Lets talk about a larger map

I’m presenting this as a discussion because my knowledge of the technical side of this (server resources ect…) is limited.

Even on a PVE server with a small group of friends, the map seems too small. The creature population seems crowded and special locations are so close together that they cease to feel special when you encounter them.

On a PVP server, where weaker clans need to avoid stronger to build up their strength, the map feels so much smaller.

So lets imagine the map as between 9x to 16x its current size. First, I’m not talking of adding more features (though it would be nice) just more space. The desert would be an obstacle just for its size, The savanna would seem like an endless sea of grass. In addition, the waterways could be made large enough that water breathing potions might have a purpose.

Why so much larger? I imagine most of you have made a run from at or near the bottom of the map to the top. Consider how long that took you. Its a chore but not so long you couldn’t do it to join your friends in attacking an enemy. Now multiply that time by 3x to 4x. Even if I had a map room, that would make me wonder if its worth the trouble.

Not only would this make it more difficult for one clan to stop out all others on a PVP server, PVE servers would also benefit as sprawling foundation spam would have much less impact.

The extra room could also allow for some game play changes that simply aren’t possible with the current map. There could be far more smaller NPC encampments scattered about and when the inhabitants of one are wiped out, they could stay gone for much longer. The cities could be expanded and hardened, making them much more difficult to attack.

With a large enough map, space could be added to the outlying/ starter areas and designated as non combat areas. With this, a single server could give players a place to build their fancy palaces while requiring another fortress in the PVP area if they want to be close to the good resources.

Other ideas? Possible to implement or pipe dream?

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I’d like a larger map but a solid no to non-combat it would eventually become over populated or griefers will place blocks just to bar construction

i would have to agree with you on that, but it wont be as hard as you may think in a single player game using the admin panel and going into ghost mode i was able to explore beyond the curse wall the is large amounts of space that has been developed with resources beyond the curse wall, even some large flat areas. maybe the map was initially going to be a lot bigger than it is.

Everything’s possible, but realistically? Probably not. Unless the promised performance improvements kick some SERIOUS butt, we’re already scraping against the ceiling of what’s doable with this engine/game/server combination. And by scraping the ceiling, I really mean “constantly hitting and suffering the consequences”, such as lackluster AI/Thrall behavior.

Oh my, I would love to see a larger map. But unfortunately Funcom refused already several times to increase the size of the map. They said, they need the place of the north eastern part of the map to put the dungeons in it.
This part of the map is currently huge and it’s beautiful


I call it the outer rim.
Beautiful coastal landscapes alternate with vast plateaus and lead to a large canyon landscape, which finally ends on one side in barren Highlands and on the other side in a northern desert with another volcano (the volcano Dungeon). But also northwest of the playable map you will find great landscapes. Here the northern biome goes into a huge mountain range, whose highest peaks almost overhang the volcano. If these landscapes were integrated into the game, what would that be for an overwhelming map? But it looks like it will never happen.

didn’t knew that the area after the fence was so large and already built -,- why not expand it then we already “pay” for it performance wise if no expansion possible removing everything there might help performance too no ? well i definitly would love an expansion

Funcom has said they won’t add to the map, but what if instead of adding to the map they just add a new map? What if after completing the game you have the option to leave the Exile lands to explore a new map (with the option to return).

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I would like a large open desert area or grasslands to build on I like building large buildings but their isn’t much flat land

the dry lake betwen sepermaru and the unamed city is as far as i know the largest area of flat land in one go

Vvankil: You make a good point but I wonder - how much of space could be made non combat before it simply takes too many blocks? Could making PVE areas non contiguous, meaning separated by the PVP area, help?

Shadoza: I still want a bigger map but flag style PVP sounds interesting. Do you mean bases would be vulnerable only when they have the flag? Has it been brought up in a different thread?

I haven’t played with map editing since UE2 but I recall you could cut and paste large chunks. Were I to try to make a map like I describe I would probably start with a huge new map, divide chunks of the old into it and fill in the gaps with more mundane terrain. The dungeons area could still have its own corner.

Of course, my knowledge may be completely out of date and pathing would be a bear of its own.

Mikey: Yea, that was a concern of mine. Performance might decide the issue before any modding even gets underway.

Any ideas out there how much of the performance issue is due to NPC actions and movement vs the memory requirements of the map itself?

The palace zones would become filled so quickly or griefers would spam blocks to block others building anything. I feel non-combat zones and pve just doesn’t have what it takes to support player structures due to people unable to remove abandoned or strategically placed blocks. The room is the biggest issue. IMO players want larger maps because there just isn’t room for everyone to achieve that fortress, palace, or castle they want.

It is a fairly decent idea. I would suggest a forced flag for openly attacking a player with a set duration, to be decided, which after that time expires they themselves can remove the flag. In addition the flag cannot be actived for a short duration of time, or within another players build space, so players cannot position themselves to attack others?

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