I've sort of taken over from @Nolgroth. I'm a long time user of MapTool with a programming background, and over COVID have spent a lot of time tweaking MapTool. Unfortunately (relative to this framework) I haven't been playing Hero so I haven't needed to work with it. I have however, been using MapTool about 2-3 times a week (as well as Foundry) and I've learned a lot about what works well in a VTT and what is really too much trouble.
So, where am I taking this framework? Well, in a nutshell, simplicity. As Hero gamers we've spent most of our table time throwing and reading dice, applying mods, and assessing effects. I think many VTT implementations spend too much time trying to automate way too much. At the end of the day, especially for Hero, if I can roll 3d6, determine success or failure, and then roll a bunch of effect dice, I'm a long way to success. If I can easily track status (STUN/BODY/END, Stunned, Hold, etc.) and manage Phases over a Turn, I'm in even better shape. AOE templates? Absolutely.
Where things bog down into edge cases is levels of AP vs Hardening, Damage Reduction, Damage Negation, etc. Taking the result of those effect dice and applying them against defenses, and then assessing damage properly is complex programming-wise, especially when it doesn't cover your specific edge case and then you have to figure out how to undo or adjust what was just done.
As a Hero GM if I tell you to take 30 STUN and 10 BODY, you can likely calc that effect in your head (for your character) and just take X STUN (or whatever). So, with that in mind, here's my rough outline:
- Import HeroDesigner json export and assign to properties (to allow manual editing of tokens) and store url for one-click updates (DONE)
- Macros use token properties (DONE)
- Basic Skill Roller (8- to 17- buttons that tell you how much you made it by)
- Basic Attack Roller (same as skill roller, but modifies for active States)
- Basic Hero Dice roller (1-20d6, Normal, Killing, STUNx)
- Attack Function (for personal macros, allows END/Charges spend)
- Initiative (including hold, abort).
- Notes tracking (markdown, ala NOVA6, so DONE cuz I'm just going to copy my notes app from there)
- Imported skills/attacks/etc will be visible via character sheet and clickable to roll (like NOVA6), with simple "success by/failure by output". Mods can be applied verbally.
Phase 2 will be a little farther out, but shouldn't take much longer. I want to get the above stuff working first, and then can polish it with the items below.
- Advanced Attack Roller (single button, pick your OCV, called shots, Autofire, etc.)
- Resource tracking (campaign definable, think gp/sp/cp or bullets/water/food etc.)
- I'd like to try overlays for BODY/STUN/END and maybe another overlay for resources; otherwise, simple buttons to update
I don't anticipate taking too much time to do this. Get a glimpse of where I'm at with
NOVA6 MapTool. My punchlist for that is pretty short: GM Dashboard (to see all player aspects), GM Plot Point Pool, and Load Level selector (to map 100% to rules). I should have that done in a week or so, and then can focus on Hero for a bit.
Based on the work I/we (Legendsmiths) has done on D&D 5E, Shadow of the Demonlord, DCC, Punk Apocalyptic, SWADE, and NOVA6 (man, I've played a lot the past couple of years), I've learned a lot about good and bad approaches, streamlining macros, and interesting initiative systems. I'm excited to be engaging with Hero again for Atomic Sky (driving the resource management piece) and Narosia 2E, as well as being able to support the occasional supers slugfest.
I'm open to suggestions, but keep in mind I'm only interested in a minimalist approach. I think that will help with adoption as well, if it's easy to use, then it should be accessible and speed play along. If it slows things down, it's not helping.