Map guides waste of time?

[Anonymous]

Well someone from the TUT posted that we should all put map guides up. Like one person do them with this and that this and that. Well I was thinking of doing them all by myself secretly because I had doubts that anyone would even do one. Which turned out to be true.

What really is the point of a map guide? Loot spawns in different places sometimes and/or respawns. The secrets can be told ingame from other players

Part of getting lost in a new map is discovering secrets/fun. Well Just wandering what you all think about map guides. I don't find them a necessity really. All they would add to is the coolness factors. Newbies will eventually learn. There's solo play .

[The_Dan]

I both agree & disagree with you:

Map guides are good because:
-It means noobs have at least a fighting chance when they first play online
-A community can share good strategies & devise ways to beat them
-Players already have a few strategies in mind when they start the level, & so don't have to waste time discussing what to do

Map guides are bad because:
-That amazing hidden spot that you secretly discovered 10 mins ago, has been told to everyone & so its not quite so amazing anymore
-You don't get the experience of learning a map by yourself (Very important to me)
-They tend to make noobs easy targets (even more than before), because you can guess what staregies they'll be adopting

[LameHamster]

As a newbie, I'd very much appreciate brief map guides that provided three things.

(a) A pictoral map, for the levels without them.

For example, Flats/Residency has a map but the combination of not being able to see where you are and all the fake doors is very frustrating at first. A copy of that level's pictoral map with the buildings you could enter highlit would be friendly.

(b) A description of things like keys that would require stupid amounts of uneventful time to discover yourself.

For example, it is horrendously boring for a newbie to scour Kroman trying to find which of the many keys are the gate keys.

(c) A summary of potential problems, when appropriate.

For example, in the Pirate Town there is a possibility for the objective to spawn in a room with only one entrance. In Breakout it helps to have a spare catfall potion for making the final exit. Some levels have easily accessible lockpicks, but as a newbie I don't know which levels or where to look and so I spend (waste) inventory on my own set.

[SNAFU]

Map guides are bad because:
-That amazing hidden spot that you secretly discovered 10 mins ago, has been told to everyone & so its not quite so amazing anymore

Add "learned secret spot from passing guru and promised not to tell it to those... weasels" to the list.

[CrouchingDork]

Is someone gonna ban unstoppable yet?

And are you gonna explain why you're not, or are you?

[WildBill]

He is. Everyone knows that he is, he just refuses to admit it.

[The_Judge]

If you want a map guide then check regurarly here: http://www.rlf-haunts.com/Strategy.asp I'll do some more when my exams are over.