Maps & Regions in MCOThis is how now looks a typical map in Mars Colony:
As big as it is it's still limited and a player who travels far in search for resources will face an invisible wall.
I propose a little change.
Mainly - when you reach the map outer limits you load another map.
It's so simple yet it gives the player a feel of open world.
This is how it looks for instance in Sim City 4:
There are several map sizes from
tiny to
GIGANTIC.
All together they form a REGION.
Player could pick the region first and then determine on which map he wishes to place his base and start playing.
How many maps would be needed? Many to say the least. It could then look like something like this:
(thats also from Sim City 4: Mars Mode)
Players would then be given the oppurtunity to go inside the preasurized rover and travel far.
That type of exploration could even last for hours (days!) in real-time. NASA says that they want at least 1 mission to nearby crater that would take about 2 weeks long.
Of course the explorers wouldn't just sit inside the preasurized Rover and switch seats from time to time - the main couse of this trip is to explore everything you can along the way.
The regions that would be aviable to play can be the real one's....like
Valles Marinerishttp://www.destination-orbite.net/planetologie/images/valles_marineris.jpgNoctis Labyrinthushttp://naliyat23.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/noctis_labyrinthus_02_color.jpgor
Iani Chaos http://esamultimedia.esa.int/images/marsexpress/just_for_thumbnails_and_previews_M_50k_02S_343E_H.jpgand many many more.
There are many games who uses that binded map systems.
For instance: Star Trek Online.
--->
http://faqsmedia.ign.com/faqs/image/article/106/1069744/suricata_stostarchart3_2010feb16.jpgThere is also one good feature that this enables.
When two players decide they want to play they start a server.
They both decidethe locations of they'r base in the region and invite friends to they'r base.
They can compete with one-another of aid themselves.
As one player uses preasurized rover to leave his own map he can go to visit the other base.