[REL] Alerts Minimap

Discussion in 'Released Mods' started by cola_colin, September 27, 2014.

  1. cola_colin

    cola_colin Moderator Alumni

    Messages:
    12,074
    Likes Received:
    16,221
    work on projection configuration and placement

    [​IMG]

    Now the question is how to make them place in a way that works out with as many of them as possible.
    Should I move the alerts down?
    Or should I go this way instead?
    [​IMG]
    this would allow less minimaps overall, more than 6, max.9 would start to conflict with the lower parts of the UI.
    But it's easier than to move the alert stuff around and having the alerts down would mean they are close to the middle of the screen, kinda in the way imho. For reasonable planet numbers version 2 seems better. For unreasonable numbers of planets .... people should get more screens.
    If I had more data on unit positions and stuff I could make the minimaps show in celestial zoom with real unit icons, so basically have the supcom zoom style. Zoom out > see everything > zoom in on specific point of map. But without all unit data that'll not work very well.
    Schulti and CryFisch like this.
  2. Pawz

    Pawz Active Member

    Messages:
    951
    Likes Received:
    161
    I like the 2nd option.. columns & rows. Also, might want to stick it in a window that you can resize, so that if you wanted a 2nd planet that's a big view, you could get it...


    Awesome work btw - here's hoping Uber will open up the API so we can get the nav mesh / layers out of the planets!!

    Also need to see enemy units btw, not sure if they're showing up yet ;)
  3. cola_colin

    cola_colin Moderator Alumni

    Messages:
    12,074
    Likes Received:
    16,221
    It onlys shows some blinking black circles and dots for structures/buildings on first seeing them. They both are removed after 10 seconds, as I have no way to know if a strcuture is killed or not.
    Schulti likes this.
  4. Schulti

    Schulti Active Member

    Messages:
    226
    Likes Received:
    56
    OMG cola_collin !!!!! You´ve just got sooo many likes from me in this thread - OMG. This is outstanding! Can wait to have a first version to play with :):):)
  5. Schulti

    Schulti Active Member

    Messages:
    226
    Likes Received:
    56
    Any news here?
    Maybe a little addon idea if possible:
    Could you add the visonradius and radar coverage of all units? Something like a fog of war?
    Last edited: October 20, 2014
  6. cola_colin

    cola_colin Moderator Alumni

    Messages:
    12,074
    Likes Received:
    16,221
    It can't even display the position of mobile units. Only of alerts.
    Progress here has halted due to work on custom servers and the map editor and other stuff and things.
    Again I wish I had a timemaschine. I also have a little more to do in RL again, but I do plan to continue the minimaps as well, they are not even that far away from a first version. The biggest issue is to make a "simple to use" tool to gather the required map data in a way that costs as less work per map as possible.
    Schulti and Raevn like this.
  7. kaminfreunde

    kaminfreunde Active Member

    Messages:
    120
    Likes Received:
    77
    cola_colin likes this.
  8. philoscience

    philoscience Post Master General

    Messages:
    1,022
    Likes Received:
    1,048

    Cola this project is really amazing. Just wanted to give you a boost as this is going to become a must-use mod.
    Schulti and cola_colin like this.
  9. cola_colin

    cola_colin Moderator Alumni

    Messages:
    12,074
    Likes Received:
    16,221
    I've successfully build a way to do the gathering of map data mostly automatic, though it still is a process that requires somebody to start a modified local server and enter some commands into the debugger to make it do the work. After it is finished it prints a big json block that needs to be inserted into the mod.

    My hack to measure the landscape goes like this, instead of area building walls:

    - Calculate 750 test locations per square kilometer of the planet.
    - Move the camera to every location
    - on every location run code that tries to place a wall and a torpedo launcher in the middle of the screen. If either of these returns "ok" it means the location has land/sea.
    - do this for all planets.
    - additionally, when moving the camera to a planet for the first time run a code snippet that spawns in an avatar and makes it area build mex on the whole planet, as mex are captured from "mex build" alerts.

    This works without any timeouts while mapping happens, it runs at max speed :D

    Additionally I have modified the server script to make it show all spawns to every player to capture those.

    This process is started by the user by entering a command that specific some IDs. With this concept I can map out all of honey pot while writing this post :)

    EDIT:
    The mapping quality seems to be okay, this was created from looking up a few IDs by making pings and then going afk for less than 10 minutes:

    [​IMG]

    the mapping data is ~280kbyte for that one map

    EDIT:

    5 minutes (of which I could tab away/afk for 4 min) to create the mapping of a station 3, including finding a halfway decent setting for what projection to use on it:
    [​IMG]

    :D :D :D

    so assuming my code survivies the patch I am ready for new maps.

    first code on github:
    https://github.com/pamods/Minimap
    Last edited: November 15, 2014
    proeleert and Clopse like this.
  10. cola_colin

    cola_colin Moderator Alumni

    Messages:
    12,074
    Likes Received:
    16,221
    Mapping clarke (radius 900 I think?) results in roughly 7500 datapoints, mapped at ~25 points per second, so it took roughly 5 minutes to map it.
    The mapping quality is better than I expected, notice the red marked little water. The arrows on the minimap point at them, my mouse cursor is in tthe middle of those 2 arrows to control the pip.
    The mapping was able to tell that that small line is water, because I reduced the size of wall and torpedo launcher to 1x1x1 for mapping and it seems to work pretty reliable even at 25 locations (with 2 build tests on each of them) per second :D

    [​IMG]
    Clopse likes this.
  11. tatsujb

    tatsujb Post Master General

    Messages:
    12,902
    Likes Received:
    5,385
    as far as I can tell nothing happens when you have the mod on appart that' you're in sandbox mode.

