2014/12/07

Share .KMZ maps!

Starting from version 1.5.0 our new mapping infrastructure is available in every version of BattleTac. Maps are created in .kmz format using Google Earth and shared on our website.

BattleTac shows you the list of maps near to you so you can select the map you want to use:



The selected map will be displayed on top of the base map:



Tip: turn off the base map while you are using a shared .kmz map to lower the network traffic generated by map usage.


Creating maps


Maps are created with Google Earth and saved in .kmz format. At the time we only support Image Overlays so you have to draw your map as an image and create the .kmz map from it as showed in this tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLzvg2vnUDM.

Waypoints are not yet supported, you have to draw your points to the image or share them as POI in the app before the event. 


Sharing maps


You can easily upload and share .kmz maps on our website: http://battletac.com/mapping.html.



You have to add a name and a short description to your map so users can select the right map from the list.


Offline maps


The offline map feature is unchanged, it is available in the full version. You can store .kmz maps on the device and use them. This way you can use private maps and this also helps you when your internet connection is slow on the field. Later we will also implement caching of online maps in the full version.