minimap

[ozjosh22]

hay guys ever since this new server i dont have my minimap any thoughts 2 gettin it bk

[MagicManICT]

Minimaps take a while to render, read on for why. As of this afternoon/evening, minimaps were beginning to show up.

Here's how the minimap works:

Since the game world is mutable by the players, the server can't just generate a static map. Instead, it has to render a display map based on the map data. This usually takes server cycles and the more people playing, the longer it takes. (From what I've noticed, it's a low priority thread.) This means it can take a day or two for any changes to the map data (such as building a path or turning mudflats into grassland). Also, the minimap is made up of two parts: the base map and the overlay. The base map is just the terrain type with nothing else shown. Paved areas, rivers, and general terrain type. The overlay is where all the trees, cliffs, and outlines are displayed. Rendering the minimap is an even bigger annoyance at the beginning of the world because the server hasn't generated any of the display maps. Once the display maps are rendered, they can be cached and then re-rendered only if map data has changed.

If one is using a client such as Ender's, the raw base map is displayed without the overlay. (It's the overlay that takes a long time to render. The raw map data is displayed very quickly.) It's getting this raw base map that allows Ender to display the caves in the minimap window, too.

Quick note: I don't know exactly how the server works to render the minimap, so I might have made statements that may not be exactly correct. However, the general ideas should line up with the way things work.