mapsync mod

Overview

Synchronize the ingame map with a lua-backend

Features:

• Writes and saves maps to/from zip-files
• Auto-updates chunks if a newer version on the backend is found
• Patching/Merging support (with diff files)

Planned features:

• placeholder support

Use case

• Map-exchange
• Mod integrated maps (like the modgen mod but with an additional central mod)
• Adventure maps

Howto

Create a new mod (or use an existing one) and add the backend-registration:

For storage in a world-folder:

local path = minetest.get_worldpath() .. "/mymap"
-- ensure that the path exists
minetest.mkdir(path)

-- register the backend
mapsync.register_backend("my-backend", {
    path = path
})

To store it in a mod-folder:

-- store and load the map in the "map" folder of the "my-mod" mod:
-- NOTE: the `mapsync` mod needs to be in the `secure.trusted_mods` setting for write-access
mapsync.register_backend("my-backend", {
    path = minetest.get_modpath("my-mod") .. "/map"
})

To save the map you can either turn on autosave with /mapsync_autosave on or manually save on or multiple chunks with /mapsync_save [chunk-range].

The saved chunks will now automatically be loaded if the destination area is generated (on mapgen).

Restricting the backend to a world-region

The backend can implement the select function to only synchronize a subset of the world:

mapsync.register_backend("my-backend", {
    path = minetest.get_worldpath() .. "/mymap",
    select = function(chunk_pos)
        -- only save/load chunks between the 10 and -10 y-chunk layer
        return chunk_pos.y < 10 and chunk_pos.y > -10
    end
})

Registering multiple backends

Multiple backends can be registered as long as the select function is returning an area exclusive to each other (no overlapping regions)

Otherwise the save/load mechanism won't be deterministic

Storage

Chunks are stored as multiple mapblocks in a zip file in the backend folder:

'chunk_(2,0,1).zip'
'chunk_(3,0,1).zip'
'chunk_(3,0,2).zip'
'chunk_(4,0,1).zip'
'chunk_(4,0,2).zip'

The contents:

# unzip -l chunk_\(2\,0\,1\).zip 
Archive:  chunk_(2,0,1).zip
  Length      Date    Time    Name
---------  ---------- -----   ----
      668  2022-12-25 19:54   metadata.json
  1359872  2022-12-25 19:54   mapdata.bin
     2768  2022-12-25 19:54   manifest.json
---------                     -------
  1363308                     3 files

• metadata.json the metadata (node-timers, inventories, etc)
• mapdata.bin the mapdata (node-ids, param1, param2)
• manifest.json the node-id mappings and mapblock-placements inside the exported chunk

Commands

• mapsync_autosave [on|off] enable or disable the autosave process
• mapsync_save [chunk-range] saves the current chunk to the available backend (optionally takes a cubic radius as argument)

Privs

• mapsync allows the player to use the mapsync commands and enables the hud

License

• Code: MIT
• Textures: CC-BY-SA 3.0 (http://www.small-icons.com/packs/16x16-free-application-icons.htm)