EQ2Map w/ integrated list (Preview)
 

Pre-Beta Preview -



Major Features Enhancement:
EQ2Map with an integrated list.
Selecting a POI in the list hides every other POI on the map.
Double clicking a POI creates a path to it and closes the list.
Selecting a POI and clicking the Comment Button will open the browser to the eq2map website for that POI (So you can comment on it or report it bad or duplicate)
It will also allow us to attach a HTML link to POIS so we can add a button to open the browser to websites describing Quest, Mob, and Named info.

However there is a few drawbacks..
When displaying the map for the first time in a zone there is a slight pause while the list populates itself and the poi's are placed on the map. Also the for this to work there must be a max number of POI's of each type allowed: Right now it allows
200 Locations, NPC, MOBS, Named and Qst POIS.. And 50 zone locations..

So they could give opinions to these questions: (but any opinions are welcome)

Is this something you would like to see added to EQ2Map?

Is the pause that happens during population of the map bearable?

Note: It's fully functional but the POIs are out of date (mid-august.) But it is just a pre-beta preview.


README: To install the attached zip:
1. Unzip to a seperate folder in the Everquest2/UI directory.
2. Copy your images/maps folder from your regular Eq2Map Install
3. Update your eq2.ini to point to the folder you unzipped into

This is not compatible with the EQ2Map Updater nor the current plugins that are available..
Hope that makes sense..

Isn't this what POI Finder is?

YES.. Sorta... But integrated which makes it a bit different/advanced.

This project was started shortly after Mother released the original EQ2MAP Spoiler.

It actually lets you find the POI visually on the map..

So check it out :P

Yep, I'll DL it once I reformat my C drive. :)

drago.

What started this project..
Goals of this project as stated by Dolby:
1. What all do we want the list to do
2. How the list is to be displayed
3. How we are going to store the list in xml

This was/is going to be the next incarnation of EQ2Map.. It's more than just the list it's a complete rework of the xml system that allows the list to be integrated therefore it updates when EQ2Map updates (However there is no support for that yet).

1, 2 and 3 is basically what this XML represents..

Adding the html link for quests, mobs and named to make the browser window open is not too far off..

If we add Zonx's VAM (View any map plugin).. You'd have a one stop place to get information on Quests, Mobs, and Nameds with a couple clicks of the mouse without any searching (as long as the community provides links).

I for one am 100% certain that EQ2Map will continue to be a valuable tool for eq2 players even after the new mapping system is released.. The team would like to get the publics opinion on this project. Is this something we should continue to pursue? Is it a good replacement for the old cluster system? Could you guys deal with a slight pause when opening a map in a zone for the first time after switching zones?

Far's I'm concerned this is an outstanding move forward. But then, I'm one of those who actually uses the POI Finder because it's the only thing available.

When one is involved with new chars who've never before played it can be very helpful to tell where they need to go for that next step on their quest.

:nana:

this is a fantastic idea. I probably would use it. 1 thing that might make it more adaptable for all players would be if there was an option to minimize the list if one did not always want it there. I also tried the newest try at the resizable map and it was pretty sweet so might want think about that having an effect on who would use it as a single window if it was a choice of either resizable or integrated poi finder. How ever the fact that this auto populates is what makes it so appealing. So if it was just an addon to the map as the poi finder is would make it a definet addition.

How about making it a tab?

I like this, and I'll definitely use it. I currently use the POIFinder (which does the same thing, including setting a waypoint on a POI when you click on it in the list), but it lags the actual map icons. The POIFinder Updater solved that, but the eq2ui_custom.xml change causes a glitch with it and I'm loathe to recommend it to non-techies right now. If this all gets integrated into EQ2Map itself then there wont' be an issue with POIs lagging or needing a seperate updater. Thank you for this.

Update:

Considering the list, one way around the pause while the list is populated is to do what POIFinder does: generate a seperate set of XML files specifically for the list after new POIs are downloaded. POIFinder doesn't seem to have any delay even the first time the window's opened. And while the idea of the list being in the map window is good, I put my map over on the right-hand side of the screen because the center's usually the part I need to see. If the list disappears when closed, when it's opened it'd be off the right-hand edge of the screen or else I'd have to leave the map further towards the center with dead space on the right-hand edge of my screen. I've had good luck with POIFinder's seperate window: map on the right-hand side, POIFinder opens on the left side (on top of my maintained-effects window, but I don't care about both at the same time). A tab would work, but I couldn't see both the list and the map at the same time (useful when seeing where multiple spawn points for the same item are).

