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Games that use real-world maps?

Infamous 2nd Son?

More like based on a real-world map. The neighborhoods are smushed together, missing, or improperly located. It's more of a faux-Seattle with familiar landmarks and local brands than a real-world map. Not that Sucker Punch was trying to re-create Seattle 1:1 or anywhere near that level of accuracy.
 

Hip Hop

Member
The last few Battlefields have all, or most, of the maps based on real locations

Infamous 2nd Son?


Does GTA V counts? I mean, it has a lot of places that L.A. has

LA Noire kind of? It used real locations from decades ago.


I don't think that is what is being asked here.

I think he means if there are any games using the whole map of a real location as a setting, not just inspired by it.
 

Falchion

Member
Came in to say Test Drive Unlimited but it's been mentioned. I didn't play much of it but the map was supposed to be legit huge.
 

RedSwirl

Junior Member
I was thinking Arma 3, but I'm unsure to what degree it is replicating a real location. Was it ever disclosed what place it's modelled after? Didn't one of the people doing location scouting for the game get arrested for espionage or something like that?

It's based on the Greek island Lemnos. I think it's 3/4 scale or 75% the size of the actual island.

Playing in a group of 100+ with 60+ in mission, it really isn't with vehicles. Solo would be a pain though. But to that I'd say your playing the franchise wrong.

Well yeah, the maps in ArmA games are pretty much balanced around vehicles and aircraft.
 

Hip Hop

Member
Came in to say Test Drive Unlimited but it's been mentioned. I didn't play much of it but the map was supposed to be legit huge.

This is one of the best examples.

The first game was set in Oahu, which was close to the real life island.

The 2nd game had Ibiza (And also includes Oahu), which once again resembled the real island in scale.

Here is a google map of Ibiza updated with locations from TDU2:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewe...441777073&msa=0&mid=z982MAut7-nc.kNqw5Wa33MrU
 

RedSwirl

Junior Member
Oh, and Fallout 3 is more accurate than most people might think. It's scaled down to a huge degree, but a lot of landmarks and locations are about where they would be in real life relative to each other, even things only people living in DC would know about. A friend of a friend solved the quest where you have to find the Declaration of Independence by Googling where it was in real life. The metros are also surprisingly accurate.
 
The Wargame series uses 'real' maps.

At least for the strategic campaign layer.

The Supreme Ruler games too.

Ultimate General: Gettysburg uses stylistically modified real-world maps. Lovely game to look at too.
 
I was thinking Arma 3, but I'm unsure to what degree it is replicating a real location. Was it ever disclosed what place it's modelled after? Didn't one of the people doing location scouting for the game get arrested for espionage or something like that?

It's probably one of the most accurate representations of a real world place in video games

The in game island Altis is really called Lemnos

Google Map Image of Lemnos

And this is an in-game map of Altis

Altis-UltraHigh.png

The other map Stratis is based off the island of Agios Efstratios which is located just to the south of Lemnos is real life.

Google Map Link

and here is an in game map of Stratis


Bohemia did take some liberties with this map namely adding the airfield and many small villages but by in large it is extremely close to the real life island
 

Illusion of Gaia's world map has locations inspired by the real world. Great Wall of China, Pyramids at Giza (just one in Gaia, though), and Angkor Wat are all dungeons in the game. There are also some locations based on real world myth like Sky Garden, Mu, and the Nazca Lines that make appearances. It's one of my favorite games of all time.
 
Shin Megami Tensei IV basically just uses a stylized map of Tokyo for the world map. It's pretty accurate, for better or for worse (arguably makes it more busy looking than it needs to be)
 
The MMO Fallen Earth uses a map that is a based on the Grand Canyon. I haven't played it for years and years, but I seem to remember that the landscape should pretty much be a direct representation
 

Good call. PGR3 even had a free roaming mode where you could drive through the cities(Tokyo, London, Vegas, NYC, and one more I can't think of). But you could also say virtually every sim racing game would fit the OP's criteria because of all the real world tracks.
 

Piggus

Member
Does GTA V counts? I mean, it has a lot of places that L.A. has

It has a great sense of scale, but Los Santos is TINY compared to the real LA. Like absolutely minuscule. The only part that feels truly similar is Santa Monica beach.

Edit: Forgot about Test Drive Unlimited. Driving from one end of the island all the way to the other side and into Honolulu is pretty awesome.
 

Persona7

Banned
I think Ace Combat 6 uses real world map data? I don't know if any other AC games do, though.

Oh holy shit, I never even noticed the google watermarks here. I remember thinking this part looked super lazy and awful in the game (I mean it's literally a flat texture with a mesh and some fog, jesus), but that just takes it to a whole new level.

What did that map designer have, 5 minutes to make the skybox?

You didn't notice watermarks because they are not actually in the game. That screenshot was altered.
 
Battle of the Bulge. The game maps is accurate to the region of Belgium where the real battle took place.

map_03.jpg


The Division looks like it's game map is a pretty accurate portrayal of Manhattan, albeit after the apocalypse.
 
Silent Hunter series

Real WWII pacific theater or Europe depending on the title. Only the oceans however, and 1:1 scale so you have to speed up time while your submarine travels.
 
It's probably one of the most accurate representations of a real world place in video games

The in game island Altis is really called Lemnos

Google Map Image of Lemnos

And this is an in-game map of Altis



The other map Stratis is based off the island of Agios Efstratios which is located just to the south of Lemnos is real life.

Google Map Link

and here is an in game map of Stratis



Bohemia did take some liberties with this map namely adding the airfield and many small villages but by in large it is extremely close to the real life island

Believe me, it is extremely close to real life. So much so that being around the island after some hundreds of hours playing ArmA3 is uncanny valley territory. I was constantly recognizing valleys and even subtle landmarks while driving around. That said, the settlement layouts (not the locations) are significantly changed and understandably so.
 

woopWOOP

Member
Civilization 1 could be played on a randomly generated map or EARTH.
It was scaled down a hundred times or so tho. Britain could barely hold a single city, nevermind growing it into anything useful.

Speaking of downscaling
pilotwings-64-little-states-usa-rocket-belt.jpg

One of Pilotwings 64's islands is a miniature USA.
 

daxgame

Member

Holy shit, somehow I had absolutely no idea about this. Or maybe, too much time passed since I played it!

Would 80 Days count?

absolutely, loved it for a while, then it got a bit repetitive


seems to have mixed reviews but actually this is the kind of gem I was searching for. Topic delivered, thanks (and not just from your suggestion)! :D
Seems to be on sale on steam, just bought

by real map, you mean just realistically based off the actual geography or literally 'on a map'? like, it feels like you're controlling the game from atop a map (or a globe surfaced laid flat, for that matter). cuz your example and posts kinda sound like the latter but most of the replies make me think maybe i'm interpreting it wrong.

It's true, at the beginning I was just thinking just about "games that actually play on a real world "2D" map", but I'm glad not everybody understood it that way because I was able to find a couple of interesting games that still meet the "real world" criteria :).


edit: adding to the list myself, I found a game Colonial Conquest which looks interesting.
 
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