Treasure maps

[Torgrim 403]

One aspect of Ultima Online I really liked was treasure maps and treasure hunting. I think this would be an excellent addition also to Wurm. It would make people go out travelling alot more looking for those buried chests (could even create som excitement on PvP servers).

Maps could be obtained through fishing, killing monsters, tracking or praying. They could be of different quality levels and would have to be deciphered with a new "Mapping" skill. Once deciphered they should show a map of the area where the treasure is buried. Once in the right place you would dig up the treasure chest using a shovel. Chests could contain gems, rare resources(refined so not to weigh too much) etc.  Even new kinds of treaurse items could be added but it's not required. Higher ql maps contains more items and higher ql rewards.  When the treasure is dug up there could spawn some monsters to defend it in some cases also.

There are some tricky parts to implement here obviuosly:

1. Mapping skill has to be trained somehow, doing it on dechiper only might not be viable, maps should be that common after all. Drawing your own maps for skilling purposes could be an option, or dechipering the same map multiple times, see next item for more...

2.The map itself, what should it look like? Well, nicest would be if the server could produce a real looking map of some random area, but that I think would be a big task to develop. Instead, by deciphering the map you could get hints in text form in which direction to go, first in very general ways like "looks to be far to the south near the coast" etc. Or "you seem to be in the general area, try going a bit further north" and so on, a bit like finding water with a pendulum. Each dechiper could reult in a small possible skill gain at least at lower skill levels, finding the treasure should result in a bigger guaranteed skill gain.

3. We live in an ever changing world, maps will become outdated as people put down deeds, terraform etc. this could be countered by maps decaying fairly fast. Say a map lasts maximum a month if kept in a safe place. Of course it will occur that you can't reach the place of the treasure sometimes, but is it such a big deal?

Thanks for reading, let me know what you think

[BlGpapa 68]

+1 i like that idea

[Gaeron 551]

-1 to instance loot system ideas

+1 to making treasure maps of stuff you yourself have hidden

+100 to being able to make multiple copies.

ps

I loved the UO treasure hunting too but copying that system into Wurm won't work.

[Torgrim 403]

-1 to instance loot system ideas

+1 to making treasure maps of stuff you yourself have hidden

+100 to being able to make multiple copies.

ps

I loved the UO treasure hunting too but copying that system into Wurm won't work.

What is wrong with looting some resources? It would require lots of effort and skill to find the treasure chest in the first place, also it shouldn't be enormous amounts. But sure, the contents of the chests is debatable, it should be stuff that doesn't alter the game balance more than marginally.

Making your own maps, sure, nice addition, but I don't think it would be used that much personally.

[Wraithglow 787]

i would have previously backed the idea of maps being made in-game. But after the christmas treasure hunt, and the incredible map made for it, I don't really see the need - if it was implemented it would still be quicker to use paint/photoshop.

As for randomly finding treasure maps... sounds a bit too much like a quest for my liking!

[Mord 0]

I loved treasure maps in UO.  However in the end all you had to do was look on another website to find the spot your treasure was located.

Finding stuff in the treasure chest could be iron coins to 70 ql weapons.  Not game changing. 

[Torgrim 403]

I loved treasure maps in UO.  However in the end all you had to do was look on another website to find the spot your treasure was located.

Finding stuff in the treasure chest could be iron coins to 70 ql weapons.  Not game changing. 

The treasure locations should be completly random, so no looking at websites to find them.

Coins and weapons I do not agree with as treasures, that would be against Wurm principles

[Mallaboro 42]

I miss the days when GMs would ask riddles in Kchat, and whoever got the correct answer would be awarded an item. Nothing special, often it would just be something like a fishing rod of average quality.

[akaedis 429]

being able to duplicate treasure maps would be good, because you never know weither its been completed or not.

but the real question is how are they gonna hide it, and how will players know where to find it and how much effort will be required...

and my answer to that is to hide it on the beach/underwater, and at the same time, randomly, little islands will appear on the map, and a chest will be on it, over time the island will decay OR players can expand the tiny little island. but these islands would be no more than 2x2 tiles. maybe 2x3 is what im thinking

[Seggallion 0]

Or make treasures a rare thing like gems.

When you botanize or digging you can find a treasure. Might be a locked chest that have a riddle'ish clue where the key is on the map.

Anyhow, like the idea of maps!

[Wox 1,477]

I would like to have a map in the game.

If you had starter map (no drop) with the start areas all new players wouldn't feel so lost.

A map with the island(s) on (made in photoshop with very crude details, big mountains, lakes ...)

When you walk around the map it will be filled in with roads etc depending on the skill you have in cartography.

So greater skill will add more details.

