Celestial Navigation
So I decided to try playing without the map because I love the idea of going as realism as possible... but I suck at it. I can look up at the sun and I can get a bearing of west-east (I think) but apart from that the strat I'm going for is building beacons to help navigate back to base.
I think a navigation overhaul could be neat. Here's what I got:
Realistic Night Sky
Having a real map of the stars at night can be a useful way to get your cardinal directions as you can use things like the "Big Dipper" to show you which way is North for instance. Also, if we consider the distance from Pole to Pole, you could program it so that the angle of incidence of the night sky image is slightly different depending upon how far away you were from the pole/equator (tldr: big brains could work out what their relative North/South position was within a Pole to Pole region).
Sundials
Could be a neat way to tell the time if you played without time on screen (not a thing but it could be...).
Maps
First, make some paper by soaking stripped papyrus reeds in water for a few days, then roll out excess water (with a rolling pin or something) and weave together and leave under a heavy rock or flattening thing (like boards or a press) for a few more days. Mix some charcoal powder with water and arabic gum (from acasia trees) and boom you got yourself some ink. Sit in a location with ink and draw the location of what you see!
That's all I've got for now. Would be great to have some other aspects of navigation implemented for immersion. Any suggestions?