Suggestion: GPS / Electronic Map

Global Positioning System / Advanced map

A more advanced version of the normal map, shows larger area as well as XYZ coordinates, also has zoom in/out features. Mobile just like the old map but will use power. Since it's a small screen, maybe something like 1 eu/s when in turned on. For realism it would have a "discovery mode" which takes more power but you need to use to discover more parts of the map, and then a "map mode" where it takes less power and just shows what you've already "discovered". Also since there are not exactly GPS sattelites floating around in minecraft orbit maybe add a launchable one. Maybe also add a constructable signal dish, but that would complicate things even further by needing code for signal strength and all that. (but if that is implemented, obviously the higher the signal dish the greater the area and if you go below too many blocks you lose signal). Not exactly sure how hard this would be too code, but I think it would fit in with tier 2 electronics (or tier 3, but I really dont see a GPS being as advanced as a lapotron crystal or quantum armor)

Recipe: GPS / Electronic Map

Note - Dynamite Remote = FreqTrans Empty cells = RE Batteries Diamond = Screen and Industrial diamond can be substituted with a normal diamond.

Recipe: Sattelite Dish


Ignore the rubber it's just there to try and keep the refined iron from moving to the side of the page.

Recipe: The Sattelite (I highly doubt this would be implemented)

: Note - Iridium Plate = Advanced Alloy / Carbon Plate Dynamite Remote = Sattelite Dish And if more advanced solar panels were to enter the game they would definitely be the ones that would fit on the sattelite.

Quote from Luingar

Definitely no satellite, and i'd say no to the discovery/standard modes either. It should function exactly as the standard map, but with zoom features, ability to place markers/waypoint, and the view should center on the player. Should consume about 1 EU every second and should be able to store up to 2,000 EU (33 minutes and 20 seconds)

The sattelites were really just a realism suggestion but I do like your waypoints idea, its like Rei or Zan's minimap in a realistic way also do you think it should be able to run off batpack?

So an updated features list would be -

Zoom functions
Centered on player
Waypoints - (color coded like in minimap mod?)
Consumes 1 eu a second and has 2,000 eu storage for 33 minutes and 20 seconds use
Draws power from batpack after (or before?) its own energy reserves have depleted
Shows XYZ coordinates (like using F3 but without that annoying lagometer in the way)

Also - should it have a "cave mode" like the minimap mods? Not sure on the realism (a GPS that can magically make a map of a cave?)
Also opinions on an on/off function? Would be extra coding and not that badly needed but I think it would be useful to turn it off if you want to have it with you but dont want it draining power.

Quote from ultimate_omega

Zoom - Yes

Centered - Yes
EU Usage - Yes
Batpack - Before using it's own (kind of like the power tools)
XYZ Co-ords w/o lagometer - HELL YEAH!
Cave Mode - Not entirely sure...
On/Off - Have it turn off automatically if placed into a storage container or it's placed into the inventory, on when it's in the hotbar (A LOT of coding, I know)

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Alright so now we just to need to bug Alblaka or someone who makes addons to code this

Also, 2 extra features that could be good ones. 1. Death point - (though I guess it only applies if you have 2 GPSs) and 2. Mob radar (if this is implemented it should take like 20 eu/s)

Quote from Trifler

Sounds good. I suggest making it an upgrade to the vanilla Clock and using a Clock in the recipe.

Do you mean that the GPS would also show the time? That starts an entirely different digital watch suggestion

Quote from Trifler

I just meant that I think any of the features being suggested here should be an upgrade to the Clock, not a separate device. Industrialcraft upgrades a lot of vanilla items so it makes sense to upgrade the Clock. Likewise, the Clock is used to make a map, so it really fits. I was not thinking of displaying the time in digits.

EDIT: Actually, it could be a Compass instead of a Clock. Don't know why I didn't think of that before.

Well I was thinking of putting a compass in the recipe but then I realized they don't stick an actual compass into a GPS but I guess it would make sense in a minecraftish way to have a compass in the recipe

EDIT: Updated Recipe

Note - Dynamite Remote = FreqTrans Empty cells = RE Batteries Diamond = Screen OD Scanner = Compass and Industrial diamond can be substituted with a normal diamond.

Quote from daedroug

Personally if i was going to make something like this for a mod like IC (not that I can just thinking about balance wise) It would likely be a non portable one, more like a holographic map table then a portable map tablet. Add on the ability to zoom into a certain section and then transcribe that onto a normal map, as well as copying maps that are from places much farther away.

Could even then link it up to the soon to be computers and give it the ability to track player and mob movements on it with whatever sensory nodes you might have placed out in the field.

I like your idea about using sensors for player and mob tracking though in my opinion one of the strong points of the GPS would be that you could use its functionality anywhere, without having to place down blocks. Though I guess the functionality you described of being able to manage a much larger area and print it onto different maps fulfils (sort of) the same functionality.