Aether Compass map indicators?

[BreathlessTao]

Any chance that we could get map and minimap indicators for the Aether Compass please? Something like how BTN's Arbor Call works when used - it would be incredibly more useful than the simple text that just appears. I'd like to think it's just an oversight, since, really, I cannot, with common sense, comprehend how it was left out otherwise.

[aerolol]

They want you to walk around and search for it, i guess...

It could be worse, like the sightseeing log... so... at least we got that distance radar thing

[AskaRay]

That's no fun though... the currents are pretty big, and the also emit a sound so when you're within about ten yalms of one you should be able to see it (if you don't it's below or above you)

[BreathlessTao]

No, I tell you what's not fun - running around like a headless chicken in these gigantic new zones that resemble 1.0 maps in certain aspects, trying to find your way around obstacles and failing over and over again, for hours on end, when there's an actual game to play. That's not fun.

[Blanchimont]

I feel as if they purposely left out the regular teleportation crystals to do this as well

[Callinon]

No, I tell you what's not fun - running around like a headless chicken in these gigantic new zones that resemble 1.0 maps in certain aspects, trying to find your way around obstacles and failing over and over again, for hours on end, when there's an actual game to play. That's not fun.

Exploration and finding hard-to-reach areas IS gameplay.

It's not the kind of gameplay you personally want, and that's ok. But that absolutely is gameplay.

Personally I've enjoyed the aether current hunts so far. Especially figuring out how to climb certain hills/mountains to get to where the current is. I quite enjoy that kind of thing (also enjoyed GW2's vistas a lot).

[Laraul]

Exploration and finding hard-to-reach areas IS gameplay.

Exploring hard to reach areas for the sake of exploring those areas only one time JUST to unlock something probably shouldn't need to be unlocked in the first place is awful gameplay. You think once players have attuned to every Aether Current, they are going to ever explore those areas again? Of course not. They will *never* want to bother exploring a map AGAIN. This is something people are going to look back on very unfavorably.

This was obviously added at the very last minute. How else would you explain providing a key item that when used generates a line of text to the log window. Sounds like my old <pos> macro in FFXI, since there was no on screen map or coordinates display. Fortunately if it was added at the last minute, it will likely be replaced by the aforementioned compass or something similar.

[Dezolis]

Exploring hard to reach areas for the sake of exploring those areas only one time JUST to unlock something probably shouldn't need to be unlocked in the first place is awful gameplay. You think once players have attuned to every Aether Current, they are going to ever explore those areas again? Of course not. They will *never* want to bother exploring a map AGAIN. This is something people are going to look back on very unfavorably.

Awful gameplay? Using that logic, the entirety of the world is awful gameplay. Not to mention the story. You only go through it once and never touch it again.

Bad game design is the minimap feature to begin with. When you place markers on the minimap, we find ourselves staring at it the whole time instead of using the environment around us to look for clues. I guarantee you this compass was intended, very deliberate design.

[BreathlessTao]

No, exploration in itself is nice. I don't mind that.

What I do have an issue with... is the fact that these new maps are huge and they have very obviously been made for flying, not on-foot travel. About 80% of the those current points are in spots that are purposefully annoyingly difficult to reach, with arbitrary obstacles at every five step.
× No, you can't jump up here, it's just too high.
× No, you can't utilise this shortcut, because it's not even a shortcut, it's actually a dead end.
× No, this one isn't a shortcut either, it takes you to a completely different place (potentially on a longer route than you could've taken).
× No, you can't go up here, or here, or there either, you'll have to go around half the map to get back just here, just to be a little bit higher.
× No, you can't go through here, even though it would be obvious; you'll have go the other way around, which will make you go through the whole map.
× No, you can't go any further here, though it's not visible on the map, this wall is here and you can't climb it or ascend anywhere else.
.....have I mentioned the new zones are gigantic? And the fact that the map is pretty awful when it comes to distinguishing different altitude levels? Add to it the fact that a lot of simple fetch quests send you to the same few spots that feature at least one of these abovementioned arbitrary obstacles...

No, it's not fun. Exploring and learning to navigate is fun. But I have not learned to navigate with these, and I spent at least half a day in both the Western Highlands and the Dravanian Forelands. What I "learned" is never want to set foot in either zones, unless specifically to talk to or interact with someone or something. Exploring and learning the lay of the land should be about that, not about reaching specific, purposefully difficult-to-reach spots that have no use otherwise, only once, only for the sake of "unlocking" something that shouldn't even exist.

Free takeoff and free landing are nice... but flying is definitely not free. And by the time you unlock everything in a given zone - you're moving on to the next. Unless you spend hours doing nothing else at all but finding those currents. The ultimate joke? When you fly into the next zone, becase you can't even cross on foot, but once there, you're not in the air anymore because this arbitrary system does not let your bird fly.

[lordoftheapes79]

I found all the ones in west coerthas easily, though I can see areas like the sea of clouds being more challenging and some of them did require a less than obvious route. Just put the compass on your hotbar and spam it.