Is it just me, or are the maps a lil off? Kinda hard to find your way around using them. Is there a trick I'm not seeing or am I stupid? Lemme know.

I'd have to say some are more precise than others, the trick is figuring out which map to trust.

One thing that helped me when I was a noob was capturing the in game maps to a file, making the font (Courier or Courier New) just big enough that each map had it's own page, and printing them out. It was painful back then, because it was on a dot matrix printer.. but it worked for me. I found it tons easier to read them on paper, where I could manipulate and mark them up to my heart's content.

As far as I know, this isn't against the rules still.. so it's another option for you. Just don't publish them. =)

- Tharena

Theran maps are basically a "general" layout of the world/city.

If you look at the maps of Thera (east and west) for example, they just point out the general directions to everything. Some smaller maps of cities and forest can be a lot more precise but for the most part, you got to remember they are hand drawn and can be slightly off sometimes.

I blame the cartographers coffee adiction, but that's just me.

Well first off without giving any 'super secret' info away. If you talk to Simon in the Academy he'll send you on a little trip which involves many of Thera's more travelled places. Performing these tasks will give you quite a good idea of the entire landscape of Thera. Or at least the main ones.

Another great way is to ask some of the higher characters. Hang out at the Inn and listen to people talk about places and then chime in with. How do you get there? or...What is it like there, I've never been. In Character roleplay is a great way to find your way to some pretty interesting places. Want it to be even EASIER?? Roll up an elf and ask some high level elf/storm/obviously goodie characters. It will be much easier than asking around as a nasty duergar or dark-elf.

Other than that the only common problem I have had with the maps is that sometimes in my mind I think of west as right and east as left. I think this is mainly because I learned how to get around without maps..so when I look at maps..it confuses me. I have in the past sat down and drawn rudimentary maps on paper to help me. Kept them near the computer and referenced as I needed them. Kind of a throwback to my 'Choose your own Adventure Books' days.

Hope you get the hang of it.

I am the same way with the reversing of east-west/right-left relationship, but only in one area.

When I was brand new to cf, I learned the Ruined keep by following others, instead of walking it myself.

I am fine with right and left up until the Down. I even picture the down in my mind as on the left side of the ruined keep.


But then, for some ungodly reason, my inner picture of it switches, turning going east into going west. After a few months of playing, I tried to run in to the Ogre without really watching where I was going, but instead using my memory...wow did I get lost.

It was only after a careful scrutiny of what happened that I found out that after going down you go 4 EAST not 4 WEST.

What? When did this place flip?

Now, my mind hardly notices. Once I go down, the mental picture in my head stays mirror and I can go east to go left and west to go right without even thinking about it. I've always thought of that as VERY odd, and thought myself the only one.

And started mapping out my area for writing it. Its something I've actually heard other people say too. Common I guess..I dont know why.

One thing that can trip you up is if you aren't using a fixed-width font like Courier in whatever application (see 'help client') you use to play the game. If you're using a font (like Times New Roman) where different letters have different widths, the columns won't line up properly, and it'll look like a mess.

Quite a number of maps are available cheap in either the Academy, or the map shops in the larger towns. In addition, you can use the outfit command to recoup your basic set of maps, which will include the 'large-scale' maps of eastern and western Thera that show how areas connect.

If you're still having trouble getting from place to place, 'help newbie3' and 'help galadon guild' are full of handy directions for low-level characters.

valguarnera@carrionfields.com