I actually think that having just using connecting areas and no world map (aside from an actual in-game map) can make a world feel bigger than a world map where it only takes seconds to traverse an entire continent. What do you guys think? As players and creators of games do you prefer to have an overworld, or do you prefer one of the other options for travelling? What have you used in your own games? Normal maps can have some of the same issues with guiding players, and can feel overly-confining to players who are used to be able to wander across a continent and a half when travelling in games. Without barriers you can't force players to the path you may want them to go. Other options have their own downsides as well - it's difficult to guide people in a wide open world, and can be very overwhelming to some players. The RTP world map tiles can also leave a lot to desire, leaving the overworld feeling bland and lifeless. There's also the option of eliminating overworld encounters altogether, a la Chrono Trigger. A lot of people find random battles annoying and cumbersome, but it's difficult to implement on-screen encounters without it seeming a bit odd. Easy peasy.īut the world map isn't without its downsides. Ship eliminates oceans, and airship eliminates the mountain issue. Give them a boat and they can go through shallow water, so rivers are no longer an issue, but oceans and mountains remain. Rivers, oceans, and mountains are all natural barriers that seem natural. Gating via vehicles is a common one - first the character can only travel by foot, and is limited to where they can walk. Days of travel for the character will take only a few seconds for you! It's simple to guide players the way you want them to go without it seeming overly obvious with invisible walls and impassible waist-high fences. There may be some mountains to block your way, but in just a few tiles you'll be able to get around. There's also the thought of teleportation or fast travel to be used, especially when you opt out of using a large world map to travel.Ī world map seems to be the easiest to implement - you don't need to worry about teleportation much, and it's a simple act for a player to walk from one town icon to the next town or dungeon. There's a lot of different ways games do travelling - a seamless open world like most Bethesda games, using lengths of normal maps to go place to place like Earthbound and some later Final Fantasy titles, a vast world map, or overworld, like many early Final Fantasy titles and other RPGs, and different blends of each.
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