There's a lot of different ways to do an in-game map. There's a lot of ways to get it right and a lot of ways to get it wrong. As the world of Lost Nova got bigger, I needed to start thinking about how to do my own in-game map. Here's the results!
Can you Read It?
Map readability was a top priority for me. As a rule, I used high-contrast colors and borders to really emphasize where you can and can't travel. I then immediately proceeded to break that rule for Secret Reasons.
Where's the SECRETS
There's a lot of secrets in Lost Nova! Would putting them all on the map ruin the fun of exploration? I'm not sure. Instead, I decided to go with a sprinkling of little hints. Certain parts of each map are left open, alluding at hidden pathways. There are tiny pictograms to mark important locations and landmarks. Each map also displays which resources you can find in that area. I'm trying to help the player as much as I can without fully tipping my hand. A tricky thing to do when you're making a game primarily about exploration.
How Do I, Jon, Even Make a Map?
I took screenshots of each area within the editor and traced them. It works!
Other Neat Things
I did a lot more than just think a whole lot about maps since my previous devlog. In Lost Nova you can now:
- mow the lawn
- talk to a rock
- have multiple saves
- play with a controller!
- shoot a rock
It's all really coming together!
Until Next Time
That's all for now! I believe there's still one major zone in the game that I haven't talked about yet, but I'll save that for next time. Until then, don't forget to wishlist the game. It really helps me out and the Steam algorithm really likes it!
<3
Jon