Simple guiMapOverviewCtrl

Download Code File

Here is a gui control that will give you an overview of your current mission map,
and also plot the positions of all player and vehicle objects within the missionarea.

Place the files into the following Torque directory:

torque\engine\gui\
guiMapOverviewCtrl.h
guiMapOverviewCtrl.cc

Add the guiMapOverviewCtrl.h and guiMapOverviewCtrl.cc files to your torqueDemo projects gui folder and then recompile.

Create a .png picture of your mission area.
You can paint one yourself, or take a screenshot from within Torque's world Editor.
(Not an easy task but possible)
I have made one for use with the Stronghold mission.

Name your created .png files with the name of your mission name.
For the Stonghold mission use filename stronghold.png
Place all the .png files you created into the ./client/ui folder.

Run torqueDemo.exe and go into a mission.
Press F10 and add the guiMapOverviewCtrl as a new control into the PlayGui.gui and name it 'Map'.
Resize and align the control as you like it.
Fill in the bitmap field with the .png file you created.
example: starter.fps/client/ui/stronghold.png
Save....

Here is a description of the fields of interest, which belongs to the guiMapOverviewCtrl:
extent // The size of the control.
visible // The visibility of the control.
bitmap // The nice picture that you created.
MyControlVisible // Enabling flashing dot for the local player shape.
MyControlColor // Dot color for the local player shape.
PlayersVisible // Enabling dots for all other players shape. (Incl. bots)
PlayersColor // Dot color for all other players shape. (Incl. bots)
VehiclesVisible // Enabling dots for all vehicle types.
VehiclesColor // Dot color for all vehicle types.
MapAlpha // Transparent setting for the Map. (0.0 -> 1.0)
PointSize // Size of dots.

Instead of using the graphical Editor you can also copy this code directly
into your PlayGui.gui file, just before the last '}'

new GuiMapOverviewCtrl(Map) {
profile = "GuiDefaultProfile";
horizSizing = "left";
vertSizing = "bottom";
position = "359 16";
extent = "256 256";
minExtent = "8 2";
visible = "1";
wrap = "0";
bitmap = "starter.fps/client/ui/stronghold.png";
MyControlVisible = "1";
MyControlColor = "1.000000 0.000000 0.000000 1.000000";
PlayersVisible = "1";
PlayersColor = "0.000000 0.000000 1.000000 1.000000";
VehiclesVisible = "1";
VehiclesColor = "0.000000 1.000000 0.000000 1.000000";
MapAlpha = "1";
PointSize = "10";
};

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If you want to use different bitmaps for different mission files,
then add this line to your PlayGui.cs file, inside function PlayGui::onWake(%this)

Map.SetBitmap(GetMapNameFromMissionArea());

And add this function down under PlayGui::onWake(%this)

function GetMapNameFromMissionArea()
{
if (isObject(ServerConnection)) {
for (%index = 0; %index < ServerConnection.getCount(); %index++) {
if (ServerConnection.getObject(%index).getClassName() $= "MissionArea") {
return(ServerConnection.getObject(%index).getMapName());
}
}
}

return("");
}


Overwrite MissionArea.h and MissionArea.cc in the engine with the one downloaded.
I have added a new field "MapName" to the MissionArea object.

Add the dynamic mapname to your mission file like this. (F11 or in your text editor)

new MissionArea(MissionArea) {
Area = "-152 -352 1040 1056";
flightCeiling = "300";
flightCeilingRange = "20";
MapName = "~/client/ui/stronghold.png";
locked = "true";
};


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If you want to toggle the map on/off, then add these lines to your default.bind.cs file.

function toggleMapOverviewCtrl( %val )
{
if ( %val )
{
Map.Visible = !Map.Visible;
}
}

moveMap.bind(keyboard, "alt m", toggleMapOverviewCtrl);


Delete your config.cs file or just add the above moveMap.bind command to it, for this to work correctly.

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Caution:
Only ghosted objects are visible.
What this means is that if the distance to other players/vehicles is larger than approx 1000 units the
object isn't ghosted from the Server to the Client. Argrrrr.

A solution to this problem is to force the objects to always be ghosted, by adding 2 lines
to shapebase.cc in function ShapeBase::onCameraScopeQuery()

if (mSceneManager == NULL) {
// Scope everything...
gServerContainer.findObjects(0xFFFFFFFF,scopeCallback,cr);
return;
}
else // Add the next 2 lines to force PlayerObjectType and VehicleObjectType to always be ghostet.
gServerContainer.findObjects(PlayerObjectType | VehicleObjectType,scopeCallback,cr);


This again can give some trouble with sounds from FlyingVehicles, etc... that you have to fix afterwards. Sorry guys..
I also had this trouble...

Good luck.