Google Maps!

Feb 04, 2007 at 01:33 AM in Features

We've added a new feature to the site, a Google Map! The Google Map will show the location for each of your members, giving you a quick overview of where everyone from your guild is located.

Here's how it works:

Head on over to http://www.google.com/apis/maps/signup.html and enter your guilds url into the "My web site URL:" field. ie. http://enmity.mmoguildsites.net

Once you enter it you will be taken to the next page, and right at the top it will say:

Your key is:

Followed by a long string of random characters (your key)

Copy this key and go to the Guild Settings tab of your Admin Panel and enter it in the Google Maps Key Field.

Save your settings then go to /google_map at your guilds url. ie http://enmity.mmoguildsites.net/google_map

As soon as members fill out their Country, State and City they will be shown on the map! =)

Once you enter a Google Maps key, a "View Location Map" link will be visible on your accounts page.

*Note: If you change your domain name you will have to get a new key for it.

Tenatzen 5 years ago

hahaha, awesome feature. Totally getting used <3

8 Toes 5 years ago

One Additional Note, apparently Google is not legally allowed to show addresses from London, China or Japan; so unfortunately addresses from these locations will not appear on the map =(

Snafzg 5 years ago

^ Probably because they'd have to show 10 location bubbles for every pixel on the map due to the skewed population:landmass ratio!

Or privacy... :P

Glindur 5 years ago

Heh, i knew it. Brits are a special breed of europeans.

Will google show addresses outside london? I mean addresses from other places in the UK?

Sorry for the tripple post my mouse it a mess....

Yes addresses will show for all locations in Europe except UK. =)

Legionaire over 4 years ago

This sucks I don't want a google account and it won't generate a key unless I have one.

8 Toes over 4 years ago

Google requires a unique key for the specific address to show the map - so we unfortunately cannot just register one key and allow the map to be shown for every site.

You can create a google account specific for this site and just use it to create the key, you don't have to use it for anything else - but unfortunately this is how Google choose to set it up so you must have an account to use the map feature.

Fainduil over 3 years ago

map wont update when people add themsleves I've found

8 Toes over 3 years ago

Hi Fainduil,

Sometimes Google's Geocode API times out, and then the coordinates could not be looked up, so the member would not appear on the map unless they try and update their profile again (which tries the API call again).

They would be notified of this when they update their profile, but most would likely ignore the warning, as we allow the rest of the profile updates to go through.

If a member is not on the map you can mention to them to try updating their profile again =)

Cheers,