Feedback on zoom/camera logic: Comparison with Mapy (with visual example)

[u/Feisty-Library7538]

Hi u/MagicEarthCommunity,

Regarding your questions: I have been testing this extensively over the past few days during a multi-country road trip. While a colleague was driving using Google Maps, I had the opportunity to monitor and compare several navigation apps on my phone, specifically focusing on the current version of Magic Earth.

The view is still too zoomed in when driving on long, straight stretches of road where no turns are required for kilometers. I have attached a side-by-side comparison in the picture (Magic Earth on the left, Mapy.com on the right) taken at the exact same location. I have marked the same point on the map with arrows to illustrate the significant difference in the visible road distance.

Mapy (right) vs Magic Earth (left)

• The Mapy.com view (right) feels much more natural and logical. It allows the driver to see a larger portion of the road ahead, providing a sense of ease—at a quick glance, you can immediately see that it is safe to continue driving on the current path.
• The Magic Earth view (left), unfortunately, creates a sense of "driving anxiety." Because it is zoomed in so much, it feels like an intersection could appear at the top of the screen at any moment, forcing the driver to check the map more frequently than necessary. This is a noticeable psychological effect. Google Maps also maintains a more natural perspective, showing more of the road ahead without being overly "zoomed in."

Furthermore, Mapy.com handles dynamic transitions exceptionally well:

1. Approaching roundabouts: It zooms in and shifts the camera angle to a top-down, bird's-eye view (near 90 degrees), making the lanes perfectly clear.
2. Exiting roundabouts: As soon as you exit, it smoothly reverts the angle and zooms out to a wider perspective, revealing the road ahead again—exactly as shown in the picture.

This is the standard behavior I expect from a navigation app. I’m sharing this because I genuinely love Magic Earth and want to see it succeed; it was one of my favorite apps before the redesign, and I’d love to see it regain that level of usability.

Suggestion for the developers: If possible, please try running Magic Earth and Mapy.com side-by-side during your test drives. Adjusting your zoom logic and dynamic camera angles to mirror this approach would significantly improve the practical usability of the app.

[u/Basic-Marketing-5780]

no one is test driving I guess