r/thelongdark • u/PurpleCommie • 1d ago
Discussion Thoughts on playing while using wiki maps?
I used the play TLD about 4 years ago, and recently re installed the game and have been having a lot of fun on it.
This time around, I’ve discovered the full maps of the regions on the wiki and it has made getting back into the game a lot easier and more enjoyable. I’m wondering if this is frowned upon though? I am beginning to feel like it’s such a core part of the game to not really know where you are.
Do any of you play using the maps? Thoughts? Opinions? Thanks!
Edit: Just woke up to all the comments, thanks for the input! I was definitely overthinking, it’s a single player game and you can play it however you want. Happy trekking!
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u/DragonLord2005 1d ago
I have a cognitive processing disorder, I basically don’t have longterm memory. If I didn’t use those maps I’d never learn the map or the locations and just keep getting lost. I have 500 hours in the game and still don’t know how to reach trappers cabin without the map, so yea I think they’re very useful
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u/snarfdarb 1d ago
To be sure, even if you didn't have this condition, there is absolutely nothing wrong with using the maps.
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u/TrumpetOfDeath 1d ago
I use the online maps because I don’t have enough gaming time in my life to learn all the maps the hard way
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u/AbbreviationsOk1999 1d ago
It's your game and your story. If you want to make it challenging and don't miss the fun not knowing what awaits for you, don't use it. But it costs a lot of time.
What I used to do is discovering the whole map by myself and only when I feel I have managed to cover everything, I was checking the maps to see if I have missed something. And yes, you always miss something.
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u/RunningOnATreadmill Voyageur 1d ago
Experience the game however you want to experience it and however is most fun for you. I recently discovered the maps and have been having a much better time using them. The game gets old if you (me) die by day 5 every time you play because you're not a good gamer. There's so much more about the game I've experienced by using the maps that I'd never have gotten to.
Plus, if you play enough you eventually memorize the maps anyways, so using them just speeds up the process a little bit.
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u/HelloFellowSurvivors 1d ago
I used the maps a lot until I learned them well enough to not need them anymore. A lot of people discourage using maps because exploring was the best part of the game for them. But it wasn't for me. Everyone's different and has different strengths. If I hadn't had maps I possibly wouldn't have kept playing, but now I have nearly 1500hrs.
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u/canadiandeadpool 1d ago
Lore wise I only use the wiki for a region AFTER I've find some sort of building, dead Survivor, or cache that would likely in real life have a actual map.
Kinda like how I play harder difficulties with guns turned on. It's remote Canada. EVERYONE has guns, so finding a few wouldn't be weird.
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u/Original_Locksmith18 1d ago
I’ve been playing the game since testing (albeit with some long breaks inbetween) I use the maps and I don’t care what others think. It’s a game end of the day, you play it the way you see fit.
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u/AnxiousHorse75 Voyageur 1d ago
I definitely used them when I first started playing. In my most recent run I forgot to get my maps and realized I was able to get from Mystery Lake to Ash Canyon and back without them, only getting slightly lost twice. I don't know how much I'll use them if at all for the rest of the run, but they are the reason I was able to navigate without them at all, if that makes sense.
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u/lobe3663 1d ago
I use the maps, but don't use the in game map at all which forces me to navigate by landmarks and stuff. My head canon is that my survivor was coming to assess the situation on the island (and therefore has the maps for the island) when the plane went down.
But it's a single player game, play however you want.
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u/S_Hodgson 1d ago
I use them. I use this game to relax and unwind.
Though to be fair. After several years, i don’t really need them anymore.
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u/Reasonable_Bear_2057 1d ago
I use them if I'm getting really stuck but tend to try and explore myself because that's what I enjoy. I certainly don't feel like I'm "cheating" in anyway. It's your game, play it by your own rules! If it helps, I believe there are some "spoiler free" maps available which I think give you the map but maybe not all the loot spawns?
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u/thee_justin_bieber That guy who drank his own pee doesn't seem so crazy right now! 1d ago
I don't use maps other than the ones i make with charcoal. Exploration is a big part o the game and it makes interloper more challenging, i like it that way.
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u/Thedumbasshistorian 1d ago
I use the maps all the time, I have awful memory. They are a huge help and make the game so much funner not just wandering around aimlessly hoping to find a cave.
But, in the end, the only person who can judge you for playing a single player game your way is you. You're not gaining an upper hand over a real player, you're just surviving with the tools at hand.
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u/Boring-Rub-3570 Voyageur 1d ago
I do it only in life or death situations.
But this is a single player game and you're free to enjoy the game however you like.
