super grid?

[Avu]

Dunno I want more statue of blaze kind of landmarks myself. Would make exploration a little more fun.

[sabinati]

build your own landmarks with terraforming

[KoE]

I dunno that landmarks that aren't by rivers or in relatively populous areas would do much good because of the sheer probability of people walking by them entirely. It seems like they'd need to be fairly frequent or fairly large to make the effort likely to work. But I haven't done much overland travel so maybe I'm totally off.

I would like to see some along rivers at the least denoting which supergrid you're on and perhaps giving general directions to major towns. Especially at those ever-frequent 31 way stops that the map generator seems to love.

[Teh_Az]

My idea is to find a place, clear cut it, pave a large area into a shape, and then put palisades on every tile of paved ground. It must be large enough to be pretty obvious on a local or regional map. Here's the question though, where do we place them? Next to rivers? In the middle of a grid?

And how would you people we provide directions? The ability to create signposts hasn't been implemented yet, and runestones are not reliable because they are liftable.

[KoE]

Well, providing directions amounts to runestones and having faith in humanity (unlikely), or perhaps designing the landmark such that it has a note near it denoting the supergrid (using the 'standard' Letter-Number combination). That wouldn't be feasible for providing actual directions, but eh.

I also just realized you mean landmarks to show up on maps to be used in navigation and not used exclusively as a means to navigate in game (this is what I get for posting in C&I shortly after I wake up). Thus directions really aren't that necessary, but putting the supergrid on there might not be a bad idea.

Are the palisades really necessary? If somebody really wants to mess it up, the worst they're going to do is turn it into grasslands (if they can be buggered to haul all the seeds in). If they wanted to 'deface' it by making it larger they can do that with or without the palisades. As for locations, I think either in the middle of the grid or at the corners of grids might be best. If someone could summon the effort, doing both would probably be for the better.

I'm not sure how to think about river intersections and lakes. These two things are already landmarks in and of themselves, so if you're using an in-game landmark and comparing it to a map (in-game or otherwise) that's somewhat unhelpful. Noting the supergrid at these might be worth it, though.

[Teh_Az]

Hmmm. Instead of landmarks, why not monuments? Not statues, but super projects. Something so very grand and noticeable that even the maps proclaim its existence?

Well, hmmm, ladies and gentlemen, I suggest the creation of wayside inns. hese could be landmarks too, villages created solely to house travellers safely on their way to other places and such.

[Swordmage]

Once we start building more roads, they will serve as well. For instance, roads between the super grids to make trade easier.

[KoE]

Well I'm all for megaprojects (very Bay12). I'm not sure how much variation you could manage, but then I'm not terribly artistically inclined in the first place.

As far as 'traveler-housing' villages, that's a neat idea (and I've thought of doing it myself), but their status as a landmark would be somewhat voided by being able to be linked into a Crossroads network. Of course, being linked in by Crossroads is a reason in-and-of-itself to have them, I suppose. But you'd have to find enough active enough people to keep it up and running to make it viable. Not to mention people that paranoid about 'putting themselves on the map' as a travel hub.

I'd touch on roads but I think we need a bit more dev work in that area before it becomes a viable means of inter-supergrid travel. (I don't mind the tedium of paving roads - too much - and even I cringe at the idea of making one across a supergrid).