World Map

This page is currently under construction and may not have a complete reference of the subject matter discussed.

This page contains materials that are considered out of date.

---

---

Proposal

World of Warcraft and MapleStory both have World Map's that the user can look at to get an overall look at where they are in the world. I would like to add a similar feature to LoM.

Below is a screenshot from MapleStory showing its World Map. I would like our graphics to have the same attention to detail without the 'cartoonish' apearance to it. For now, we can use the graphic that Trevor came up with.

---

---

Implementation

Map File Definitions

There are a couple of ways I had thought to implement this. The first, and possibly easiest way, is to have all of the WorldMap definitions in each map file using Property Definitions. The format would look something like this:

<property name="worldmap" value="graphics/maps/worldmap/continent.png"/>
<property name="worldmap_pin_x" value="20"/>
<property name="worldmap_pin_y" value="32"/>

This poses a few problems:

1. It forces extra work for Map Designers
2. It can be easily changed by End Users — while not a giant problem, sometimes it's better to not let the average user muddle around in game data (end users have a tendancy to fuck things up and then blame the developers).
3. There's a lot of room for error

On the other hand:

1. It allows developers to easily make changes without having to recompile the program.
2. A change could be seen immediatly simply by reloading the map rather than having to back out of the program completely.
3. It eliminates the potential bandwidth overhead from the other solution.

Hard Coding with Lookup Tables

The other solution I thought of was to hard-code the map positions to Map ID's. This would require that the Client know what a the server's Map ID is for any particular map and then use that ID to determine the position of the players 'Pin'.

Pros:

1. The average end-user won't be able to fuck the game up by changing things around in the maps.
2. Less work for the Mappers.
3. Fewer potential XML problems with the Map Files
4. Smaller Disk Filesize (I know, this is a stretch, but it's true).

Cons:

1. If the Client doesn't already get the MapID from the Game Server, then there will be the need for an update to the Protocol — in other words, a potential headache in terms of server/client modifications.
2. There is the potential for wasted bandwidth when said bandwidth doesn't need to be used or could be used more effectively elsewhere.
3. Inflexible — changes would require that the Client source code be modified and recompiled.

---

It is believed that materials used above are being used fairly without infringement under Section 107 of US Copyright Laws: Fair Use.