What makes a good map, /v/?

Nooks and crannies with rewards of all sizes that makes you wanna explore.

Diverse locations and landscapes for every mood, taste and setting.

Hidden paths and shortcuts that connect said locations.

Exploring the map blindly to mantain your sense of awe and excitement.

>>383998821
One that doesnt retarain you to mainly pathways and actually lets you explore surroundings.

Density

Areas should be diverse, interesting and interconnected, if you take a picture of the screen at any time then another player should be able to tell what game you're playing and exactly where you are. There should be paths between these areas that open up when you get a new item/ability. If the player's progression needs to be gated then it should be done as organically as possible (e.g. use a natural roadblock that requires the player to have an item/ability rather than just making an NPC block your path). Backtracking should be minimal unless an area is radically different on subsequent visits. Rewards should be placed all over the map, although they shouldn't force the player to go too far out of their way.

Connections of one area to another that unlock as you play so you still have to backtrack but not on the same path that you entered.

File: worldmap.png (970KB, 2560x2048px) Image search: [Google]

970KB, 2560x2048px

>>383998821
Compare LttP map and LA map, notice how everything is road blocked off, full of single paths, and in general a pain in the ass to navigate in LA and how open and easy it is to get from one part of the map to the other with a couple entrances and exits in many areas. Thats good map design.

>>384001203
>how open and easy it is to get from one part of the map to the other with a couple entrances and exits in many areas.
In LttP map, my bad.

handcrafted the map instead of random generating it and touching it up/sticking settlements on it

AKA the opposite of most modern games

>>384001203
>Thats good map design.
This refers to LA, right?

Play Dragon's Dogma and then do the opposite.

>>384001203

Totally different hardware, to be fair, so more restrictions on the GB. That LA is able to be as open as it is is incredible.

>>383998821
Thats suck a vague relative question

Specify

World map?

Depends on the type of game

>>384001203
The GBC games did have overworlds that felt really crampt and closed off. Hell, a lot of them just felt like dungeon rooms, LttP's overworld was much more open and more enjoyable to explore.

>>383998821

Now I feel like replaying this.
Or Secret of Mana.

My penis xD

>>384001203
As someone who hasn't played either game, I can't quite tell which one you're criticizing/praising.

>>383998821
>Varied environments and memorable scenery
>Features that encourage and reward exploration
>A sense of journey and progression in the geography
>(internally) logical terrain and feature placement
>terrain and features that complement game mechanics