General Navigation Design Discussion

[Apple Monster 6]

So i've been running my ass of exploring the map, which is a great way to stay in shape, and I find myself being turned around quite a bit.  And after a gun fight with bandits in the woods, it's VERY easy to become turned around while sprinting away dodging through trees.  Now I'm not an expert, but I'm pretty decent at navigation and finding my way about in the Sierra Nevada.  There are a few things I would like to bring open for discussion about the map and how easy/hard it is to navigate.  These are my thoughts for discussion:

 

1. The Sun

• I love having a navigation point that is visible throughout the map, and the sun is a perfect way for people to navigate in nature.  Currently the sun doesn't set in the correct direction.  It's sets in the general west where I come from, I think it sets in the south in DayZ from what I can remember.  Now this isn't too big of a problem once you know the setting sun is not correct, you can generally compensate your bearings.  I feel the sun should be physically (or close) accurate to our real sun.  This helps a lot after being turned around while trying to sprint for your life in the woods!
• I also think there are times when the sun shouldn't be visible at all...and I'm not talking about night.  Now I've played a lot over the past week or two, and I have always been able to see the sun, even on overcast skies.  There are points in nature where the sun is completely covered by clouds, yet still daytime, and you have no clue where it is in the sky.  This would be an awesome balancing tool for navigation design.  I'm all for easy navigation, but in this instance it would be acceptable since it mimics nature.

2.  Terrain

• I feel there should be a bit more landmarks in the terrain, large enough to spot and different enough to keep your bearings with, but not too large to break immersion.  By landmarks I mean simple rock formations in the hills/mountains, special trees and maybe even a "setting moon" during the daytime.  I know DayZ does a great job with landmarks within a few km, but I'm talking about 10km+  There are probably more ideas out there for this.
• More bluffs which have unobstructed views.  I have found very little vantage points in this map, which are abundant in nature.  Rock formations, fallen trees and open hilltops to scope the distant landscape. Maybe climbing trees could be of use?  This isn't a problem when you are in a town, but in general most of my time has been in the wilderness exploring.  And once wildlife and game are introduced, these will be a greater necessity.

3.  Compass

• seems good and it's been said before, but it's not accurate according to the sun.

4.  Loot Maps

• Traditional maps (of the assuming age) that I have at home, have a printed compass for at least N and S.  I would suggest adding this at some point.

 

I'm just offering the ideas up for discussion and maybe some great design topics will emerge.