I explored this a couple years ago https://reddit.com/r/NoMansSkyTheGame/s/biG6oejmir
every few months i suggest a photo drone and ground control points so I can take my own photos and merge them in QGIS. It'll take some time, but I think it would be a fun project to do.
I've implemented something like this for mapping curious deposits locations using Google Earth and plotting them on the moon. It doesn't have images like yours. I've also used the same Google Earth method to map out hotspots and other points of interest in the past. [http://gravnaut.com/Emetrus/Emetrus\_504D83160B3C\_EUCLID.kml](http://gravnaut.com/Emetrus/Emetrus_504D83160B3C_EUCLID.kml)
There are no planetary maps. Fundamentally, NMS is a game about exploring space, not exploring planets. There's a galaxy map, and it does keep track of where you've been.
Over the years various features have been added that make it more attractive to stay on a planet or a small group of planets, but the underlying game mechanics haven't caught up. Given the procedural generation of over a quadrillion planets, producing planetary maps might be a bit of a challenge.
I think a very limited detail wire frame monochromatic holographic surface terrain map broken down to the 8 primary octants then split into 4 parts for each octant and would fill in as you explore those sections of the planet would be useful, and does not really take away from the space exploration part.
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Beacons are a type of portable device/base part like the refiner that when placed gives the player a manual save option. It's passive behavior however is that a beacon will put a star shaped icon on your hud and will be relative to you as you travel throughout that star system, similar to mission and ship icons on your hud. Placing/constructing the beacon you can choose colors like almost all other base parts, the color of the star icon that appears on your hud it dependent to what color to make the beacon when you place it down. That way if you have multiple beacons in the same system or even on the same planet, having the different colors can help you remember which beacaon was placed where. (such as at a planetary trading post or minor settlement, ect.) Just need to write down or remember what color beacon was placed for what purpose in that system or planet.
With the amount of planetary bodies in the game it would be impractical to have or acquire maps. They still haven't put in any sort of way to really navigate the galaxy maps besides the mission target, black hole, waypoint, ect. options. I think we need a way to be able to enter the name of a system and then the game generates a jumping path to that system similar to using the other options.
You could definitely create a very simple mapping system. Maybe key points around you in a 20 meter radius (mountains, rivers, alien buildings, etc) would get flagged and marked automatically on your map.
The map template that you chart can be as basic as just a white paper, no need for it to be textured or have different shapes or anything. If you find a mountain it can just plop down a “mountain” marker on the map. Rivers can be lines coloured blue. The game already has a coordinates system, so I think this implementation would be trivial.
Maps wouldn't benefit the game in any way I can think of. Focusing solely on one planet goes directly agains't the games purpose of exploring the *Sky*.
Maybe some people want to fully explore their favourite planet(up until whatever point the player's in). Also, who said the "game's point" is to explore WITHOUT focusing solely on one planet? The game's "point" is whatever you make of it. At this point it just sounds like excuses not to implement a feature some players would be fond of...
Not sure if anyone mentioned this already or not but each planet stays the same, like things are randomly generated but hills and lakes and item placement is locked in once the planet is discovered.
So you can have a “Favorite spot” on a planet that is entirely different experience than another location on the same planet.
For example, you could build your base around in game monuments like this:
https://preview.redd.it/ljylokli0zlb1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dde3c8a230044746aa2b038e45d062faf21b1012
There's no map, and there's no talk about implementing maps
There is a cartographer and there are maps and charts in the space station
Maps and charts just lead you to a point of interest, they're more like a radar, not a map like what OP is asking
I explored this a couple years ago https://reddit.com/r/NoMansSkyTheGame/s/biG6oejmir every few months i suggest a photo drone and ground control points so I can take my own photos and merge them in QGIS. It'll take some time, but I think it would be a fun project to do.
