When someone takes a look at the map code...

[Oakleif]

I'm not sure when someone is planning on taking a look at the map tool, it may not be a project that is slated to happen any time soon, but I wanted to throw out this suggestion for when it does get a once over.

I'd like to suggest that the basic map functionality be increased, for those of us who want a little more than a blank map but not the sheer "show me where everything is" nature of the map packs. This was inspired by the "Ah... the joy of exploring" thread in the General Chatter forum.

1) map icons - use the full colored icons that come with the map packs or something similar if permission to use them can't be obtained. Icons for different types of resources, tiers of resources numerered on the type icons, and different mob types would be wonderful. Each different type of tool (essence shaper, stone pedistal, etc.) should also have its own icon.

2) I think these filters should come with populated data, which isn't anything that couldn't be found on the atlas at horizons.gamersinfo.net. I recall seeing some people have reported problems with switching out of Horizons and back in again, so this gives them the same functionality as needing to run a web browser along with Horizons, which should make the game run smoother as well. The criteria for these map markers are either something that the current map does already, or the items/people are in a town rather than in the wilderness.
Group Members - Updates their location on the fly like it does currently.
Players - Updates the location of nearby players as it does currently.
Trainers, Merchants, Town Residents - Have these three sets of NPCs show up on the town map if inside town boundaries or on the world map if they are outside the town map boundraries like certain dragon trainers are. DO NOT have named mobs show up under this filter the way they do in the map pack. Basically, if they show up in the database that horizons.gamersinfo.net has with a location, they should probably be in this filter.
City Names - Same filter that we currently have.
Player City Names - Either include this in city names, or have a seperate layer for it to just show up on the map as a name, no specific hovertext icons necessary.
Geography Names - Some places are named (like the Isle of the Drowned, Scorpion Island, Observatory Point) and those would probably have a place name similar to player city names rather than a hovertext link. These names should not be lumped in with city names or player city names though.
Tools - This would include crafting stations in the wilderness as well as teleport landing pads and teleport transport gates. Actually, these could be in the category of unpopulated filters, but I would imagine that a map maker would consider these important details to include on a map, so put them here.

3) I think these filters should come without populated data, but that players should be able to have a way when setting a new marker of putting it one of these categories. That way, we can use the filter to show or hide the data that we have added to that category on our own maps, without needing to resort to a fully populated map pack in order to get the ability to turn on or off layers. Basically, the unpopulated category should cover almost everything outside of the cities and towns, with the exception of trainers located in the suburbs of a town (like the druid/monk/spiritist trainers on NT, or Heraxius and Saphias outside Dralk)
Landmarks and Points of Interest - These could be in the populated category, to draw people out to see them, but I like that the joy of discovery and adventure in finding new things that would come from letting players put their own markers in for these.
Monsters- Including the named mobs that current map packs put under NPCs
Resources
Of course, those who want the full fledged map pack would then quickly take the current markers and move them into these unpopulated categories, but they still would have the increased functionality of being able to add markers while playing instead of (maybe) being able to code in new markers.

4) The map markers should be common to all characters on an account and/or players on a computer, not specific to individual characters. So I put a marker for a spot that Khaleph finds, Oakleif also has that marker, without needing to copy mapmarker def files around.