How to Create Your Own Markers

Details
Category: Markers
  • Icons have to be saved as a png file. When you have png ready make sure you will use some compressor like https://tinypng.com/ it usually save over 75% of file size and increase performance for players with slower computers.
  • marker size should be around 100x100px. You can use larger but try not to do it too often since it can decrease performance.
  • Put icons to \Data in TacO folder.
  • Keep in mind that one day you may share them so choose unique naming for all your icons, files, makers, and categories in TacO itself.

Marker Settings

An example of Marker in categorydata.xml - most basic 1 level Category tree: My Category Square Icon"

<MarkerCategory name="mycategory">
  <MarkerCategory name="squareicon" iconFile="Data\square.png"/>
</MarkerCategory>

An example of Marker in categorydata.xml - 2 level Category tree: "My Category -> My Markers -> Square Icon" with all possible variables and default values:

<MarkerCategory name="mycategory" DisplayName="My Category">
  <MarkerCategory name="mymarkers" DisplayName="My Markers">
    <MarkerCategory name="squareicon" DisplayName="Square Icon" iconSize="1.0" behavior="4" alpha="1.0" fadeNear="1000" fadeFar="1100" heightOffset="1.5" resetLength="60" iconFile="Data\square.png"/>
  </MarkerCategory>
</MarkerCategory>

Placed Markers

An example of most basic Marker in poidata.xml

<POI MapID="123" xpos="-123.456" ypos="654.321" zpos="123.123" type="mycategory.squareicon" GUID="wPiuS7M2HUilAbjjqOD5ig=="/>

An example of Marker in poidata.xml with all possible variables and default values:

<POI MapID="123" xpos="-123.456" ypos="654.321" zpos="123.123" iconSize="1.0" behavior="4" alpha="1.0" fadeNear="1000" fadeFar="1100" heightOffset="1.5" resetLength="60" type="mycategory.mymarkers.squareicon" GUID="wPiuS7M2HUilAbjjqOD5ig=="/>

Variables:

  • MapID - An identificator of a map where is marker placed. Created automatically.
  • GUID - An identificator of a marker. Created automatically
  • xpos, ypos, zpos - Position of marker in the world
  • heightOffset - vertical offset from x,y,z position. Default = 1.5
  • fadeNear - Range where marker starts disappearing.
  • fadeFar - Range where marker disappears completely. It must be higher than fadeNear
  • iconSize - Size if icon compares to an original image. Default = 1.0
  • alpha - Transparency of marker. Default 1.0
  • behavior - Number for custom behavior (list below) Default = 0.
  • resetLength - Time in seconds before marker reappears after disabling. This will only work with Behavior 4.

Behaviors:

AKA what happen after you press F over a marker.

  • 0 - Default non-interactive marker, always visible.
  • 1 - Reappear when you change the map.
  • 2 - Reappear on daily reset.
  • 3 - Disappear forever once you press F.
  • 4 - Reappear after a time determined by variable resetLength.
  • 5 - Reappear on map reset.
  • 6 - Reappear after you change map or instance of the same map
  • 7 - Reappear once per daily per character

If a variable isn't present it's counted as it's there with a default value.

Sharing markers:

  • Make sure in poidata.xml are only markers what you want to share and rename a file to mymarkers.xml for example.
  • If you use your own markers copy from categorydata.xml your Category structure to mymarkers.xml
  • Move mymarkers.xml to folder POIs in the main TacO folder.
  • Move your custom icons from folder \Data to \POIs\Data.
  • Share your markers with this data structure.

An example of mymarkers.xml structure with inserted custom category and 1 marker ready for sharing.

<OverlayData>
  <MarkerCategory name="mycategory">
    <MarkerCategory name="squareicon" iconFile="Data\square.png"/>
  </MarkerCategory>
  <POIs>
    <POI MapID="123" xpos="-123.456" ypos="654.321" zpos="123.123" type="mycategory.squareicon" GUID="wPiuS7M2HUilAbjjqOD5ig=="/>
  </POIs>
</OverlayData>