Guild Wars 2

What form of measurement is being used? Feet or Units?

As shown in the screenshot attached to this post, I understand the first half of these new map markers are intended to let players know what areas are high areas and low areas, yet the ‘away’ wording by itself is vague.

Since the numbers on the new map markers change when I move my character, can you please reword ‘Away’ by itself to ‘7,298 Feet Away’ so it is more clear what form of measurement is being used as players move their character?

Thank you for looking into this.
Eidolonemesis

Given the very vertical nature of HoT, it looks like a new feature to help you figure out the complex layers of maps, but that seems like a bug for sure. I’d just make a bug report. Where are you standing in the game when you hovered over that vista? If that is in feet, you’re like a mile and a quarter away from it! ^.^

Mo Mo.1947:

Given the very vertical nature of HoT, it looks like a new feature to help you figure out the complex layers of maps, but that seems like a bug for sure. I’d just make a bug report. Where are you standing in the game when you hovered over that vista? If that is in feet, you’re like a mile and a quarter away from it! ^.^

After figuring out what the ‘Away’ number means, there is nothing ‘buggy’ about these new map markers, just that the wording of ‘away’ by itself should be changed to ‘Feet Away’ so it is more clear what form of measurement is being used when players move their character, and from the look of it, feet is the measurement being used (or perhaps Units to which the tooltip for these new map markers should read ‘Unit(s) Away’)

I would have thought it would show the distance away in the same “units” that are used for stuff like weapon ranges, e.g. staffs have a range of 1200. I’ve seen the units described as “inches”, which is not particularly helpful when you are looking at a computer screen…

There is no real unit of distance in this game, which is why it looks odd. For example, in pvp, we always refer to “1200-range skills”. They should have think about this in 2012, but now it might be too late to change every tooltip in the game!

Sorel.4870:

There is no real unit of distance in this game, which is why it looks odd. For example, in pvp, we always refer to “1200-range skills”. They should have think about this in 2012, but now it might be too late to change every tooltip in the game!

In that case, if it is too much trouble for Anet to change every tooltip, perhaps Anet should just scrap the ‘Away’ idea within the tooltip of these new map markers since the feature seems a bit unecessary, especially given the fact we don’t know what form of measurement is being used.

P.S. Personally, if Anet does change what measurement is being used, I would say ‘Step(s)’ would be the best. or not since that would not be a reliable measurement when it comes to the Asura class (as argued in the comment below this one)

Speaking as someone with a 9 foot high Norn toon and a 3 foot high munchkin, um, I mean Asura toon, footsteps would not be an ideal unit of measurement.

Eidolonemesis.5640:

Sorel.4870:

There is no real unit of distance in this game, which is why it looks odd. For example, in pvp, we always refer to “1200-range skills”. They should have think about this in 2012, but now it might be too late to change every tooltip in the game!

In that case, if it is too much trouble for Anet to change every tooltip, perhaps Anet should just scrap the ‘Away’ idea within the tooltip of these new map markers since the feature seems a bit unecessary, especially given the fact we don’t know what form of measurement is being used.

Personally, if Anet does change what measurement is being used, I would say ‘Footstep(s)’ would be the best.

No way. I can Steal at 1200 range. I think it should be called “Asuran feet”, or something like that, given that 1200 range looks like ~15m, assuming a human’s size is between 1.5m and 2m.

edit: or “1200 palms”.

DoctorDing.5890:

Speaking as someone with a 9 foot high Norn toon and a 3 foot high munchkin, um, I mean Asura toon, footsteps would not be an ideal unit of measurement.

Then no form of measurement would be reliable since it would take an Asura more footfalls to run the distance of 50 feet than a bigger-sized class.

Overall, I believe these new map markers should only serve as letting players know what areas are high areas and what areas are low areas since none of us here can really agree on a form of measurement that should be used that is most reliable and accurate.

Leaving the tooltip as ‘Away’ is very vague. If players have no idea what form of accurate measurement is being used for distance travel, what good is this feature?

Eidolonemesis.5640:

Overall, I believe these new map markers should only serve as letting players know what areas are high areas and what areas are low areas since none of us here can really agree on a form of measurement that should/could be used that is most reliable and accurate.

Exactly. If the metric system would be used, Americans would complain. If feet would be used, Europeans would bare with it because we’re used to it. But it doesn’t need to be that bad as it is. Made up measurement systems in an (MMO)RPG feels just right, if you ask me. But it looks odd indeed.

Henke.4356:

Eidolonemesis.5640:

Overall, I believe these new map markers should only serve as letting players know what areas are high areas and what areas are low areas since none of us here can really agree on a form of measurement that should/could be used that is most reliable and accurate.

Exactly. If the metric system would be used, Americans would complain. If feet would be used, Europeans would bare with it because we’re used to it. But it doesn’t need to be that bad as it is. Made up measurement systems in an (MMO)RPG feels just right, if you ask me. But it looks odd indeed.

Exactly. Why bother with a distance travel feature where no measurement is given.

That is what makes it look useless.

Or we could just, you know, run towards the target location and be happy that the distance number is decreasing.

DoctorDing.5890:

Or we could just, you know, run towards the target location and be happy that the distance number is decreasing.

OR we can all agree the distance travel feature within these new map markers (with no given form of measurement) is generally useless since common sense tells players they are ‘visually’ getting closer to their desired location when they open their World Map.

We do not really need the numbers to tell us that. All we need is the ‘Above’ or ‘Below’ feature within the tooltips of these new map markers to tell us what areas are high areas and what areas are low areas.

You do if you have multi layered maps.

Freeelancer.2860:

You do if you have multi layered maps.

Re-read my updated comment above your comment. My intention was not to suggest Anet get rid of these new map markers entirely. My intention was to suggest Anet remove the distance travel part within the new map markers that serves no useful purpose and to only keep the ‘Above’ and ‘Below’ feature intact.

DoctorDing.5890:

Hey, don’t speak for me. You might not need the numbers but I am notoriously stupid. I need all the help I can get.
And now, thanks to your observations, not only will I be stressing that the number is getting larger because I’m having to run round some blocking terrain feature but now I’ll be stressing that I don’t even know how big the units of the ever increasing number is.

I do not know what writing what you wrote the way you wrote it was supposed to do for your end of the discussion, but when you said:

DoctorDing.5890:

Or I might just ignore it and run towards the waypoint.

That is my point. We do not need the distance numbers with unspecified measurement. We have went this long without these distance numbers thus far so what big difference does it make now other than the ‘Above’ and ‘Below’ feature that comes with the new map markers that actually do serve a logical purpose?

Hey, don’t speak for me. You might not need the numbers but I am notoriously stupid. I need all the help I can get.
And now, thanks to your observations, not only will I be stressing that the number is getting larger because I’m having to run round some blocking terrain feature but now I’ll be stressing that I don’t even know how big the units of the ever increasing number is.

Or I might just ignore it and run towards the waypoint.