In this chapter, we jumped back to the map in order to add some new real-world located features to the game. Before we added the new features, we needed to fix some of the issues that had arisen from the changes we made toward the end of the last chapter. This required us to convert our GPS service to use the Singleton pattern. As part of the conversion, we took the opportunity to understand how the Singleton worked. Then, we spent some time reviewing the Google Places API, which is the web service we would use to locate places of interest around the player. This required us to create an API key and understand how to make requests against the service with Hurl.it. We used Hurl.it to test our queries and then understood how the results, returned as JSON, could be converted into C# objects at runtime using TinyJson. With our script imported and ready, we then set up the new service within the Map scene. Then, we constructed a better prototype of our place marker using 3D primitive objects and custom materials. Finally, we determined that we needed to resolve some issues with our search, which we did with another simple script import. After that, we reviewed the changes and were happy with the final results.

With the place markers now showing on the map, we will use the next chapter to allow the player to interact with those markers by collecting objects and placing monsters. This will require us to enhance the inventory screens we developed previously. Also, we will spend some additional time enhancing the game with particle and visual effects.