Symbology
All map symbology is loaded out of the model files contained in the <macroquest>/Models file. This will be covered more in depth under the Models subsection. There are two types of symbology, primary and secondary. Secondary models are added to primary symbologies. For example, a green NPC by default shows up as a green arrow, when targeted it will by default have a secondary symbology added to it of a rotating arrow. All of these symbologies can be set to load custom symbols up. To not display a symbol leave its setting blank in the INI file.

NPC Corpse - Primary
Symbology: grey and green tombstone
INI Setting: [Models]->corpse

Player Corpse - Primary
Symbology: grey and green tombstone, same as NPC corpse
INI Setting: [Models]->playercorpse

Player - Primary
Symbology: orange arrow
INI Setting: [Models]->player

Pet - Primary
Symbology: small purple arrow
INI Setting: [Models]->pet

Trap - Primary
Symbology: red outlined X, flat on the ground
INI Setting: [Models]->trap

Chest - Primary
Symbology: a brown treasure chest with gold latch
INI Setting: [Models]->chest

Grey NPC - Primary
Symbology: a grey arrow
INI Setting: [Models]->greycon

Green NPC - Primary
Symbology: a green arrow
INI Setting: [Models]->greennpc

Light Blue NPC - Primary
Symbology: a light blue arrow
INI Setting: [Models]->lightbluecon

Blue NPC - Primary
Symbology: a blue arrow
INI Setting: [Models]->bluecon

White NPC - Primary
Symbology: a white arrow
INI Setting: [Models]->whitecon

Yellow NPC - Primary
Symbology: a yellow arrow
INI Setting: [Models]->yellowcon

Red NPC - Primary
Symbology: a red arrow
INI Setting: [Models]->redcon

Purple NPC - Primary
Symbology: a purple arrow
INI Setting: [Models]->purplecon

Ground Spawn - Primary
Symbology: a small light blue cube
INI Setting: [Models]->groundspawn

Augment Pool - Primary
Symbology: a gold and blue birdbath, similar to game geometry
INI Setting: [Models]->birdbath

Loom - Primary
Symbology: a tilted brown frame with parallel white lines
INI Setting: [Models]->loom

Oven - Primary
Symbology: a black cube with chimney and a white highlighted window on front
INI Setting: [Models]->oven

Kiln/Pottery Wheel - Primary
Symbology: an offwhite crescent with a translucent cavity in the middle
INI Setting: [Models]->kiln

Brew Barrel - Primary
Symbology: a brown barrel with black bands around it
INI Setting: [Models]->brewbarrel

Forge - Primary
Symbology: black cube w/door on the front, and a grill highlighted in red
INI Setting: [Models]->forge

Target - Secondary
Used: on chests, corpses, npc, pc, pets when targeted
Symbology: an offwhite rotating arrow above the targets model
INI Setting: [Models]->target

Compas - Secondary (yes it isn't spelled right in the plugin either)
Used: This gets set around your player
Symbology: a orange and pink compass rose around your character that always faces north
INI Setting: [Models]->compas

Me - Secondary
Used: This is reserved for another symbol to place on your characters normal "player" symbology.
Symbology: not used by default
INI Setting: [Models]->me

Merchant - Secondary
Used: Reserved for a symbol to place on top of merchants normal NPC symbology
Symbology: not used by default
INI Setting: [Models]->merchant

Banker - Secondary
Used: Reserved for a symbol to place on top of bankers normal NPC symbology
Symbology: not used by default
INI Setting: [Models]->banker

Running - Secondary
Used: this is put behind NPC, player, pets who are moving quickly
Symbology: a fading trail of white squares
INI Setting: [Models]->running

Group - Secondary
Used: this is placed on group members normal player symbology
Symbology: 4 blue squares rotating on the ground around the player
INI Setting: [Models]->groupmember



Controls
Most interaction with the map is accomplished using the left ALT and CTRL keys. The right keys will do nothing. This is by design as to not interrupt strafing using the CTRL key next to the arrow pad.

Mouse Hover
Mousing over a player, corpse, npc, or pet will display their name in a high contrast black/white label

Left CTRL
Will display all player, corpse, npc, pet, and labels from map files. All labels have a slight dropped shadow for easier reading. While these labels are being displayed hovering the mouse over the left corner of a label will still display the high contrast black/white label, and it will do so on TOP of all the other labels for easy reading. Its important to note that while CTRL is depressed you cannot click on a real NPC in your field of vision.

Left CTRL + click
Left CTRL will display all labels, hovering the mouse over an NPC will then display its label in high contrast. Clicking when this occurs will target the NPC.

