The Deck Tool

Duvik · Post by **Duvik** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 4:09 pm

I'm hoping to see a smooth integration with mapTools for the very reasons you suggested but, offering it as a standalone tool is a solid idea as well...

There are numerous board games that cold be played over MT with this Weekend project and I feel that the addition of such a tool would make rpTools a match for Gleemax's proposed game table... well, apart from the AI they plan to have for certain games like... Settlers of Cataan actually

Anyway, I created a couple of Aces and think they look pretty nice. I'll continue working on a full deck including two Jokers and have it finished by the weekend I'm shooting for... depends on how persnickity I'm feelin'

I'm debating taking the laptop toa bar and drinking til they be finished

If so, expect steady degradation of the images as i approach the upper cards

RPMiller · Post by **RPMiller** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 4:15 pm

Nys wrote:I have to respectfully disagree RPMiller. For example, in MtG, there are some cards that allow you to peek at the top x cards of your deck. When the time comes around to draw cards, the app has to provide that player with those same cards.

I suppose some sort of buffering could be done to keep track of what cards have become "known," but it might be easier to just randomize the deck itself.

Perhaps I wasn't clear in my post. I was referring to the beginning phase of the tool and my suggestion of creating a tool that you could play War with. Once that is implemented and working then we can move on to the next phase.

Application design cycles are iterative and complex and if done well work much better than trying to slam everything in on the first try. That is why I suggested a simple approach first. Of course a complete scope should also be created, but I figured you guys had that handled already.

An array is still easily handled for a more complex game. The idea is that if you 'use' the card it comes out of the array, if you 'peek' the card it stays in and the randomizer is bypassed for the next X draws from the deck where X is the number that was previously 'peeked'. Once X cards have been drawn you switch back to the randomizer.

Nys · Post by **Nys** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 4:33 pm

RPMiller, I see now. I was thinking you were suggesting it as a long term solution, not just to get something up and running. In that case I'm all for it.

As an aside, there are yet more complexities in MtG, such as some cards that move cards from your discard pile (graveyard) to the bottom of your draw pile (library). I just want to raise these examples as potential headaches.

Duvik, sorry I keep forgetting to say this, but your cards look great. I do suggest you go wild with the Ace of Spades though, as is traditional. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ace_of_Spades I'm curious to see what you can come up with.

Dracorat · Post by **Dracorat** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 4:39 pm

Duvik wrote:Anyway, I created a couple of Aces and think they look pretty nice. I'll continue working on a full deck including two Jokers and have it finished by the weekend I'm shooting for... depends on how persnickity I'm feelin'

I would like to ask that you take the background off of the face images. Plain white would look great. (Though you could probably work in a MapTool logo at say, the lower right corner.)

Zerianthekeeper · Post by **Zerianthekeeper** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 4:51 pm

Well, for the D&D fans it could double as a wonderful "Deck of Many Things".

Nys · Post by **Nys** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 5:00 pm

Zerianthekeeper wrote:Well, for the D&D fans it could double as a wonderful "Deck of Many Things".

Would work great for the Savage Worlds Adventure Deck too (not to mention the initiative issue).

Duvik · Post by **Duvik** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 5:04 pm

Hmm, yeah, i can take that logo fade off the actual face of the card with only a little extra work... I've only made about 2/5 of the deck so far

At least i read this before i finished the whole thing.

I'll back up and get it going...

I'll also make sure and have the old Ace of Spades stand out a bit

edit: faded the BG logo to 1%

jay · Post by **jay** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 5:24 pm

Hawke wrote:Quick question! I love what I see, but why are we considering a different tool rather than an addition to MapTool

I would like to integrate it into Init Tool as well, and just putting it directly into map tool makes that difficult to do.

Post by **trevor** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 5:25 pm

Good discussion.

Couple points:

- It's actually easier for me to "shuffle" the deck than to keep track of some X cards that have been looked at and not randomize them. Generally speaking, it's quite trivial to have a fully "shuffled" deck. [snip] I was going to describe the implementation here, but the description of it got more complicated than the actual implementation, so I'll just say "I can do it"

- I want to make it a stand alone _and_ embeddable tool. In a recent team meeting we decided that it would be good to make the various tools work stand alone and embedded. The specific example at the time was TokenTool. For the post 1.0 version I'm going to rewrite it so that you can embed it directly into the token properties dialog. But it'll still work on it's own.

- Note that it'll take the same design philosophy as MapTool, that is, it will be a virtual space where you create the rules. It should support the idea of one or more decks, allow people to draw (and apparently "peek") from the deck, and have exposed, and hidden (in your hand) cards. No rules are implied. You use them the way you want.

Dracorat · Post by **Dracorat** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 5:25 pm

The new card looks much better! =)

Hawke · Post by **Hawke** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 5:29 pm

jay wrote:
Hawke wrote:Quick question! I love what I see, but why are we considering a different tool rather than an addition to MapTool?
I would like to integrate it into Init Tool as well, and just putting it directly into map tool makes that difficult to do.

Got it. I guess I'm just trying to figure out how best integration will work.

I love InitTool, my only problem is that there's not connectivity between IT and my other players. Sure I can see what's going on, but it often leads to a lot of time explaining to players what I see. I know you're working on this, I'm not complaining even though I may have brought it up a few times in the last few days. I don't want to be that annoying guy giving you a hard time about something you're working on at all.

My only question/point would be how connectivity would then work in a DeckTool =)

Also, I realized a downside! We have DiceTool and DeckTool... oh no, DT and DT!

Nys · Post by **Nys** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 5:32 pm

Good point. How about a rename to CardTool?

Post by **trevor** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 5:33 pm

Nys wrote:Good point. How about a rename to CardTool?

conflict with CharacterTool

Post by **trevor** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 5:34 pm

What about DkT ?

Duvik · Post by **Duvik** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 5:54 pm

alrighty, i have all the numbered cards from 1-10 in each suit... all i have left to make are the 3 face cards for each suit and a couple jokers.

If any artists wish to submit something for the Ace and Face cards, that'd be killer. I'd prefer to use only original art with permission of artist... otherwise, I'll find something else.

Any artist who submits something can have his name added to bottom of card if desired.

edit: used an image of mine own to pimp the Ace of Spades... Introducing,

D'ul Maken - The Rod of Doom