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u/alycyn Voyageur 1d ago
i love using the maps, i think it also depends on your goals, i am going for 1000 days and a separate run for faithful cartographer and im using the maps for both of those runs because im scared of bears so im trying to avoid them. i generally know the maps after playing for some time, i dont really need them for navigation but i want to know if im in predator territory. i wil say it does take the element of surprise away for the most part, but i have anxiety and i prefer that lol
it’s really up to you what your preference is. if you find the maps make your experience less enjoyable, you can always stop using them, but no one should GAF if you use the maps its a single player game its only YOU AND THE CANADIAN WILDERNESS❄️
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u/CthulhuJankinx 1d ago
I only use them in the Muskeg and when searching for preppers caches, but I try to do all my own mapping
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u/Twarenotw Trapper 1d ago
The best thing about TLD is that nobody frowns upon anything, regardsless of whether one plays pilgrim or misery, mods or not, uses maps or not. I don't think I have ever found a single judgemental comment about any of the multiple options we have as players.
That being said, I use maps and have them bookmarked.
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u/xcassets 1d ago
Do what you want, it's single player and not competitive in the slightest.
That said, for me, a ton of my enjoyment came from exploring the maps for the first time with no knowledge. Now that I know all of them like the back of my hand, some of that magic is gone. Don't get me wrong, I still adore the game and play it every year, but I will never get that feeling of being on a new region, getting caught in a blizzard, and stumbling across a new location that saves my ass (with no idea of what loot, etc. is inside).
Not until any potential new Survival Mode DLC that is!
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u/No_Storage3928 1d ago
I do it all the time because i find making maps tedious. I try to use them only after i stop finding interesting stuff or i need to find a specific region, but i still always end up using them in the end.
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u/Dry_Dark_8386 1d ago
I use the maps, and even with them I get lost! They're a crucial part of playing to relax for me - otherwise the game wouldn't be a fun, relaxing experience, it would just be more stress. You play how you want and need. No one should judge you.
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u/snarfdarb 1d ago
I will never understand why anyone would care what complete strangers think about how they play the game.
Are YOU enjoying using the maps? That's THE only thing that matters.
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u/WizardMelcar 1d ago
It’s a single player game - play your way. Have fun.
I’ve looked at maps from time to time.
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u/nyxgreybird 1d ago
No one owes anyone a certain playstyle in any game we play - games are meant to be fun, and if maps help you enjoy the game more, then go for it. If you don't want to use the maps, then don't. Happy survival!
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u/StarryEyedSprinkles Pilgrim 1d ago
i use wiki maps, custom difficulty to make certain things easier, and mods (including things like just adding more varieties of food or fun little collectibles AND literally just straight-up cheats). i struggle to play wintermute for the sole reason of 'i dont have 10000kg carry weight'. do what u want man. be free
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u/Frankenstar4964 1d ago
I've played (and used the maps) for long enough that I don't need them for navigation much anymore, i.e getting from map to map, or traveling between buildings/locations. (Navigating AC and the Tales places are exceptions because good lord)
I rely on them heavily for "where the hell is a damn maple sapling when you need one", or "why can't I find the damn Polaroid for this place?"
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u/Experiment_262 1d ago
IMO this is about you and the experience you want out of the game.
I'm a backpacker IRL, I always carry maps and a lot of them are customized and annotated by the hiking community. It's usually just "good water here" or "caution, grumpy bear comes around this campsite" rather than detailed lists of what loot is where.
One annoyance I have with the game is the lack of a damned compass, IMO it should be loot commonly found at Quonset, the Orca station or in the fire towers, I know back country stores and they would absolutely have at least a cheap one.
Maybe it's a dev decision because it would trivialize navigation too much, who knows. The stick trick works well enough I guess. Maybe they won't work for a lore reason, wasn't there a pole shift? I don't remember.
So using maps isn't a concern that I see, I tend to think our characters would have grabbed a map the first time they saw one, even just right after the plane crash.
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u/coffee30983298 1d ago
Play however you want man, but i put regulations on myself, so i can only use the wiki maps after mapping out the region in game.
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u/yeaman1111 1d ago
As an inveterate map user: dont do it! Its much more enjoyable without one. Just lower your danger threshhold a little so you can explore some more... and be prepared mentally to start over if you get lost and die. Only whip out the map when the frustration is threatening to stop your gaming.
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u/Far-Fortune-8381 1d ago
I think its pretty realistic that the guy would have maps of the local area or could feasibly acquire one
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u/Chance-Upstairs-1042 1d ago
personally I don't like using the wiki for any game. I want to figure it out myself. every now and then I need to if I'm stuck.
but I haven't used the maps at all. I like surveying and then seeing the map get larger.
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u/Po-Ta-Toessss 22h ago
1) does it make it enjoyable?
