** Spoiler Alert **

SeeJay · Post by **SeeJay** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 9:45 am

Hi all.

The great and almighty MapMan has awaken once again and is thinking about imrpoving
Evometrics.

To make it easier for him, pleas post any suggestions here or u2u them to me and I'll
put a list together for him.

We will discuss the update over a beer or ten so it will be as good as possible:P

Don't hold back now. Brainstorming is recommended so that most possible features could
be implemented as easy as possible.

Cheers, SeeJay

[Edited on 1-14-2014 by Marvin]

SeeJay · Post by **SeeJay** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 9:49 am

- A filter so you could view either, some or all of the following.
-- The charted stuff visible in game.
-- Found, unknown systems
-- Your own private findings.

- Able to use your ipad, iphone, android that is hooked up to your computer.

- Change the zoom feature so you could zoom in anywhere, not only in quadrants.

- Display your current cargo/equipment load.

- Include the container finder so it plots the result on the map.

_-Caleb-_ · Post by **_-Caleb-_** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 10:02 am

Hola!!

My suggestions:

- Put the name of the current system (Useful for found new systems) and auto-save the coords for edit with the correct coords when we've discovered all the planets/stations/stars of the system
- Enable the most-near target (for prevent surprise hostile attacks)
- Option to export/import the user-added objects into/from a single file. (Util for the clan's uncharted systems/send to SeeJay for update the online map

)

Regards and thanks SeeJay/MapMan!

[Edited on 10-7-2013 by AdamSelene]

[Edited on 10-7-2013 by AdamSelene]

Post by **Marvin** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 2:53 pm

I can't think of any new ones but I second these which were already suggested by SeeJay:

- Able to use your ipad, iphone, android that is hooked up to your computer.

- Change the zoom feature so you could zoom in anywhere, not only in quadrants.

- Include the container finder so it plots the result on the map.

MapMan · Post by **MapMan** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 5:16 pm

Ok . I hear your suggestions.
Unfortunatly the tech i used for creating the install packages for it has been discontinued so i need to rebuild it quite heaviy BUT that might be a good thing considering the free zoom wish.

Im thinking if it was more like a orbit navigation in the map. Does that make sense?.. I meen zoom , pan and orbit . This would take us in to a 3d map but i dont know if that is useful or even what you want.
I made a quick test today just plotting the systems in a webGL canvas and it looked cool as hell but i seem to be missing one axle on the systems. They only have x and z .. no y?.. Why is that?

Inside the systems i have all tree coordinates but i dont understand the bounds on each system. They are unknown right..or do they overlap?.

Help me define some 3d navigation rules and i will try to get it running. If 2d is better i will need to look at another technique.

Post by **DaveK** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 5:56 pm

At the moment when you zoom in you can stepwise zoom back out - this is useful and a smooth zoom/pan would be great (sometimes the destination appears near the periphery of the screen so you can't see where you are and where you are going at the same time.)

At the moment, if you search for something and then ask to see it in the map, you can't zoom outwards stepwise - which can be frustrating if you don't know where you are! - a stepwise 'zoom out after search' would be great

Finally a very small niggle (that has always been there) to do with the final letter in names in the visible objects lists - the very last vertical column of pixels is missing. For letters like a, d ,s it's not such an issue - they can still be read - but the l in Pearl disappears - I end up flying towards Pear

- a Planet becomes a Planel - System becomes Syten. Occasionally though it does have practical implications: Erato ll (the star) shows are Erato l - and Sapphire's Outpost 1 just shows as Outpost '

I have two screen and use EvoMetrics as the main utility - it's there all the time! - I also use EMTools when in a civi role to keep track of $$$, cargo, equipment etc and Travel Buddy when exploring between systems.

It's exciting to hear of the chances of an Evometrics Expansion Version

Post by **Marvin** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 7:10 pm

From post: 164852, Topic: tid=11029, author=MapMan wrote:Inside the systems i have all tree coordinates but i dont understand the bounds on each system. They are unknown right..or do they overlap?

There are two types of borders: (1) Reputation/Economy/etc. and (2) Territory. I think you're talking about the first type. Which is hard to explain.

MapMan · Post by **MapMan** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 8:35 pm

Yeah.. I remember those borders being hard to grasp.

Anyhow. I put together a small POC (Proof of Concept) just now regarding mouse navigation in the map itself.

http://junholt.se/mercenary2/

Do you like this approach and does it run well so far on your iPads?

pan is done by holding down right mousebutton on PC and double tap drag (drag with two fingers) on iPad. Orbit on mouse or ordinary touch drag.

This is alpha 0.0001 just to know that it works for you guys.
It has the systems and the wormholes and gates . No drilldown or data or anything. Just dots.

SeeJay · Post by **SeeJay** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 8:53 pm

Woahhh. How cool is that.

Will you be able to put all the systems, planets etc correctly in the Y-plane as well?

I really like that 3D approach.
Would it be possible for the map to "follow" your ship (dot) when you move as well. (option maybe)?

