Project Reality Forums

I understand how the map/grid system works, but I feel like I'm quite a bit slower at getting the coordinates than everyone else I happen to be playing with on a squad.

Wondering if there's a shortcut or quicker method for determining kp locations; here's what I do:

1. zoom out the map (if required) to see the letter/number coordinates
2. zoom in to see where my player is on the map and/or the object I'm trying to communicate
3. glance at keyboard to correlate sub-grid with keypad
4. rinse and repeat to double-check/verify accuracy.
5. type in coordinates

You'd think I'd have the keypad memorized in step #3, but for some reason, I usually have to look back and forth a few times to make sure of it. All in all, this is like a 20-30 second step (depending on whether I'm just giving coordinates for my body for a medic or trying to point out hostiles in a building a block or two away) when most guys can have an exact coordinate almost instantaneously.

Besides memorizing the keypad (which I should really do), how do you guys do it?

emm I get t wrong, then i annoy everyone by correcting myself

I also have a bit of trouble with this, I guess it's just an experience thing

I've found that on many maps you are often spotting people in the same place ie: power plant W of the dam on Jabal, so you learn the coords for certain parts of the map.
I would say unless you are marking a body for a medic, a rough grid w/ a guess at the keypad is enough.
If you spend too long refining the target, the target will have moved !

You should know that there are 13 vertical grids...
This way if you look at any grid, And for example you see that there is only one grid to it's left and 3 grids below it then you know that 13 - 3 = 10 then this grid is B10.

This is a good shortcut.

Usually just call out the big grid like B10, don't refer to keypads unless it is stationary. Having a too precise location can be worse if the asset hunting it is not prepared for it to have moved 200m in any direction.

I know the feeling though, takes a long time to follow the grid and then glance at the keypad numbers if needed.

I usually go by land marks with a simple A10 without keypads unless its necessary or requested. A cool feature to add that would probably be really hard to implement is the ability to know what coordinated you were looking at just by mousing over the squad leader map. Or if where ever you put markers it would show the coordinates when you mouse over

I just take one look, memorise the keypad location, then type into chat and THEN remember what the target was in the first place.

Punkbuster wrote:You should know that there are 13 vertical grids...
This way if you look at any grid, And for example you see that there is only one grid to it's left and 3 grids below it then you know that 13 - 3 = 10 then this grid is B10.

This is a good shortcut.

This is a good tip, thanks.

It would be nice if the grid was a dynamic overlay as opposed to being static so that you could always see the grid letters/numbers regardless of what zoom level you're at, but I guess that strays from the whole realism thing (and is probably a ***** to implement if at all).

That just seems impossible to implement. Either the grid size never changes even when zoomed in (so a quarter of the map would still consist of 13 x 13 grids named Alpha 1 - Mike 13), or, like currently, it's just painted on the map.

I'm slow at it too, but I only play about twice per week. Getting the keypad number is my issue.The addition of the keypad numbers in A1 has helped me, I know I have the real keypad right on the keyboard but for some reason glancing at it still would stall me.

Maybe its because my (older) brain assumes looking at a grid it's supposed to be sequential:
123
456
789
and flipping it around causes some synapse misfire

Changing the colour of the grid Letters/Numbers to be more visible would help (been discussed before I believe) and any way to include them when zoomed in of course.

Top left of the map has the keypads for a little extra help.

Also if a vehicle is moving just say K3 cause its moving, if its still in the middle of a desert the same rules apply, if someone can see K3KP1 of an open desert they can probably see the rest.

Will take some time getting used to but will work out eventually.