The one and only first ever actual Minecraft Global Positioning System; GPS for short. Designed with both simple and advanced Minecraft world mappings in mind. Create simple GPS mappings or very complex and advanced webs of connections and routes. The GPS will consistently guide you through the shortest path available.
Warping around the world/spawn is ordinary and extremely boring. It leaves everything you have built unwatched and unappreciated resulting in wasted time / wasted money spent on builders and makes your server dull. Using the GPS allows your players to explore your server as they go, and discover all the characteristics that make your server unique and intriguing. Guided by a completely customizable arrow, which is not created from boring particles, you, and your players, always know exactly where to go. Setting up the GPS is extremely easy and straightforward. With the in-game GPS configurator, you are free from messing around with clumsy yml files and having to fiddle around with misconfigurations due to typos and indentation errors. All points and connections are observable via particles whenever the configurator is enabled.
Test Server: 142.44.222.241:25602
If you wish to use this on a 1.8 server then please read the "Important for 1.8 servers" in the Versions and Support section first!
The GPS Arrow:
- Appearance:
The arrow is created from any placeable Minecraft block. Above is a few examples of that. The length, arrowhead size, and density of blocks etc. are all 100% configurable in the config.yml file. You can also set the header of the arrow.
Below are a few examples of different arrow settings. The default arrow is the one to the left. Remember; larger sizes and higher densities require more entities which require more server resources. (The default is created from just 15 entities)
You can also use a custom resource pack or particles. Take a look further down.
- Behaviour and physical properties:
The arrow can rotate and point in any direction. The direction is based on your current position and the direction towards the destination. The arrows direction is based on your location, not its own location.
- The arrow will follow you around in a fixed position based on the direction you are looking and moves in a seamless and smooth manner. As seen in the gif above the arrow changes its direction instantaneously without any stuttering.
- Invisibility:
Since the arrow is made from entities and not Particles, hiding it is a whole lot harder. This has been made possible with the use of ProtocolLib. If you wish to hide the arrow you will have to have PL installed on your server. Enable/disable this feature in the config.yml file.
The example below illustrates the perfectly hidden arrow. The player on the left can clearly see his GPS arrow, though it remains undetectable/invisible for the player on the right.
- Invisibility:
- Invincibility:
Using the Minecraft kill command won't delete the arrow. This ensures that plugins like entity cleaners won't delete the GPS arrows and cause issues.
- Invincibility:
- Moveability:
The arrow can be moved to best suit the players needs. The move-mode is enabled via the /gps move command. In this mode, the scroll wheel on your mouse functions as the "control stick". Use the scroll wheel to move the arrow forwards and backward. Hold shift and use the scroll wheel to move the arrow up and down.
- Moveability:
- Other arrow types:
You can also choose to use a custom resource pack for your arrow:
Click to view the photo album.
Resource pack link:
The three arrows above is created by @NullBlox. Feel free to use them.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/7xbk40foabar8vk/GPS-ARROWS-RP-A1.zip?dl=1
The material for the three default arrows is IRON_HOE and the durability is 1,2, and 3.
- Other arrow types:
- (The name is set to '' but also works for resource pack arrows)
A particle variation of the arrow is also available.
A simple version and a 3D version:
- (The name is set to '' but also works for resource pack arrows)
- Path computation:
Below is an example of a small rather complex GPS setup. The image illustrates the effectiveness of the computation algorithm. Even in a web of points and connections, the GPS will find the absolute shortest path possible; instantaneously. To ensure performance, paths are temporarily stored for as long as the player has the GPS active. This makes the GPS extremely responsive and allows it to update lightning fast without putting any strain on the server.The video has been sped up to x2.
- Path computation:
- Path recomputation:
The GPS logic allows for players to veer off course or take alternate routes. If they should decide to do so, the GPS will update to the new shortest path as soon as they get in range of another point; as seen in the video below.
N.B. The particle paths are only shown for the player being navigated if they have it turned on. The particles are only visible for the "camera" for the purpose of this GIF.
- Path recomputation:
- Single direction connections:
The setup below demonstrates a single-direction connection setup. This can be used in any way you want. It is useful for making sure the player is not navigated through an "impossible" path e.g. the player is unable to jump to the next point in the picture below, yet they are able to "jump" down. (Red boxes are points, blue lines are connections, light blue particles equals connected)
The GIF below demonstrates the usage. Even though the player is closer to the center point, he is being navigated through the other points.
- Single direction connections:
- Path visualization:
Alongside the arrow navigation, you can also enable a visualization of the current chosen path. The particles are shown only for the player being navigated. As of 1.6.0, it is possible to disable the arrow completely and solely use the particle path instead.
- Path visualization:
- In-game configurator:
The plugin also features an easy-to-use complex in-game GPS configurator. The commands and how to use it is explained in the commands section.
Using the command /gpsc show enables the particle visualization. Each connection is shown with a blue particle line, two light blue particles at the end of the line indicate the points are connected. Each point is represented with a red particle box by default. Your currently selected box is green and the closest box to you is yellow.
The in-game configurator allows you to create, delete, connect, disconnect, and move points without ever having to deal with a yml file. The configurator is very easy to use and you'll get your world mapped in no time.
Apart from using commands to set up your GPS, you can also use the built-in GPS Configurator Stick which allows you to create, select, connect, disconnect, and delete points with a single click.
- In-game configurator:
- Vehicle plugin support:
The GPS supports all vehicle/movement plugins. This is made possible by updating the GPS based on the player's location at a fixed interval. This has been thoroughly tested and will 100% work for any movement not involving player teleportation above 20 blocks.
- Vehicle plugin support:
- Dynmap Support:
The GPS plugin allows you to showcase your GPS setup with Dynmap. Below is an example of the setup used on my Test Server:
- Dynmap Support: