Automagic Mapping?

[TerranRich]

Hi all,

I was just browsing through the manual for KQ2+ VGA, ready to actually sit down and play it for more than 5 minutes, when I noticed something:

King's Quest III was the first Sierra game to include an “automagic mapping” system. This feature was widely promoted on King's Quest III's introduction... However it was not included in future King's Quest games, since players' feedback indicated that it reduced the challenge. This mapping feature was later built into Roberta Williams' Mixed-Up Mother Goose adventure game for children, where it was better appreciated.

What in the world is "automagic mapping"? Every search I do for it comes up with that passage above.

[Ashen]

From the Wikipedia entry:

Technology and development

This was allegedly the first adventure game featuring auto-mapping, with a 'magic map' found in the game that can be used to teleport to most locations that the player has visited before. This feature was unpopular among some fans who claim it made the game too easy, hence magic maps in future Sierra games were more limited in their teleporting ability.

So, I guess 'automagic mapping' is just being able to teleport around the map. I thought that was a fairly popular feature, or does it depend on the game and how specific the locations are?

[TerranRich]

I don't see why it was so unpopular. It seems like a great idea in theory. Maybe it was too easy for fans?

[Ali]

I've never played these games, but the only circumstance in which a map might irritate me would be if it allowed me access to every location in the game. That would destroy any sense of exploration. Usually games only allow you to teleport to locations you've already visited/learned about, and I can't see why that would be bothersome.

On the other hand, I find fans of Sierra tend to enjoy intensely difficult adventures, so perhaps a map feature would be thought too easy.

[ciborium]

I didn't play much of the original KQIII, but did play the IA remake.

The map lets you go to anywhere you've been that is relevant to where you are now. When you are in Llewdor you can go to five or six of the places in Llewdor that you've already been just by clicking on the map, and in Davenry anywhere you've been in Daventry, etc.

Knowing that after Manannan leaves (or sleeps,) you have about 30 minutes before he returns, you can go all over Llewdor for about 25-27 minutes and instead of having to plan on it taking you so long to go through 6, 8 , or 10 screens and climb up the meandering mountain path to get back to the house, you can just click on the mountaintop on the map and it would put you right outside the front door of the house, giving you plenty of time to hide your stuff before he catches you.

That was what I used it the most for, besides evading another one of those meandering paths later in the game.

OFF TOPIC: ONE meandering path "puzzle" is enough for one game.  That is the only thing I didn't like about KQ3, the fact that it had 3 of them.

[Hollister Man]

Actually, I'm trying to make a similar system, but not exactly a teleport map.  I would have liked one in QFG4, I ended up setting it to Run and turning the speed all the way up, just to get from one point to another late in the game.

[SinSin]

i must admit when my mum played kings quest 3 on the atari st it took her quite a while to get up and down that damned mountain path
I feel its a good idea
As for the magic map i thought it was the way the map was put together ie
When you recieve the map all the areas you have visited previously are available there but when you go to new locations they will appear on the map also
ahh well i was wrong 

[CaptainBinky]

I haven't seen that particular map in action, but in principle I think maps are a good idea if they're used appropriately. For example, in Oblivion, adding map markers worked quite well (as it would kind of make sense for someone to show you on your map where to go) as you could only teleport to locations you had 'found'. Unfortunately, the compass and everything made finding those locations waay to easy (but I digress)...

In our game, a map screen is used to travel to any of the 'major' locations. So for example, a town would be a major location, but a tavern inside that town would not. So you would click the town, and then walk to the tavern (which could be any number of screens and sub-screens away). I personally think that this is quite a nice comprimise between having to travel way too far between locations, and just having everything on the map and killing the sense of exploration.

Cap'n Binky

[ciborium]

Not a teleporting map, but a map showing where you've been would have been nice for the desert in KQV as well.

[Babar]

Make it! That's what I always did! It was fun to whip out the graph paper and start drawing maps.

[thewalrus]

     Yes making maps was always fun for me while playing the old Sierra games. I would just draw boxes with labels and lines to connect the locations. You don't even need any graph paper.... But using a map to teleport to certain locations is a good thing in games where there is the possibility of dying while trying to change locations..... Like in KQ3.

Thewalrus

Goo, goo, ga, joob!!!!!!!!

[ciborium]

That's what I did.  I was just saying that a game developed map would have been nice.

[Eggie]

Maybe it was too easy for fans?

What you have to understand is that retro Sierra adventure gamers are stupid, stupid people who don't understand the differewnce betwen challenge and pointless padding that adds nothing to the game.
*runs for cover*

[Hollister Man]

Yeah...you better hide, or you'll end up like Humpty Dumpty...>

lol

I resemble that comment

[dee546]

I have a technical question about KQ3 2.0.Ã,  I can't type any commands in the game.Ã,  All I can do is point & click with the icons.Ã,  How come I can't type anything, like "buy salt", etc?
Thanks for your assistance!