Map Pins

[kellyxxx]

Anybody know if they are going change the map and the pins? When i go surveying i lay down 21 pins at a time, Now it won't let me lay down a pin without inputting something in label name. I found that just a pain to do. Also if they are going to make the pins smaller, now they are huge. Lastly how about a lock button to freeze the map, every time i log on i have to resize it.

[Crissa]

If you put in a pin and press enter, it puts in a default name like it used to. If a pin has a blank name, it's erased.

I always put in a number when I put down map pins. If this was automated, it'd be fine. (I put down the map pins numbered in the order of the surveys in my inventory)

[kellyxxx]

Just asking for something we had before, it was so easy to use pin and go.

[Sasho]

I felt there was nothing wrong with the old map. Right now I can't even size it to fit the box without making the map take up half of my screen. And then the pins look hideously large and pixelated.

Pins we place should start as just a generic, name-less pin on the map. Then, if we wanted, we could customize it by adding a title. 99% of the time we are placing pins it will be for surveying, the other 1% will be when making our permanent markers. Just makes sense to not force a title by default.

[Silkt]

I have to agree, did my first surveys tonight with the new UI and its was an even more time consuming pain in the butt than it was before. Had the map fully zoomed out but pins in the bottom 10 to 20% of the map had the text disappear off the map.

My suggestion would be let the circles generated from the survey stay on the map until the player removes them and they count in your max map pins.

[Panties]

I felt there was nothing wrong with the old map. Right now I can't even size it to fit the box without making the map take up half of my screen. And then the pins look hideously large and pixelated.


I completely agree. The map shouldn't get truncated just because the box isn't a specific (massive) size. The map should wholly fit inside the box like it did before.

[Crissa]

The map is otherwise alot more readable, at least while you're not editing it ^-^ I really like the animated circles and pins from scrolls, they're nice.

It'd be really nice if the window size snapped to the map size. It's nice that I can make the window fit on a tiny screen or a big screen, but I really don't need to change these settings that often. Maybe have a button hang off the side to turn these controls on and off?

The map pins getting stuck to the zoom control was also a problem. I had a heck of a time erasing the pins that fell into it.

...And when I zoned, it seemed like the mini-map forgot what scale I set it at?

Oh, and I noticed rocks and buildings didn't always show on the map. I plowed into a few while navigating via map; I could see the goblin farm's ploughed field, so I pointed to go into the green rumply area I thought was forget and ran smack dab into the middle of a camp and a barn! ^-^ I suppose that's kind of a feature, in Kur it meant I really didn't know where the beach was to get out of the water, so I had to remember where it was!

[srand]

It's weird, but the new map UI may be the single piece of the new UI that required the most underlying changes. Those changes opened up the way for a lot of new features, including some that haven't made it out to you yet, but it means that the new map UI is still lacking polish. For example, we can now do much higher res maps with zooming and support a proper mini-map, but the zooming doesn't quite work the way anyone would expect - it's not intuitive enough, I mean. (It doesn't help that we weren't able to get high-res versions of all of the maps in yet.) And there are plenty of bugs yet, including map pin scaling and the persistence of settings.

The map is never going to be exactly what it used to be, much as Serbule Hills is never going to be exactly the same as South Serbule was. But the goal is the same: it should have the same basic features plus more, and it should be more polished and intuitive than the old version. Oh, and it should have fewer bugs. :)

It's not there yet. It will get there, with your detailed and specific bug reports and feedback. We have been getting lots of those - and we really appreciate them! In-game reports are easier for us to track and manage, but we follow the discussions here on the forums closely as well.

The one thing I would ask you to do, as we move towards that, is to please not assume that we are trying to screw you up deliberately. We aren't. We want this UI to be as polished and usable as you do. As with many things about PG right now, it's a work in progress.



Edit: Ooh! You know what would be really useful for me? I would love to know how you are using the main map vs. the mini-map.

[Tagamogi]

I really love the new maps. I don't use pins for surveys, so the maps work perfectly for me the way they are. Blank names not being allowed is actually a bonus for me since that means I'm no longer accidentally placing a "Point of Interest" pin by randomly clicking somewhere. For some reason, I also find it much easier to place a pin precisely on my current location than with the old map which is a huge help when marking hard to see places.

I really like the new mini map - it allows me to figure out where I am and which direction I'm facing without obscuring my view. I still bring up the bigger map to orient myself in a zone and to place map pins for portals and other special locations.

[Hood]

The Great Survey Crisis 2017

I use the minimap for navigation when I have a group to meet up with.

I use the main map for surveys and to see a map in detail.

