Hello, I have been thinking about a way to seamlessly change maps without having to entirely leave the game (Like in RoR) but where you won't have to "escape" out of the game to "Change Map". What I am thinking about is possibly a "Travel Agency" building that can be placed down on the map that will allow for the user to enter it and choose a new location by an in game GUI menu? It would be similar to the vehicle selection process within RoR and it would essentially just exit that map, go to a loading screen and then place you at the default spawn location of the map. This would kind of create an illusion of one world, different locations. What I am thinking also is that they could be changed from 'Terrain' or 'Maps' to 'Locations', so instead of creating a map, you'd be creating a location. For example, one could load up to the Abandoned Industrial map and race around the map and just have fun, wreck cars and what not. Then they would be able to go to the outskirts of the location and enter the building. The GUI would pop up and I could choose from all of the 'locations' that I have downloaded and installed. Any thoughts/questions? ~David
I totally agree to this. Also I have the small addendum to this idea. I think the parking lot should be next to the "Travel Agency" building. So if you place some vehicles on this parking lot and "travel" to different location, everything that parking contains on previous map will be present on the parking next to building but in different location.
Hmm. The idea that I am thinking will entirely 'delete' the map and all of it's objects. If you parked a damaged vehicle on the lot and then switched maps it might cause a conflict and make the car explode or have inconsistencies with the damage. It might be better to just advise the map creators to put it next to a small car dealership so that you can get a 'rent-a-car' or something similar. I see a plague of problems if they try to port cars over from map to map.
I think porting damaged vehicles only from the space I described as parking lot should not be a problem, because on the other map this space would be the same as on previous map. I think the results of the simulation (how we damaged the vehicle during the gameplay) can be saved temporarily, and then loaded inside that space in relation to it. The missing parts of the vehicle like bumpers we lost or other elements which stays outside that space wouldn't be considered to port at all.
This would be a great idea. Personally, I didn't mind the amount of time it took to restart RoR, just to change the map. But the thought of having to QUIT the game just to change the map was weird for me
You can currently change map from the main menu. I think being able to change map from within the game world itself would be cool, but perhaps only for a few times; kind of like flashy interfaces that make you wait 5 seconds every time you navigate somewhere
That would be highly dependent on how the game simulates detached parts. Like for instance with RoR, the current versions still count the 'broken' parts as part of the car and as such the camera often tried to keep all of it in frame, and sometimes if you put a car in between those parts you could get some extra lag. This portion would be left entirely up to the developers on if it would work or not with the parts system they are developing. Yeah, I assumed you could already change the maps using the main menu but this feature would kind of eliminate any middle menus, meaning you wouldn't have to escape -> Main Menu -> Select Map -> Select Car. Instead you'd just have to travel to the agency (if you want) and enter the building, navigate to the map you want and then select it. Load up go get your car. The drive time would entertain the person if they so choose for it to. It might not be as quick as going to the main menu (depending on your computer).. but this could be an option on how you change maps, rather it be the only option. You know?
Actually I don't believe it would matter too much in loading times. Once you load a game, it usually doesn't unload everything when you quit to main menu I think(Or at least, in most of the games I play there's hardly any loadingtime when quitting to main menu and loading, say, another save or whatever). And it would have to load up the new map anyway... I'm gonna have to agree with Hutch. It would get annoying quickly to have to travel somewhere to .. you know... to travel somewhere. Not sure if it's where you got the idea from, but I found it very annoying in Test Drive Unlimited 2 that everytime I wanted to go to the other island, I had to go to the airport(first friggin annoying cutscene of some guy walking into an airport), then wait for the loading screen, then another annoying cutscene of the same guy walking out, then usually another short loading time of the game actually loading my car, which somehow also took absolutely ages(Then again, that game was pretty horrid compared to TDU1)... It might be fun once or twice, but after that it's just unneeded hastle... Besides, you already say it wouldn't be as fast as the main menu thing, that already pretty much proves most people would get bored of it after using it once, because there is the faster way using the main menu anyway(and people are just too impatient to wait), yet it would require a lot of coding from the devs for it to work. Seems pretty useless then, to me anyway :/ EDIT@below: Again though, even as a secondary option, it feels like the devs would have to spend a lot of their resources to program something that probably won't get used a lot because there will be a better option anyway :/
I haven't played the Test Drive series so that isn't where I got this idea from. I also noted that it would be more of an option then a requirement. You can change maps through the main menu or through the agency. It's up to the players and it would get used by those who want it, or who don't. It'll get used by guys who don't like it if they are next to it and go "Meh might as well". It really isn't a matter of it being cool and flashy, rather a way for people who want to drive a little, then switch maps. It might sound clunky in idea phase but it would get used, it just wouldn't be one of those features that is massively talked about, you know? Don't by any means make it a mandatory feature to change maps, just have it as an option.
After reconsidering, you are right. This feature isn't about efficiency to get to the menus (I noted before it would eliminate middle menus, but I take it back). Instead, I think this feature would be more to give the player the ability to do something more on the map, rather then just escape out. I guess it's just a handful of vocal people who like this idea.
Hmm, now that's pretty neat. I'll never have the patience to directly script something but I might have to look into dabbling.
I personally think there should be an option to either go into the menu to change maps, or to visit the map changing location. If you did both, you could just choose whichever you felt like doing. Simple.
