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Implementing a compass

Hey all - 

I'm thinking about adding a compass inventory item.  Something similar to the one in Quest for Glory II that when you use it from your inventory a little graphic would show up on screen and have the arrow pointing whichever direction north is (I'm thinking it would get that info based off of whatever X/Z position the current camera is set to).

Any thoughts of how to execute something like this?

Comments

  • Rather based on the current camera's rotation, I should think?
  • Unless of course you've got the actual north pole inside or very close to the playable area, in which case the X/Z position must be taken into account as well ... :-)
  • Just threw this together - something along those lines?

  • @snebjorn - Yes!! That looks great!  

    And yes, I meant rotation.  Not enough caffeine, yet.  :D


  • edited September 2015
    I know the feeling ...  :-)

    Anyway, here's the code: 

    ----------------------

    using UnityEngine;
    using System.Collections;

    public class Compass : MonoBehaviour {

        public Texture compassTexture;
        public float screenPositionX = 50;
        public float screenPositionY = 50;

        void OnGUI()
        {
            Vector2 compass_center = new Vector2(screenPositionX + compassTexture.width / 2, screenPositionY + compassTexture.height / 2);
            GUIUtility.RotateAroundPivot(-(transform.eulerAngles.y), compass_center);
            Rect compass_rect = new Rect(screenPositionX, screenPositionY, compassTexture.width, compassTexture.height);
            GUI.DrawTexture(compass_rect, compassTexture);
        }
    }

    ----------------------

    Put it in a script named Compass.cs, add that to you main camera, set the texture to taste (preferably a square image that rotates around the exact centre in an aesthetically pleasing way, and was imported as a sprite) and you're good to go.

    Depending on how you want this to appear in-game, there might a bit more work to do ... but here's a starting point.
  • This is great, thanks @Snebjorn!  I'll give this a shot!
  • @Snebjorn - Okay!  Got it in and working with new art.  Hooray!  Now I just need to figure out how to turn it on/off based on an inventory interaction.  I did a quick test where I created a child object to the main camera with the Compass.cs (so it would retain the camera's rotation data) and did a simple test to turn on/off the visibility when "using" the compass in my inventory but that didn't work.

    I'll need to spend more time investigating!
  • This script is obviously very much a "quick'n'dirty" solution to the immediate problem of getting a compass working. A more solid version should probably have the compass as a separate object that integrates directly with AC.

    The stuff I'm working on at the moment includes a large outdoor scene where you can easily get lost, so why not give the player a compass to pick up? I even find myself losing my bearings sometimes, and I designed the damned thing!

    There's a nice little side project: a compass that works with AC ... watch this space! :-)


  • edited September 2015
    Ooooooh!  This is very exciting!  Thanks @Snebjorn!! :D
  • You came up with the original idea, so let's share the profits from the asset store - just keep your red Ferrari off my parking space, ok? :-)
  • FerrariS.  Plural.  My god, we're going to be rich.
  • edited September 2015
    But we'll still remember where we came from! :-)

    Anyway, in order to not pollude this part of the forum with this, I've created this thread: http://www.adventurecreator.org/forum/discussion/3930/ac-user-project-compass-pick-up-item

    ... let's continue the discussion there.
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