Mapping

OK, so you have some kit, there's not many players in The Land and there's a certain item that you'd like. You 'WH' it and excitedly find that it's still at large before you realise with a sinking heart ... it's in the dense forest. Cue much searching and retracing tracks before you WH it again and it's been picked up by someone. Godsdamnit! Or maybe that's just me ...

Being a time-constrained player has been a bit hard for these past few months and I can feel myself slipping back into the old socialiser mode after enjoying being an explorer. After all, what's the point of going into The Land for 10 minutes at a time? Once you've got the kit you want, it's time to wave goodbye and qq! (I should get 'Kit in hut!' put on a hotkey ...)

However, it has started to dawn on me (bear with me, it's only taken 7 years for this to sink in) that 10 minutes can be put to good use. In a word ... mapping!

Those of you who have been giving me subtle hints over the years (as in "For gods sake, make a map!") I offer my sincere apologies.

Most of us know how to get to certain places, usually in our own unique fashion. But the places that really need mapping are usually out of bounds to the uninitiated ... draggy island, dwarfs, pagoda ... ring any bells? When you finally get the courage to deal with these places on your own, a good map will boost your confidence (and chances of survival) no end! But, I hear you scream with frustration, how do I make a map without getting fried/'picked on'/aped ...?

You know the bashes? We all have a great time, hacking and slashing, working our way through the set 'til we kill all them pesky mobiles? What do we do at the end, when all of 'em are dead and there's still some time remaining? Go and drink tea and congratulate ourselves? Reset? How on earth do you do that when you haven't the faintest idea where the reset button is?! Go mapping my friend! No draggy to make you crispy, no dwarfs to stick a poker up your ... erm ... never mind ..., no apes to pound you into the ground. The Land is a beautiful place :)

You might even find some treasure that's been missed ;-)

So, next time you see me in The Land (might not be for a while, but I'll get there sooner or later!). Don't worry if I'm muttering to myself, standing in one place for ages, then shooting off in a totally random direction ... I'll be mapping!

See you in the dense forest!