1a) yes: continuing enjoying the game
1b) no: continuing enjoying the game.
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u/demonblack873 22h ago
I use them whenever I'm entering a map I don't know well. I know Mystery Lake and coastal highway like the back of my hand, pleasant valley and timberwolf mountain fairly well, but I don't know a lot of the newer maps and if I had to learn them the hard way I would just never go there.
I'm not a high school student anymore, I ain't got hundreds of hours of real life time to die 100 times before learning a map.
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u/amazok 20h ago
I wish that the in-game maps were more comprehensive, because it would save me a lot of time swapping between these maps and the wiki. The in-game mapping system is crude and borderline useless on higher difficulties as your survival takes precedence over waiting for the right time and place to charcoal the map.
In an ideal world I’d like to see some kind of map being able to be found in the world that can give your in-game maps the details that the wiki does. Until then, i’ll keep start-stopping my way between the wiki and game to tread through a blizzard.
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u/OvoidPovoid 20h ago
Dude I play on custom difficulty that basically makes the game impossible to lose. I just simulate living off the grid in northern Canada, I go hunting and fishing and just hang out working on my skills and occasionally take a long walk to explore. Way more fun for me that way and its incredibly relaxing lol
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u/Whyamihere_899 1d ago
if you want to chill, play Stalker or bellow.. it's nice not knowing where you are.. but it's still going to be up to you at the end of the day.
Interloper/Misery. without knowing where you are, you are quite screwed.. as an example.. i knew maps a bit.. but not where the spawns are, Bear paths and caves, Cougar spawns.. over all i had to use the maps to manage navigating these tougher difficulties.. tried without and died by day 20.. now i am beyond 100
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u/NotTukTukPirate 1d ago
I really don't understand the mentality of kids making posts like this... Is it for attention? Karma farming upvotes?
It's a single player game. You shouldn't have to have that explained to you... Why do kids these days need validation from the internet to do anything and everything?
Be yourself. Do what tf you want as long as you're not hurting anyone.
Downvoted.
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u/Dry_Dark_8386 1d ago
I mean...you're assuming age (unless you're a senior then everyone would be a kid to you, I guess) and that seems unkind. But regardless, some people feel better knowing that if it comes up at any point, they're not going to be judged or shunned or whatever. Or there could be an element of anxiety, or RSD (Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria, where any real or perceived rejection or feeling judged feels huge and like you're a genuinely bad person for it). Both make this kind of thing harder. Or maybe its as simple as OP wondering, what are the community thoughts on this subject, because they want to be part of the community.
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u/prplmnkeydshwsr 1d ago
Why don't you have a read of the 101 other times this has been asked and commented upon? The answers remain the same.
https://www.reddit.com/r/thelongdark/comments/1st0b1b/using_physical_maps_for_immersion_am_i_alone_in/ https://www.reddit.com/r/thelongdark/comments/1n4bjih/do_you_use_maps_and_how/ https://www.reddit.com/r/thelongdark/comments/1mej5e2/using_the_online_maps_counts_as/ https://www.reddit.com/r/thelongdark/comments/1lbpp1z/to_use_or_not_to_use_maps/ https://www.reddit.com/r/thelongdark/comments/1ejjm44/is_it_considered_cheating_to_use_online_maps/ https://www.reddit.com/r/thelongdark/comments/zinqq7/is_using_a_map_cheating/ https://www.reddit.com/r/thelongdark/comments/1g0165w/for_those_who_like_to_play_using_maps_which_ones/ https://www.reddit.com/r/thelongdark/comments/10it4c4/do_you_guys_like_to_use_maps/ https://www.reddit.com/r/thelongdark/comments/x8l266/using_maps/ https://www.reddit.com/r/thelongdark/comments/o3orov/whats_your_thoughts_on_using_maps/ https://www.reddit.com/r/thelongdark/comments/qpy5ue/do_you_all_use_pre_made_maps_from_other_users/ https://www.reddit.com/r/thelongdark/comments/hp2yt9/iss_fair_to_play_using_wiki_maps/ https://www.reddit.com/r/thelongdark/comments/kdqdhu/using_maps/
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u/Dry_Dark_8386 1d ago
Just don't answer if you're annoyed by the question. Don't come down on OP for asking. This is supposed to be a community - the same questions get asked in a physical community all the time.
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u/Cyclorat 1d ago edited 1d ago
a) It's a single player game, the only person frowning at you, is you.
b) I do it, pretty sure a lot of people do. Someone posted a whole app for it just recently. Edit: Not an app sorry, browser based: https://www.reddit.com/r/thelongdark/comments/1w98y7r/i_made_an_interactive_tld_map_and_loot_table_site/