New Map Design Thread

[AHWULF]

Hi, I'm your new mapmaker. I plan on making a set of maps to replace the current dead one and also hopefully make them usable on your own websites. This thread will document progress and give you a chance to comment.

The data will be handled differently than in the past. We will export static and dynamic data from the live database on a regular basis (5 minutes or something) and the map data and web content will come from a separate server. This way unlike currently the game database(s) performance won't be impacted so much. I don't know how often regular will be eventually.

I intend to make a map like the one in the game, background + status. But I will also make other more useful maps, like one's focused on the local area of each AO'd city with more details like firebase status, brigades, spawnables capped, etc. The map contents will be drawn in javascript (canvas) in your browser so it will have to be tiled a bit to keep performance reasonable.

I don't have the data yet so for now it's still a thought process. I will add the url once something WIP can be seen so you can comment.

[cosian]

Three cheers!!

[AHWULF]

For example, a local view.

Green is allied, red is axis. Bubble on town is AO, colored center shows contention. Lines are CP links. Arrow shows FB ownership on the link. Black line is frontline but each side owns their end. Red line into green town means axis has a spawn able in town.

Remember the game is not about roads but about links. A link has a depo on either end.

I expect something like this view would come from a list of AO'd towns or something. The url for a local view like this would be permanent so you can always go back to it. Maybe a second level of links to give a wider view. Anything is possible. Just takes data+time.

[OHM]

Ahwulf check you PM's

[dog3]

The map contents will be drawn in javascript (canvas) in your browser so it will have to be tiled a bit to keep performance reasonable.

s! for undertaking this project.

A couple of thoughts...

-- While it's still early get all the info from the RATs that you can!

-- If by "tiling" you are referring to a pyramidal decomposition of the map then I would suggest thinking carefully about what sort of information that you are dealing with. Decomposing images may not be as effective as a reduction in "level-of-detail" (lod) in the information presented. A lot will depend on the nature of the source info that you have available. For instance, if you have access to the source map terrain info it might be better to dynamically "draw" a map at reduced lod than to decompose a map image drawn at the highest lod.

-- Don't get bogged down by a pretty background. Concentrate on info presentation.

Good luck!

[AHWULF]

I am not generating images, all the work (other than a pretty background) will be generated in the browser in canvas from json data. The problem is that canvas can't support a highly zoomed in detailed map very well. That's why I would generate it in tiles to keep performance reasonable especially on mobile.

Data won't be a problem once the systems are set up.

[thumper5]

I will buy you beer. Lots and lots of beer.

[B2K]

will 3rd parties be able to access the exported data? (a la wiretap) for use in creating squad based or other tools/views (think bgem)?

The only true issues I had with the old map was that it was broken up oddly into the different quadrants, and at times using it to navigate along the borders of those quadrants was odd....

also - will supply links be shown? ever since lagus went down, I've been having withdrawls

Edited April 28, 2014 by b2k

[AHWULF]

Yes, the data will be in JSON format and available to anyone. It will be the same data I will use in my maps. I don't know yet whether it will supplement wiretap or replace it utterly. Wiretap was useful but more of a hack than a good API. JSON can be read by virtually anything these days. The maps I do will only work in javascript anywhere a modern browser will run including mobile. I won't be generating map images on the server.

Exactly what data I can get and how often I will know once the necessary connections are in place.

Edited April 28, 2014 by AHWULF

[B2K]

Yes, the data will be in JSON format and available to anyone. It will be the same data I will use in my maps. I don't know yet whether it will supplement wiretap or replace it utterly. Wiretap was useful but more of a hack than a good API. JSON can be read by virtually anything these days. The maps I do will only work in javascript anywhere a modern browser will run including mobile. I won't be generating map images on the server.

Exactly what data I can get and how often I will know once the necessary connections are in place.

Cool looks like it's time to learn a bit about josn and javascript ....

[AHWULF]

Cool looks like it's time to learn a bit about josn and javascript ....

With JSON data you can use any language you want. It's much easier to deal with than XML.

[delems]

Welcome back AH! Still using a mac?

[dog3]

Please, please, do what you can to regularize the data formats and api so that I don't have so many "special" cases to code and test. Wiretap had some good stuff but it suffered from it's haphazard design. I don't think that it matters much whether or not the data is provided in xml , json, or whatever is most convenient for you, as long as its consistent and orthogonal.

Once again, good luck and thanks for taking this task on.

s!

[saintj]

A bit more than you are thinking, I know .... But if the API would allow 2-way data exchange that might allow things like HC moving the map offline + players participating on the chat while offline from the game.

And XML rocks. Sorry, had to say it.

[B2K]

A bit more than you are thinking, I know .... But if the API would allow 2-way data exchange that might allow things like HC moving the map offline + players participating on the chat while offline from the game.

And XML rocks. Sorry, had to say it.

out of game folks making moves with no clue of in-game activities is probably not the best idea...

[AHWULF]

No it won't go two ways, this is strictly read only. We are going to keep the game servers/databases completely separate from this so as not to affect performance.

Yes of course I'm using a Mac...

Once I see the data I can see what to do with it. Oliver was a server programmer that's why wiretap made sense to him :-)

[saintj]

out of game folks making moves with no clue of in-game activities is probably not the best idea...

If you get chat + map realtime, you get the same as you have in game, except being able to spawn. I did this many times months ago, when we had some really hard times (allied) and no hc on TZ3. I would fireup a game on a VM at work and managed to do map stuff, but I could not spawn in.

But I've been told no, so it doesn't matter anyway.

[GOPHUR]

w00t!

Glad to see it WULF. Thanks buddy.

[OHM]

Old map ---> http://map.wwiionline.com/belgium_front.html

[thumper5]

Old map ---> http://map.wwiionline.com/belgium_front.html

o.m.g.

is this working? Like still using map data? or is it just odd that it is close to the current map?

Edited May 5, 2014 by thumper5

[B2K]

o.m.g.

is this working? Like still using map data? or is it just odd that it is close to the current map?

looks like its accurately tracking - has last nights allied push on it....

[maxios]

Yep old map seems to be working

[AHWULF]

It's not based on Wiretap, it's the old internal code which is still around.

Lol the code is so old it only checks for IE and Netscape browsers.

Edited May 7, 2014 by AHWULF

[sascha]

I will buy you beer. Lots and lots of beer.

^ That.

[angriff]

So why is this needed?