The long road

[darkfiremew.5937]

I can hardly wait for the day when we have maps connecting each other from Dragon Stand to the Domain of Kourna.

[Randulf.7614]

Whilst I agree, that would be a cool thing to have, I'm pretty certain they will never interconnect like that given the way maps have been implemented.

It is a nice dream though

[darkfiremew.5937]

Still, I can dream that someday, the map(s) that connect Desert Highlands and Fields of Ruin, will be implemented. SOMEDAY! And then I can walk or ride between expansions.

[Randulf.7614]

I agree. Interconnecting maps makes the World feel more alive. When I run alts through the PS, I usually run through all the maps to a destination, completing those maps and events en route. I would love to be able to do that more and why I was glad to see Kourna/Jahai connect up so well

[darkfiremew.5937]

And Jahai with Vabbi, even if it's a bit inexact. We can go from the top Desert map to the lowest Kournan man. If sailing would be implemented we could go through the islands as well, not just waypointing there.

[Danikat.8537]

This isn't actually that unlikely - there's only one point on this trip where the maps don't connect, and that's going from Fields of Ruin to Desert Highlands. There are already entrances/exists on the map - the gate beside Ebonhawk in Fields of Ruin and a tunnel at the north end of Lifeblood Ravine in Desert Highlands. That suggests Anet wanted to allow themselves the option of connecting the maps one day.

Of course that may not mean much - there's gates and tunnels and other potential exits all around the original maps which have been there since launch and are still dead ends, and new exits have been created where there was nothing before (the gate leading into Lake Doric from Divinity's Reach for example, before the episode was released it was a blank wall).

I'd like to see this happen, but since new maps are currently only being released as part of living world releases it will only happen if/when it fits the storyline.

[mauried.5608]

The game needs a mechanism to prevent players who dont have HOT or POF from going to zones where they shoudnt be .The segregated maps does this, but it woudnt if all the maps were joined together.The other reason for segregated maps is that it stops monsters from wandering between zones, or being kited by players into the wrong zone.

[Dante.1763]

@mauried.5608 said:The game needs a mechanism to prevent players who dont have HOT or POF from going to zones where they shoudnt be .The segregated maps does this, but it woudnt if all the maps were joined together.The other reason for segregated maps is that it stops monsters from wandering between zones, or being kited by players into the wrong zone.

I..what? If im understanding the OP they just want portals added to all the maps that are touching so they connect.You cant enter HoT or PoF maps no matter if you dont have the expansions, and mobs cant walk through portals anyways.

[Boysenberry.1869]

Imagine the possibilities! Anet allows mobs to travel between maps, connects all maps, and then a player kites a Veteran Hydra all the way to Queensdale to nuke new players. ;)

[Danikat.8537]

@Dante.1763 said:

@mauried.5608 said:The game needs a mechanism to prevent players who dont have HOT or POF from going to zones where they shoudnt be .The segregated maps does this, but it woudnt if all the maps were joined together.The other reason for segregated maps is that it stops monsters from wandering between zones, or being kited by players into the wrong zone.

I..what? If im understanding the OP they just want portals added to all the maps that are touching so they connect.You cant enter HoT or PoF maps no matter if you dont have the expansions, and mobs cant walk through portals anyways.

That was my understanding too.

Verdant Brink (the first HoT map) does connect to the core game maps - if you go into the ruin next to the Amber fort in Silverwastes you can see the entrance, but you can't go through it unless you own HoT. Same for Lake Doric and Bitterfrost Frontier and other expansion/living story maps with entrances in core maps.

And yeah, enemies can't leave the map they're on - if they're chasing you and you go through a portal they're gone. Most of them can't even be kited very far within the map, if you move far enough away they'll break off and run back where they came from, even if you're still attacking them.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

^Not only that, but my characters that haven't completed the chapter for Lake Doric entry can't use the portal in Divinity's Reach. They have to use a waypoint or Teleport to a Friend (since I own all expansions and Living World Season Episodes).
Thus, not owning the requisite expansion would suffice, as far as keeping players out. What I mean is, the technology is already in-game.

[darkfiremew.5937]

@"mauried.5608" said:The game needs a mechanism to prevent players who dont have HOT or POF from going to zones where they shoudnt be .The segregated maps does this, but it woudnt if all the maps were joined together.The other reason for segregated maps is that it stops monsters from wandering between zones, or being kited by players into the wrong zone.

