Advice: Disable the minimap and the path drawn on your map.

[The Algerian]

Hi there.

I just want to give this advice that greatly increased my enjoyment of the game.

Disable the minimap, don't even use the compass, just hold down the "down" button on your D-pad and set it on "without" (or whatever the english version says).

Then go in your settings and disable the thing where the game draws the path you should take on your map, like a GPS.

 

You may not realize it, but chances are you're paying way too much attention to these, and it makes the journeys tedious instead of actually enjoying the game.

 

Don't worry, if you think you might be lost or took the wrong turn, you can still bring up the minimap for 5 seconds or so by a quick press of "down" on the d-pad.

 

It's also much more enjoyable to choose your route yourself in advance. And their are signs indicating which town is which direction pretty often.

 

And for those of you who think "I'll just do that on 2nd playthrough", I don't think it's that great of an idea, you're just going to keep using the path you've been using in the first playthrough, and you will already know the map by heart by then, the discovery is very much part of the fun.

[roe]

This is very much a personal preference thing but yeah, I agree.  I really like how they've got it so you can still bring up the map with just one button press should you need it.  A Rockstar open world game is actually playable now without a radar on screen!

Using the map via the companion app also works quite well but it runs my phone far too hot for me to wanna use it for too long unfortunately.  Hope they can somehow patch that so that's not a problem soon.

[The Algerian]

4 minutes ago, roe said:

This is very much a personal preference thing but yeah, I agree.  I really like how they've got it so you can still bring up the map with just one button press should you need it.  A Rockstar open world game is actually playable now without a radar on screen!

Using the map via the companion app also works quite well but it runs my phone far too hot for me to wanna use it for too long unfortunately.  Hope they can somehow patch that so that's not a problem soon.

I should try the app, but I doubt my phone's got enough space.

[CrimsonFolo]

Just now, The Algerian said:

I should try the app, but I doubt my phone's got enough space.

It's quite a battery hog too from my experience.

[The Algerian]

Can anybody point me to the Android version? Can't find it at all.

EDIT: Nvm, my phone isn't compatible.

Edited October 28, 2018 by The Algerian

[trip]

I totally dig your point.  I used to suggest the same thing with GTA IV since that is when they added GPS.  A far greater experience when you manage your own way from point A to point B.

 

I'll give it a go today.  I feel it will work even better in RDR2 since we can DPad up the map real quick.  Not like in GTAs when you'd have to pause and activate the map and such and such.

[The Algerian]

4 minutes ago, trip said:

I totally dig your point.  I used to suggest the same thing with GTA IV since that is when they added GPS.  A far greater experience when you manage your own way from point A to point B.

 

I'll give it a go today.  I feel it will work even better in RDR2 since we can DPad up the map real quick.  Not like in GTAs when you'd have to pause and activate the map and such and such.

Exactly this, I only pause to activate the map in RDR2 when I'm about to start the voyage, decide which path I'm going to take, give myself directions, and then I leave and don't use the minimap or map until I really positive that I'm lost.

[TheSantader25]

Radar is a must for me in games. I can't live without it. 

[trip]

I can now confirm the game is even more beautiful and immersive with the minimap off.  Not kidding.

 

Honest.  Even if you "need the minimap with rader" just give it a try for a few minutes to see what people are talking about.   With just holding down on the DPad to enable/disable the minimap there are no excuses for not trying.  They made it easy to disable/enable the minimap for a reason. 

[The Algerian]

48 minutes ago, TheSantader25 said:

Radar is a must for me in games. I can't live without it. 

as JustNow says above me, and under this post, give it a try.

But I'd suggest an hour instead of a few minutes.

Not like you should be in any rush anyway, it's not like there's another game like this around the corner, or another chance to experience the game fresh.

 

Just now, trip said:

I can now confirm the game is even more beautiful and immersive with the minimap off.  Not kidding.

 

Honest.  Even if you "need the minimap with rader" just give it a try for a few minutes to see what people are talking about.   With just holding down on the DPad to enable/disable the minimap there are no excuses for not trying.  They made it easy to disable/enable the minimap for a reason. 

 

[Tez2]

I like to keep this sort of advice hidden until I reach the end game and then replay the whole game without radar/minimap.

Edited October 28, 2018 by Fun 2

[Pedinhuh]

This looks promising, but how well can you fare in combats? Because I belive not being able to spot where your enemies are while they always knows where you are sounds like a massive hindrance.

[Jason]

I turn off the minimap/hud when exploring and travelling but turn it back on for combat. It's main use is telling me where dead bodies and animals are really.

 

Being able to turn it on and off on the fly and without going into the settings is fricking amazing though. 

[Nutduster]

I tried playing this way and made it into chapter 2, but gave up shortly thereafter. I just was having too many issues with it. Combat is a nuisance, some missions are unnecessarily difficult (I failed a few simply due to being disoriented while trying to follow someone), and I found myself pausing to check the map so much that it was pulling me out of actually experiencing the game. I kind of feel like even though this is an option, the game was not really meant to be played this way - a lot of things in the game seem to expect the minimap to be active.

[Guest]

I play with minimap to save myself the frustration of going the wrong way, which I do by trade.

I have a talent for that kinda thing, sometimes even with minimap. So, before controllers are flung towards my tv screen, I use the map and only disable it for screenies now.

[nickaepi]

On 10/28/2018 at 8:29 AM, The Algerian said:

as JustNow says above me, and under this post, give it a try.

But I'd suggest an hour instead of a few minutes.

Not like you should be in any rush anyway, it's not like there's another game like this around the corner, or another chance to experience the game fresh.

 

 

What about seeing when Stranger missions pop up? I don't want to miss them.

[Mach1bud]

On 10/28/2018 at 9:42 PM, Pedinhuh said:

This looks promising, but how well can you fare in combats? Because I belive not being able to spot where your enemies are while they always knows where you are sounds like a massive hindrance.

Not really an issue for people playing default/autoaim. Just need to know the general direction of the enemies.

 

I've been playing with the map off as well as OP has said, don't have any issues getting lost, just have to plan ahead and/or pay attention to who you are following if in a mission. I just do a quick tap if I am not sure or need to find a dead body that's hid in some bushes or whatever.

6 minutes ago, nickaepi said:

What about seeing when Stranger missions pop up? I don't want to miss them.

You won't miss them. They don't just disappear if you ride past them. Just go to them when you see them on the main map.

[The Algerian]

8 minutes ago, nickaepi said:

What about seeing when Stranger missions pop up? I don't want to miss them.

I rarely miss any, you hear them from pretty far, and if you have trouble finding them and they're displayed on the map, a quick bump of down on the d-pad does the trick.

[Cratoz]

I have it off by default. If you need the map during a fight or chasing someone you can just press down on the de-pad and it will show for some seconds, that's what I do at least and I like it way better to actually be involved more in the game instead of having to focus half the game in the bottom left of the screen.

[rebeldevil]

I keep the map up, because I have the world's worst sense of direction. If I don't have a map i will get hopelessly lost very quickly.

[GN 92]

I guess it's worth a shot. I'll start by not following the roads, because after reading the OP I realized that i'm kinda like a robot following the road all the time.

Edited October 31, 2018 by GN 1992