First post and first impressions

[Paploo]

As tends to happen, life often gets in the way of things; best laid plans and all that. So it was the natural line of thought amongst my DnD group, when we found out that two of our regular members were moving, that our sessions would come to a screeching halt. And not just moving, but moving to different states entirely. Since this kind of thing generally indicates that these two players would be unable, or at least unwilling, to make a trip over to my place each Saturday for our customary gaming session, anxiety crept among us like a gnome; generally unseen, but constantly heard. Would this be the end of our gaming group? Would this composition of creative characters crumble? Lo! Along comes MapTools!

… oh, but there I go, about to say how the chapter ends on the very first page.

After a surprisingly small amount of discussion among some known fellow gamers, I was introduced to a website some of you may fondly recognize: http://www.rptools.net. I immediately set out to investigate.

I started with the tutorials. After watching the first one I thought to myself “Neat, this thing is pretty cool”, and the second “oh, my, this is incredible!”. This proceeded to the last one and a feeling of “OMG, this pwnzorz beyond belief!”. Naturally, I’m not prone to hysterics so what was actually exclaimed was “Wow, you guys need to check this out, it’s so awesome...”
…it’s nearly beyond belief”.

Thus I promised them I’d look into it more. Being one of the more technically minded members of the group it was only right for me to be the one to investigate what exactly the program was capable of, and whether it would suit our needs of being simple enough for all our members to handle without it feeling like work, yet being complex enough to handle what we needed it for. You see, we like to mix things up a little bit. Substitute, tweak, or otherwise stretch the limits of what a gaming system can handle, if you catch my meaning. (With 4th edition DnD being our current undertaking this was a little bit of a challenge, but we persist none-the-less).

I trekked to the RPTools forums where I surreptitiously observed.
And watched.
And read.
And learned.
And downloaded.
And fiddled.
And finally cajoled MapTools to start doing what I wanted it to do. I knew I had to start off simply or I would risk stumbling over my own mathematically inclined, and figurative, ‘feet’. Likewise, I’d have to present things to my group slowly. This is not to imply that the players are by any means simpletons. Rather, they enjoy the adventure and creativity aspects of the game, without having to worry so much about calculating everything out. (This they often leave that aspect of the game to yours truly ).

I think you begin to see what sort of things I needed to ensure MapTools was able to accommodate. (And for those of you who are tired of trying to decipher my attempt at comedic exposition; I am referring to macros and formulae). To the credit of the designers, developers, and contributors, MapTools performed not just adequately, but superbly. Oft above and beyond my desires and, dare I say it, hopes.

This past Saturday was our official inauguration into MapTools. While we didn’t play much of an actual gaming session, it did provide an opportunity for us to try using MapTools in a manner that corresponds with what we ultimately intend.

Here were our initial impressions of MapTools:

The good:
· Visually, it’s easier, faster, and more adaptable than using a physical battlemap and figurines.
· The initiative tracker will enable larger scale battles, including more players, than we originally felt was appropriate for our games.
· It doesn’t require travel time of the participants, and no one has to sit on the floor because there isn’t room between the table and television
· Once the server was up and running, connecting was super easy.
· The players figured out movement and the basics within moments of connecting.
· We were able to make adjustments as needed on the fly, and next time I’ll be configured that much better for what we need.

The not so good:
· I had to monitor the less technically-inclined group members to ensure they didn’t mess with the wrong property values accidentally.
· Using the VBL tended to slow down the program considerably, even on what I considered to be a fairly small map. It was still useable, but it made moving the tokens and objects a bit slow to respond.
· I wasn’t able to block certain areas from player movement, nor put an upper limit on the distance players could move. (I am aware this is an already submitted feature request, I can hardly wait for it)
· I didn’t have a tab from which I could grab pre-configured Tokens. (I either had to have one of each .rptok token hidden on the map to act as a “source” NPC to copy, or I had to restore down the window to be able to drag and drop a new .rptok file onto the map whenever I wanted one that I hadn’t already used.)
· As the gm I did not enjoy using /gm to get a chat record of what I needed while still having it hidden from the other players. The reason: double chat entries, once from me and once to me. (Maybe there’s a better way of which I’m not yet familiar)

Things we still need to try out.
· Multiple maps.
· Having a remotely connected GM.
· Using an existing framework that supports 4th edition.
· Allow other players to use a token image not from the host machine.


Overall, the group was very impressed with what MapTools can handle. Well done.

...Now, off to go tweak some “borrowed” frameworks.

[jfrazierjr]

The not so good:
· I had to monitor the less technically-inclined group members to ensure they didn’t mess with the wrong property values accidentally.

Using a framework, if one is available, can help that by having the players modify stuff in an input() box instead of on the token propertysheet. Granted, this is not a guarantee, but can help by presenting them with limited options to edit.

· Using the VBL tended to slow down the program considerably, even on what I considered to be a fairly small map. It was still useable, but it made moving the tokens and objects a bit slow to respond.

