Will SH5 be compatible with Google Earth?

[kanolsen]

In another thread, sombody came up with the brilliant idea of SH5 making .kmz files so one can incorporate the log in Google Earth?

Could this be moddable?

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=138710

Kanolsen

[Sailor Steve]

No idea, but I'm betting not.

[JScones]

As the devs have confirmed that the SH5 world will be cylindrical like SH3's (which would already put it at odds with the "real world" so that in itself may answer your question), then if it was possible in SH3 (I can't seem to determine that in the thread), it's most likely possible in SH5. Likewise the converse.

[DarkFish]

Originally Posted by kanolsen

Could this be moddable?

of course. If you know how .kmz files are built, and you know how to extract your coordinates from the SH5 save files, you can simply convert these cylindrical coords into spherical coords and save them into a .kmz file.
I don't know if it'll be doable inside SH5, but using an external program it is.

[Seeadler]

Originally Posted by DarkFish

If you know how .kmz files are built, and you know how to extract your coordinates from the SH5 save files

KMZ is the compressed version of KML GEOgraf files, an open standard format to export Geo data.

A KML file works in the same way in GoogleEarth and is just a XML formatted text file.
Example of KML: http://www.hhk.de/produkte/gw/schnitt/KML/DEMO.kml

Google release also a c++ lib to read/write kml files
http://code.google.com/p/libkml/

[DarkFish]

Originally Posted by Seeadler

KMZ is the compressed version of KML GEOgraf files, an open standard format to export Geo data.

A KML file works in the same way in GoogleEarth and is just a XML formatted text file.
Example of KML: http://www.hhk.de/produkte/gw/schnitt/KML/DEMO.kml

Google release also a c++ lib to read/write kml files
http://code.google.com/p/libkml/

well then, in that case only the matter of the save files remains. Once you know how the coordinates (and other info like dates) are saved you can easily extract them and save them into a kmz file.

[Paajtor]

If it works, we can have wolfpacks on that map!
Do your thing in SH5, while uploading the files, and see progress on GoogleEarth after an hour or 2.
Take note of the position and situation of other Kaleuns, place marker on map for next waypoint, and close-up and dive again....

So in fact, the combination with GoogleEarth works like a brief radio-contact, before diving to safety.

[kptn_kaiserhof]

sorry to be a wet blanket but what has google earth got to do with silent hunter 5

[Seeadler]

The newest version of GoogleEarth comes with an COM API interface and allows third party applications to query information from and send commands to Google Earth.

http://earth.google.com/comapi/

Must be missing something here. I frequently use Google Earth as a search and rescue tool, (real not simulated) and cannot see any SH application for it at all.

As I understand it SH uses a cylindrical map projection which render either loxodrome or Great Circle navigation irrelevant so where is the advantage? Also what good could possibly come from superimposing 21st Century satillite imagery into a 1940's game environment?

This looks an awful lot like a solution in desperate search of a problem in my opinion.

[sayaret]

I dont have idea if it will be compatibile with Google Earth. I just hope it will be compatible with Super Mario Bros 3D

[DarkFish]

Originally Posted by Randomizer

Must be missing something here. I frequently use Google Earth as a search and rescue tool, (real not simulated) and cannot see any SH application for it at all.

As I understand it SH uses a cylindrical map projection which render either loxodrome or Great Circle navigation irrelevant so where is the advantage? Also what good could possibly come from superimposing 21st Century satillite imagery into a 1940's game environment?

This looks an awful lot like a solution in desperate search of a problem in my opinion.

well for example, as paajtor suggests, someone could write an application that shows convoy reports from other players in google earth...

...but then again maybe this can even be done inside SH5, if we've got as much control over the GUI as the devs suggest

[Pisces]

Sh3 and Sh4 use lattitude and longitude as coordinates, but scaled up to make them 120km per degree. I see no reason why those cannot be converted to lattitude and longitude coordinates used by Google Earth. Only the timestap of such a waypoint would make no sense. Circling the polar circles would appear to have been done at much slower speed than done realistically. (log points in GE look close together, yet the time between was long due to SH's strechted polar areas, hence slow appearant average movement)

The question is how such a track is going to be exported out of the game. Through a text log-file, or perhaps the developers are kind enough to provide a kind of "shared memory" function, similar to how Falcon 4 provides instrument data for players with cockpit hardware.

@ Pisces and Darkfish.
Thanks, can't say it's a utility I would likely use or see any real advantage over exporting directly from game to game (if possible) but hope you get this feature and good luck with it.

Good Hunting

[JScones]

I'm following this with interest - whilst I don't know if something accurate is doable, I know I'd love to have a map that I could pull up that plotted all my sinkings throughout the course of my career.