Grimrock

Isn't compass East/West backwards?

The red needle points north, always. But then it points to the left as you look east
Has been asked in LoG1 already

I remember back in Tomb Raider days I thought the compass was bugged for pointing the wrong way, until my friend told me to think about how a REAL compass works!

Komag wrote:I remember back in Tomb Raider days I thought the compass was bugged for pointing the wrong way, until my friend told me to think about how a REAL compass works!

Oh you, spoiled kids of today

I think the issue is(for me at least) that the needle changes in an instant which is disorienting. I had no issue with the compass in Lands of Lore or in other games where the needle swinged back and forth a bit which was indicating the direction you faced better IMHO. Maybe it would also help when the compass had indicators for N,E,S and W printed on the edges.

There are things like clocks now which are indicating a certain level of technical understanding and this compass feels like it was hacked together by robinson crusoe, or chuck noland(MR VILSON! - Cast Away) in a hurry. Just saying ;b

Maybe it would also help when the compass had indicators for N,E,S and W printed on the edges.

Have to chime in here...
Compass works by being drawn to magnetic north. Printed edges would not work because there is not an edge that will always be north. That is the whole point of a compass. It is not static.
Compass is working fine.
I for one think its awesome and the fact that they use riddles that refer to directions. I would of loved for even more of them.
I know in LOG1 since I always play in old school mode it helped me draw maps. With most of the world being above ground this time around it is easier to use landmarks to memorize map layout.

There are things like clocks now which are indicating a certain level of technical understanding and this compass feels like it was hacked together by robinson crusoe, or chuck noland(MR VILSON! - Cast Away) in a hurry. Just saying ;b

rofl... it is a compass. I would like to point out that a compass is probably one of the most amazingly useful and enduring pieces of technology. It is a core element of travel and discovery through many years of time. A makeshift bow and arrow out of dead trees and twigs is hacked together. A compass is quite literally a foundational piece of perhaps archaic tech to the modern age.

But then it points to the left as you look east

uh, that's exactly what it should do.

what's the problem?

Ichthyic wrote:

But then it points to the left as you look east

uh, that's exactly what it should do.
what's the problem?

I think people are expecting the compass to point toward the direction you're facing: if you face east, the needle points to the right (east).

The icon itself is too small to put an "N" on the red needle and have it visible, but maybe a tooltip to that effect would help?

Well sapientCrow while a compass is always working the same way(beeing a needle or...thing that points to a magnetic pole/magical thing) there are some things you can do with it to make it more....pleasent to look at/use.

Here are 2 examples of a compass from Lands of Lore:
Lands of Lore 1:

Lands of Lore 2:


You see that there are always some letters and they are always artfully crafted by experts that do understand that a compass or any other simple device does not only have to be functional but it also has to have some design to make it pleasing to use.

Like i said the grimrock compass looks like a makeshift slapped together thing(even the cursed compass)...it is usable but there is room for improvement. When those guys can find a clock which is made of very tiny gears ... why not find a compass that doesn't look like it was made by a caveman?

I think the current version is fine. It even makes some people learn something new. Well, hopefully they learn it.