Tips for this:
Don't use the circle VBL tool, or use sparengly.
When putting VBL down for an interior space such as a dungeon or mall complex, cover the entire area in VBL and then cut out the areas that the tokens will be able to move/see. This also helps prevent gaps if you are have been using the line VBL tool.

· I wasn’t able to block certain areas from player movement, nor put an upper limit on the distance players could move. (I am aware this is an already submitted feature request, I can hardly wait for it)

I find that a big stick and the threat of violence generally helps force players into good behaviour.

· I didn’t have a tab from which I could grab pre-configured Tokens. (I either had to have one of each .rptok token hidden on the map to act as a “source” NPC to copy, or I had to restore down the window to be able to drag and drop a new .rptok file onto the map whenever I wanted one that I hadn’t already used.)

Not sure what you mean by that???

· As the gm I did not enjoy using /gm to get a chat record of what I needed while still having it hidden from the other players. The reason: double chat entries, once from me and once to me. (Maybe there’s a better way of which I’m not yet familiar)

/self ???

Things we still need to try out.
· Multiple maps.
· Having a remotely connected GM.
· Using an existing framework that supports 4th edition.
· Allow other players to use a token image not from the host machine.

One caveat about remote GM's is that they CANNOT load a new campaign file(well..unless you can remote desktop to the machine in question, but thats a different story) . If you plan accordingly, this is not an issue.

not quite sure what you mean about your last statement with token images not from the host machine...

[Paploo]

The not so good:
· I had to monitor the less technically-inclined group members to ensure they didn’t mess with the wrong property values accidentally.

Using a framework, if one is available, can help that by having the players modify stuff in an input() box instead of on the token propertysheet. Granted, this is not a guarantee, but can help by presenting them with limited options to edit.

I've also been using setPropertyType(), setProperty(), and getProperty() to keep any truly sensitive information secret. The frameworks I'm looking at using do use input() boxes and more, which will help. Luckily, trust in my group is not an issue. It's more for building in hidden mechanics of which I want them to know nothing until the time is right.

· Using the VBL tended to slow down the program considerably, even on what I considered to be a fairly small map. It was still useable, but it made moving the tokens and objects a bit slow to respond.

Tips for this:
Don't use the circle VBL tool, or use sparengly.
When putting VBL down for an interior space such as a dungeon or mall complex, cover the entire area in VBL and then cut out the areas that the tokens will be able to move/see. This also helps prevent gaps if you are have been using the line VBL tool.

Thanks for the advice, I'll have to give it a try. However, there's something satisfying about being able to not see through individual tree trunks, etc.

· I wasn’t able to block certain areas from player movement, nor put an upper limit on the distance players could move. (I am aware this is an already submitted feature request, I can hardly wait for it)

I find that a big stick and the threat of violence generally helps force players into good behaviour.

This matches my current method nicely.

· I didn’t have a tab from which I could grab pre-configured Tokens. (I either had to have one of each .rptok token hidden on the map to act as a “source” NPC to copy, or I had to restore down the window to be able to drag and drop a new .rptok file onto the map whenever I wanted one that I hadn’t already used.)

Not sure what you mean by that???

I went back and fooled around with this some more. I guess my confusion was that I could not load in individual .rptok files into the resource library, I had to load in a folder containing the file. BUT, the good news is that now that I know this it handles what I needed it to do.

· As the gm I did not enjoy using /gm to get a chat record of what I needed while still having it hidden from the other players. The reason: double chat entries, once from me and once to me. (Maybe there’s a better way of which I’m not yet familiar)

/self ???

"/me" != "/self". I was using other people's code as examples and made this silly and nubbish mistake.

Things we still need to try out.
· Multiple maps.
· Having a remotely connected GM.
· Using an existing framework that supports 4th edition.
· Allow other players to use a token image not from the host machine.

One caveat about remote GM's is that they CANNOT load a new campaign file(well..unless you can remote desktop to the machine in question, but thats a different story) . If you plan accordingly, this is not an issue.

Good to know. This is actually a good thing, since I'll be setting up the basic campaign properties to remain consistent across multiple GMs. They'll just be loading in their own maps.

not quite sure what you mean about your last statement with token images not from the host machine...

I'd expect players to go out and find their own image(s) that they want to represent their character, rather than select one from my image collection. Especially since my players sometimes elect to play "unofficial" races or race variations. Even using the normal races they often like to have distinguishing characteristics. Some of them even have some artistic skill and would want to create their own character's image for use in the game. Granted a way around this would be for them to just send me the image they want to use ahead of time.

[trevor]

Thanks for the great write-up Paploo !

Feel free to send me your campaign file to [email protected] so I can profile your VBL and see how we can improve it

[Lindharin]

Tips for this:
Don't use the circle VBL tool, or use sparengly.
When putting VBL down for an interior space such as a dungeon or mall complex, cover the entire area in VBL and then cut out the areas that the tokens will be able to move/see. This also helps prevent gaps if you are have been using the line VBL tool.

