Game News Underrail Dev Log #55: Global Map

[Kalin]

Total waste of time and resources. What kind of moron needs a map in Underrail? Not the kind you should appease with updates, that's who. Underrail could use plenty of enhancement, but that is in the realm of less railroading (lol) and more alternatives for the player.

For example, wouldn't it be cool if you could betray SGS and *really* work for one of the oligarchs, or just stick with the Protectorate, or the Drones, or heck, just going at it as a free agent? Wouldn't a Core City faction war be all kinds of awesome? (One that's actually supported by the factions and not something you engineer yourself and don't even get appropriate ending slides for) Wouldn't it be nice to be able to blow up that damn Institute door and gun them all down, or if you want, actually join them truthfully. Wouldn't it be cool if Eidein didn't die like a fuckin schmuck in a cutscene? Wouldn't it be swell if you could kill Gorsky without getting locked out of the story?

The answer is: yes, yes it muthafuckin would! But hey, instead of adding even a fraction of incline, let's throw in a map for manboons and some snazzy jet skis.

 

[Sneaky Seal]

If you need a map in underrail you're weak, and your bloodline is weak.

Honestly, the actual feeling of exploration with a possibility of being truly lost, and then somehow emerging in a familiar area from a direction you've had no idea you can show up at - it felt great. It felt even better to know ins and outs by heart and feel like a badass underground stalker.

Obviously, one can just not use the map, but I liked it when it was a design choice not to have it.

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

+1 to the "Way to waste time dilly-dallying on useless bullshit for shitty casuals instead of working on the actual goddamned expansion guys."

 

[jungl]

It makes zero sense maps not existing or being scarce in this universe. It actually kills the immersion. The people of underrail have a much higher collective iq then people on earth. Everyones a tech, mechanic, chemist psionic whatever. But hurr durr drawing maps man too complex.

 

[ArchAngel]

I want hand-drawn maps, I think someone mentioned Thief?
Essentially:

• Physical objects, you actually have to buy or scavenge them.
• Doesn't tack where you are. No moving markers or highlighted map sections.
  
• Allows you to write notes on them.
• (Perhaps even draw on them. Filling out missing cave connections and tunnels.)
• Flawed proportions and missing details. Player can't take everything for granted and has to pay attention to landmarks.
• Accurate maps could exist, but be very rare and very valuable.

This is stuff that would both exist in-universe and preserve the exploration element.

So you want Maps the Game? How nice

Spoiler

not really

 

[oneself]

Underrail in first person would be cool though. Would feel like playing a modern turn-based Ultima Underworld.

I love Underrail and I love flick headshots. Therefore I love a underrail FPS

 

[Goral]

It makes zero sense maps not existing or being scarce in this universe. It actually kills the immersion. The people of underrail have a much higher collective iq then people on earth. Everyones a tech, mechanic, chemist psionic whatever. But hurr durr drawing maps man too complex.

It makes perfect sense. We're starting as nobodies and the only people who would have maps would be experienced scavengers or wealthy merchants. Sharing such maps with anyone would be stupid (more competition, also no one would want to make it easy for others while they had to do it the hard way, especially in a post-apocalyptic world).

 

[ArchAngel]

It makes zero sense maps not existing or being scarce in this universe. It actually kills the immersion. The people of underrail have a much higher collective iq then people on earth. Everyones a tech, mechanic, chemist psionic whatever. But hurr durr drawing maps man too complex.

It makes perfect sense. We're starting as nobodies and the only people who would have maps would be experienced scavengers or wealthy merchants. Sharing such maps with anyone would be stupid (more competition, also no one would want to make it easy for others while they had to do it the hard way, especially in a post-apocalyptic world).

Then people would be selling fake maps or partly correct maps, not zero maps.

 

[Black Angel]

It makes zero sense maps not existing or being scarce in this universe. It actually kills the immersion. The people of underrail have a much higher collective iq then people on earth. Everyones a tech, mechanic, chemist psionic whatever. But hurr durr drawing maps man too complex.

Remember, the map system has always existed but not in the form we see it now in this dev log, as mentioned by epeli. Hell, we already have a map covering the entirety of Underrail which was possessed by the Oculites, though not something our character can interact with in any meaningful way.

I vaguely remembered the map system was thrown into the piles of 'maybes' because the game grew bigger than expected, and Styg kinda don't want to bother making the maps for all of them, but maybe it's just my memory messing with me again.

 

[Fenix]

I want hand-drawn maps, I think someone mentioned Thief?
Essentially:

• Physical objects, you actually have to buy or scavenge them.
• Doesn't tack where you are. No moving markers or highlighted map sections.
  
• Allows you to write notes on them.
• (Perhaps even draw on them. Filling out missing cave connections and tunnels.)
• Flawed proportions and missing details. Player can't take everything for granted and has to pay attention to landmarks.
• Accurate maps could exist, but be very rare and very valuable.

This is stuff that would both exist in-universe and preserve the exploration element.

I would give hairs from my left testicle for that.

+1 to the "Way to waste time dilly-dallying on useless bullshit for shitty casuals instead of working on the actual goddamned expansion guys."

I can reiterate - I don't need exactly map, I need somethin to track where I have been and haven't been.
I don't mind being lost, I just don't want to miss something.

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

I guess that's just part of what was always the allure to me from the beginning. Not having a map to let me know. The environment itself does a good enough job letting you know if you've been there or not. And not getting there just means you didn't explore enough. *shrug*

 

[quasimodo]

I played the game a couple of times. Sometimes I drew maps sometimes I just wandered around. The maps are not complicated enough (like Wiz 6) to make mapping a fun part of the game. The game is not big enough that getting lost ever bothered me (like Daggerfall) so in the end while I don't think that a map is necessary I also don't think that not having one contributed any fun to my playthroughs.

 

[MurkyShadow]

In this thread I learned: Maps are decline

 

[Fenix]

The environment itself does a good enough job letting you know if you've been there or not. And not getting there just means you didn't explore enough. *shrug*

Except when you got to crossroad with 4 exits, and then another one, so you can't actually tell where have you been.

 

[wyes gull]

Aaaaah bullshit. The only map this thing needed was a mall-style map of CC. Half the fun is getting lost in the undercaves.

 

[Jaesun]

Aaaaah bullshit. The only map this thing needed was a mall-style map of CC. Half the fun is getting lost in the undercaves.

So..... don't use the map. What's the problem then?

 

[wyes gull]

So..... don't use the map. What's the problem then?

The problem is how the map then can become a crutch for the quest design. It wouldn't be the first instance of games getting worse by trying to accommodate for everyone's complaints.

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[ciox]

Yeah, none of the "quest arrow" complaints apply for this type of map, it only tells you where you've been.

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

What's the problem then?

Precious development time wasted.

 

[Trashos]

I bought Underrail when it was released, but unfortunately didn't play more than 1h because my eyes couldn't take it. Has the font/icon size issue been addressed (or is it completely out of the question)?

 

[Jack Dandy]

Just play on lower resolution bro, it's what I did.

Looks better for this sort of game too, imho

 

[Trashos]

Just play on lower resolution bro, it's what I did.

Looks better for this sort of game too, imho

I tried all the resolutions back then, still too small for me.

 

[Jack Dandy]

Well he changed the font too. Give it another shot

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

I tried all the resolutions back then, still too small for me.

Buy a fucking magnifying lens then ffs.