Bring Back the Minimap!
Jiriki
retired ns1 player Join Date: 2003-01-04 Member: 11780Members, NS1 Playtester, Squad Five Silver
retired ns1 player Join Date: 2003-01-04 Member: 11780Members, NS1 Playtester, Squad Five Silver
<div class="IPBDescription">Yeah, please :/</div>Minimap was essential part of NS1. I head it was dropped from NS2 because they claimed maps were designed badly if you couldn't find around them without a minimap.
The thing is, you don't use minimap to find yourself around. Yes, maybe the first 10-30 times you play the map, but after that you use minimap for a lot of tactical stuff
<ul><li>You see what's happening, as in you get a tactical overview of the game</li><li>You can guess where you probably should go (eg. save/recap nodes, see someone needing help)</li><li>You can help others with the information from minimap</li><li>You can see aliens and structures you didn't notice before</li><li>You can intercept escaping lifeforms much more easily.</li><li>Motion tracking is 10 times better with the minimap.</li></ul>
The fact you can see what everyone's doing gives you a lot of information what to do in a specific situation. In Alien Swarm, you can even draw on the minimap which is a good thing. That's a feature I'd like to see in NS2. Commander can tell all this to players in theory but he can never tell as much to players as they could use minimap to its max potential.
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/LmTbl.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
The thing is, you don't use minimap to find yourself around. Yes, maybe the first 10-30 times you play the map, but after that you use minimap for a lot of tactical stuff
<ul><li>You see what's happening, as in you get a tactical overview of the game</li><li>You can guess where you probably should go (eg. save/recap nodes, see someone needing help)</li><li>You can help others with the information from minimap</li><li>You can see aliens and structures you didn't notice before</li><li>You can intercept escaping lifeforms much more easily.</li><li>Motion tracking is 10 times better with the minimap.</li></ul>
The fact you can see what everyone's doing gives you a lot of information what to do in a specific situation. In Alien Swarm, you can even draw on the minimap which is a good thing. That's a feature I'd like to see in NS2. Commander can tell all this to players in theory but he can never tell as much to players as they could use minimap to its max potential.
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/LmTbl.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Comments
It might just not be implemented yet, just like the Fade and Onos.
It might just not be implemented yet, just like the Fade and Onos.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
in fact i believe there's an option in builder to export the minimap file
Now that that's err... established. Let's transform this thread into one talking about ideas for the minimap.
Who wants to go first?
Now that that's err... established. Let's transform this thread into one talking about ideas for the minimap.
Who wants to go first?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
here's one, assuming the commander can still scan an area, have that scan automatically pull up the minimap on marines screens so they are forced to see and benefit from the commander's scan.
No.
I don't want the minimap to jump out and block my tracing of the Skulk.
Unless say it's in the corner of my screen or something and only shows the scanned region, but then it might either be too small or hard to figure out where the scan was.
Another way to avoid this is to add in Fog of War map information. i.e. even in areas you can't see, you still see buildings you saw last.
I don't want the minimap to jump out and block my tracing of the Skulk.
Unless say it's in the corner of my screen or something and only shows the scanned region, but then it might either be too small or hard to figure out where the scan was.
Another way to avoid this is to add in Fog of War map information. i.e. even in areas you can't see, you still see buildings you saw last.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
i wasn't saying fullscreen, i meant bottom right corner. 5-15% total screen size
Maybe the comm should be able to put some markers on the minimap as well -> "Look out big wall of lame around this corner"
However, I'd be all for a true minimap in the corner of the screen appearing, then zooming in on the commander's scanned area. A miniature full-view would alert the player to look up if he can, then it can zoom in and pan to the specific location.
If the Marine opens his minimap, he should also be able to see the data from the ping on his minimap. It disappears after the ping ends and the commander can't see it anymore himself.
The ping sound is usually followed by commander facepalming at marines still not realizing there's a skulk right above the doorway. In general, I think awfully many people are still playing in loud environments with some bad speakers.
how can you do that?
Sound... I think Bacillus put it in perspective. Loud noise might negate the ping sound, WoW and LoL also have a visual effect on the map, it doesn't hurt to have both in there...
Also zooming in on a small area of the map will probably make marines go like "<i>wtf is that area, I don't recognize it...</i>" Unless you know each and every corner and wall of the map and can associate it when shown a small part oft the minimap. I'd rather see a ping indicator originate on a zoomed out top right/left minimap, to then bring up the map and see what all this pinging is all about. Preferably by my own actions, not while I'm in the middle trying to knoife an Oni <img src="http://members.home.nl/m.borgman/ns-forum/smileys/biggrin.gif" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Sound... I think Bacillus put it in perspective. Loud noise might negate the ping sound, WoW and LoL also have a visual effect on the map, it doesn't hurt to have both in there...
Also zooming in on a small area of the map will probably make marines go like "<i>wtf is that area, I don't recognize it...</i>" Unless you know each and every corner and wall of the map and can associate it when shown a small part oft the minimap. I'd rather see a ping indicator originate on a zoomed out top right/left minimap, to then bring up the map and see what all this pinging is all about. Preferably by my own actions, not while I'm in the middle trying to <b>axe</b> an Oni <img src="http://members.home.nl/m.borgman/ns-forum/smileys/biggrin.gif" border="0" class="linked-image" /><!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
fixed