The .MAP files that OpenZone was already exporting (the ones created by the "File...Export...Generate ShowEQ/Admin Tool .MAP file" option) were for use with the Admin Tool. If you export one and look at it, it's a text file that contains commands for points and lines. It's just an overhead map that lets you visually see what the zone looks like. The format of these graphic maps was originally created by the ShowEQ project (let's agree to call them ShowEQ-maps since that's what they are).
The ShowEQ project was basically a cheater's tool (boo). As I understand it, it intercepted packets and let players know a lot more about a zone than they should. It would show you where every mob in the zone was, what it carried, alert you when a specific mob appeared, etc. Part of this involved showing you an overhead map of the zone so you could see where everything was on it. Since the format and the maps for live zones already existed, their .MAP format was a natural choice for the Admin Tool's spawns pane, which needs to do something similar (show you where all spawns in a zone are).
The ShowEQ people can't be expected to create more .MAP files for zones you make with OpenZone, of course, so a while back I added the ability for OpenZone to scan your zones and make them itself. That's what the .MAP files that it originally exported were all about. With 7.0, it can now also export EQEmu-map files, which are the binary files used for line-of-sight calculations.
I'm really interested in hearing how it works for you since I had to guess on the triangle coordinate order (clockwise or counterclockwise). My server isn't new enough to test it, so I'd appreciate it if some people could test the new EQEmu maps to see if they work.
WC
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