Eve Online Star Cluster Map (project files included)

Artwork Works in Progress
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Hi all.

Quite a while ago, I begged for help (yes, that’s a link) with a python script I wrote to generate blender entities based on an SQL database.

Now I partially solved that problem, but there’s more: while working on the issue I changed the status of the whole thing from “junkyard experiment” to “pre-embrional project”.

The mission:

EVE Online is a sci-fi themed MMO[RP]G with a rather unique aspect: unlike in many (most) others, there’s no “sharding”: every subscriber interacts with the same virtual realm (a remote star cluster hierarchically grouped in regions/constellations/solar-systems).

Additionaly, the game developers (CCP Games), with every new game release, publishes a database dump containing all the static data players have access to (basically every non-sensitive information in the game, such as geographical/topological data, tech/knowledge trees/prerequisites, market reference prices and so on…).

Additionaly, some dynamic data is accessible via http/xml API (both your private data and global statistical info).

Using this system, several players developed many tools aiming to ease the life of fellow subscribers (many became VIPs in the eve world thanks to their efforts).

One of the above tools is a periodically auto-generated map representing the political/strategical influence in-game alliances have/conquer/lose on territory over time (it’s called sovereignty).

Here’s the “classic” map (personally I think every EVE player should buy the author a beer).

SO

My project aims to create a less useful, less technical (and perhaps less reliable ^^) but more stylish version of it, with a sort of “futuristic weather report” layout (well, with storms and hurricanes replaced by battles and major wars :-).

I just finished posting a partial result (output of version 0.0.2, with material tweaks to the generated .blend): This Youtube Playlist contains both former and present results.

Here are the project files: Project Download Page Beside Blender, you’ll need both PostgreSQL server and its client libraries to run it.
You’ll also need this: Postgresql version of EVE static dump.

Code is still dirty and heavily denormalized, there is no configuration file and it lacks most of the features I planned, but at this stage I guess it’s normal.

Feel free to criticize/make suggestions/curse me or even play with it if you’re in the right mood (if people asks to get involved, which is highly unlikely, I’ll probably setup an SVN server).

Thanks for your attention
and sorry for huge post.

Z

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Interesting! I’m an Eve player to. Do you plan to use it for a website?

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Well, actually at the moment there’s no specific plan for where “master” output will be posted (Youtube/Vimeo aren’t bad at all, but if this is going somewhere probably other people will be involved and suggest better solutions).

Feel free to repost renders wherever you want, I didn’t pose any restriction nor I think I will.

@DhAoS: I giocatori italiani di EVE sono gia’ pochi, e me ne trovo uno in un’altra community che non c’entra nulla :slight_smile:

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Outstanding! You do amazing work.

I’m trying to figure out how to create star labels that are always perpendicular to the camera. So when you move the camera the labels are always legible.

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In the script there’s a configuration flag which enables automatic creation of “track to” constraints bound to the camera, but I opted to keep it off because there was some unwanted (and rather awkward) jerking I have to fix yet (probably due to “UP” alignment).