In many RPG games, a world map is a must. However, there are even cons with a world map itself. So as a player and a developer:

• As a player, do you like world maps?
• As a creator, do you enjoy making world maps ?
• What are your likes and dislikes about world maps?
• Does a world map make the world bigger or smaller?
• Do you know of any other alternatives for a world map that are better ideas?
• Explain.
  

As a player world maps are cool if they are designed right. There has to be a substantial amount of detail and landmarks so that you don't forget where you are going. It does give a feel of openness to the game because they are so big. I like world maps because it gives the player a feel that they can change direction and not have to go through a lot of screen transitions. And you don't have to really think to hard about which doors you went through to reach a certain area. Disadvantages of world maps are that they can easily be done wrong. You can easily get swallowed up in one. I played Dragonball Z legend of the supersayain and got pretty lost in that world map at first. Things like radar really help. The only alternative i know of to a world map is of course a chain of smaller maps. If you have a world map you must have a teleport system of some kind eventually. There has to be a way to transport yourself quickly once you are in the stage of revisiting places you have been before. As a player world maps can be fun. As a designer a world map can be very intimidating because you can mess them up pretty easily. You don't want to have too much blank spaces and you want to make sure there is substantial detail. It's hard enough making a will designed small map but the rewards of a large map can make it definitely worth your time. Well, that's all i have on the subject. Thanks for your time.

As player I like worldmaps. They give you a deeper feeling and I think it makes the whole world unique and bigger.
Right now I am making a worldmap for my game. It's really hard and takes much time, especially if you want it to be a FF like worldmap. It took me long to get the vehicle script working correctly, after 3 days of mapping I finished the Outline of the Isles and continents. Now I have to make the map details, I have to set up all the different encounter areas and I think this will take another 2 weeks of work. So it's fun, but also a pain ;D

I like them from a gameplay point of view but I also hate them when the transition between world map and city is strange and confusing. For example FFVII, try entering Midgar after Disc 1 but before Disc 3, I think; you enter in the middle of one same town, while the entrance could have been any side of a huge city and judging from the cutscenes the town is far away from the outskirts.

It's fine if it makes sense. But it confuses and often makes large cities look a lot smaller than they actually are.

I generally like them. I don't see them as a necessity in all cases, but they're great for giving a good sense of scale for a game's setting.

As a designer? Well, it depends on the tileset. Some are fun to work with, while others are just as chore.

Actually, when making games I tend to favor a world map that's a literal map - such as the ones used in Final Fantasy Tactics or Breath of Fire IV. It eliminates the hassle of travel times and enemy encounters when all you want to do is get from Point A to Point B. Also, I just like the style for some reason. I don't know why, but it often suits the feel I'm going for.

# As a player, do you like world maps?
- Yes. Some of them are really Fantastic looking.

# As a creator, do you enjoy making world maps ?
- Not really. It's always hard to me make one. It's much easier for me to create towns and dungeons and etc.

# What are your likes and dislikes about world maps?
- I like it 'cause as I said well done maps looks really great. There are nothing i dislike about them. Only random encounters. I think it must be encounters-free.

# Does a world map make the world bigger or smaller?
- Makes it bigger for sure. A lot bigger. I'm sure.

# Do you know of any other alternatives for a world map that are better ideas?
- Not really...

As a player, do you like world maps?
No.

As a creator, do you enjoy making world maps ?
No.

What are your likes and dislikes about world maps?
I dislike the fact that instead of traveling, exploring and so on you just skip to wherever you wanna go.

Does a world map make the world bigger or smaller?
A lot smaller. It might seem bigger, but that is an illusion.

Do you know of any other alternatives for a world map that are better ideas?
Explain.

Creating the maps each of them.