TrailMap - Union Plugin [Gothic I/G1A/G2/G2NotR]

TrailMap is a Union plugin for Gothic I/G1A/G2/G2NotR that creates a heatmap overlay on the in-game map showing where you've been. The plugin tracks your movement and displays visited areas with color-coded markers, helping you explore the world more efficiently and visualize your journey through each chapter. This plugin is based on ItemMap by Sefaris.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iu_8aKg0qiU

Features

• Real-time Movement Tracking: Automatically records your position as you explore the world
• Heatmap Visualization: Color-coded markers show visited areas (light green = few visits, dark green = many visits)
• Chapter-based Filtering: View trails from specific chapters or all chapters combined
• Step Counter: Tracks total steps taken per chapter
• Persistent Data: Trail data is saved with each savegame in TRAILMAP.SAV file
• Customizable Grid: Adjustable cell size and color intensity
• Multi-Game Support: Compatible with Gothic I Classic, Gothic I Addon, Gothic II Classic, Gothic II NotR
• Union Menu Integration: Configure all settings directly from Union menu

Installation

1. Download the latest release from the Releases page
2. Extract TrailMap.vdf to your [Gothic]\Data\Plugins folder
3. Launch Gothic - the plugin will load automatically

Usage

Basic Controls

• Open Map: Press your map key (default: M)
• F9: Toggle heatmap overlay on/off
• F10: Toggle info panel on/off
• Home/End: Cycle through chapter filters

Filter Options

The plugin offers several filtering modes accessible via Home/End keys:

• All: Show trails from all chapters
• Current: Show only trails from current chapter
• Chapter 1-9: Show trails from specific chapter
• Off: Hide all trails

The filter automatically skips chapters higher than your current chapter (e.g., if you're in Chapter 3, only All, Current, Ch1, Ch2, Ch3, and Off are available).

Info Panel

The left panel displays:

• Cells: Number of unique grid cells visited
• Steps: Total steps taken (per chapter)
• Current Filter: Active filter mode
• Keybindings: Quick reference for controls

Configuration

Through Union Menu (Recommended)

1. Launch the game
2. Go to Main Menu → Options → Union
3. Find "TrailMap" in the list
4. Configure options:
   • Enabled: Toggle the plugin on/off
   • GridSize: Size of tracking cells in game units (default: 1000)
   • MaxVisitsForColor: Number of visits for maximum color intensity (default: 10)
   • ShowHeatmap: Show/hide heatmap markers
   • ShowPanel: Show/hide info panel
   • TransparentPanel: Make panel semi-transparent

Configuration Options

Option	Description	Default	Range
Enabled	Enable/disable the entire plugin	On	-
GridSize	Size of grid cells in game units	1000	100+
MaxVisitsForColor	Visits needed for darkest color	10	1+
ShowHeatmap	Display heatmap overlay	On	-
ShowPanel	Display info panel	On	-
TransparentPanel	Semi-transparent panel	Off	-

How It Works

Grid System

• The world is divided into grid cells based on GridSize
• Each time you move 100 units, your position is recorded
• If you enter a new grid cell, a visit is recorded for that cell in the current chapter
• Cells can be visited multiple times, increasing their color intensity

Color Coding

• Transparent: Never visited
• Light Green: Few visits (1-2)
• Medium Green: Moderate visits (3-5)
• Dark Green: Many visits (6-10+)

The color intensity is calculated as: intensity = visits / MaxVisitsForColor

• Lower MaxVisitsForColor = faster color darkening
• Higher MaxVisitsForColor = slower, more gradual color changes

Step Counting

• Steps are counted per chapter
• One step = moving 100 game units
• Steps are tracked separately from cell visits
• Useful for speedrunning or tracking exploration efficiency

Data Storage

Save Files

Trail data is stored in [SaveFolder]\TRAILMAP.SAV for each savegame:

• Uses Gothic's native zCArchiver format (ASCII mode)
• Automatically saved when you save the game
• Automatically loaded when you load a savegame
• Each savegame has independent trail data

Data Structure

The plugin stores:

• Grid cell coordinates (gx, gz)
• Visit counts per chapter for each cell
• Total step count per chapter
• Grid size used for recording

Supported Games and Mods

Base Games

• Gothic I Classic: ✅ Supported
• Gothic I Addon: ✅ Supported
• Gothic II Classic: ✅ Supported
• Gothic II NotR: ✅ Supported

Popular Mods

• The Chronicles Of Myrtana: Archolos: ✅ Supported (9 chapters)
• Other Total Conversions: ✅ Supported (up to 9 chapters)
• Vanilla Mods: ✅ Supported

Building from Source

Prerequisites

• Visual Studio 2019 or later
• Union SDK v1.0m
• C++11 or later

Build Steps

1. Clone this repository
2. Copy ZenGin folder from Union SDK to TrailMap/ZenGin/
3. Open TrailMap.sln in Visual Studio
4. Select "MP x4 MT Release" configuration
5. Build the solution
6. Find the compiled DLL in the Bin/ folder

Credits

Development

• Plugin Author - Raster96
• Union Team - For the excellent Union SDK framework
• ItemMap - For map overlay inspiration and texture assets
• Gothic Community - For continued support and testing

License

MIT License

Troubleshooting

Plugin Not Loading

• Ensure TrailMap.vdf is in the correct folder: [Gothic]\Data\Plugins
• Check that Union is properly installed
• Verify Gothic version compatibility
• Check that texture files are included in the VDF

Heatmap Not Showing

• Press F9 to toggle heatmap visibility
• Ensure you've moved around enough to record visits
• Check that filter is not set to "Off"
• Verify ShowHeatmap is enabled in Union menu

Panel Not Showing

• Press F10 to toggle panel visibility
• Check that ShowPanel is enabled in Union menu
• Ensure you're viewing the map (press M)

Data Not Saving

• Verify you're saving the game properly (not quick-loading)
• Check that savegame folder has write permissions
• Ensure Enabled is On in Union menu
• Look for TRAILMAP.SAV file in your savegame folder

Performance Issues

• Increase GridSize to reduce number of tracked cells
• Disable ShowPanel if not needed
• Consider clearing old trail data by starting a new game

Textures Not Loading

• Ensure TRAILMAP_BACKGROUND.TGA and TRAILMAP_MARKER.TGA are in the VDF
• Check that textures are in _work/Data/Textures/_compiled/ folder
• Verify texture files are compiled (.TEX format)

Contributing

This is a community project. Feel free to:

• Report bugs in the Issues section
• Submit improvements via Pull Requests
• Share feedback and suggestions
• Test with different Gothic versions and mods
• Discord: raster96

Version History

• v1.0.1 - Dynamic cell sizing & texture rename
  • Heatmap dot size is now calculated dynamically from the world-to-map ratio
  • Cells display correctly on all maps (world, city, custom mod maps)
  • Eliminated gaps between adjacent cells on CoM and rotated maps
  • Removed obsolete DotSize setting from Union menu
  • Renamed textures from ITEMMAP_* to TRAILMAP_* to avoid conflicts with ItemMap plugin
• v1.0.0 - Initial release
  • Real-time movement tracking
  • Chapter-based filtering with smart chapter detection
  • Heatmap visualization with color intensity
  • Per-chapter step counter
  • Persistent data storage in savegames
  • Union menu integration
  • Customizable grid size and colors
  • Support for all Gothic versions and mods

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