Ready for testing: eq2map fix for Serpent Sewers + Down Below

[Othesus]

If you've gone into the Serpent Sewers or the Down Below recently you probably saw that the points of interest are not right. They show up with the Gobblerock and Condemned Catacombs points. This bug has been happening since around when EOF came out and is a result of the original hack to get different points of interest for these zones since they share the same zone geometry. The current work-around has been to click on the World tab and then click back on the Zone tab, since that hides the Fog checkbox and the POIs are tied to whether the Fog checkbox is visible or not.

I've tested these files out myself a couple times but I'd like to have some people double check that they're working correctly. Here's what you should do:

1. First zone into the Serpent Sewers, Gobblerock, the Down Below, and the Condemned Catacombs. (You may need to buy the keys if you haven't before.) Look at the map POIs and click on the World tab and back to the Zone tab. Try out the popup menu that lets you show and hide different types of POIs. Quit EQ2.

2. Go to your custom UI folder and then go into the eq2map folder inside that.

3. Find these files and move them to a backup location, like your desktop or anywhere:
core_mapstyles.xml
core_overlay.xml
core_underlay.xml
icons_fprt_sewer02.xml
icons_fprt_sewer02_.xml
icons_qey_catacomb01.xml
icons_qey_catacomb01_.xml
under_fprt_sewer02.xml
under_qey_catacomb01.xml

4. Unzip the fixed files into the eq2map folder:
core_mapstyles.xml
core_overlay.xml
core_underlay.xml
icons_antonica_catacomb01.xml
icons_commonlands_sewer01.xml
icons_fprt_sewer02.xml
icons_qey_catacomb01.xml

5. Load up EQ2. Zone back into the Serpent Sewers, Gobblerock, the Down Below, and the Condemned Catacombs. Look at the map POIs and click on the World tab and back to the Zone tab. Try out the popup menu that lets you show and hide different types of POIs.

Thanks! Let me know if you see any bugs or have any problems.

[Othesus]

Here's a quick rundown of the technical background and changes in the xml files if you're interested.

Currently the UI displays either the Serpent Sewers or the Gobblerock POIs depending on whether the FogCheckbox is visible. This was sort of a hack to get different POIs for two zones that shared the same geometry.

Back in January of 2006 SOE Bobble (the old UI dev I think) posted that they were going to support multiple maps for the same zone geometry. This was when they changed the Isle of Refuge into the Outpost of the Overlord and the Queen's Colony. Those two zones shared the same zone geometry and had different POIs in the icons_tutorial_island02.xml and icons_tutorial_island02_evil.xml files.

The eq2map mod has POIs in a few different places and it's a little confusing at first. Some maps, like the Commonlands and Antonica have symbols that are supplied by the game and don't appear anywhere in the xml files. Some maps like East Freeport and other city zones have symbols that were in the default map like the bank and inn that go into an underlay page. Some maps have more POIs in an overlay page that show up on top of the underlay symbols.

The Serpent Sewers underlay xml file, under_fprt_sewer02.xml, is just a script that shows and hides the Serpent Sewers overlay, icons_fprt_sewer02.xml, or the Gobblerock overlay, icons_fprt_sewer02_.xml, depending on whether the FogCheckbox is visible or not.

So here's what was modified in the xml files to bring them into the current map system:

core_mapstyles.xml - Just added the two ImageStyles for antonica_catacomb01 and commonlands_sewer01. They point to the original DDS files.
core_overlay.xml - Removed the include statements for icons_fprt_sewer02.xml and icons_qey_catacomb01.xml.
core_underlay.xml - Removed the include statements for under_fprt_sewer02.xml and under_qey_catacomb01.xml. Changed the incude statement names from icons_fprt_sewer02_.xml to icons_commonlands_sewer01.xml and from icons_qey_catacomb01_.xml to icons_antonica_catacomb01.xml.
icons_fprt_sewer02.xml and icons_qey_catacomb01.xml - A few OnShow script changes to make the popup menu work right.
icons_fprt_sewer02_.xml - Renamed to icons_commonlands_sewer01.xml and some OnShow script changes.
icons_qey_catacomb01_.xml - Renamed to icons_antonica_catacomb01.xml and some OnShow script changes.
under_fprt_sewer02.xml and under_qey_catacomb01.xml - Removed since they aren't needed anymore.

I have no idea how all these files work on the eq2map server... I hope it won't be too hard to change them, Dolby!

[Dolby]

Thanks for your hard work Othesus! I'll make the needed changes to the website Thursday to generate the xml how you have it for those zones. If its not done by Thursday night some one smack me.

