Mod request- Simple compass on screen

[Thalius]

I'd like to suggest and request a simple, client-side mod that puts a neat looking, simple compass arrow pointing north on my screen. I'd prefer I had the option to move it around, or at least toggle it to show in an upper corner of the screen.  Maybe include an option when right clicking it that gives you the option to display a cooler looking compass showing all four points.

I'd like to remove the map and coordinates from my game, but I find it very easy to get turned around and lose all sense of direction when traveling.  In real life that is rarely a problem. I love the outdoors and can pretty much tell which direction I am going at all times. In the game though, unless perhaps you can run quality shadows (which I can't without a lot of stutter for some reason) there are not enough tells to give the direction naturally.. 

If I could compensate by adding an arrow that shows north so I can more easily discern direction, I'd enjoy dropping the map and coordinates.

A humbly and hopefully submitted request...
~TH~

[Thalius]

This has come up because on my server there is an ongoing evaluation of the way the current map and coordinate system works. All want the coordinates removed, but unless you remove the map too, you still have access to coordinates. All you can remove is the coordinate hud setting, which is sort of pointless if you can still pull up your map and see the coordinates for your location.  We want a more challenging exploration aspect to the game, but many also don't want to get altogether lost, especially if trying to re-acquire items that were dropped when dying because you got surprised by a wolf and were one-hit killed in deep forest with no opportunity to do anything about it.  That gets irritating.

The idea of a simple compass is offered in an attempt to find a middle ground between the current system and no navigation help at all.

The only other thing I think we'd like to see with the compass would be the option to have a very limited way-point system with it. Have a max of three waypoints that one could set by right clicking the compass->set waypoint->color option, done.  A waypoint would then show on the compass for the location where you were standing when it was set.  Also have a temporary waypoint that shows up for the location where you last died.  This waypoint only lasts for as long as the de-spawn time for the items you dropped.

 

[Thalius]

If something like this could be added easily to the core game, that would be fantastic. It seemed more like a mod option though, as I hope some day actual cartography of some kind makes its way into VS. This mod suggestion is an attempt to get a better option over the current system into our game faster.

[l33tmaan]

Would it be too much to require players to craft compasses before having one added to the HUD?

[Thalius]

11 minutes ago, l33tmaan said:

Would it be too much to require players to craft compasses before having one added to the HUD?

I'd be fine with that.  It would require a certain something be done before one could get the benefit of such a mechanic. I'd suggest it not require anything too advanced though. Or, perhaps, make it a device to be bought off of a trader, with a small chance to find in bony soil as well or find tucked away in a chest in a ruin somewhere..

Edited March 26, 2021 by Thalius

[Thalius]

I sort of like the idea of finding a compass device left behind by the ancients over the idea of crafting our own.  How do you explain waypoints showing up with a compass made from a sliver of metal floating on water?  If it is a mysterious device left behind by the ancients though... No explanation needed.

Edited March 26, 2021 by Thalius

[Thalius]

It would have to be something that stayed on you though when you died, for it to really have much value.  Thus it would have to be worn or bound to you in some way for it to make much game sense.

[l33tmaan]

Upgrading all the various navigational items into the Cell Phone in Terraria was one of my favorite parts of that game. Making it so a 'temporal compass' (since you can slap the word 'temporal' onto anything to make it magical) can be found in ruins or crafted with hard-to-find items would add to exploration, especially if there are other components you can find to upgrade the thing, like having separate functions for X-Y coordinates and Z coordinates. 

EDIT: If you want to get crazy enough, you can have it act as a weather barometer, temporal storm warner, ore radar, enemy radar...

Edited March 26, 2021 by l33tmaan

[Thalius]

To keep it on us though even upon death...

Maybe we need some sort of accessory slot on our character where we can equip an item as we do armor and clothing, and it respawns with us, same as with armor and clothing.

[Thalius]

I like the idea of an upgradable temporal compass that works this way more as a core game feature rather than a mod suggestion. 

[l33tmaan]

I would forgo the accessory slot and have players start with a 'broken' temporal compass, and all it's capable of doing is telling how unstable an area is - basically the exact same as the temporal cog the game already has. It shouldn't even take up inventory space, just have a section in the character area that shows the compass and any upgrades you have for it. 

[Thalius]

That would work nicely. I've always seen our sense of temporal stability as a part of who we are as seraphs, but I guess it would not break anything to have an actual temporal compass that gives us stability reading and levels. Upgrade it to have a needle show up at the top of the gear when you are facing north. Upgrade it further to increase it's ability to keep track of additional waypoint settings and where you last died and such. Require use of a temporal gear to set a waypoint, once your compass has the ability to record them. Right click the gear to pull up waypoint list and clear the ones you want to remove when you don't need them any more or want to make room for marking a location that is more important.

[l33tmaan]

Yes, let's just bundle everything from every map mod into the base game.
I'm being completely unironic. If I was crawling through a ruin and I found an item that gave my map the functionality of the VSProspectorTool, I would be a very happy man. Like Terraria, you should be able to disable any of these functions if you want to. This way you can still have the satisfaction of finding the item, but you don't have to use a specific function if you don't want to - such as coordinates.

EDIT: At this point I think this thread might be better off in the actual Suggestions area instead of just Mod Development. 

Edited March 26, 2021 by l33tmaan

[Thalius]

22 minutes ago, l33tmaan said:

EDIT: At this point I think this thread might be better off in the actual Suggestions area instead of just Mod Development. 

I agree. I was actually just sitting down trying to figure out if I should start a new post there, or request this one be moved to suggestions.

[l33tmaan]

It might cause less confusion to make a new post going over the idea and some upgrades for the compass, just so people don't have to read through all this first.

[Thalius]

Makes sense. I'll have something up in suggestions shortly, then delete this mod suggestion.

[Thalius]

New suggestion made under the suggestion form for the main game.

***Requesting admin remove this post from this mod forum.

[goxmeor]

I'm intending to create a compass mod with several compasses: one which points North, one which points to the default spawn center, one which points to the nearest player-craftable "radio transmitter", and one which points to another dynamic location which can be controlled by another mod I intend to create.

I still need to figure out what crafting materials would be fair.

Currently, you can use the orientation of knapping patterns to tell direction (although I'm hoping this will be fixed at some point.) For example, the knife blades always point West.

[Thalius]

On 3/27/2021 at 7:48 PM, goxmeor said:

I'm intending to create a compass mod with several compasses: one which points North, one which points to the default spawn center, one which points to the nearest player-craftable "radio transmitter", and one which points to another dynamic location which can be controlled by another mod I intend to create.

I checked the compass mod out earlier. We'll probably use it, if/when we can get mod support to allow adding it.

Made another suggestion just now along the lines of a mod that removes coordinates from the map altogether, and limits a few other things.
Hopeful one of the wizards out there find the idea worth working on as well.