One thing common amongst all MMOs is that the maps are always quite large. A minimap helps with awareness of your surroundings and reduces the chances of getting lost or going in circles. Amazon’s New World opted for a Skyrim-style compass navigator, and fans didn’t feel this was enough, which is why a minimap was added not by the devs but by some enterprising modders.
Those who have used the minimap have said that it is much easier to move around and get to destinations. The feature has become so ubiquitous with open-world games that not having it really emphasizes its importance and usefulness. So, the minimap mod was a blessing for many New World players, but there was a catch.
The game’s Terms of Service (TOS) bars the use of third-party apps and overlays; the minimap mod falls into this category. Players who installed the mod were running the risk of being banned as if they had used the gold duplication exploit or another game-breaking glitch.
Luckily, a month has passed since the mod was released and no one has been banned from the game for using a minimap. A developer recently posted on the official New World forum explaining no bans had happened and Amazon’s take on adding the minimap to New World.
The big concern about not adding a minimap to the game was having “eyes planted on the minimap as opposed to the play space.” The goal is to have players navigate using landmarks and roadways to take in the beauty of Aeternum without constantly looking at a minimap. There is also the concern that including a minimap would take away from the game’s immersion, pushing players to be quick and efficient in their playthroughs.
The second point is a little strange, given that all MMOs eventually become a quest for efficiency, but it is a reminder that New World is Amazon’s first game; they are not super well versed with the ins and outs of MMOs.
Lane stated that Amazon would not ban any player who uses minimap mods, as long as those mods adhere to a specific set of rules.
- Show player position.
- Show folks in a group as we do on the compass.
- Only show node placement if they’ve unlocked that node via tradeskills, provided the compass would display them within the range.
- Only show AI that you’ve unlocked via tradeskills as compass and within range of compass.
- Show quests as they do on compass.
Amazon will monitor the minimap mod usage and may “re-evaluate” its position later depending on how many people choose to use the said mod.
About New World
New World is an upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) by Amazon Games set to be released on August 31, 2021. The game was previously scheduled to release in May 2020 but was delayed to its current date.
Set in the mid-1600s, players colonize a fictional land known as Aeternum Island, modeled after North and South Americas in the Atlantic Ocean. The game will be using a buy-to-play business model, meaning there will be no monthly subscription fee.
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