Point of Interest System

Greetings and welcome to the Point of Interest System (POIS) addon! With the release of the new ShroudWorldToScreenPoint lua function (thank you @DavidDC!) I just couldn't wait to put it to use. My original intent for that function was use in my quest system addon, but there is another use I had in mind that has a quicker time-to-market

The POIS addon allows you to mark points of interest within a scene. After doing so, it will then display text in your screen at that point allowing you to easily remember where it was and navigate to it later. Some of the features of POIS:

• Add a point to the current scene at your current location using a simple command
• Points can be named at time of creation (can rename later) and their colors can be changed to help you better organize them.
• You can hide/show individual points or groups of points based on color.
• You can search for points in the current scene or all scenes.
• You can export and share points with others.
• You can create libraries of points to share with friends/guild members and the community (WIP).

For a full list of available commands see below!






This addon is fully functional but at this point is command-line only as I do not yet have a graphical interface to control it. Don't let the lack of a graphical interface dissuade you from giving it a try though, the command line API is very simple to use and with it the addon is fully functional

The addon has the command-line function to be entered in the local chat dialog. The command syntax is as follows:

!pois <command> <parameter>

Core Command List

help - shows the list of available commands

ex. !pois help

list - this command lists points that have been added to the current scene. the first part of the list is the point key that will be needed for subsequent commands and the second is the point name that was given when the point was added.

ex. !pois list

add <point-name> - adds a point of interest to the current scene giving it the description you pass. if you do not pass a description a generic one will be created.

ex. !pois add Entrance To Tomb

rename-point <point-key> - renames a point of interest

ex. !pois rename-point S1_C1 Entrance To Mine

remove <point-key> - removes a point of interest from the current scene.

ex. !pois remove S1_C1

search-scene-points <search-text> - searches the points in the current scene for the given text

ex. !pois search-scene-points Gold Ore

search-all-points <search-text> - searches all points for the given text

ex. !pois search-all-points Lich Boss

show <point-key> - by default a point that has been added is visible. if you have hidden a point you can set it to show again with this command. this will be remembered the next time you enter the scene. you can also use "all" for point key to show all points in the scene.

ex. !pois show S1_C1

hide <point-key> - you can set a point to not be visible. this will be remembered the next time you enter the scene. you can also use "all" for point key to hide all points in the scene.

ex. !pois hide S1_C1

show-color <color-name> - shows all points set to the passed color. available colors for <color-name> are: white, green, red, blue, orange, purple, yellow

ex. !pois show-color green

hide-color <color-name> - hides all points set to the passed color. available colors for <color-name> are: white, green, red, blue, orange, purple, yellow

ex. !pois hide-color red

set-view-distance <distance> - change the distance of when a point is first visible

ex. !pois set-view-distance 30

set-scale <scale> - change the scale of the point name in the display

ex. !pois set-scale 1.5

set-height-offset <offset> - change the height offset of the points in the display

ex. !pois set-height-offset 3

export-point <point-key> - exports a point, displaying an export string in the chat log. copy the chatlog export string and use in forum posts or books to share a point with others. use /datafolder in chat to find your chatlog directory.

ex. !pois export-point S1_C1

import-point <export-string> - import a point from the export string created by export-point.

ex. !pois import-point 7TLiZnwzUv2CI0vp7TLitrJiD1Jiq9evFz2BYv2C09vBLrNC

export-points <scene-key> - exports all points from a scene for use in a template library, displaying an export string in the chat log. copy the chatlog export string and use as the value for the "LibraryPointData" variable in the template. use /datafolder in chat to find your chatlog directory.

ex. !pois export-points S1

Color Command List

With these commands you can change the color of your points of interest. By default they are white. Available colors for <color-name> are: white, green, red, blue, orange, purple, yellow

color-<color-name> <point-key>

ex. !pois color-yellow S1_C1

change-color-<color-name> <color-value> - allows you to change the shade of a color by passing in a new hex value for that color.

ex. !pois change-color-green 00F200

Getting Started

To get started you will need to download the POIS addon at:

https://shroudoftheavatar.tools/lua/point_of_interest_system_v0.08.zip

Please extract the file from the zip download into your Lua SotA folder. If prompted to overwrite say Yes as all updates to this addon will be backwards compatible. When installed properly you should see a file called:

sota_point_of_interest_system.lua

in your root Lua folder. If you cannot find your lua folder, while in-game in the local chat type:

/datafolder

This will open up a dialog showing your SotA data folder of which one subdirectory will be the Lua folder.

