InfoMap - put the markers *on* the map!

[Soresha]

InfoMap v0.1 (early beta)

As you probably know, I'm currently providing a PoI logging system and database, aimed mainly at providing resource node locations for harvesters.
(See here: http://vginterface.com/forums/showthread.html?t=1628)

Then thorvang provides a lovely tool for making map mods...
(See here: http://vginterface.com/forums/showthread.html?t=1640)

and when you combine the two, you get a map mod that looks like this:



Yes, it really is from a screenshot of the ingame map

Red = Metal
Yellow = Cloth
Green = Wood
Cyan = Stone

Download the mod and try it out for yourself: InfoMap_v0.1.zip (9.19MB)
It's a standard UI mod, for which there are some installation instructions here: http://vginterface.com/forums/showthread.html?t=352
Or you can try merging the maps with other UI mods you may be using.

This approach has several advantages:
- Different coloured markers are possible
- You can read the map at a glance, no need to hold the mouse over the grey dots
- No problems with PoI limits
- Can be used together with a CustomPoINames.txt file for your other PoIs.

The maps are generated from the PoI database, and whilst it does require a couple of manual steps it's still fairly quick to do. So I could probably update the maps once a week or so with the new data coming in from players using the logging system.

It would also be possible to add the same markers to any of the prettier map mods out there - so if you're a map author and you'd be interested in this, please let me know.

Issues

Suggestions and feedback please! Here are the issues I can think of at the moment:

- Identifying different resource types and tiers
Initially I tried to use symbols for the resource types, and colours for the tiers. That didn't work, I found the markers need to be tiny because they get scaled up with the rest of the map when you zoom in. So I've used different coloured dots for the resource types instead. This also helps when the resources are so close the dots touch.

My idea was to label areas of the map with numbers to indicate the tier of resource in each area. Unless someone else has a better idea?

- Other markers to include
What other markers would you like to see included? I think this should be a short list of just a few very useful things, or the map will get crowded (and I'll run out of colours).

I was thinking of adding: Altars, Bindstones, Riftway Stones, Mailboxes, Bankers, Exchange Brokers. Any additional or alterative suggestions?

- Compatability with UI mods
I have only tested these maps in the default game setup, not with other UI mods.
Please give me feedback on whether these map files work with your UIs. I've got very little experience with the Vanguard XML files, and if some tweaking is needed I'd appreciate some help there.

- Exact positioning of dots
Some of the dots are very slightly off from their PoI positions at the moment. This isn't a big problem and I can make them more accurate, the script's data just needs a little tweaking.

Let me know what you think!

Soresha