Introducing a new kind of map (looking for feedback)
 

I've had an idea for quite a while. Instead of the current 2D maps that we currently use (EQ Atlas, etc.), what if you could go to a website and fly around a zone to learn it, see a mob, NPC, camp, etc., locations? That idea finally became a reality (partially...it is currently only a proof of concept). A friend and I put our heads together and figured out how to pull the zones into Unity and tinker with them. Thus began EQ Explorer! (http://www.legendreaders.com/eqexplorer/)

What is it?

It is a Unity program exported to work on a website. The program will only remain at the above link so long as I feel it necessary.

It is NOT meant for mobile devices. Try these at your peril.

Possibly buggy, definitely not optimized, your resolution may throw things off, etc. You have been warned :).

It currently only has ONE zone (Temple of Veeshan).

You can fly around the map and explore.

Locations of interest and notable NPCs can be represented.

For proof of concept, you can click on a handful of locations and NPCs via the interface and be zoomed off to their location. Two NPCs have floating heads representing them, and a third has a Magic the Gathering style card with information pulled from the wiki here.

It currently has the zone music which can be toggled off and on.

This is ONLY a proof of concept. Giving all 117 zones the preferential treatment they deserve in a project like this would be a monumental undertaking (too bad it doesn't work like the wiki!!). Still, it was a neat little project to develop and play around with, and we wanted to share it.

Who knows? Maybe it will turn into something bigger. Or perhaps individuals with more time on their hands can take this idea and run with it. There is a lot of potential for ideas in a project such as this. At any rate, we hope you enjoy it :).

nice idea, there was a program which you could actually use like this in the old days, just to load the EQ game zone files and fly through them (without clipping, too).

If you wanna do it web-based, here's my suggestions:
- the controls need some serious work (currently it is next to impossible to navigate without overshooting)
- clip / noclip (and potentially even stick to floor / free float) should be options
- make a simple engine that will allow people to edit the zone NPC / location info like a wiki. Like - people can set markers, fill them with info & then you can approve / not approve markers by user. That'd take some of the effort out of said huge undertaking
- option to turn off music ;)

Noted, but this idea is more along the lines of "a quick way to explore the map" rather than a full-blown, physics-based project. Still, I'm in the mood to tinker, so I'll see what can be done. Not sure what else can be done with the camera beyond adjusting the speed. And there is already an option to turn off the music. Speaker icon in the How to Use panel :).

Nice

On a practical level there are already desktop programs that you can run to "fly through" any EQ zone you want, so I'm not sure there's a need for this ...

... but with that being said, that's a really awesome project! I was skeptical as to how good of a job a Unity port would be in my (Linux-backed) browser, but it all worked super well and totally proved the concept. Cool idea and great execution.

http://i.imgur.com/oVG43Je.gif?noredirect

Definitely isn't a need, but it was still fun to put together. The main idea was convenience. Many people don't have the programs or are tech-savvy enough to open the zone files. And even for those who are, this is meant to be much quicker and easier. Besides, it has been a BLAST going through old models and textures :).

gimme all the zones!

:)

Really cool. I enjoyed the card at LTK, and the ability to get a birds-eye view of the mazes in East and West. Great work.

If im ever lost I usually log on my 105 SK on live and run around and learn where to go lol