And the more you walk around and the maps gets filled in, the more your skill you get.

You have to revisit places to update the map.

or something like that .... uh   ... and this had nothing to do with treasure maps lol, maybe u can add it to it

[Wulfgar 1,115]

horrible idea

A map with the basic outline of the island would be as far as I would accept an ingame map ever.

It goes against the whole survival feeling of Wurm to have a map that fills out automatically as you explore.

[Torgrim 403]

I haveto agree with Wulfgar (although his notion of a quote is very strange) that it wouldn't be the same Wurm anymore if you had something like that. Maybe, maybe, if it was based on skill somehow so the details of the map would be greater the more skill you have then I could agree it would be cool. You would still have to revisit places now and then to keep it updatet because of the ever changing world.

[Goldenflamer 7]

No this isn't WOW no maps pls

[Wox 1,477]

So you must really have a bad relationships to the maps on the wiki then 

Anyway, end of this discussion from my part.

Cheers!

[Saroman 1,341]

You can choose not to look at the maps on the wiki, as you could choose not to look at any ingame map.

Not so horrible after all.

[Torgrim 403]

The map on the wiki is fine I think. It doesn't show exactly where you are at all times and doesn't show all deeds or exactly where anything is. Also in game map as I said if it was based on skill it would be fine, or maybe on an item ql, like the compass which will be useless otherwise if you have an ingame map.

[Pashka 707]

I would like to have a map in the game.

If you had starter map (no drop) with the start areas all new players wouldn't feel so lost.

I think as a way for new players to be able to find the starter town again or possibly be able to get their bearings we should have a permanent beacon like the one we have at Christmas.

[Jekev 7]

The argument against having an automated in-game mapping system is often misrepresented by the people who want such as system implemented as the opinion that there should be no maps at all. Many of the people who are against the system Wox outlined are against it because of its automated features, rather than the existence of a map accessible in-game.

The objection is with many people against having an automated system for mapping roads and settlements. The way this is done now requires an element of skill and community cooperation, rather than one guy autowalking afk across the server then posting his map on the forums or selling it ingame.

As with most mechanics it is more interesting if they are based upon real life skills, so combat is more interesting if its based on the person playing the character rather than the grinding-obtained skill of the character they play, and so on. Making mapping an automated system is going in the exact opposite direction to this ideal.

Personally I find the existence of a map dump acceptable if its based on the initial server, when it is all generated randomly. The changes made after that such as roads and deeds are made by thoughtful logic from the players, they should be mapped as requiring thought and logic by players, rather than someone making a freebie alt and autowalking it down a highway.

I would find the ability to display a map such as the hand made community map in-game acceptable, that would help new players without taking the thought and real life skill out of mapping.

I would like to have a map in the game.

If you had starter map (no drop) with the start areas all new players wouldn't feel so lost.

I think as a way for new players to be able to find the starter town again or possibly be able to get their bearings we should have a permanent beacon like the one we have at Christmas.

I was thinking about this myself a while back, I think it would be a good permanent addition for helping noobs get back to the starter town.

[KaiH 1,126]

It takes skill and time to draw a map in real life.

Why not just copy that to Wurm?

You start to write on the map and have to stand still:

at 1.00 skill you draw 1 tile on the map in a 30sec timer.

at 25.00 skill you draw 25 tiles on the map in a 30sec timer.

You can fail of course, either mess up your map or no change made.

These are just examples of numbers of course.

[RainRain 591]

Depending on skill, % chance to draw the tile you stand on, and at marks of the skill, more tiles drawn at once (i.e at 90 skill your whole local radius would be drawn at a 100% chance)

also all maps would be able to be written on at all skills, more for higher skill.

upon the addition of this, please books and art, rolfykins?

[Torgrim 403]

Yes, the parts about normal maps in game using some skill sounds like a good idea as long as it's not too easy. Making the area around starting point easier to map is also a good idea.

But how about Treasure Maps? Any thoughts on that?

[Myst 1]

Treasure maps could actually be Game generated:  Dug up by diggers while digging dirt, similiar to how a miner chance finds a Gem.  Server can then isolate/draw a small detailed map of the area as well as detect deeds so its ensured to be an off deed location.  If a Deed is founded over top of a "current map" the map could get a " the fragile map is destroyed with the sands of time" or something like that. 

Higher dig skill could generate higher maps / loots , could even make it so the dig spot generates mob flows depending on the map level.  just some things to consider , treasure seeking is always a favored past time

[bp1986 173]

I would really like to see this, if only just to have non-PvP missions.

Hopefully the contents would be useful but not gamebreaking though... I could see getting a sub 50 QL gem, or upwards to 50c in one. Perhaps even crafted items, but please not beyond 50 QL.