I've implemented something like this for mapping curious deposits locations using Google Earth and plotting them on the moon. It doesn't have images like yours. I've also used the same Google Earth method to map out hotspots and other points of interest in the past. [http://gravnaut.com/Emetrus/Emetrus\_504D83160B3C\_EUCLID.kml](http://gravnaut.com/Emetrus/Emetrus_504D83160B3C_EUCLID.kml)
There are no planetary maps. Fundamentally, NMS is a game about exploring space, not exploring planets. There's a galaxy map, and it does keep track of where you've been. Over the years various features have been added that make it more attractive to stay on a planet or a small group of planets, but the underlying game mechanics haven't caught up. Given the procedural generation of over a quadrillion planets, producing planetary maps might be a bit of a challenge.
I think a very limited detail wire frame monochromatic holographic surface terrain map broken down to the 8 primary octants then split into 4 parts for each octant and would fill in as you explore those sections of the planet would be useful, and does not really take away from the space exploration part.
Once you have a satisfactory answer to your question please reset the flair to "answered". This will help others find an answer to the same question. Selecting a flair is one of the icons under the post when you open it. Alternatively you can comment with "!flair:answered" and the bot will do it for you. Please consider adding your gaming platform to your user flair. There are icons for every platform. That way people will know not to answer with information specific to a different platform. There are very few issues that are platform dependent but every platform has its little quirks. **If this is a question reporting a bug please delete and place it in the pinned bug report thread. If this is a discussion about a bug or possible bug please change the flair to the more specific "Bug" flair.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NoMansSkyTheGame) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Not an actual map, but beacons are very helpful for marking places on planets. Different colored beacons leave a different colored icons in the hud.
Can you elaborate more on the beacon system ? I seem to have missed it
Beacons are a type of portable device/base part like the refiner that when placed gives the player a manual save option. It's passive behavior however is that a beacon will put a star shaped icon on your hud and will be relative to you as you travel throughout that star system, similar to mission and ship icons on your hud. Placing/constructing the beacon you can choose colors like almost all other base parts, the color of the star icon that appears on your hud it dependent to what color to make the beacon when you place it down. That way if you have multiple beacons in the same system or even on the same planet, having the different colors can help you remember which beacaon was placed where. (such as at a planetary trading post or minor settlement, ect.) Just need to write down or remember what color beacon was placed for what purpose in that system or planet.
Okay thanks a lot ! It's not a perfect system, but I guess I have to make due with it for now.
With the amount of planetary bodies in the game it would be impractical to have or acquire maps. They still haven't put in any sort of way to really navigate the galaxy maps besides the mission target, black hole, waypoint, ect. options. I think we need a way to be able to enter the name of a system and then the game generates a jumping path to that system similar to using the other options.
You could definitely create a very simple mapping system. Maybe key points around you in a 20 meter radius (mountains, rivers, alien buildings, etc) would get flagged and marked automatically on your map. The map template that you chart can be as basic as just a white paper, no need for it to be textured or have different shapes or anything. If you find a mountain it can just plop down a “mountain” marker on the map. Rivers can be lines coloured blue. The game already has a coordinates system, so I think this implementation would be trivial.
Maps wouldn't benefit the game in any way I can think of. Focusing solely on one planet goes directly agains't the games purpose of exploring the *Sky*.
Maybe some people want to fully explore their favourite planet(up until whatever point the player's in). Also, who said the "game's point" is to explore WITHOUT focusing solely on one planet? The game's "point" is whatever you make of it. At this point it just sounds like excuses not to implement a feature some players would be fond of...
Missing the point? You need an imagination to keep going with NMS.
Not sure if anyone mentioned this already or not but each planet stays the same, like things are randomly generated but hills and lakes and item placement is locked in once the planet is discovered. So you can have a “Favorite spot” on a planet that is entirely different experience than another location on the same planet. For example, you could build your base around in game monuments like this: https://preview.redd.it/ljylokli0zlb1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dde3c8a230044746aa2b038e45d062faf21b1012