Mini-map idea

Watching the live cast on 3rd of May, I realized how much the game missing the mini-map. Not only I and the player coudnt follow the things on one planet (he did not realize being attacked), but imagine if you have like 3-4 planets with non-stop action.

I made a sample of mini-maps to a random image from the live cast, with 3 different planets.
It features the followings.
- You can center the map to the current view-point, the center would be the middle of the current camera view.
- Add/Remove mini-maps
- Jump anywhere if clicked into the map, or by clicking a specific button it centers to the previously selected center-point.



Full image:
http://i41.tinypic.com/6oei4i.jpg

What do you guys think?

One here
And here
This one is tangentially related.

Took me less than 30 seconds to search that for you. Enjoy.

And those are only the ones from the first and second pages.

Because Nanolathe forgot to link it: Guide to Searching.

Mike

I do know that mini-maps have been discussed previously. :lol:
I opened this topic to show you guys my idea of the mini-map visualization and its functions. I believe as it is shown on the picture, it can fit in the gameplay window and would not be difficult to program. (the map is based on Spore mini-maps)

No need to be so harsh. The guy took the time to photoshop his ideas. I do like the projection of the minimap you used with the dark part showing what is on screen. I'm not a fan of having multiple minimaps though.

He could have posted them in one of the other threads. There was no reason to make a new topic. None at all.

It's not harsh. It's trying to keep things tidy.

Could be something done as a UI plugin or something?

Which one?

Those things seems to pop up several times a day since the last livestream.

This one atleast had a Photoshoped image.

That said.

Just gotta convince this guy now.

Edit:Yes, I like it.

Obligatory response to minimap enthusiasts:

and what exactly is that response supposed to mean?

if it is to say: "projections are non-trivial, can't be done meaningfully", then please note that the minimaps that justanoob used were from another game using projections. clearly he was aware of their limitations before making the post.

if the intention was to say something constructive, then I'm sorry.

I like the idea of projected minimaps and I think that Uber's decision to disregard them is a mistake that will hopefully be remedied in pre-alpha.

I don't like the idea of multiple minimaps for each planet, though. How about a minimap that shows the current planet, and then another one that shows the galaxy view with each planet and asteroid as a dot that's color-coded to represent which player mostly controls it (maybe even a pie chart) and that flashes whenever your forces are under attack?

The intention was to say, map projections for something like this, where the fighting is taking place on a complete sphere, are not helpful. If you have a base on the pole, you're buggered.

Also, the tone was deliberately dismissive because this has been discussed to death.

Thats the reason why I intended to add the function to 'centerize' the map on the selected view. In this case your base will be in the middle of the mini-map, and you can see if someone is closing to it. No need to care about the poles...

You could of course re-center the map to different viewpoint if needed.

In competetive RTS gameplay, a player must have good vision of everything on a single monitor. I used to play CnC:Generals for 5 years in a competetive way, clanwars, tournaments, etc. and I noticed that I am watching the mini-map 50% of the time, my eyes are looking on the mini-map in every 1-2 seconds checking if anything happens I am not aware of.

The idea of having no mini-map but everyone should have 2-3 monitors instead (to open new views) is just ridiculous...

Why have a minimap at all? That's the REAL question.

...

And Neutrino has already given you an answer of "No".
So stop asking.

Because seeing at most <50% of one planet is very restrictive and not conducive to competitive gameplay or quality casting.

I am a little worried by the inability to see the whole planet(s) however I am reserving all judgement until I have played (and casted ) a couple of games from the alpha. I have some ideas for how we can get this vital intel on-screen but until we play the alpha it's all pointless conjecture.

I believe Neutrino's "no" was in regards to a minimap that does nothing.
His mention has been that strategic zoom should be your minimap and the GUI will let you peel off a different window.

I think what people are asking for here is a way to make a projected view.
It's not necessarily a minimap, but rather, a different way to display a sphere.
This would still be a fully functional game window with full strategic zoom and everything.

Yeah, it is ridiculous, but that's how I play SupCom.
And if PA supports more monitors, I will buy more.

But I am probably in the minority here.


I just want to be able to see the whole map at once.
And yes, I will agree with the point that it is much better for casting.

I, however, only have a single 1280 x 1024 monitor. So yeah... What am I supposed to do, then?

Although, I'm pretty sure neutrino said that something similiar to a traditional minimap will be in the game. A smaller screen - projection, whatever the word is - would work quite well, I'd say?

I am aware that Uber has made their decision regarding projected minimaps...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCzkjD9Oh2Q

In all seriousness, I trust their judgement, but minimaps do provide legitimate features that are extremely helpful in a game like this.

In PA, full map awareness is virtually impossible because the planets are round and there are several of them. I don't really want to play a game where I spend most of my time twirling around my camera, trying to find my units. (I trust that they will at least implement a system that alerts me when my units and buildings are under attack so I'm not forced to babysit them - it only works in SupCom because it's a flat map and I can see it all at once in strategic zoom mode)

That's not a reason why we absolutely need minimaps, but it's a problem that minimaps have been proven to solve nicely, even on round planetoids (e.g. Spore).

I'm curious what Uber has in mind in lieu of a minimap, because having no solution to map awareness is clearly not an option, and the things that have been suggested so far (multiple monitors and windows, strategic zoom) don't sound adequate.

This may be asking a lot but you should consider posting what a caster might find useful, like a wishlist or limitations you wish were removed from FA e.g. terrain clipping.

Zooming out is adequate for the game they want to create.

You may not like it, but it's not your game. It's Neutrino's game and he has already said he's making the game he wants to play.

If he wants the game to have a barrier between the player and the near OMNISCIENT knowledge usually provided by a minimap... then I for one am on board.

I've never liked how much harder it is to surprise someone when they have access to a minimap

Counter-Intelligence, Spying and Scouting take on a greater significance if you don't have the minimap to see and remember everything for you. All sounds good to me.