POSTED BY EMIL (Official Albion Online website)

This week we wanted to share another dev blog to update you all on our progress and show off our Mini-map. Read on for more information…

Mini-Map

While developing the mini-map, we had four goals in mind. These were:

• To make it easy for players to orient themselves in their immediate surroundings at all times
• To enable players to be aware of the constant dynamic action of Albion Online happening all around them, even if they’re not directly involved in it
• To allow for better organization and coordination amongst team members
• To make it easy for players to track the status and ownership of territories in their area.

Our old Mini-Map…

Let’s go into detail about exactly how the mini-map in Albion Online facilitates these goals:

Orientation

We always want players to feel like they know where they are, and where they’re going next. This leads to more fluid gameplay and fewer pauses!

Given that the world of Albion is so expansive, we wanted the players to feel that they could at any time orient themselves in their immediate area, and not feel like they were getting lost in the woods! Hence we wanted to develop a mini-map which had enough detail to give a good visual impression of the landscape; looking at a blank green square would leave any player feeling disoriented! That’s why Albion Online’s mini-map will depict every river and boulder, and essentially any natural or man-made landmark will be shown to the player all the time. What we didn’t want to do, however, was make the mini-map too detailed, as this would have made the world too easy to get around. For example, we won’t show resources on the mini-map, so players will have to search high and low for resources if they want to make the best items! We want to make it simple to make your way around Albion, but not so easy that you won’t be able to explore and discover your own world! Also marked on the map will be compass directions, so you’ll always know which way to go next!

The Dynamic World of Albion

In Albion Online, we want the player to feel like the world is alive with action, even if they’re not always directly involved in it!

There’s always something going on in Albion: be it guild rivalries flaming up, a warrior being ambushed by mobs, players committing crimes, or a simple PvP fight; a player can see a lot of action while wandering round the map. We want the player to experience this dynamic world without having to walk right into the middle of the action. This is why we’ve put a lot of effort into building this same dynamicity into the mini-map. In Albion Online, you’ll be able to see all the action through an event icon on your mini-map. You’ll be able to see when a player has died in your area, or if several players have died, or when someone commits a crime – it’s up to you to interpret this as a warning to stay away – or a call to action! Seen a player death icon on your mini-map a few paces from you? Maybe they’ve dropped loot? Do you want to take the risk of being killed by the same assailant, knowing that there might be a reward for your bravery? Noticed a player being marked as a criminal and feel like taking the law into your own hands? In Albion Online, there’s something happening around every corner – and you can decide if you want to be part of it!

… and the new one!

Organizing Your Team

Albion Online is a game for socializing, meeting friends, teaming up and taking on other guilds! We want to make it as easy as possible for players to work together as a team.

Ever heard that two heads are better than one? Well, how about 10 heads? Or 20? Or more? We think working as a team is a great way of playing MMOs, but it can also become a task to keep track of everyone if there are too many in your team. We wanted our mini-map to facilitate easy organization of dungeons raids, GvG fighting; even a simple hunting trip. That’s why we’ve made sure you can always check the mini-map and immediately see if there are any guild members in your area. That way you don’t have to spend hours in the chat window trying to organize a single raiding party. Seen a friendly icon on the mini-map? Go over and say hello! Your guild mate might have found something cool!

Know your Guild Area!

Each guild will have its own territories in Albion Online; these will be safe zones for guild members to chill out, build buildings, craft weapons and armor, and gear up before going out into the wilds of Albion again! Make sure you know where it’s safe… and where it isn’t!

We want our detailed guild territory system to be easily visible to all players, so they know exactly which areas belong to which guild. We have a color code so you’ll always know to whom a region belongs:

• Your regions are always blue
• Regions owned by other guilds are orange
• Unclaimed regions are transparent

In addition to this, any areas which your guild is currently trying to take over will be marked, as well as any of your areas which another guild is trying to claim from you…