So if any of you have ever used RPG Maker VX, then you should know that it gives you a lot of tools that you can use to make a world map. However, the debate is about whether to use a world or a continuous map, which is found in a lot of newer games nowadays, where you just travel from dungeon to town, ect. automatically, without traversing the world.

I like world maps, they remind of the old days when every RPG had one, but truthfully, continuous maps are more realistic.

What do you think?

I personally like a world map BECAUSE so many new games use continuous maps. I played God of War III and I was surprised I had nearly made it to the end. I hate feeling like that.

In old school games, you could always feel that 'holy sh*t, I've made it to the end' feeling.

I want world maps back. RPGs just don't do it anymore. =(

It depends. I'm not familiar with VX so I don't now how it would play. Shadow Hearts used world maps similar to what you would see in RPGM1 where it was just a map and a town would appear and then you could travel to it with a click. What I liked about this was seeing the scope of the game in a single screen, having new towns appear surprisingly, and being able to travel with ease. Then you have something like Dragon Quest VIII where you have towns and dungeons that you have to get through via a field like what you would see in RPGM3. What I like about this is the realistic aspect that towns and dungeons do not connect to each other, they are separated by large amounts of field in the middle and you can't just warp everywhere via a world map you have to actually travel there.

What I don't like is towns that connect to dungeons without either a world map or a field. This is OK for survival horror but I don't prefer it for RPGs. Therefore if VX allows you both world maps and fields I say it is a question of preference, time, or design which to choose. But if VX only has world maps, towns and dungeons but no fields, then I'd probably want the world map unless for some reason it completely detracts from or is inconsistent with your towns and dungeons.

World Maps.

Who cares if it's not realistic? That's not the point. World maps exist for convenience. A simple way to move from location to location, without having to make long treks. In fact, when you don't have world maps, the trek from place to place seems tedious and slow. When you're using a world map, you're quickly going across the world, to the desitination that you ultimately want to be. Without the world map, that place you want to be instead becomes part of that long trek.

But even if you connect locations directly, at the very least, you need to show how far along you've come during the quest. Take Final Fantasy X and Paper Mario. Final Fantasy X, every time you reached a new location, it would show a map that showed a trail from the start of the game to your current location. In Paper Mario, you had a map that you could open at any time, and you'd be able to see more and more icons appear on the map as you visit more locations.

I'll always prefer world maps, though.

THANK YOU.

This can be applied to many situations, man... many.