Getting Lost and Found in Zork - Exploration and Discovery

I am still at a bit of a loss on what I would like the narrative to focus on but I seem to be ok in refining the game play aspect of the game.

The main focus of my game is exploration, I want the player to be able to play through the whole story and only have seen 30% of the map, alternatively I want the player to be able to completely disregard the story if they choose so they can focus on getting lost and finding amazing wonders. To achieve this the game would have to be mainly a sandbox experience.

When the player starts the game and is let loose on the open world, his map will be blank. Some drawings will remain indicating villages of necessary points of interest such as a library or doctor.

As you walk a route the map will become more and more visible, roads you have walked before will be marked on the map for later reference along with points of interest. The map will function in the same vein as G.T.A IV’s with the player able to lay down waypoints to follow. If the player has walked the path before than the road will be highlighted on the in-game compass, if not then the waypoint will just be visible on the compass for the player to make there own way there.

Signposts will be featured throughout the game for the player to follow to villages and towns. If the player needs the extra help or just wants to focus on the main game without exploration then they have the choice of purchasing an in-game map which highlights the roads ahead for certain areas, a map will be made available for the main roads. These will mark out the main route on the in-game map for the player.

Example of the waypoint system in GTA laying out the route ahead. probably towards guns or drugs.

I plan to add a plethora of secret locations and points of marvel for the players to seek out such as; statues/memorials, caves, specialist shops, waterfalls and other various points of interest. The player will come across these points and if they see fit they can lay down a marker or a ‘flag of discovery’ to mark it on the map, at this point the player will be asked what they wish to name the area. This means areas of little aesthetical importance can be named in note form such as “Special Axe Spawn point” but areas that are meant to be appreciated or are of importance will already be named but can renamed at the players will. This gives the player some degree of control over the world and a sense of exploration and discovery but also allows for silly and humorous results. Villages and areas that are known of or lived in will have a set name.

Since I intend the map to be of a large scale, quick travel is a necessity but I want to keep the player from using it until the first few missions are completed. I intend this to be based of Red Dead Redemptions quick travel system where you set up camp in any area and have the option of travelling to visited towns.

Camp quick travel was standard for all cowboys during the era of the wild west

The finale of my games Exploration and discovery feature is the Zork+ mode.  This will act as a hardcore mode, it is only recommended for the most dedicated of gamers and I intend it to be a way of forming a close game community.

This mode effectively turns of the in game map and if a route is walked it is not marked out permanently, however the game when purchased will include a map of the game world without the roads marked on. The player then has to mark out the route he has walked in the game for later reference. I am aware this is a mammoth task therefore two version of the game will be released one with the map template and another with the template and an already completed map minus the secret locations.

But if the player does choose to make the map himself then they can seek help through Zork online community, which I will talk about in my next post.

RDR Campsite screen - http://reddead.wikia.com/wiki/Basic_Campsite

GTA map - http://gta.wikia.com/GPS