Build 11 is now ready for download. The big change has to do with adding combatants to an encounter. The old add combatant dialog has been replaced with a dialog that allows the combatants to be typed directly into a table. There is also a way lookup a combatant from a file that can set all the date for the combatant including the custom values. You can see a more detailed description of these changes here.
I'm looking forward to your comments. Here are all the changes:
Made the group table columns editable.
Fixed bug in settings dialog where the Phase Sort Prop was not showing the default value correctly when displayed.
Fixed spelling error in 'Other Combatants'
Added Ctrl-up/down to move items between phases.
Replaced add combatant dialog with new one that allows the combatants to be added in a table.
Started work on a properties database framework.
Created a database lookup for adding combatants to creatures and groups.
Ok, sorry for all the stuff on B10. But here's what is still broken in B11:
- Notes and Custom Properties are not saved for currently active creature.
- Custom Properties values changed in the Encounter are not reflected in the Group. Perhaps by design. But for campaign continuity I would prefer that the values remain in synch. Perhaps an option to that effect is in order.
- No Notes field in the Group Tool. Probably again by design, but I would envision using the Notes field for stuff that most likely will extend beyond a single encounter.
Steel Rat wrote:Ok, sorry for all the stuff on B10. But here's what is still broken in B11:
- Notes and Custom Properties are not saved for currently active creature.
I've already added the tracker for this.
Steel Rat wrote:- Custom Properties values changed in the Encounter are not reflected in the Group. Perhaps by design. But for campaign continuity I would prefer that the values remain in synch. Perhaps an option to that effect is in order.
This is by design. Groups and encounters are separate entities, you just copy the data from the group to the encounter. There is a tracker to allow the combatants in an encounter to be saved as a group. Would this meet your requirement? That would allow the GM to control when the data is copied back.
Steel Rat wrote:- No Notes field in the Group Tool. Probably again by design, but I would envision using the Notes field for stuff that most likely will extend beyond a single encounter.
This is by design. Groups and encounters are separate entities, you just copy the data from the group to the encounter. There is a tracker to allow the combatants in an encounter to be saved as a group. Would this meet your requirement? That would allow the GM to control when the data is copied back.
That would probably do, as long as I remember to do it . I'd like to hear what others think on the subject. My thoughts are that the entities in the group should automatically be updated by events in the encounter.
My reasoning: Suppose you have one encounter right after another, all the HP/notes from the first encounter will still be in play. If you re-copy the group into a new encounter, you'll have to manually set all the items that changed in the previous encounter.
Steel Rat wrote:My reasoning: Suppose you have one encounter right after another, all the HP/notes from the first encounter will still be in play. If you re-copy the group into a new encounter, you'll have to manually set all the items that changed in the previous encounter.
My thinking on this was that the information kept in the Group properties is like the index cards I currently keep on each character. This is "permanent" info that is changed during combat but is updated only when there is some "permanent" change to the character.
When using IT I just keep the current encounter and remove everyone but the PCs (unless some NPCs would carry through).
I could see where a conditional reset would be handy that automatically removed the combatants that you chose via a checkbox or something and then reset the combat round/phase counter.
I'm hoping that IT will get a concept of time such that I can click on an buttons to indicate that 2 hours have passed since the last encounter and it would update any spell timers that might still be ongoing. So it would be important to carry forward the previous combats information as Steel Rat noted.
I think a lot of this is going to depend on how it's used. I'm thinking the Notes area is for more permanent info (I'd be dumping a whole text character sheet into it.) and the Custom Properties would be more ephemeral.
I think it would be a good idea to have a general option setting to "Update Group Info on Encounter Save". That way both schools of thought currently proposed will be happy.
Steel Rat wrote:I think it would be a good idea to have a general option setting to "Update Group Info on Encounter Save". That way both schools of thought currently proposed will be happy.
I'll add a tracker. Would we want this option at the init tool level, the group level, or the group combatant level? I'm thinking the group level is best, but I'd like other people's opinions.
Phergus wrote:I could see where a conditional reset would be handy that automatically removed the combatants that you chose via a checkbox or something and then reset the combat round/phase counter.
There is a simpler form of conditional reset in the Actions menu. It pops up a dialog box asking which item types to keep. You can choose between players, npcs and timers.
Phergus wrote:I'm hoping that IT will get a concept of time such that I can click on an buttons to indicate that 2 hours have passed since the last encounter and it would update any spell timers that might still be ongoing. So it would be important to carry forward the previous combats information as Steel Rat noted.
That is the plan. There will be full time of day and calendar functions.
Steel Rat wrote:I think it would be a good idea to have a general option setting to "Update Group Info on Encounter Save". That way both schools of thought currently proposed will be happy.
I'll add a tracker. Would we want this option at the init tool level, the group level, or the group combatant level? I'm thinking the group level is best, but I'd like other people's opinions.
Not sure. I haven't used it enough to form an opinion on that. If at the group level you mean I'd have to go into the Group tool to copy info back from the encounter, I'd be less likely to want to do that. for my purposes I'd probably want it at the tool level.
Steel Rat wrote:If at the group level you mean I'd have to go into the Group tool to copy info back from the encounter, I'd be less likely to want to do that. for my purposes I'd probably want it at the tool level.
What I mean by 'group level' is that you would set a flag on the group in the grooup tool that told the encounter to automatically save the changes when the encounter is saved. What I mean by 'group combatant level' is that you would set a flag that is attached to the combatant in the group that would cause the encounter to only save that combatant's data automatically when the encounter is saved. What I meant by 'init tool level' is that any combatant that came from a group would be automatically saved when the encounter is saved.
Steel Rat wrote:If at the group level you mean I'd have to go into the Group tool to copy info back from the encounter, I'd be less likely to want to do that. for my purposes I'd probably want it at the tool level.
What I mean by 'group level' is that you would set a flag on the group in the grooup tool that told the encounter to automatically save the changes when the encounter is saved. What I mean by 'group combatant level' is that you would set a flag that is attached to the combatant in the group that would cause the encounter to only save that combatant's data automatically when the encounter is saved. What I meant by 'init tool level' is that any combatant that came from a group would be automatically saved when the encounter is saved.
Thanks for the clarification. I would say any of those levels would be fine for me. Whichever is the easiest to implement, and makes most sense to you.
Steel Rat wrote:I think it would be a good idea to have a general option setting to "Update Group Info on Encounter Save". That way both schools of thought currently proposed will be happy.
I'll add a tracker. Would we want this option at the init tool level, the group level, or the group combatant level? I'm thinking the group level is best, but I'd like other people's opinions.
I think you would want it at Group level with maybe a Init Tool level default value for setting initial state of of the setting at the group level.
Phergus wrote:I could see where a conditional reset would be handy that automatically removed the combatants that you chose via a checkbox or something and then reset the combat round/phase counter.
There is a simpler form of conditional reset in the Actions menu. It pops up a dialog box asking which item types to keep. You can choose between players, npcs and timers.
Oh yeah. Forgot about that as I don't really use the initiative/rounds tracking part of IT. Currently it is just a place to keep PC/NPC info.
Phergus wrote:Oh yeah. Forgot about that as I don't really use the initiative/rounds tracking part of IT. Currently it is just a place to keep PC/NPC info.
I'm starting to use it for both, though I'm holding off on getting too deep into it until the XSL version comes out, and future changes won't mean lost data entry.
. I'd like to hear what others think on the subject. My thoughts are that the entities in the group should automatically be updated by events in the encounter.