If you extracted the files into your Lua folder while in-game they will not be active yet until you either restart the game or in the local chat type:

/lua reload

Upon reload, you should see messages in the lua chatbox (be sure lua is checked for that tab) indicating that the addon file has been loaded.

If you did not see those messages, then you will need to enable it through the new lua addon menu option within SotA. In the upper-right of the SotA interface click the Window selector icon and select the LUA Add-On(s) Manager option.



In the Lua Add-Ons Manager dialog, find SotA Event System (SES) and ensure it is "On". If it is "Off" then click the "Off" button. If it is already "On", turn if off and then on again as it has been updated already to the latest version.



In the Lua Add-Ons Manager dialog, find Point of Interest System (POIS) and click the "Off" button if it is showing.



The button should change to a green "On" and you should see Lua messages indicating the addon file has been loaded.

Usage

All commands should be entered in the local chat. To do so use /l in the chat to enter local chat channel.

You can try out your first command with:

!pois list

You should see lua output but no points. You can then add a point.

!pois add Test Point

Once this command is run you should see the point near you. If you do not back up a bit and check again. If you still don't see it you may need to reload lua one time. As something didn't take. Once you reload you should see the point.

You can list again to get the point key.

!pois list

and then use that key to remove the point.

!pois remove S1_C1

Point Library System

POIS contains a mechanism to allow players to create point libraries that can then be distributed to other players. The points are exported by scene using the new export-points command (see above). This will export a string into the chatlog that you then use in the library template. Once you have your string exported, you need to create the library file. Copy the "point_library_template.lua" file from the Lua/pois/library folder and paste it into the main Lua folder. Rename the file to something that makes sense for the library. So for example, if you are exporting ore points for Etceter Crag Mines, you can call your file something like "point_library_etceter_crag_ore.lua".

Once you have the library file copied and name, now we need to edit it. Use any text editor to edit the file. With the file open, you will need to replace any text inside of <> with the appropriate information for your point library. Continuing the example of the ore locations, you template may look something like this:

Code:

-- replace text within <> to create the library
-- locate this file within the root lua folder
-- to find the root lua folder do /lua reload in the chat
-- in the lua addons manager click the off next to your library to activate it

local LibraryKey = "etceter_ore_points"
local LibraryPointData = "ddHANeadaeasere=="

local ScriptName = "Ore locations for Etceter Crag Mines";
local Version = "1";
local CreatorName = "SotA Player Name";
local Description = "Locations of all the Ore in Etceter Crag Mines";
local IconPath = "pois/pois_icon.png";

function ShroudOnStart()
    SES.on("ShroudOnStart", function()
        SES.invoke("POIS.onLoadLibrary", LibraryKey, ScriptName, Version, CreatorName, Description, LibraryPointData)
    end)
    SES.on("ShroudOnDisableScript", function()
        SES.invoke("POIS.onUnloadLibrary", LibraryKey)
    end)
end

Save the file after you have it all updated. If everything was updated correctly, open the Lua Addons Manager and click the "reload scripts" button. Select Yes for the Yes/No to reload. After reloading, find your point library in the list and click the red "Off" button to enable it.

Below is a sample library file of all the rabbit locations in castle atos. Create a file called "point_library_atos_rabbit.lua" in your Lua folder, put the below text into it, and save. You will need to reload scripts and turn it on after.

Code:

local LibraryKey = "rabbit-points-atos"
local LibraryPointData = "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"
local ScriptName = "Rabbit Locations in Castle Atos - Point Library for POIS";
local Version = "1.00";
local CreatorName = "Garritt Grandberg (aka Tirrag/peace-n-love)";
local Description = "Point library of the rabbit locations in the fox and rabbit daily quest at Castle Atos.";
local IconPath = "pois/pois_icon.png";
function ShroudOnStart()
    SES.on("ShroudOnStart", function()
        SES.invoke("POIS.onLoadLibrary", LibraryKey, ScriptName, Version, CreatorName, Description, LibraryPointData)
    end)
    SES.on("ShroudOnDisableScript", function()
        SES.invoke("POIS.onUnloadLibrary", LibraryKey)
    end)
end

---

This mod is still in development but is fully usable in its current state. I primarily need to get the graphical command interface going but other than that I feel it's pretty solid. There should not be any breaking updates in the future.

If you have any questions or need any assistance utilizing this addon, please do not hesitate to ask. Constructive suggestions and feedback is always welcome

NOTE: There is currently not a good mechanism to uniquely identify a basement or dungeon. I have made a request to DevilCult for something like this but there are no promises so for now your best results will be adventure scenes/towns/POTs.

