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Gitlantis transforms your project into an ocean world where you sail a boat to explore files and folders. This guide will show you how to navigate effectively.

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Moving Your Boat

Control your boat using keyboard inputs to explore the ocean.
1

Basic Movement Controls

Use WASD keys or arrow keys to control your boat:
  • W or Up Arrow: Move forward
  • S or Down Arrow: Move backward (at 50% speed)
  • A or Left Arrow: Turn left
  • D or Right Arrow: Turn right
  • H: Sound the horn
The boat uses physics-based movement with acceleration and deceleration for realistic sailing. See src/browser/hooks/useBoat/keyboard/index.ts:10-35 and src/browser/hooks/useBoat/navigation/index.tsx:66-148.
2

Understanding Boat Physics

Your boat has realistic sailing behavior:
  • Acceleration: The boat gradually speeds up when moving forward or backward
  • Deceleration: The boat gradually slows down when you release the keys
  • Turn Speed: Steering becomes more responsive at lower speeds
  • Floating Motion: When stationary, the boat gently bobs and rocks on the waves
When both forward and backward keys are pressed simultaneously, the boat will stop (neutral position).
3

Stationary Floating

When you’re not moving, your boat will float naturally on the ocean:
  • Gentle bobbing up and down based on wave motion
  • Subtle rocking and tilting for realism
  • Position-based waves that respond to your boat’s location
  • Multiple wave layers (primary, secondary, and choppy waves)
The floating motion stops as soon as you press any movement key. See src/browser/hooks/useBoat/floating/index.tsx:22-73.

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Using the Minimap

The minimap provides a bird’s-eye view of your surroundings and helps you navigate large projects.
1

Toggle Minimap View

Press F to toggle between normal and fullscreen minimap views.
  • Normal view: Shows a small overview in the corner with 3.5x zoom
  • Fullscreen view: Expands the minimap with 0.8x zoom for better visibility
You can also click the expand/minimize button in the top-right corner. See src/browser/components/world/minimap/toggle.tsx:15-21 and src/browser/hooks/useBoat/keyboard/index.ts:32-34.
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Navigate Using the Minimap

Click on the minimap to quickly navigate to different areas:
  • Click any location on the minimap to move your boat there
  • The minimap shows your boat’s position and nearby files/folders
  • The camera follows your boat automatically

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Following the Compass

The compass helps you understand your boat’s orientation in the world.
1

Read Compass Directions

The compass displays:
  • Current heading in degrees (0-360°)
  • Cardinal direction (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW)
The compass updates every 16 milliseconds for smooth tracking. See src/browser/hooks/useBoat/compass/index.ts:10-22.
2

Understand Cardinal Points

Cardinal directions and their degree values:
  • N (North): 0°
  • NE (Northeast): 45°
  • E (East): 90°
  • SE (Southeast): 135°
  • S (South): 180°
  • SW (Southwest): 225°
  • W (West): 270°
  • NW (Northwest): 315°
The compass shows the closest cardinal direction to your current heading.

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Using Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs show your current location in the project directory structure.
1

View Current Path

The breadcrumb trail appears as “Exploring: [path]” and shows:
  • Your current directory path
  • Each folder in the path separated by ”>”
  • The root project name
See src/browser/components/ui/breadcrumbs/path/index.tsx:20-29.
2

Navigate Using Breadcrumbs

Click on any folder in the breadcrumb path to jump directly to that directory:
  • Click any parent folder to navigate back up the directory tree
  • The current (last) folder in the path is not clickable
  • Hover over folders to see them highlighted
This provides a quick way to move up several directory levels at once. See src/browser/components/ui/breadcrumbs/path/index.tsx:58-66.

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Tips for Efficient Navigation

  • Use the minimap for long-distance navigation across your project
  • Use breadcrumbs to quickly jump back to parent directories
  • Watch the compass to maintain orientation in large projects
  • Use Escape to go back one directory level (see Managing Files)
  • Adjust boat speed in settings if navigation feels too fast or slow (see Customizing Your Boat)

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