Regarding maps.
This is how I would do it. Game completely without maps is rather stupid - humanity was using maps for 6000 years, yet no one invented one in EQ? (yet at the same time you got a satellite signal which pin points your excat coordinates with a /loc). However we must understand that there is a difference between having a map and knowing your current location on it - there are people today who still get lost even with a map
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How this would work:
1. you have to buy a map from NPC. The higher lev of the zone - the more expensive is the map. In some cases map could even be quested.
2. Determining your position on the map is a whole other thing - you would get a SKILL similar to Sense Heading which would attempt to determine where you are right now. The higher your skill - the more accurately your position will be determined.
IMPORTANT point- the map will NOT track your position as you move - once you have moved- you will have to use the SKILL again to see where you are now. Higher level zones will have higher req skill to get accurate result.