 

Updates List

2022-11-04 v0.08 - fixed incorrect help text for rename-point command. fixed issues causing commands to not be locked to local and to the player. fixed issue where library point keys could conflict with points added by the player.

2022-08-20 v0.07 - implemented a point library system. created a point library template. created export-points command to export points for the point library.

2022-08-11 v0.04 - implemented searching. if you search all scenes there may be an error if you dont revisit all the scenes you have points in. i added functionality to save the pretty scene name and your save file may not have it yet until you visit the scene again.

2022-08-11 v0.03 - many new commands implemented. see the list above.

2022-08-09 v0.02 - fixed bug where if it is the first time added to a scene then the point would not show until a lua restart was performed.

 

@Tirrag hi guy
Testing this new lua addition of yours, the Point of Interest System.
I've installed it and it is active in lua.

I've added a POI to a scene, and see nothing....
Could you pls post a ss so I can see what I should be looking for ?

 

thank you for giving it a whirl there is a bug that i havent tracked down yet where the first time a scene has a location marked it doesnt show. try doing a /lua reload in chat. also, do a !pois list to ensure the point was added. i added a screenshot to the first post.

 

. @Tirrag
Here's a ss that shows nothing in front of me (a added it to the other side of the path in front of me).

 

@FrostII i have fixed the bug and a new link is up. if you can please overwrite and try again. the point should still be in your user.ini file. note you will need to perform a /lua reload, toggle the on/off in the lua addons manager, click the reload button in the manager, or restart client for it to take effect.

 

@Tirrag
Good work ! It works !
**Suggestion: Since we have to add a new spot manually in chat, could you shorten "!pois add Test Point" to maybe "!pois add Point"

Here's a ss now:

 

@Tirrag is there a way to remove all current points added ?

 

there isnt yet. i had it in but took it out since it was really dangerous. when i get the management UI in and have a confirmation dialog i plan on adding it back.

"Test Point" can be anything you want. Anything after the "add" becomes the description of the point. So if for example you were marking a tomb entrance you could use:

!pois add Tomb Entrance

so you can make the description as long or as short as you like!

 

thank you and thank you for taking the time to test it out!

 

Ok, can't wait for the UI addition !

 

I'm hoping to try this out over the weekend. Is there someway to share POIs? An import/export mechanism or something?

 

wonderful! will be excited to hear how that goes and get your feedback

currently there is not, but i have thought about it. my current idea is to have a tool on my website where you select your user file and the second user file and hit merge. it will perform the merge and send you a merged user.ini file.

i also have planned a separate locations "database" file system that will be distributed with the addon. this way i can provide locations files that many people would want like trainers, etc. it will allow multiple files so trainers could be its own file. would be more than happy to collaborate with folks on that database of points for example, if someone goes around marking points of the trainers and sends me the user.ini file i can then use that to populate the distributed file.

here is my immediate TODO list:

- show/hide based on color. this will allow you to show all the "greens" for example and hide all the other colors allowing for better organization.

- command to enable only seeing the point labels when you get within a certain distance.

- command to change the default scale of the text

- command to change the hex color of the available colors

- command to search for points based on description. i have already identified an issue with the current version for this as i will need to store the pretty name of a location too in order to have this work right. currently i store just the raw name. this will be the only thing i have planned that will possibly "break" what is currently out there. will do my best to make it so it doesnt.

- points database file mechanism (described above). like colors there will be a way to show/hide the points from a particular database file. there is logic i built for the quest system addon that allowed quests to be added without modifying the base addon that i might leverage that for this system. if that works people can create point database "addons" that they can distribute on their own.

- a reveal system for the provided locations so you wont be able to see them until you are within a certain distance. this is optional.

- indicators on the nav compass that will come into view as you pan. they will scale based on distance and will be circles with the color of the point color. for the reveal system they will be question marks with that color.

- help command to dump the list of commands

- informational output on addon initialization


all of this will happen before the management UI so these things should be released over the next couple of weeks.

 

Have you thought about a copy/paste method? Something in the UI where I can copy or paste POIs for scene. I'm thinking of something that can give/take base64 encoded (or something else to make it shorter) strings and could optionally save it to the users's files.

I got the idea while thinking of house useful this could be for player quests. Anyone could share the string in the forums, or maybe even in an in-game book.

 

i hadnt but it is interesting. i did some preliminary research and may have found the modules needed to help with this. i will knock off a few of my quick TODO and then investigate further. just initial thoughts i am thinking:

- export all points in a scene. data is compressed and base64'd and string is output in console/chatlog. depending on paste length limitations in chat UI (for import) this command may not happen yet.

