I'm somewhat new to the game, only put about 40-50 hours in so far but one this is a bit frustrating. I love exploring and the randomly generated cave sequences are amazing but it is easy to get lost, turned around, and miss areas. Especially if you need to save and exit and return to continue exploring. I think a planet map would be extremely useful so you can see at a glance where you've been and where you need to explore still.
An excellent idea! Though, there is something I'm concerned about. Is there actually a limit on the horizontal area of the map? I've been walking pretty far and... ehrm... no end.
Actually its not really circular, it is just like, when you go through the one ends side of the map you appear on the other. The map is still like a horizontally map. so most easy thing is dig a hole or place a flag at the landing position and when you see it again, you know you have explored the whole planet.
Right, but that doesn't really work for huge cave systems. When exploring a gigantic cave there can be several branching paths that can take hours to explore. I enjoy that part but sometimes I need to stop in the middle and have no idea what I have and haven't explored in the cave system yet so a map view of your explored planets would be "nice to have". Even if setting a landmark on the surface is easy enough.
Also, I assumed they were circular and digging down far enough would have you come out on the surface on the opposite side of the planet. What happens when you reach the vertical depth limit of a planet?
A map could be something useful Yup, you can go horizontally and never find end, it can be easily noticed on smaller planets. When you reach the vertical depth limit of planet you find "core" of planet. It is full of magma, and if you're not afraid of it and try to reach deeper, you will find end as in Terraria. The same with going up. First you will notice the atmosphere to disappear, and the temperature dramatically gettin low, then you will find something like asteroid field, and if you survive the extremal conditions you will find upper vertical end - just like in Terraria.
actually, such a map should only contain a surface shape and tell the kind of blocks on the durface, like saying the ship scannign the planets surface when you arrive at the planet. If you come to the vertical depth, you will have lava there and this may continue until the bottom of the map. But wou would not cross the planet in that way. it would then just be a !hard bottom wall" therefore you cna say, the map is kinda cutted of crust and a piece of magma layer from a planet and layed out as a flat like. Like cutting a ring and putting it on a table.
@LizardPL Some planets do not loop around and never end?? @LilyV3 I don't think this is a game worried about realism that we need to justify it as just what the ship can scan...
@soccastar001 I mean, that when you go left or right all the time and never change direction, you will find your spawning point again, and never find "border" of map. Just like the planet was round And this is the rule for all the planets, i suppose.
