EverQuest should be delivered with rudimentary maps

They have delivered classic zone maps, but seriously they need to deliver maps for every zone in game, especially new expansions. The game is near unplayable without maps these days, and a lot of players struggle to setup player-made maps in their computers as they are not tech savvy. This should not be a replacement of much more full featured player maps, but just something to make it easier for casual players to get into the game.

May i direct you to the top post in The Veteran's Lounge. Have a good day sir.

https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq/index.php?threads/goods-maps-pack.238818/

I don't necessarily disagree. If you remember, from the old days, you had NO maps and your compass depended on skill ups all the time to get accurate. Atlas maps were really nice, but had to print them off. I'm not trying to do the whole "walking up the snow" thing, but it did have a sense of "Where the hec am I."

I'm not sure I'd like to go back to that, and Brewells and Goods maps are very good. Toss up if I don't want maps or not. Are you talking about the new expansion and not wanting to learn the zones, or just have a map for everywhere in general?

Edit: I'm sorry, missed your problem with the maps. If you go to the top left corner of your map window, it has an EQ default directory, but you can put in folders. EQ will overwrite ANY maps in the default with its own, but it won't in the sub folders such as "Your Name". So, you can create several map folders, including anyone you want to make, and then in the map folder, set that one as the default. I have about 4 folders set there for various maps I want to use, and EQ doesn't overwrite them when I patch.

It’s really bad to rely on players to develop and distribute basic game functions. What happens when the guy retires from EQ or decides to take a break?

I believe The Vision (TM) for Everquest is that premade maps actually aren't a basic built-in game function. We're meant to explore zones and we're given the tools to map them ourselves. We also have the capability to communicate with other players and share the results of our explorations with one another. It just so happens one player is a legendary cartographer who makes the results of his labor freely available for everyone. We're lucky to have him, but if one day he stops mapping for whatever reason, other players will carry the torch.

I am not saying I am personally having a problem installing maps. I am just tired of trying to help computer illiterate players set up maps so they can play in new expansions.

In-game maps that "works out of the box", is pretty standard nowadays, but everquest lacks a lot of standard stuff that makes a game newbie friendly. If they ever want to attract a new generation of newbies they should look into streamlining the "setup-process" a bit. An installation directly from the launcher should be self sufficient imho

By "setup-process" I mean the time it takes, from "clicking install" to you being ready to battle Norrath. Googling "everquest maps" should not be a part of a "setup-process" in a modern game.

That said, it is pretty cool that we can make our own map-labels, and that we can download spawn-points for every collection and rare spawn in the game. and I think it is great that the community can exchange that in simple file-format. But a rough geographic outline of each zone should be a part of a standard installation.

But they do add base maps. It's just up to Players to mark them.

Unfortunately, if Players don't copy those map to a different folder, the Launcher will over write changes they made, LOL.

They only add base maps for classic zones. TOL, for example, does not have any maps delivered with it.

The only base maps I have seen, covered the same areas as the maps in the printed manual, meaning only the start cities.

I would be perfectly happy with maps like that, if they covered all the zones.

All the basic maps were player made if I remember right. It would be a good idea to integrate Brewall's or Good Urden's maps as the new standard. Dunno who of them has the better maps but I think its Brewall.

I remember, when maps were added to the game, in LoY, and I couldn't get a copy of the game in the UK (on CD)(back when UbiSoft was involved); I had to buy on a well known web-auction site...

Memorising zone layouts and where things are has been an interesting and challenging part of EQ
Even with player made maps, I tend to force the old habit of running around and working out where things are, blind.

To the OP: if your gripe is educating other players, take a moment to empathise and consider that you helping is enhancing there experience directly, both to get the maps working, but also the main success point of the game - the community working together. /cheeseyforummessageoff

There are 2 persons making maps. And we highly appreciate both of them. Goods and Brewells

But yes back in the day the vision was to make our own maps and most player's first hot button was /loc - cause we clicked it so often (I still use mine) - /location

this would give you your coordinates (-1205 +3087 or whatever) and the maps had cross section lines in a big + to help you try to find your way. The middle being 0. Which is another reason you still see the coordinates given in some directions

The base concept of the game is to give the players enough information to get started, be it a quest, a map, a tradeskill, etc and then the player would figure out the rest.

The problem now days is 90% of the players feel the game should automatically give them 99% of the game with little or no effort.

Alternatively, I think they should delete the map and find features and we should all go back to printed player made maps.

Also good's map is better than what DPG would produce.

Just to be clear, I am not saying player made maps should be made obsolete. I am just asking that the basic outline of a zone be made available by default in the map window.

As one who leads groups through the new quests, I am not going to lead a person without maps through the quests. It is a waste of time for everyone else in the group. I tell them to get the maps installed first, and then they can join the group. I wouldn't have to have the rule, if they got rudimentary maps delivered by Darkpaw.

IDK how Goodes does it. I tried once and it was insanely difficult just because the map tools are awkward. Then if it was a zone with see-invis/ivu/sos that would make it 50x worse.

They could drop half the spells they upgrade every expansion that no one ever uses anymore and use that extra dev time to make basic maps

The current maps and mapping system are a wholly inadequate and unacceptable.

I would be unthinkable to release a new fantasy MMORPG without illustrated maps. Released just 5 years after EQ, World of Warcraft had a great compromise in that unexplored areas were covered by a fog of war type mechanic. The fog would be revealed as the player ventured into the area.

The commonly trotted out excuse that EQ is a 22 year old game is not going to cut it anymore. WoW is a 18 year old game and it had maps.

If Enad Global 7 was serious about attracting new players and even veteran players, they would commission professionally created maps for every zone. Using existing mapping tools, it would not be that hard nor would it be that expensive. A very small investment would reap many rewards in higher rates of retention for new players.

To me this is just another example that developers might not be playing their own game and perhaps they need to be reacquainted with the newbie experience once again. If they did, they would surely see and understand the need for maps.

Personally, I like that we have the option of player made maps. If we received super high quality maps, it would probably result in the loss of player made maps.

The maps of Good Urden and Brewall Rainsinger are excellent. How should this be made better ? Mabye a mini 3D model of the zone as a map layer would help but it could be laggy and is not really needed. I recommend to add a slider for the height filter which would be better instead of the need to enter numbers.