Mods / Colored Map Layer

Tags:
Mapping Map Clientside
Author:
XenonFaux
Side:
Client
Created:
Apr 28th at 3:17 PM
Last modified:
May 4th at 4:03 PM
Downloads:
833
Latest release (for Vintage Story 1.21.6 - 1.22.2, potentially outdated):
truecolorlayer_1_4_0.zip  1-click install

Colored Map Layer

Tired of the standard map hiding the actual beauty (and utility) of your world? AccurateMap (True Color Layer) adds a dedicated satellite-style tab to your world map. It renders the terrain using actual block colors, making it much easier to distinguish biomes, find ore patches, or just admire your terraforming from above.

Key Features

  • True 3D Shading: Uses a hill-shading algorithm to calculate shadows based on terrain height. Mountains, cliffs, and valleys pop with realistic depth.
  • See-Through Winter: By default, the map "looks through" seasonal snow and lake ice. You’ll see the grass, dirt, and water underneath even in the dead of winter (configurable).
  • Summer Foliage: Forces the map to show vibrant summer foliage colors year-round, so your world always looks its best.
  • Zero Stutter: All map generation and database caching happen on a background thread. Your frame rate stays smooth even when exploring new territory.
  • Live Climate Data: Hover your cursor anywhere on the map to see real-time temperature and rainfall values for that exact coordinate.

How to Configure

You can customize exactly how the map behaves by editing the configuration file.

  1. Locate the file: Go to %AppData%\VintagestoryData\ModConfig\
  2. Open: truecolorlayer.json in any text editor (like Notepad).
  3. Available Settings:
    • AlwaysSummerColors: (Default: true) Set to false if you want the map colors to change with the seasons.
    • ReplaceDefaultMap: Set to true to make this your primary map tab (swapping it with the default terrain tab).
    • DisableSnowInWinter: Set to false if you want to see the seasonal snow cover on your map.
    • EnableBlur: Set to true for a softer, more "painted" look to the terrain shadows.
    • MaxChunksPerTick: Adjust how aggressively the map generates (8-16 is usually the sweet spot).

Compatibility & Technicals

  • Client-Side Only: No server-side installation required. Works on servers even if they don't have the mod.
  • Performance: Uses an optimized SQLite cache to store map data, minimizing disk I/O.
  • Credits: Built on logical foundations from the gi-map project by Marat Zaripov.

Mod Version Mod IdentifierFor Game version Downloads Released Changelog Download 1-click mod install*
1.4.0 truecolorlayer
1.21.6 - 1.22.2
642 May 4th at 4:03 PM truecolorlayer_1_4_0.zip 1-click install

Release Highlights (v1.4.0):

  • Stability: Fixed the Harmony GetClimateAt abstract method exception.
  • Performance: Background threading for database loading is now more robust against race conditions.
  • Defaults: AlwaysSummerColors is now enabled by default for a consistently vibrant map.
  • Infrastructure: Mod now handles lazy database initialization for better server-join compatibility.
1.3.0 truecolorlayer
1.21.0-pre.1 - 1.22.1
102 May 1st at 2:19 PM TrueColorLayer_v.1.3.0.zip 1-click install

v1.3.0 Changelog

  • Fixed West/North Crash: Fixed a nasty native crash (Access Violation) that happened when you went into negative coordinates (West/North). Math is now properly floored.
  • Database Locking: Added proper thread-safety for the map cache. No more crashes from the background loader and main thread hitting the DB at the same time.
  • Cleaner Shutdown: Fixed a crash when leaving the world or closing the game.
  • Performance Boost: Cached the block classification checks and cleaned up memory management to stop those tiny stutters during map generation.
  • Smarter Rendering: The map now handles steep cliffs better and won't show black pixels where the heightmap data is slightly stale.
1.2.0 truecolorlayer
1.21.6-rc.1 - 1.22.1
0 Apr 30th at 7:22 PM Release Retracted

Retraction Reason:

Clitical issue

Changelog:

New in v1.2.0:

**Snow-Skipping**: Seasonal snow replaced with ground below (preserves permafrost/glacier) 

**3D Shading**: Height-based shading creates depth perception 

**Performance**: ThreadStatic buffers, snow lookup cache 

**Config**: Edit `VintageStoryData/ModConfig/truecolorlayer.json`: 

`DisableSnowInWinter: true` (default) - skip seasonal snow - `ReplaceDefaultMap: false` - keep original "Paper" map tab

1.1.1 truecolorlayer
1.21.6-rc.1 - 1.22.1
41 Apr 29th at 10:59 AM Empty TrueColorLayer_v1.1.1.zip 1-click install
1.1.0 truecolorlayer
1.21.6 - 1.22.1
19 Apr 29th at 10:44 AM Empty TrueColorLayer_v1.1.0.zip 1-click install
1.0.0 truecolorlayer
1.21.6 - 1.22.0
29 Apr 28th at 3:18 PM Empty TrueColorLayer_v1.0.0.zip 1-click install

12 Comments (oldest first | newest first) (threaded | flat)

Boompen, Jun 29th at 6:46 AM (modified Jun 29th at 6:51 AM)

I have the same problem as blazer. When ReplaceDefaultMap is false, it works fine, though theres a lot of visual crust around the map markers ive set, i wonder if you can fix that. Also, the boxes from ProspectTogther do not show, it would be nice if map mods like that worked.

But yeah how the map looks is phenomenal. I found myself here when looking for what people do for their nasty disgusting looking half snowed half normal big map, that was also super misleading due to flowers and all sorts of other stuff. Your visual design looks really sleek, i love it.

blazer232, Jun 25th at 6:26 PM

I have ReplaceDefaultMap set to true, and the layer has replaced the default map, but the layer is still disabled every time I load a world. Is there a way to also have the new map layer enabled by default when loading a save?

Hiran, May 25th at 5:57 AM

Is there any chance for compat between this and Fast Map?

StarTube, Jun 3rd at 4:25 AM
@Hiran: Is there any chance for compat between this and Fast Map?

I'm using both. Not seeing any significant bugs. If you mean making Fast Map produce a cache of this mods' map then that's probably a question for the Fast Map modders.

Hiran, May 25th at 5:42 AM

At this point you did better job than game devs. 
Will disabling AlwaysSummerColors result in that weird squares all over the map due to the different foliage colors in different seasons? Or did you figure out a way to make it look proper all the time?

AlphaRay, May 1st at 6:59 PM

Thx for the mod!  Just discovered - do not like that the full color map changes with the seasons..

I found the mod in VS Launcher just because i wondered what the name means.  You maybe should rename the mod so people understand what the mod does.  Like "Map Color Layers"  or  "Map Layers"  (VS in VS mod is not really needed)   :)

XenonFaux , May 4th at 11:20 AM
@AlphaRay: Thx for the mod! Just discovered - do not like that the full color map changes with the seasons..I found the mod in VS Launcher just because i wondered what the name means. You maybe should rename the mod so people understand what the mod does. Like "Map

I didn't understood what you meant by colors changing with seasons... i didnt test it properly it seems.

I will try to make a fix for that with optional toggle in config file.

AlphaRay, May 6th at 8:00 PM
@XenonFaux: I didn't understood what you meant by colors changing with seasons... i didnt test it properly it seems. I will try to make a fix for that with optional toggle in config file.

I mean in the vanilla map - that the colors changes all the time. As i understand your mod i can "deactivate" this -> "See-Through Winter"  ;)

XenonFaux , May 8th at 3:10 PM
@AlphaRay: I mean in the vanilla map - that the colors changes all the time. As i understand your mod i can "deactivate" this -> "See-Through Winter" ;)

For a moment grass colors changed during fall and spring, but i added another option for that.

  • AlwaysSummerColors: (Default: true) Set to false if you want the map colors to change with the seasons.