Games where you draw your own maps.

[xuvetyn96]

Some early RPGs, particularly those with dungeon crawling elements, encouraged players to draw their own maps. Wizardry and Phantasy Star are the two that come to mind for me. The dungeons are so labyrinthian that you basically need to draw a map to avoid getting lost. Nowadays, most dungeon crawlers have in game maps. It makes the game a lot less tedious for sure, but I do sometimes enjoy sketching out a map as I delve into a virtual dungeon. In my opinion, it heightens the feeling of exploration and is quite rewarding. What are your guys' thoughts on games that had you do this? And are there any others that come to mind?

 

[PhrawzT]

I drew my own maps for the original Zelda to remember where you could bomb and where the items were. Same with Kid Icarus to remember where to go for each of the Labyrinth levels.

 

[Glimbo]

It's a bit too time consuming to draw the map. I might be more inclined to do it if there was some good free software to draw grid based stuff on Linux but I'll just end up trying to memorize the layout or look up the map online.

Other games that come to mind are the first 2 Metroid games.

 

[fake-kun]

You can draw maps in-game in Etrian Odyssey.

 

[Hikari.EXE]

Necessary Mention: Etrian Odyssey

You can draw the maps on the bottom screen!
Edit: It took me a long time to find a picture that fit the size limit, so imagine my shock to find out that someone gave me my answer...

 

[Num]

yeah wizardry dungeon master might and magic dungeons of kairn i think primarly most older crpgs/dnd focused ones encourage this. i used to use this program to just quickly draw out maps and label segments but a recent one is this one if youre interested in minimalism or dont want to pirate anything

 

[ATenderLad]

I was playing this game, looking around for something to draw a map on. Someone I was dating at the time walked in, asked what I was doing, and laughed.

"Nice try, Big Graphing Paper."

I'm gonna put that shit on their tombstone one day, incredible.

 

[Pandaprewmaster325]

You guys draw maps? I just say "in the name of god" and widdle and jiggle my around the dungeon works everytime its method thats approved by the UNESCO too.

 

[Stingy Perry]

There’s this optional quest dungeon/maze in Grandia 1 that’s really hard to keep track and navigate without you drawing your own map on a piece of paper or consulting a walkthrough.

 

[bjork]

I don't mind the idea of it, and I love the Phantasy Star series, but the dungeons with pitfalls in I and II are just one step too far for me. The Switch release of Phantasy Star has an optional auto-map feature that draws it on-screen and that was really awesome to me.

I mapped out a complete run of... Gemstone Warrior for the Apple II, I think? I don't think it was Gemstone Healer. Anyway, I didn't do it as I went, I recorded video and then went back in screen by screen and it wound up looking like the insane scribblings of a madman, but it got the job done, heh.

 

[miguk]

It's a bit too time consuming to draw the map. I might be more inclined to do it if there was some good free software to draw grid based stuff on Linux but I'll just end up trying to memorize the layout or look up the map online.

Other games that come to mind are the first 2 Metroid games.
View attachment 24085 View attachment 24086

There were maps of those games in Nintendo Power. That was one of the advantages of being a Nintendo loyalist: they had a whole publication that would give you the information you needed to figure out most to deal with the most esoteric issues with the games on their systems.

 

[Prism_Red]

Does Excite Bike's track maker on NES count?

 

[Stingy Perry]

There’s this optional quest dungeon/maze in Grandia 1 that’s really hard to keep track and navigate without you drawing your own map on a piece of paper or consulting a walkthrough.

 

[jon2]

Sniper Elite for the PS2

Sure, it has an in-game map, but it's basically bare-bones and is based on "intel from agents"

Then you are given the map (which does not update in real-time; basically an old-school IRL map) and sent out to pasture, that's when you realize that the map is not the territory; there's so many crooks and crannies in there

And for a lone sniper behind enemy lines, accurate intel is vital; it'll determine survival and success

 

[cjl8336]

The first time I played Super Metroid when it came out in 1994 I drew out the rooms on graph paper, in a time long before the internet (I was too poor to afford a Nintendo Power subscription so I would photocopy the pages I needed at the grocery store if I was lucky enough to have a current game at the time)

 

[Evaccaneer Doom]

Necessary Mention: Etrian Odyssey
View attachment 24090
You can draw the maps on the bottom screen!
Edit: It took me a long time to find a picture that fit the size limit, so imagine my shock to find out that someone gave me my answer...

I second this. I definitely recommend picking up the HD remaster of 1 over DS though. EO1 DS is a lot more limited in icons when it comes to the map and doesn't account for hazards. Alternatively, pick up the 2 Untold games, but just know those games are MASSIVELY different from the other games in the series, even the ones that were modern for the time (4 and 5). EO3 can be DS or HD, it really does not matter, go wild. Etrian Odyssey 4, 5, and X (aka Nexus) are currently 3DS exclusive, so there's no other versions to choose between lol. Last but not least are the Mystery Dungeon games. Skip them, I hear they aren't too good and the second game wasn't localised anyway.