Seconded. A tab that switches back to the main map with the waypoint visible when you click on an item would be nice. Or a seperate window a la POIFinder.

ill tell you later

The idea behind this was to not only make it so that it got updated with the map but it would also allow people to add html links which would allow you to browse quest/named/mob information by clicking on the poi in the list and hitting a button that would open the browser.. It also allows us to set up a button so that a user can click a button to report bad pois or submit changes through the browser window.. It truly was much more advanced than the map spoiler project.

The way the "data" is stored for POIs was completely changed, not only to make an integrated list work, but so that it could be completely integrated with the POI display. However, the main reason for this was to try and cut down on the amount of bandwith the updater used.. By having seperate xmls for the list and the icons it would effectively double that bandwith..

A tab because of the fact that it opens on the left side is moot because the list was part of the skin and is completely moddable.... There could easily have been several skins.. One with the list opening on the right, one with the list opening on the right and one with the list in a tab.. And, it could have just as easily been made into a separate window like POIFinder and the map spoiler.. I even had a waypoint window that incorporated the list (even though I seem to of misplaced it.)

But overall, putting the list into it's own tab isn't a viable option for the exact reason you state, "You wouldn't be able to see both the map and the list" which kills the integration aspect.

But considering the map window changes that came with ROK (IE a resizeable map), this thing needs to be reworked quite a bit, which I will get to. however, the website and updater aren't set up for this at all and that was the big road block to getting this thing out the door..

Anyway thanks for the support :)

Don't you have a hard drive to reformat or something?

:confused: What are you talking about???????

The POIFinder Updater didn't have seperate XMLs on the server. It read the icon XML files after they were downloaded and generated the POI-list XMLs locally. No additional bandwidth needed.

To me the map's usually the main focal point. The POI list is a convenient index to find POIs by name, but it's primarily a tool to get the POI highlighted on the main map. If opening the list inside the map window shrinks the map, that makes it harder to see the POI location relative to everything else until I close the list again. Once I know where the POI is on the map, I usually don't need to highlight it again using the list. And since I spend a lot more time with the map up navigating than with the list up finding POIs, I'm biased towards keeping the map operating the way I like (fixed position and right on the right edge of the screen leaving the center clear).

Now, if you can make the whole map slide to the left when opening a right-hand-side list, or if the list can be put on the left-hand side of the map and have the window expand so the map stays the same size as the list opens, either of those would be perfect. But I'd expect either would be non-trivial to arrange.

*sigh* It's the 21st century, where's the direct-neural-feed virtual reality? They promised us virtual reality... :D

I'm leaning more towards a tab or something instead of the right things because I hate it being so darn big.

personally i see hte potential but what i really like is the idea of being able to make only your selected poi show up . i know its not a big deal with all this will be capable of but you know how annoying it is to search through POI's when they are clustered

I'm not sure how much work you're planning on putting into this but I'm just checking, you know that SOE announced at the Fan Faire in August that they plan on adding a search function to the map?

I'm not saying that the poi finder takes more bandwith.. But if the eq2map team integrates this approach with seperate xml files for both the list and the poi display then it would effectively double the bandwidth for updating pois because it would have to download two files.. Also the way I stored the data downloaded has shrunk a tiny bit (like 5%)..

The map shouldn't shrink when opening the list... Just so you know, If you are looking at this thing in in game now (after ROK), it's not going to work as intended.. However both those options you mentioned are totally feasible.. Not trivial but not too tough either.. (especially with the way they allow us to access location and height and width now)

Heh, ever see the show Beyond 2000? It seems that none of those neat gadgets are available even though we're almost a decade into the 21st.

Yea, sounds like a neat addon, but very vague in description.. Also are they talking about the new map system or the one we currently have (and will supposedly grandfather)? Will it allow us to search our icons or only the icons added by sony.. It seems to me that it would search some sort of list of icons which makes it sounds like it would work well with the list :P Also would this search function also allow us to link directly to a poi on the EQ2Map website? And would a search feature allow us to store a link for quest info? Doesn't anyone looks at the big picture..

I've already put way too much time and effort into this project, seemingly going uphill, without barely any team support, to give it up, sorry!!

Thanks for the support ;)

Yea, someone got it... That's the whole point of the list :)

Nevermind I take it you finished :p

If it ever makes it to a released state you will be able to mod/skin it any way you wish.

But, I personally dislike the idea of a tab because it makes the integrated list kinda pointless..

Yeah...the date was in fact 09-28-2007 and it is now 11/17/07

lol

and if I'm able to mod it then it's ok. I would already have to see.