Problem: I only need to use a map to find where I am when I am in GK. But that's obviously the main function of a map or minimap.

[Crissa]

I really like the new map. It just has a few bugs, clearly. The resizing, the pins getting stuck in the zoom controls, clearly that's not intended behavior ^-^

I used to leave the map open as a mini-map, but zoomed all the way out. Now it seems superfluous, but I can't zoom out far enough on the new mini-map. Something I'd like on the mini-map: An arrow pointing to some map pins. Or maybe towns that are in visible range. Nearest town or selected map-pin? I really don't use the mini-map because things don't show up on it yet ^-^

I mostly drop a bunch of pins for surveying, but I usually have one or two NPCs marked with pins, too. (I wish I could keep temporary and long-term pins separate.) When I'm surveying, I leave the map out and big covering the right side of my screen. I'm basically running around with it in my hand.

[DamageIncorp]

I agree with several of the posters above. Something closer to the old map would be great. Perhaps having the option to zoom in but as default having the whole map fit in the box without having it take up 3/4 of the screen.
A side bug i think is that the direction arrow inside places like GK points in the opposite direction you are moving. Probably just a cosmetic issue there.

[Crissa]

I actually prefer the map taking up 3/4 of the screen. It's the detailed map, I expect that.

For less, that's what the mini-map is for, right?

[poulter]

I don't use the mini-map at all as the main map has everything I need at the moment.

I also have few issues with the new UI (once I had configured it) and am somewhat surprised by some of the comments.
Could these be linked to testers individual machine graphics /settings?

I am running on a Mac at 2560 x 1440, graphics quality = fast. GUI scale 1.40048. The key setting for me was the GUI scale setting. Once I set this, all the boxes fitted the screen as per the original UI layout

[mrwarp]

I do not use the mini-map at all either. I'm starting to believe the problem with getting the map to fit properly like it used to is an issue tied directly to running in lower resolutions. Running at 1080p resolution (1920x1080) with a GUI scale of 1.85 I can make the map do what it did before, although I do have the issue of having to re-zoom and reset the map every time I login or change zones.

https://i.imgur.com/76R2yGj.png

First request: Also I would like to suggest that we be given a switch either by checkbox or special command, that would make the text over pins and our arrow disappear and only show on mouseover. Or maybe give the option for "show only party members on the map". In short the labels tend to get in the way when they are present in a static state.

Second request: When using a survey map, there is the drawn out animation of the circle coming down and setting on the map. I find this to be not needed. For those that use a non-pin method of surveying, that animation seriously slows things down too much. Can we just have the circle appear on the map where it's supposed to be? If you want to add some flashing or color pulsing to it that would be ok with me, but that drawn out extra animation just seems a bit too much. (for the record...for the survey markers I do prefer the circle over the dot)

[Ells0430]

Edit: Ooh! You know what would be really useful for me? I would love to know how you are using the main map vs. the mini-map.

I use the mini map to plan out my run/flight, I do wish it would start zoomed out. I use the main map for surveying, finding my other party members, and to figure out where the heck I am when I get lost because I am still getting use to the mini map lol. For surveying I make the main map rather large and then I put my surveys in order and keep the map up, run/fly to each survey spot (I do not use pins). I don't know if any of this is helpful in any way. Thank you :)

[Glacialstream]

Just a quick tip since I noticed some people having this issue, I seem to avoid having to name map pins by shift clicking the map. It simply places one down without me having to name it at all which is very useful for surveying. Though since I could not find out how to remove the pins no matter what I tried and attempted [as well as using /help to try and find a command to clean all map pins] Its just a lot of effort to bother with it. I attempted asking people in game how to remove map pins but for some reason people in game just dont give a shit and dont care about your problems they probably know the answer to so just let you fucking suffer. Oops I mean, "all forty people online are busy and dont have time to take a few seconds to tell a single person how to remove map pins". Thats the response I would get when I call people out on their shittiness most of the time. Most likely to try and make themselves feel justified. Either way, I have no idea how to remove map pins and I am too tired to deal with puzzle solving to remove a single map pin then annoy the devs by saying commands and instructions on how to do simple things like this need to be covered more clearly and updated along with any new features released since their player base doesnt care enough to answer people's questions in a bug report. Anyways I am touching on topics not related to the map and will probably make a forum post on expressing frustrations with being required to obtain in game knowledge from the half responsive playerbase and no in game info to things like removing map pins using commands such as /help which I only know in the first place from hearing another person a good bit ago talk about the command. Yeah, I will definitely be making a post in the future when the devs arent incredibly busy with major issues and debugging that is much more precise and helpful than my irritated morning ramblings here.