Left ALT
This will display the map manipulation menu. Clicking an option will either instantly apply the option selected or will go into an adjust mode. While the menu is being displayed the map will autofade for easier menu reading. The various options are covered below. As with the CTRL key, clicking an NPC in front of you while the left ALT key is depressed is disabled.

Toggle Display
Enable or disable the display of the map

Toggle Shadow
The map has a droped shadow on every single line, this gives it a heavy look and can help with viewing lines that dont contrast well with the game backdrop. Using this option will enable/disable the display of the dropped shadow

Toggle Center
By default the map is centered on you the player, alternatively it can be centered on 0,0,0. This will make the map static on the screen and not move from left to right, up and down while you traverse the zone. This option will toggle between the two methods.

Toggle Rotate
By default the map will rotate with your character. If you are facing east, then east will be "up" on the map instead of north. This makes it very easy to navigate as pressing forward will always propel you "up" the map like a sat nav for a car. Alternatively toggling this option will swap to a more traditional method where north is always up.

Refresh Map
This will reload the map file, reload the label colors from ini file, reload the models from the ini file, and lastly reload each model. Use this option if you update any of your files and want to see the changes.

Reset
This will reset all the toggles and adjustments to optimal settings.

Note for "Adjust" options
All adjust options you must click and hold, then maneuver the mouse to tune things. While in this "tune" mode you may release the left ALT key without interrupting your changes.

Adjust Zoom
mouse up shrinks the map, mouse down enlarges the map

Adjust Height
Some maps in zones can be hard to see in 3d. This will add a multiplier to the z axis of the map. mouse up will make the map flat, mouse down will make it taller. (it won't flatten symbology, you'll get a chess board effect)

Adjust Offset
This will cause the center of the map (either 0,0,0 or your toon depending on "toggle center") to stick to your cursor and you can drag and drop the map anywhere on screen.

Adjust Tilt
This lets you adjust the display angle of the map. Bottoming it out will have you looking straight down on the map, similar to the present build in map. The other end of the spectrum will display the map from the side.

Adjust Transparency
This will let you adjust how transparent the map is... pretty simple.


Models
All models can be located in <macroquest>/Models. They are all text files and there are only two types of rows, L, and R. L describes a line of the model, similar to EQ map files. R describes how a model should rotate.

L:
L <x1>, <y1>, <z1>, <x2>, <y2>, <z2>, <red>, <green>, <blue>, <transparency>
L 5, 0, 0, -5, 0, 0, 255, 150, 255, 200

x1, y1, z1 describe the start of the line
x2, y2, z2 describe the start of the line
red, green, blue, transparency all are 0-255 and describe the color of the line


R:
R <rotation>
R -2

-3 makes the model inherit the heading of the thing the symbol represents
-2 makes the model freely rotate around in an animated spin
angle makes the model display at a static angle


Limitations

Not available on SoF
This was added to Titanium on 7 July 2011. It can now be used on Titanium, Seeds of Destruction, and Underfoot.

Gold Membership
This does require a gold membership to use. Because of this you'll need to have MQ2VMQNet Loaded, and have type /login <user> <pass>, or have set your user and pass in the VMQNet INI file for autologin.

Could you add it to the Titanium please?

There are plans to add it, but it's low on the priority list. It's really looking like titanium is on it's way out in the not too distant future.

This is now available in the gold titanium build.

If a map doesn't show up with this, what could be done? I use this and it shows NPC, corpses, etc... but not the actual zone outline.
Just curious what I would need to do to show walls, tunnels, zone lines, and such.

Your missing the map file. It uses the maps in the regular eq map folder. Download the missing one(s) from mapfeind or your preferred map site.

That's strange. I have all the map files. When I use the regular map (backspace) I can see the map fine, and has all the npc and such with their labels on it. Maybe the mini map overlay reads the map files from a specific location? Is there anyway to change where it would look for the files to load?

*Edit*

It works with older zones like PoTimeA and such, but with zones such as Temple of Marr or Sol Ro Tower it doesn't. I downloaded the SoD map bundle from mapfiend too and reinstalled just a bit ago

Sorry for the delay. I saw this when you posted and had to wait to answer till I could look it up in the code. Then I forgot =)

It looks in the order of:

<everquest>\maps\potimea.txt
<everquest>\maps\potimea_1.txt
<everquest>\maps\potimea_2.txt
<everquest>\maps\potimea_3.txt

It uses the first one found. So if you are in potimea and nothing is showing up on the map, try swapping the filenames for potimea and potimea_1 (or 2/3).

I'll add a to-do to make it so you can toggle which layer of the map you are using and save the setting in the ini file. It may be awhile, there are 4 plugins in front of mq2emumap for an upgrade at the moment.

let me know if that workaround doesn't work.