When I play RPGs, we try not to focus on combat. Instead of knowing where every rock is, we can ask the GM "is there a rock somewhere that I can hide behind?" and if he says yes we hide there.
I find that games flow a lot better when we don't have to worry about drawing out maps and preparing encounters. Just do everything on the fly.
Generally, when we play, we are sitting on recliners and a couch or whatever, with a clipboard and some dice. The GM describes stuff, I write down notes as applicable, and we tell him what we're doing. I've tried playing with minis before, and I find that the game ends up focussed way too strongly on the minis than on the game itself.
I think that a lot of D&D games are combat-heavy, though, from what I've seen. I personally don't like that, but eh?