[zirker]

Just a quick tip since I noticed some people having this issue, I seem to avoid having to name map pins by shift clicking the map. It simply places one down without me having to name it at all which is very useful for surveying. Though since I could not find out how to remove the pins no matter what I tried and attempted [as well as using /help to try and find a command to clean all map pins] Its just a lot of effort to bother with it. I attempted asking people in game how to remove map pins but for some reason people in game just dont give a shit and dont care about your problems they probably know the answer to so just let you fucking suffer. Oops I mean, "all forty people online are busy and dont have time to take a few seconds to tell a single person how to remove map pins". Thats the response I would get when I call people out on their shittiness most of the time. Most likely to try and make themselves feel justified. Either way, I have no idea how to remove map pins and I am too tired to deal with puzzle solving to remove a single map pin then annoy the devs by saying commands and instructions on how to do simple things like this need to be covered more clearly and updated along with any new features released since their player base doesnt care enough to answer people's questions in a bug report. Anyways I am touching on topics not related to the map and will probably make a forum post on expressing frustrations with being required to obtain in game knowledge from the half responsive playerbase and no in game info to things like removing map pins using commands such as /help which I only know in the first place from hearing another person a good bit ago talk about the command. Yeah, I will definitely be making a post in the future when the devs arent incredibly busy with major issues and debugging that is much more precise and helpful than my irritated morning ramblings here.



That's because those map pins are bugged, they are there but they rly aren't there such that you can place infinite amount of pins shift clicking, and as such you can't remove them because the game doesn't recognize that you have placed a pin. To remove a non bugged pin, the ones you place correctly without holding shift, you select the named pin by clicking it and then click the red cross above the pin. Also the UI is new people have had nearly the same time to mess around with it as you, some didn't even touch pins cause people claimed that they were glitched and people are in no way obligated to respond to you, yes all 40 of them.

EDIT: I logged in placed a pin holding shift, tried to select the pin, saw that I couldn't, I then placed a pin without holding shift, gave it a name, pressed save, tried to select it, it got selected, I saw the red X above the pin, I pressed it and the non bugged pin went away, I then shift clicked a bunch on my map to see if I could place infinite of those pins, I could, thus I concluded that, due to the ui being new and experimental and THE GAME BEING IN ALPHA, that not everything works the way it should, shift clicking places bugged, permanent, unremovable pins.

[Tagamogi]

To remove all current pins from the map, you should be able to use the command /mapclear . I have never tried shift-click pins but I assume it would work for them, too. The /mapclear command is actually mentioned in the Known Issues section of the December 3 patch notes - https://forum.projectgorgon.com/showthread.php?924-Update-Notes-December-3-December-4-2017 .

( And yes, information can be hard to find. It's probably out there somewhere, but I often forget whether it's in a forum sticky or a FAQ or the Wiki or the update notes or a blog or just an informative post from someone... And then I read information and promptly forget about it five minutes later. :) )

On the people online. They may:
1. Be afk
2. Not have the answer
3. Be switched to a different chat tab
4. Be right in the middle of something
5. Not have the chat window open at all
6. Miss seeing a message for whatever reason
7. See a request for help 10 minutes later and assume someone already answered it
8. Other stuff
9. Hate you and want you to suffer

9 may be the correct answer in some cases, but probably not for most. If I was online, my usual reason is 5. I'll get my chat set up in a few more patches...

[Crissa]

If you erase the name of a non-bugged pin, it also goes away.

Do the bugged pins come back when you zone or log out and in again?

[Khaylara]

Not directly related to pins but my map is acting up, the actual map keeps....skipping. I can't find a better word, it keeps moving and i get left with blank space and a map corner. I have to keep dragging it back in its window. Idk how to explain it better:)

[Crissa]

When in Kur, I had it always jump past any reasonable zooms when using mouse-scroll and had to us the slider bar. One click of mouse zoom would go from most tiny to super-zoom.

But only Kur. Weeeeird.

Glad I had the option of slider zoom ^-^

[Living]

I can't seem to use more than 5 or 6 pins in Serbule marking POI..is this intended?

[ShieldBreaker]

I can't seem to use more than 5 or 6 pins in Serbule marking POI..is this intended?

It is as intended. There are skills you can level that give you extra pins, also different kinds of pins. Just search Pins in the wiki and you can find out more.

[Tagamogi]

I can't seem to use more than 5 or 6 pins in Serbule marking POI..is this intended?

Yes - you can get more map pins and different map pin icons as bonuses from leveling other skills.