Thanks for the advice, I'll have to give it a try. However, there's something satisfying about being able to not see through individual tree trunks, etc.

You can still do that, but don't use the circle VBL tool. You could use the rectangle tool instead, or a lot of folks prefer using the line tool to draw an X through the trunks of trees, columns, etc. The advantage of the X is that the players can see more of the object itself, but still cannot see past it.

I believe the reason to avoid the circle tool is because it is MUCH slower to render. It has to do a lot more calculations to determine vision blocking around a curved line, rather than a straight line or side of a rectangle. To help speed this up, MapTools actually doesn't draw a real circle, it uses a multi-sided polygon - I don't recall how many sides, but enough that it approximates a circle without actually using curved lines. But even so, a single straight line (or the sides of a rectangle) is still faster.

[jfrazierjr]

Thanks for the advice, I'll have to give it a try. However, there's something satisfying about being able to not see through individual tree trunks, etc.

use the square topo tool instead or you could do what some people here do (for larger things like boulders and make a line for an X through the object so you can see the object itself, but not through it (note, I don't do this, lazy I guess). The problem is that the circle tool creates a huge number of points while a rectangle creates 4 and it's a lot easier to calculate with 4 than with 400 or 40 or 4000 or how ever many the code determines it needs to "map" out a circle.

This matches my current method nicely.

Yep... I find it works out for me fairly well also....

I went back and fooled around with this some more. I guess my confusion was that I could not load in individual .rptok files into the resource library, I had to load in a folder containing the file. BUT, the good news is that now that I know this it handles what I needed it to do.

In case you have not found this out, you can create multiple directories for your resource library. So if for example you have your tokens saved at c:\users\username\mytokens, you can add that directory to your library and it will show both that directory AND the maptool default as siblings in the Library browser.

I'd expect players to go out and find their own image(s) that they want to represent their character, rather than select one from my image collection. Especially since my players sometimes elect to play "unofficial" races or race variations. Even using the normal races they often like to have distinguishing characteristics. Some of them even have some artistic skill and would want to create their own character's image for use in the game. Granted a way around this would be for them to just send me the image they want to use ahead of time.

There is a "race condition" that happens sometimes with adding images on the fly from anyone except the server. The best solution is to have the players sent their images to the DM AND to have the DM add those to the maps prior to any players connecting, otherwise, at some point you might get the dreaded "?" token image. If your going to be using a framework and the players are up for it, either have them download the framework, build their tokens "offline" or start the server one night and just keep it open and give them a "off time" to create their characters rather than during game time. Another side benefit to this is that they are not spending time when you should be playing trying to figure out what's wrong with framework x or how to fix this or that. Me, I just get my players character sheet and make the tokens for them ahead of time, ditto for leveling up... that way I know that it's done right (or at least consistently wrong..heh...)

[Paploo]

Hrm, I'll give both the "X" and box method a try next time for the trees/other objects and see what the others in the group think of them. No doubt it was my use of approximating freehand-drawn VB lines along with all the circles that was chewing up processor bandwidth/memory. Your explanations make perfect sense.

I'll have to double check when I get home, but I think I essentially cleared the map of the test campaign already. Sorry Trevor, I was using it and the session to figure out what preferences I needed to adjust to get the type of game play we were looking for (so that I could use it as a beginning "mold" for our real campaigns).

I'll have to do a few forum searches, but are there any threads containing a list of "tips 'n tricks" (such as the topology suggestions from Lindharin and jfrazierjr) for using maptools as a GM?

...you can create multiple directories for your resource library.

I actually planned out my folder structures for my creature images, textures, and objects before I started obtaining them, then just added the entire folder to the resource library. Since my pre-generated .rptok files went in an entirely separate place, my unfamiliarity with the "add to resource library" process caused me to overlook that possibility when I tried to add one in individually.


Thanks everyone for your advice, you have been most helpful!

[jfrazierjr]

I actually planned out my folder structures for my creature images, textures, and objects before I started obtaining them, then just added the entire folder to the resource library. Since my pre-generated .rptok files went in an entirely separate place, my unfamiliarity with the "add to resource library" process caused me to overlook that possibility when I tried to add one in individually.


Thanks everyone for your advice, you have been most helpful!

Umm does this mean you added your folder structure to the .maptool folder somewhere?? if so, MOVE IT NOW!!! My understand (which I could have misunderstood!) is that if you did "restore default images" from the Help menu, it deletes everything and rebuilds. If that is in fact the case, that would be very very bad for you....

[Paploo]

Not to worry, I have several broadly categorized folders (Map Items, Creatures, Characters, Campaigns, Macros, etc) that exist alongside my MapTools folder.

[Azhrei]

No, I think it's just the .maptool/resources/Defaults folder that is destroyed.

And I did a test of this recently and it didn't delete the entire directory, either. So maybe it no longer does that?