With the exception of:"> @"Boysenberry.1869" said:Imagine the possibilities! Anet allows mobs to travel between maps, connects all maps, and then a player kites a Veteran Hydra all the way to Queensdale to nuke new players. ;)", this topic is mostly about wishful thinking of eventually having maps connecting between the Core maps and the PoF maps so that we could travel, on foot or on mount from the most southern part of DS to DK map after map. Not desegregating maps.

[Danikat.8537]

Incidentally I've been thinking about this and it might be better to do it the other way around - start from Kourna and make your way up and across to Dragon's Stand. Otherwise you'd have to do the whole Dragon's Stand meta just to get to the starting point.

Of course going the other way you then have to do the meta to get to the end point, but that way you get a massive gold chest to celebrate and get to run around collecting treasure after you've finished. I think it'd make for a nice ending.

[darkfiremew.5937]

That's even better, though I doubt that they'd actually put NPCs that get us from the island maps, provided we have them unlocked, to mainland. But that doesn't constitute just walking or riding from one corner of the existing limit to the other.

[Danikat.8537]

There is a ship which will take you to Istan, but it goes from Amnoon rather than Kourna, so you'd have to double back. It would be good if they could add one to Kourna too.

[darkfiremew.5937]

The captain of the boat doesn't take you back to Amnoon, or anywhere else other than that one time. I'll have to edit my comment if he takes you from Amnoon to Istan outside the story step after you did it once. The others didn't.

EDIT: the boat does take you to Istan even if you have finished that story step.

[Tyson.5160]

I could see Anet, allowing you to Port from the Desert gate to that collapsed tunnel in the Desert Highland. Something similar to the Desolation to Vabbi or Vabbi to Jahai. It’s not very interesting but it connects the maps.

[darkfiremew.5937]

They could, but then why do the NPCs keep insisting that the way is collapsed on one side while branded on the other?

[Tyson.5160]

Simple change in text, stating the passage is clear with a zone portal. Then on the highland side clear the rubble to also show a portal and state that the branded followed Kralky south.

[darkfiremew.5937]

It would be the most unfulfilling way of doing it, instead of giving 1 or 2 maps in between. But it is a way.

[MithranArkanere.8957]

@Randulf.7614 said:Whilst I agree, that would be a cool thing to have, I'm pretty certain they will never interconnect like that given the way maps have been implemented.

It is a nice dream though

There is a gate in Fields of Ruin and a collapsed tunnel in Desert Highlands.

Now that Vabbi connects to Jahai, it would be possible to walk from the Mouth of Mordremoth to Gandara if they ever put 1-2 maps between Fields of Ruin and Desert Highlands.

[darkfiremew.5937]

True, even though we still don't know why the regular route between the Desolation and Vabbi is blocked by Forged magic(hinting at another potential map), we've arrived at the same conclusion.

[hugo.4705]

@darkfiremew.5937 said:True, even though we still don't know why the regular route between the Desolation and Vabbi is blocked by Forged magic(hinting at another potential map), we've arrived at the same conclusion.

Would assume that where the gate lead is a forged factory, just like the one near the necropolis. But then it's a huge wasted potential. :/

[Fraghound.5730]

I would looove it if all the maps connected together. I adore jumping on my raptor (or back in the day before mounts - running) from map to map. I honestly don't like using waypoint unless I'm farming or focusing on a event. Running between each map is just fun and more alive feeling for me.

[darkfiremew.5937]

@Fraghound.5730 said:I would looove it if all the maps connected together. I adore jumping on my raptor (or back in the day before mounts - running) from map to map. I honestly don't like using waypoint unless I'm farming or focusing on a event. Running between each map is just fun and more alive feeling for me.

I like having waypoints when doing achievements or farms, but when I want to just turn my brain off and go map to map, I like just riding my gryphon since it's so cool to see it's wings flap while I'm going from one map to another.

@hugo.4705 said:

@"darkfiremew.5937" said:True, even though we still don't know why the regular route between the Desolation and Vabbi is blocked by Forged magic(hinting at another potential map), we've arrived at the same conclusion.

Would assume that where the gate lead is a forged factory, just like the one near the necropolis. But then it's a huge wasted potential. :/It could be just an entrance to a map that leads to a raid explaining what Balthazar has done in more detail than just the:"grrr kill all dragons because I am the embodiment of war regardless of all of the sentient life" thing we got in the POF campaign. Too many Lyssa references for my liking and not enough Menzies explanations nor what happened with all of his remaining followers from the GW1 game. Too many loose ends for my taste.That being said it can be an interesting alternate route through the maps once the seal between the 2 gates is broken.