That would be nice to have.
So many times, it happens too fast...you trade your passion for glory. Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past, you must fight just to keep them alive.
Age 44, Male
Software Engineer
Somewhere in Nevada...
Somewhere in California..
Joined on 11/29/05
MSGhero
A bit of guidance for the player is nice, not necessarily holding their hands. I think quests that get the player moving around the map are good, like "deliver this package to the other kingdom" to let people know it exists. Or a world map. The latter is better if your game progression is open, especially if you emphasize how little the player has seen compared to what actually exists.
People would still approach new locations linearly, probably choosing the next closest one. Assassin's creed 3 gives you the main quest line like "hey, go to New York now" but there's a lot of free roaming as well if you want to get 100% sync. It also does a decent job of showing you how small the places you've visited are compared to what else is out there.
BoMToons
There is a world map that shows where you've been in the game currently. It's dark and lightens up where you've been.
Maybe I should indicate landmarks on the world map where missions exist?