I can't actually remember what skills give bonus pins, so this isn't much of a spoiler, sorry. :) Treasure Cartography definitely should give you some pins, and I think foraging should as well. It feels like I may be missing a skill or two though... Surveying?

I know I've complained about the pins before, but this seems like a nice opportunity to do it again: I really wish the pins weren't so limited initially. I hit the pin limit myself every time I'm on a new character. I also did Serbule Hills semi-recently on a character with quite a few bonus map pins unlocked, and ran out of pins again very easily just marking non-obvious locations like mushrooms circles, control bowls, teleport pads and meditation pillars. I didn't even try to mark anything that was vaguely visible on the map on its own, like Julius Patton's farm, or stuff whose location I can probably remember, like the entrance to the spider cave.

I like the idea of leveling skills to get cool new stuff in general. A lot. But in this case - it just seems like the lack of map pins makes the in-game map less useful and forces me to use the Wiki map, so I can get all the map markings I need. I think the limited map pins are also really hard on new players that would like to explore and mark things on their own.

Maybe we could get a different number of default pins per zone, with the lower level zones getting more pins? Or some kind of formula of pins to likely places of interests to mark? Or just give us lots of pins all the time and limit the skill bonuses to different map pin icons? Not sure if that would make it too easy for the folks who use pins for surveying though...

[Crissa]

I know I've complained about the pins before, but this seems like a nice opportunity to do it again: I really wish the pins weren't so limited initially. I hit the pin limit myself every time I'm on a new character...
I know we're supposed to, but I agree. I also wish there were different kinds of pins. Like, I always need a pin for some out of the way vendors and world gates, so... And when I'm surveying or doing quests I'd like a different color of temporary pins.

If we had categories of pins maybe it wouldn't be so bad? Like... Maybe the portal ones could be 'free' but blue (if you put a pin near a portal and give it a name like the portal, it could ask you if that's what you meant and then change its color) and vendor ones could come out of a different color but be harder to accidentally remove?

I dunno. But something.

[Niph]

You can use a different color when you start surveying (with enough skill). Just set a pin, change the color/icon, remove it. Next pins will use that color and it just have to be something you don't use otherwise in the map. What's missing is perhaps a /mapclear X command to clear all pins of type X.

[Crissa]

You can use a different color when you start surveying (with enough skill). Just set a pin, change the color/icon, remove it. Next pins will use that color and it just have to be something you don't use otherwise in the map. What's missing is perhaps a /mapclear X command to clear all pins of type X.
Right, but newbies don't even know it's possible, and the mechanic is so deep into surveying to be kinda pointless. By that time I know every bush on the map.

Well, did, before they changed them all.

[Living]

Hmm, I am not sure how to feel about this pin mechanic. In a game this "old skooly", a basic (maybe mandatory for some) feature such as pins should not be gated imo. I think that exploration, it its crudest sense, should have no limiting factors. Just risk/reward. Pins can serve as a reward for exploration to many. Not being able to mark areas of a map until the player levels this or completes that seems a little backwards. I mean the whole point of this game seems to be go where you like, play how you like, no limits...just have quirky fun--but we are limited to a meager amount of pins right off the bat (arguably the time in which the pins are the most necessary). Food for thought.

[Corinthia]

Just noticed this thread due to recent postings, so would like to make a comment while I'm remembering it.

Have recently gotten back into surveying with my main, rerolled toon. I don't use pins for surveying since I set up the scrolls in my inventory in order before I start my run. I use the main map to locate each position and then place that scroll in its order relative to the other scrolls in my inventory. Yes, I have a system of temporary separators while I'm in this process, but it's gotten pretty efficient.

Anyway, while I'm on my run, I hardly ever need to consult the main map. I place the first scroll in my sidebar and check it as needed while looking at the mini map at the best scale. Once I collect that gem, I move the next scroll onto the sidebar and continue. Barring major distractions, I pick up the speed bonus more often than not.

Though others have expressed annoyance with the diminishing circle animation, I find it very helpful to get me started quickly in the right direction, and to give me a sense of the distance since the diameter of the circle relative to my own position marker indicates that. I hope this makes sense.

[Crissa]

Corinthia

The diminishing circle animation was taking longer than designed on many people's computer.

[Silvonis]

The latest update (1/18/18) fixed an issue where the circle animation could take longer to 'play' than intended. Please let us know your thoughts.

[Corinthia]

Crissa. Sorry, I didn't realize that was the issue. I'm so "deliberate" about some things, that in my case I wouldn't have noticed.
:)

I hope people like it now, or that it could be designed to be toggled off/on.

[Crissa]

Corinthia I didn't mind it, it was just silly waiting for ten, fifteen seconds for it to work was awkward ^-^