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Features

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Soulkeeper, Oct 20, 2018.

  1. Soulkeeper

    Soulkeeper New Member

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    We use roll20, but its very clunky and the map software is poor. What is does allow is us to run an Iron Kingdoms (d6) game online. Because I am the only one that requires an account, I don't mind paying a small amount for really nothing more than an online map and token interface.

    I assume by the title of the software I know the answers, but I'm asking. I grabbed the d20Pro demo and I see that, as labeled, it only has rules or logic for d20. I did not see a "generic" option where all these features were gone. I see no hex grid, I see that all grids are based on 5' squares and that even blasts are squares. I looked online for ways to change this, and see posts for 2 years talking about some of this, but I'm not sure if they are in development.

    In the end, I love what I see interface, map, and tool wise. Its quick, its clean, but its not flexible. Sadly, its not worth 40 to be really nothing more than an online map and token interface. So, are these features in the works, if so is there an ETA? Will this be usable for more than d20 style games?

    Thank you
     
  2. Wesley Gorby

    Wesley Gorby Production/Community Manager
    Staff Member

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    Hello there,

    Yes, both options are on the roadmap for development.

    There are plans for hex and completely free grid systems. Likewise, there are plans on a broader modular rules system allowing for a drop in drop out rules modules. The devs do not tend to give out dates for planned items, there are tons of reasons for this (confusion, changed dates, missed dates etc) all of which just make it better all around for users and for us.
     
  3. Soulkeeper

    Soulkeeper New Member

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    Thank you Krilion_GD. I fully understand the devs and the caution. I'll keep myself subscribed to the forums and wait.
     
  4. Nezzeraj

    Nezzeraj Member

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    I'm a fan of IK myself, and there are a few ways around some of the limitations. Mostly for effects and stuff. Since damage and spell templates and buffs are kind of universal, you can automate a lot of the spells and damage to still make games quicker. If you have any questions I wouldn't mind helping out.
     
  5. owlbear

    owlbear Administrator
    Staff Member

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    @Nezzeraj has been helping us push the Rules API so we can get various systems implemented. the main stop point for us right now is the core "character sheet" is hardcoded to d20 like systems. I'm working through a list of bug, features and fixes for some outstanding issues, then plan to circle back to this topic. In the meantime, games like IK can be run using the very basics of the system as a start point.

    Example:

    Character Sheets
    Main page - Using the existing character sheets, it's possible to stash 6 stats, health (as hit points) and the standards like name, icon/token, etc.
    Traits - in addition, the character model lets you store traits. traits are cool because they can be anything from arbitrary pools of expendable points to fully automated actions which the character can perform within the virtual tabletop.
    Items - the items page is a typical inventory system, however, items are just like traits and can have elements added to them to provide in-game effects and abilities.

    note: abilities which are usable from Items and Traits are presented to the player when they select the "Abilities" option from the character context menu, or by clicking on the creature and pressing 'b' on the keyboard.

    Spells - this may be more or less useful to you. By default, spells can be used to provide game log data simply stating a player casts a thing. Then the resolution is handled by the player and GM normally.

    Dice Roller

    Core Dice
    We have two different dice rollers available -- one is a simply click and go roller (see below). this roller lets you quickly select die types and roll modified or unmodified rolls. It's less than ideal for all-the-thing rolls by itself, however, by clicking on the dice bag, you can enter in new dice statements which let you and your players save custom dice sets and pre-set rolls with modifiers and the like. This roller outputs the game log.

    Dice Box
    We have a second dice roller which is also available however it does not offer the ability to save rolls for later at this point. The second roller is available for both players and GM as part of their creature context menus (right click on a creature, or single click then click the + icon). The second roller is an html based webgl 3d dice roller and uses quick click and type actions to set the die roll type then a click+drag to throw the dice.

    upload_2018-11-9_13-16-58.png

    Heal and Harm
    In the end, a virtual tabletop is usually employed for the crunchy bits. We don't really want to have to require that everyone learns to program or build out features/trait/etc. So we provide a very simply mechanic for applying damage and healing to creatures on the map that lets a GM manage the map without having to require their players to use built-in dice rollers, features, etc.

    A GM can simply click on a creature to select it, then press 'H' to pull up the heal dialog, or 'D' to pull up the damage dialog! With my own group, this was our core mechanic for using the tabletop software for a very long time!

    Turn Order
    Another handy, rules independent feature is the Roster. The Roster lets you view active and passive creatures and set up turn order (initiative in 3.5+ games). While yes, the turn order will come about from some d20 rolls, all of that can be overridden in one of two ways:

    1) on the initiative screen a GM can click on the numbers rolled and change them to reflect the correct turn order.

    2) after initiative is approved by the GM, the GM can re-wrack the turn-order by selecting characters and press the 'G' key for "Go Now!". This will bump them to the front of the rounds initiative order -- characters can also be delayed, removed or added to the turn order adhoc throughout the combat mode.

    Map Templates
    D20PRO offers a number of map template types from blasts to bursts to cones to lines. These can be arbitrary colors and can be added to the map by players and GM's alike. When applying a template from a feature, templates can be set to be visible or invisible to players! This is great for drop down trapped areas and the like.

    Map Markers
    Map Markers are tokens which can be placed by players or GM's and can provide additional detail. In the next release, these markers are much richer and provide options for embedding images as well as text. Markers are not attached to the map and can be moved only while in marker mode. Be aware of the modality of the application. It can be confusing at first when you get shifted into a mode and maybe didn't realize it. The center "drop bar" will always tell you if you're in a mode and what mode that is.

    Fog of War
    Extensive fog of war options from grid based "easy fog of war" to more complex polygon-region based fog of war. Again, the next release is presenting a major update to the networking time and fog of war lighting options. the current one can be clunky as updates were/are taking too long to pass to all the connected players. but soon this will no longer be an issue or concern!

    On the more complex side of things
    Scripting and Features - D20PRO offers an extensive rules library which allows for creation of custom features and scripts. These features can be attached to items, traits or act as spells. A feature can apply damage, bonuses, environmental effects, and lots and lots more. The default 5e game template includes a slew of example scripts. These scripts extend the feature system by providing new commands and actions. If you're looking to run a new game system, I highly recommend creating a 5e campaign and exporting the scripts and templates from the rules library.

    As a super quick overview of the Rules Library:

    * Features and Spells are the defined actions which can occur when triggered. These can be inert (and have no effect, but debit pools) or robust with multiple effects and conditional triggers.
    * Templates describe common usage templates for things like 'per day', 'charge', 'at will', etc. These are a requirement for traits and items. Templates are how you hang Features and Spells on an Item or Trait!
    * Traits and Items provide the ability to embed text data about a rule, feature, ability or item. Additionally, they provide a means to add Templates, which, in turn, allow you to attack Features and/or Spells to the trait/item.
    * Scripts are just that. They are javascript functions in the form of methods which perform some calculation or action. Scripts can do all sorts of things, from teleportation to changing the size of a token.
    * Classes this might be less useful for you in IK at this point, but Classes let you define available classes and provide preset lists of features/traits/spells and the like. Classes are used in the Character Sheet to set level and what not.

    So yeah. Lots of options for running non d20 games on D20PRO. But it's hard to rename a product !!
     

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