Google Earth Integration – Complete. Behold Pallas!
Hey!
So I put the finishing touches on my framework fantasy environment using FT3, Google Earth, and Google Docs to generate the world, display the world to a user, and serve up important information.
So, care to see it?
1) Go ahead and download Google Earth (free) from http://www.google.com/earth/index.html (Google Earth Download Link) then download the game files at http://www.avotasarts.com/earth/Yota.zip. (Pallas World)
2) Once you have Google Earth open, select Layers (bottom left) and turn off the Primary Database.
3) Goto Tools -> Options and uncheck "Show Terrain" under the heading Terrain Quality. This turns off the natural earth, and makes sure the fantasy earth Pallas, correctly renders on your screen.
4) Finally goto File -> Open select Yota.kmz then hit open. Click and drag Yota.kmz from Temporary Places to My Places. Close Google Earth. (This set resets and saves everything).
5) Open Google Earth and you should fly to the play area. If you see the brightly colored province outlines, you're all set. –Everything is clickable!- (but bodies of water)
Now for some technical notes:
• All players will start in Warun, the data displayed assumes that.
• The "Learn More" links will reference a private forum where I will post additional content such as battle maps. The website is not up at this point, so the links just send you back to Google.
• The actual gameplay will be handled on MapTool, a free virtual game table.
• Icons that are primary black are known locations, but undiscovered, icons are primary white are known locations the players have traveled too. These change instantly based on a setting in the database.
• All this content is considered to be "well known" to all characters within the game.
• Any content updates, where Google Earth checks to see if the database was changed, are triggered when the player stops moving the Earth. I choose this method over a timed interval because I like efficacy in design.
• It may take up to 30 seconds for Google Earth to check, parse, and update the world. Results are cashed for speedy return of the data.
• So that’s it, have fun. It's a good example of what could be done with a little work, and limited programming knowledge.
Best Regards,
Avotas
So I put the finishing touches on my framework fantasy environment using FT3, Google Earth, and Google Docs to generate the world, display the world to a user, and serve up important information.
So, care to see it?
1) Go ahead and download Google Earth (free) from http://www.google.com/earth/index.html (Google Earth Download Link) then download the game files at http://www.avotasarts.com/earth/Yota.zip. (Pallas World)
2) Once you have Google Earth open, select Layers (bottom left) and turn off the Primary Database.
3) Goto Tools -> Options and uncheck "Show Terrain" under the heading Terrain Quality. This turns off the natural earth, and makes sure the fantasy earth Pallas, correctly renders on your screen.
4) Finally goto File -> Open select Yota.kmz then hit open. Click and drag Yota.kmz from Temporary Places to My Places. Close Google Earth. (This set resets and saves everything).
5) Open Google Earth and you should fly to the play area. If you see the brightly colored province outlines, you're all set. –Everything is clickable!- (but bodies of water)
Now for some technical notes:
• All players will start in Warun, the data displayed assumes that.
• The "Learn More" links will reference a private forum where I will post additional content such as battle maps. The website is not up at this point, so the links just send you back to Google.
• The actual gameplay will be handled on MapTool, a free virtual game table.
• Icons that are primary black are known locations, but undiscovered, icons are primary white are known locations the players have traveled too. These change instantly based on a setting in the database.
• All this content is considered to be "well known" to all characters within the game.
• Any content updates, where Google Earth checks to see if the database was changed, are triggered when the player stops moving the Earth. I choose this method over a timed interval because I like efficacy in design.
• It may take up to 30 seconds for Google Earth to check, parse, and update the world. Results are cashed for speedy return of the data.
• So that’s it, have fun. It's a good example of what could be done with a little work, and limited programming knowledge.
Best Regards,
Avotas
Comments
Avotas
-Avotas
[applause] for your work.
Have you heard about the "Dere Globus" project? That's a fan-project of the German "Das Schwarze Auge" rpg to bring their HUGE fantasy world into Google Earth. The project is pretty far advanced and they have a staggering amount of material available. The problem is only, there is no English version.
No I wasn't aware of that project. It's pretty impressive! I was just drawing up plans for Pallas 2.0, an integration with CC3, but it looks like they are pretty much already there.
*sigh*
Now you see, I went ahead and spoiled the surprise.
*grin*
Oh well. When I am done I will have integrated concepts from FT3, CC3 + various symbol packs all displayed on Google Earth with content controlled from a single database and remote server.
-Avotas
Some observations. Your world looks great in GE especially the zoom-to-starting-area, political overlay, coast outlines, and that 'fantasy map' (CC3 map) appearing when you zoom far enough in. Very cool.
Your image climate or FT3 coloring settings, looks a bit plain, like it is a desert or sandy colored world.
What resolution setting did you use in exporting KMZ from FT3?
Any tips for how to draw the outlines and political polygons, and the roads like you did, in GE? This is my first time working with these GE tools. Just getting into it now.
The database updating the map -- this part is not clear to me, how this would be achieved. It sounds good. Have you written up instructions / tutorial on how to do that? Also curious to hear more about how this is used in gaming, face to face or online?
Thanks again for the inspiring post.
GE has an add poloygon tool, that is how I defined regions and outlines as well as rivers and roads. It's just click and draw.
Best Regards,
Avotas
-Avotas