Hidden radar objects?

[??? Lauria]

How about a setting where the radar may be available so you can see the map, but have a setting where tanks and/or flags can always be visible or invisible in various ways. Here are a few examples.

1. No tanks on radar. This is like a radarless game except you can still see the map, but you still have no idea where the other tanks are. This could make for some great ambush play. Even with teams, you can only see the map, requiring some teamwork.

2. Your team on radar only. This would work because you could still keep track of your teammates, but you don't have to worry about your enemies tracking your every move and at the same time, you'll still have to make sure to watch out for ambushes. And again, reconoissance from vantage points would still encourage teamwork but it would be easier to coordinate your own team.

3. Some flags are invisible on radar. On CTF maps, a popular trend is to stick a Geno flag somewhere in the neutral zone between bases. You could choose to hide the Geno flag's radar signature and have it always spawn in a maze-like structure.

4. This would also work in hiding all team flags except your own, so you would have to go looking for an enemy's flag, again in a maze-like map.

5. The rabbit is invisible on radar in rabbit-chase mode. You'll still get the hunt benefits of that ominous music whenever you're facing the rabbit and always being able to spot it, but the rabbit itself has an easier time hiding.

This could also hold for bullets, various buildings or hazards, or other stuff, but it'd be nice for everything to have a radar signature that can be toggled on or off. There are plenty of possibilities I haven't even thought of.

[Triumph of the Soul]

I like all of these ideas. By the way, no radar can be specified in almost any object's code to hide it on radar, but there is no way to toggle an objects radar signature on/off in game. I'm not sure how much use that would have though.

[Spazzy McGee]

I think this is something that could open up new avenues for map making, and especially for encouraging teamwork. You could extend this to include an option to toggle everything that is displayed on the radar either on or off. I guess you could devise some sort of radar-config file to turn on or off different flags; different teams in relation to other teams; teammates; rabbits or hunters.

An idea i've also thought about doing in a map, to make a different sort of radar experience, is to make all map objects noradar, and then overlay an invisible mesh that looks like a physical paper map - so not all features would be visible. You might have major land marks visible, or height changes (contour lines), whatever.

[??? Lauria]

At first I really didn't understand that paper thing, but looking back I get what you're saying. That's actually a pretty neat idea.

[Spectre]

About having the rabbit invisible - I think this could be done with a plugin similar to flagOnSpawn, except the server watches for players to become the rabbit, instead of watching for spawns. Again, not sure if that would work.

I like the idea on having team flags invisible. I would think (correct me if I'm wrong, BZBuilders) that could be done in 3.0 or perhaps even now.
Great ideas, Lauria!

[Spazzy McGee]

About having the rabbit invisible - I think this could be done with a plugin similar to flagOnSpawn, except the server watches for players to become the rabbit, instead of watching for spawns. Again, not sure if that would work.

I don't think it would - as far as I know everything for the radar is sorted out client side. Plugins are server side. I would assume that the server sends the client coordinates of the tank, and the client just draws that on the radar and HUD?