!pois export-scene-points <scene key>

- export a single point in a scene. compressed/base64 of a single point should paste into chat (i hope).

!pois export-point <point key>

- import points from an export text. unbase64+decompress and then merges the points into your own points. testing needed as this may be limited by paste length in the chat UI. would only be needed until i get the graphical UI done which wouldnt have paste limits.

!pois import-points <export-string>

 

good progress tonight. implemented the following TODO items but no new release yet. tomorrow i will work with the import/export idea.

---

- show/hide based on color. this will allow you to show all the "greens" for example and hide all the other colors allowing for better organization.

- command to enable only seeing the point labels when you get within a certain distance.

- command to change the default scale of the text

- command to change the hex color of the available colors

 

@that_shawn_guy the export/import went well. i was able to get it mostly done this morning as i suspected the chat text limit comes into play so it currently only supports one point at a time. it also has some safety mechanisms in there to prevent duplicates. i have a little cleaning up to do and some extra messaging but pretty much complete. the export command is:

!pois export-point <point key>

that will output into the chatlog a message like this:

Code:

[8/11/2022 7:32:35 AM]  (Lua): ---------------------------------------------
[8/11/2022 7:32:35 AM]  (Lua): Point of Interest Docks (S4_C1) has been exported to your ChatLog file.  Open your ChatLog and copy the text between the --- to use for import.
[8/11/2022 7:32:35 AM]  (Lua): ---------------------------------------------
[8/11/2022 7:32:35 AM]  (Lua): 7TLiZnwzUv2CI0vp7TLitrJiD1Jiq9evFz2BYv2C09vBLrNCVb3BSL2CFbJmFrxzTbhBHrxzV0uyPrwzUDYCGieB1nhAI0hlBjYu0isx9S3wImumI0vpIq0BJT2CI0hlBjYu081qXisx9S3wIW2BJfgDP9MBI0vpIednW4In5GZmWmJmYiJn1ydFZGJlYato5KtoWGdn0CJm3WxlXetnUudo5GZm2eJmWydm1iclBjYCO92DI0vpIeJiSSLi2L2CPrxzKjsx9ismIWYwIm2BS9MCI0vpIChAPrxzI0xF
[8/11/2022 7:32:35 AM]  (Lua): ---------------------------------------------

and then you import it with the command:

!pois import-point <export-string>

Code:

!pois import-point 7TLiZnwzUv2CI0vp7TLitrJiD1Jiq9evFz2BYv2C09vBLrNCVb3BSL2CFbJmFrxzTbhBHrxzV0uyPrwzUDYCGieB1nhAI0hlBjYu0isx9S3wImumI0vpIq0BJT2CI0hlBjYu081qXisx9S3wIW2BJfgDP9MBI0vpIednW4In5GZmWmJmYiJn1ydFZGJlYato5KtoWGdn0CJm3WxlXetnUudo5GZm2eJmWydm1iclBjYCO92DI0vpIeJiSSLi2L2CPrxzKjsx9ismIWYwIm2BS9MCI0vpIChAPrxzI0xF

will continue working on the TODO list but will put out a new release probably this evening.

 

v0.03 has been released! my remaining TODO list is:

- indicators on the nav compass that will come into view as you pan. they will scale based on distance and will be circles with the color of the point color. for the reveal system they will be question marks with that color.

NOTE: poopy. i didnt know the compass was movable. without knowing where it is i cannot do the indicators

- command to search for points based on description. i have already identified an issue with the current version for this as i will need to store the pretty name of a location too in order to have this work right. currently i store just the raw name. this will be the only thing i have planned that will possibly "break" what is currently out there. will do my best to make it so it doesnt.

- points database file mechanism (described above). like colors there will be a way to show/hide the points from a particular database file. there is logic i built for the quest system addon that allowed quests to be added without modifying the base addon that i might leverage that for this system. if that works people can create point database "addons" that they can distribute on their own.

- a reveal system for the provided locations so you wont be able to see them until you are within a certain distance. this is optional.

 

v0.04 is released you can now search points in the current scene or all scenes. this will be the last update for a bit. dont hesitate to give it a whirl!

 

Just tried this v0.04, the first thing I noticed, upon entering Castle Atos, all of the areas the "Rabbit" can be found are automatically added. And the Atos Training Buff and Atos Combat Buff are also automatically added.

Is this the intended purpose of this LUA mod? I was not sure.