Some of our maps have 10 - 14 pushpins rendered as icon overlays on our maps using stock Google Maps icons. Each icon overlay has a number rendered inside of it. So the numbering typically goes from 1 - 14. In many cases at needed zoom levels, the icon overlays overlap one another, thereby hiding the numbers in the pushpins.
The pushpins are created with the mapiconmaker API. The maps are Google Maps 2.0 API.
The physical pixel width/height of the map container can't be changed, nor can overlapping be done. Smaller alternative image icons are not the solution either since they would still overlap one another in many scenarios.
Are there any programming techniques or third party utilities out there that can render pushpins in a way that prevents them from overlapping? I.e. perhaps drawing a long line to the lat/long, with the pushpin at the other end, or some other annotative fashion, all the while keeping unique numbering assigned within the maps to each pushpin?
Edit Google Maps API 2 or 3 solutions most welcome!