How do you all feel about the idea of having a pen, quill, or whatever type of writing utensil to make notes in your journal? I looked back on other posts and saw one stating that we would only get static maps, not a “marauder’s map”. Which I really like that actually, I’m a big fan of these archaic type systems. However as I had ranted about in my “Ranger special arrows and trap usage” post that I took way off topic, I had some difficulty remembering where NPCs were to turn quests into and finding things.
So my idea is how about having a writing utensil that allows us to jot down notes on our static maps and in our journals? Maybe put open pages in our journals for writing general stuff we want to remember, putting notes such as where an NPC is located on our specific quest pages, or the ability to mark places on the map for whatever reason (quest NPCs, our favorite camping spots, gathering locations, routes we like to take, really anything you can dream of).
I’m not sure if others can see our journals, I know I’ve accidentally left mine sitting out in town before haha. I get the feeling others can’t see it because I haven’t seen any around and I doubt I’m the only person who’s done that! But for example, if we could show people our journals, maps, or notes, we could use something like this to show another player a place to go, we could pull out our map and draw a location on it, or a route to get there.
I think this could add a lot to the community and in the same respect, perhaps keep people more in game working together instead of running to Google to ask where the next objective, camp, or quest giver is. Unfortunately in this age you cannot avoid that, but I feel that any idea that keeps us more engaged with the game’s mechanics, the community, and keeping our headsets on would be a good thing. Another idea would be a drawing board type item we could pull out that others could see as we draw on them. I guess that could get touchy if people want to be inappropriate though, so maybe making our “notes” public wouldn’t be the best idea. Just a thought though.
Secondly, about compass QoL suggestions. In my other rant I had stated a desire for a static, minimalist type compass always on screen. Thinking about this more, and how often I have to peek out of my headset to relocate myself in my play area gave me an idea. So far in most Oculus Rift games I’ve played, there’s a marker on the floor that’s designated as your play area center point, typically with a line pointing in the direction that would make you front facing. I’m not sure if Vive players worry about this, but it is a really handy thing for Oculus games. So my suggestion here is, how about putting a rudimentary compass on the ground at your play area “center point”, with a line pointing to your “front facing” location?
You could also leave the already existing compass as it is if you wanted the markers around it showing you the general direction of places nearby or the direction of your party members. Extending that thought even further, perhaps then if you pulled out your normal compass and touched it with your off hand it could pull up your static map.