I Owe you some beers already mate!;)

MapMan · Post by **MapMan** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 8:56 pm

Yeah. I am using the Y coordinate from your database already but it is 0 on most. Am i looking in the wrong database field?

SeeJay · Post by **SeeJay** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 8:56 pm

Btw, the system borders (when the system name change as you pass by) are not Square in any way
so it would be very hard to draw lines since we don't know where they change until you cross them.

I guess that's what you mean MapMan?

All Planets also has their own Little system. In the DB we created, that was used to name the planets and
the system name displayed when you are at the star determined the system name.

Don't know if this helps you any tho.

MapMan · Post by **MapMan** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 8:59 pm

So i thought. So Systems are merely clouds then. Form unknown but zooming in on them will give you the containing planets and stuff. Just like we did in the old version . right?

I wanna get that Y axle correct. Any light on that?

Post by **Marvin** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 9:06 pm

Many of the star systems added to the expansion are out of plane. At least as far as +/- 46 Y sectors. And this program does work on an iPhone too. If you zoom in on a star and tap it, will it then display all the planets in the system (unlike the new star systems, each planet within a specific star system is on the same Y-plane as star itself)?

MapMan · Post by **MapMan** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 9:11 pm

Hmm.. Not sure i am following here. Maybe SeeJay can answer that.
My thought was that if clicking/tapping any of the systems in this initial screen will take you to that system map (which holds its own coordinates x,y,z)
Nice that it works on iphone. I just updated the looks , so please try again. throw the cache if you dont see a background image

SeeJay · Post by **SeeJay** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 9:14 pm

I don't understand why you don't have the Y-axis?

Is that something missing when creating the map itself?
The coords are in the DB at least.

If you don't remember:
The SX, SY and SZ is the sector coords and
the PX, PY and PZ is the in sector positions. (+/- 100000 in all directions)

If that doesn't help I don't understand what you need help with. (Nope, I haven't gotten any smarter since last time)

MapMan · Post by **MapMan** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 9:19 pm

haha.. well.. i AM using the SY as well as the SX and SZ but it is set to 0 on all systems in the database it seems. So reason its flat is that SY is 0 .. Cant do much about that.

PX, PY, PZ sems to be in order though

Post by **Marvin** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 9:22 pm

All the star systems in the 1.x version of Evochron Mercenary were along the galactic plane (SY=0). But, when Vice introduced the 2.x version, he added quite a few star systems which are not on the galactic plane. More than likely, none of them have been added to the database yet.

SeeJay · Post by **SeeJay** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 9:25 pm

No, the SY varies in the DB.

I noticed that when I get to the site you provided (The new Map) it's focus is off.
To get it right, I need to rotate it 90 degrees clockwise and the mirror flip it to get all
systems in the right position. Maybe that has something to do with it?

MapMan · Post by **MapMan** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 9:25 pm

That explains it then. Thanks.

SY is 0 for now then. Looks a little "flat" for being in space but hey. WHat can we do?

So does this mean it is "go" on the 3d approach?. Having the map follow you position will be no problem. Th eonly thing i am concerend about is if the map get sslow when we start to throw in texts on the map. Espacially on iphone.

SeeJay · Post by **SeeJay** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 9:27 pm

From post: 164873, Topic: tid=11029, author=Marvin wrote:All the star systems in the 1.x version of Evochron Mercenary were along the galactic plane (SY=0). But, when Vice introduced the 2.x version, he added quite a few star systems which are not on the galactic plane. More than likely, none of them have been added to the database yet.

Many of the new systems are added to the DB.
I add systems on a weekly basis. (As soon as I get reports)

MapMan · Post by **MapMan** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 9:28 pm

Do you have an example of a System with a SY that is not 0 . (or almost zero) SeeJay?

Yeah i the xyz axles are a bit different here. Spining it around will fix that. It sjust a matter of placing the "camera" right. Should affext positions if systems.

Post by **Marvin** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 9:30 pm

From post: 164875, Topic: tid=11029, author=SeeJay wrote:No, the SY varies in the DB.

By how much? What good is a 3D map if all the star systems are plotted along the Y-axis?

Anyway, here's a test system ... just the star:

X=14070 Y=2550 Z=-68270 SX=-1635 SY=-46 SZ=-2110,West of Orion

Compliments of IM.

SeeJay · Post by **SeeJay** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 9:31 pm

System M613 is SY=-20
System P687 is SY=12

If you tilt the map so that you are at the horizon and zoom in
you'll see that the dots are not in a line. The SY is different.
It's only a Little but that is as it should be.

The universe is very flat actually.

You will probably notice it better within a system when you are
Close to planets, asteroid fields, stations etc.

[Edited on 2013-10-7 by SeeJay]

Post by **Marvin** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 9:34 pm

Mine is more offset. SY of a minus 46 (should show pretty well on the map).

MapMan · Post by **MapMan** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 9:35 pm

Thats correct SeeJay. I have that coordinates on that one too but -46 on the Y axle will still look flat im afraid. It is rendered with that coordinate among with some other system. No systems seem to be off more than +-50 from the SY .