    I placed the server folder in server, i placed the client one and the minimap in client and activated all three in pamm and hosted a game.

    no extra settings appeared either.

    what am I doing wrong?.
  12. cola_colin

    cola_colin Moderator Alumni

    Messages:
    12,074
    Likes Received:
    16,221
    You are most likely not on a supported map.

    It's not a REL, so there is no explanation yet.
    Quick version:
    GeoMapperClient/Server is what you need to create mappings for maps
    The minimap itself is only the Minimap mod. As it is now on github it has mapping for these exodus maps: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pamods/Minimap/master/Minimap/ui/mods/minimap/systems.js

    You can configure the minimap by pressing alt+mousemove on it as well as by checking the checkbox to view per map settings of projection and dotsize.

    To create more mappings you need to enable the GeoMapper mods.
    Then modify your local server like this:
    https://github.com/pamods/Minimap/blob/master/GeoMapperServer/readme.txt
    Then start a game on the map you want to map. Open the UI debugger on the live game scene.
    Now ping on every planet, after you made a ping on a planet the debugger will show you the ID of that planet.
    Once you have all planets call something like

    mapPlanets([[<planeid>, <planetname>], [<planetid>, <planetname>], [...]]);
    once it is finished it prints a big json blop. Copy it into the systems file, notice that you need to remove the outmost {} from it.
    Then reload the UI and see the mapping you created, assuming you have the minimap mod active.
    Clopse and tatsujb like this.
  13. cola_colin

    cola_colin Moderator Alumni

    Messages:
    12,074
    Likes Received:
    16,221
    [REL]
    Clopse likes this.
  14. valentinmetz

    valentinmetz New Member

    Messages:
    13
    Likes Received:
    1
    I do have some Problems with the last part:

    Now ping on every planet, after you made a ping on a planet the debugger will show you the ID of that planet.
    Once you have all planets call something like

    mapPlanets([[<planeid>, <planetname>], [<planetid>, <planetname>], [...]]);
    once it is finished it prints a big json blop. Copy it into the systems file, notice that you need to remove the outmost {} from it.

    I dont see the Planet-ID, and i have no idea where to enter that command.
  15. cola_colin

    cola_colin Moderator Alumni

    Messages:
    12,074
    Likes Received:
    16,221
    The UI debugger. You can find it in your PA directory under Coherent/Debugger. Once you start a game click the blue "Live Game" in it and go to console.
    However you don't need it necessarily, if you play the exodus mappack maps.

    The placement for mex btw doesnt always automatically happen, so after the process if finished one should check if it worked. If a planet has no mex, just cheat in an avatar and place them yourself. After that clear the console in the debugger and call printmap(), it prints the now correct map data.

    I am considering a way to automate the whole process in a way that allows people to just click a button ingame, but I am not quite sure where to store the map data. That map data gets potentially bigger than what localstorage is made for I think. Not sure. Maybe I can compress it.

    EDIT:
    Though I cannot automate the process of modifing the local server to show all spawns. I guess creating mappings for new systems will stay a process that requires a little modding knowledge. Maybe I can make a tutorial video for it, so people can directly see the steps involved.
  16. valentinmetz

    valentinmetz New Member

    Messages:
    13
    Likes Received:
    1
    The program could add additional Spawns over time, so it does add more spawns if you get other spawns.
    Or you could write an application that does change the visibility of spawns at the beginning and at the end.
    (Im on Realm-TS currently, may you could join, so we can talk)
  17. cola_colin

    cola_colin Moderator Alumni

    Messages:
    12,074
    Likes Received:
    16,221
    Collecting them from game to game isn't really a nice solution imho. I'd like mapping a process that is done once for a map and is complete afterwards.
    Dunno what such an application could do.
    I am supposed to do assignments right now, better not join a ts ;)
  18. valentinmetz

    valentinmetz New Member

    Messages:
    13
    Likes Received:
    1
    Last edited by a moderator: November 16, 2014
  19. cola_colin

    cola_colin Moderator Alumni

    Messages:
    12,074
    Likes Received:
    16,221
    server-script/sim_utils.js around line 19. Change the 0,100,50 to a 0,999999,50
    Not qure how the mapping for such a planet would end up though. The minimap does make assumptions of the planet being a sphere.
    Last edited: November 16, 2014
  20. valentinmetz

    valentinmetz New Member

    Messages:
    13
    Likes Received:
    1
    Ok, i tried everything i know.
    The Walls are small now, but it does not accept the command, i cant create the Avatar Commander, and i have no idea what to do next.
    Please do a Video tutorial on it, cause i really want to useit on some of my favourite maps ;-)

Share This Page