[Dolby]

The site generates all the XML so all I need to know to fix this is if this is correct....


Internal zone name qey_catacomb01 changed to antonica_catacomb01 ?

Internal zone name fprt_sewer02 changed to commonlands_sewer01 ?

If not what are the old internal zone names and what are their new internal names?

[Othesus]

The Condemned Catacombs zone was changed from qey_catacomb01_ to antonica_catacomb01.

The Serpent Sewers zone was changed from fprt_sewer02_ to commonlands_sewer01.

I think that's what you're asking?

[Othesus]

Any luck with the new files? People are still submitting a lot of junk POIs since they don't see the correct map in the game.

[Dolby]

Originally Posted by Othesus

The Condemned Catacombs zone was changed from qey_catacomb01_ to antonica_catacomb01.

The Serpent Sewers zone was changed from fprt_sewer02_ to commonlands_sewer01.

I think that's what you're asking?

Yes, thats what I need. I'll try to get this fixed tonight.

[Dolby]

Ok this is live on the patcher. Doesnt pull up any icons for the down below...

When I zone into "The Down Below" I get the map style name echoed out to me as qey_catacomb01_ ? So do i rename antonica_catacomb01 to qey_catacomb01_ ?

The icon file names have to be the same as the internal zone name as thats how the webpage generates the icon files.

[Othesus]

When you use that command to show the map style name after you zone every map style name has an underscore after it. i think that might be a bug?

I'll look at what I have and what the patcher gives me then I'll try to see what is different.

[Othesus]

Ok, I think you're missing some of the necessary changes. The core_mapstyles.xml file looks ok.

This is how the old files worked:
core_underlay.xml included under_fprt_sewer02.xml and under_qey_catacomb01.xml. These were just scripts to show and hide the overlay xml files depending on whether the FogCheckbox was showing.
core_overlay.xml included the four icons_xxxx.xml files.

This is how the new files work:
core_overlay.xml doesn't include any of the icons xml files. There are no more overlays.
under_fprt_sewer02.xml and under_qey_catacomb01.xml are deleted.
core_underlay.xml includes icons_fprt_sewer02.xml (Serpent Sewers), icons_qey_catacomb01.xml (The Down Below), icons_commonlands_sewer01.xml (Gobblerock's Hideout), and icons_antonica_catacomb01.xml (Condemned Catacombs).

[Dolby]

Ahh ok found the problem, we have different templates for different types of maps, SOE Hardcoded, EQ2MAP, etc. Had to change the map type to EQ2MAP and it put the includes in the correct places. Everything works now, well only tested the Qeynos side.

Thanks for your help!

under_fprt_sewer02.xml and under_qey_catacomb01.xml are deleted.

For security the patcher cant delete files but I can remove them from being downloaded.

[Othesus]

Great! I just tested the four zones in-game today and they look fine now. (They could use a little clean up, from all the redundant POIs though.)

[Talyns]

On the website map list and dropdown box condemned catacombs is listed under Qeynos, shouldn't it be listed under Antonica? The entrance to the zone is in East Antonica.

Also,

Those zones can be set up so that they have their own mapstyle aswell..

Thus, no need to block off corridors with POIs.

Just need a volunteer to remap them now

[Othesus]

Originally Posted by Talyns

Also,

Those zones can be set up so that they have their own mapstyle aswell..

Thus, no need to block off corridors with POIs.

Just need a volunteer to remap them now

Yes, if someone feels the need to have a bigger map for those areas, they could remap those zones so that they fill the map window. But... when was the last time you went with a group into Gobblerock or the Condemned Catacombs? Those zones are probably the two least popular dungeons in the entire game. It's funny to see them though, packed with heroics that are all walking all over each other. It reminds me of how Fallen Gate used to be or how Edgewater Drains and the Crypt of Betrayal were. You really needed a strong group and you would always get heroic adds if you used any AoEs.

[Talyns]

Originally Posted by Othesus

... But... when was the last time you went with a group into Gobblerock or the Condemned Catacombs? Those zones are probably the two least popular dungeons in the entire game. ...

I've never really ever been there, just to entrance to do tests on the map.
Just thought I'd mention it anyway

The reason for my post was the first minor issue:

Originally Posted by Talyns

On the website map list and dropdown box The Condemned Catacombs is listed under Qeynos, shouldn't it be listed under Antonica? The entrance to the zone is in East Antonica.

[Dolby]

Originally Posted by Talyns

The reason for my post was the first minor issue:

fixed it