The MacroPolicebox: Second Regeneration (D&D 4E Framework)

Framework(s) for D&D 4e, including Veggiesama's.

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StarMan
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159

Post by StarMan »

Given the craziness of this past long weekend the 159 announcement got lost in the shuffle. No matter as the important thing is that it has been downloadable the whole time. Get DmgType List prompting for DmgType has been fixed as has Tally Damage not handling striker prompting consistently, Immediates Allowed will now allow the running of Death triggers, Construct Rumble States will now recognize the "deal" phrase for damage effects and a little weirdness surrounding the use of the Oppose Check macro has been cleared up.

The biggest improvement is the new Grant Rest for PCs macro which can be used before End Encounter. The Rest macro is sent to a PC token in the same way Validate sends Initiative at the beginning. Both operations now use the new Chain PC Macro facility to pass along the macro in question. End My Turn will now alert you if any token's AC exceeds 100 and ask you to correct. Refresh States will now Send Macro for Grab - Let Go vs ineligible grabbers. Lastly, Register Effect will now allow Reminder effects through Immunity filters.

Enjoy!
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Post by StarMan »

Finally gotten around to posting the start of the 160s series! When importing a monster I was getting Hit and Effect text but no other fields like Miss and Aftereffect. This BUG bug has been fixed along with Grant Rest for PCs which didn't seem to be working at all. Generally speaking there has been lots of tweaks to monster importing including some significant refactoring of functions. Ever since creating the light sources indicating attack effects, I have noticed some bizarre fluctuations in their range. They should now keep the Range value given to Register Effect. Another fairly big bug was Remove Effect on Save giving you a list of EVERYBODY's effects! It should now only give the ones concerning your token.

A nice improvement is that the importer will now try to detect changes to multiple defences. For example, when importing Boots of the Fencing Master the Create Effect run should now show "Multiple" as the value for the Property field and then take you to a dialog showing AC and Reflex checked. I will try expanding this concept beyond defences on an as needed basis. Speaking of the CE form, if you change the Range there it will now carry that value over to Configure Targeting ... which is nice! Banner will now run Start Turn Timer when an Immediate power is run so that guy's macro run time doesn't get added to your own. Have fun ...
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Post by StarMan »

SL 161 hit the airwaves yesterday and finally fixes the inconsistent light sources around your enemies after attacking them. There were no issues with medium size tokens but larger ones looked a little strange. Grant Rest for PCs does send the macro to the first token but not the rest because the Observing state still wasn't being set. This has (hopefully) been fixed as well along with Configure Targeting using Create Effect's Range value which was supposedly fixed in SL 160. On the internal side, Attached Effects and the macros using it were not filtering contexts very well. Generally speaking, many tweaks have been made to the import process too.

With respect to new features, you can now use Link=Unique when registering effects. Even if the RE line remains the same, a new effect will be generated by virtue of a unique number being appended to the name. This is good for cumulative effects but bad for those which require a specific name like Prone_AC or ResistRadiant_CurrHP. I will try mitigating this gap in SL 162. The other new RE option is Duration=Sustain. For these, End My Turn will prompt you on whether the effect should be kept going or not. If you have a flying mount then I recommend keeping him alive because his death will now cause you to run Fall! Enjoy ...
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163

Post by StarMan »

There have been many quirks about importing monsters which have been annoying me as of late. These are all addressed in SL 163. Included are a lessening of Call Basic Attack detections (which is very difficult to programmatically model, btw), Process MM3 Power ignoring the Requirement field, the "Combat Advantage" trait will be handled a little better, Insubstantial and Phasing false detections for MM3 have been taken care of and minor defects with Import PC Power have been fixed. If your Immediate powers are crashing then it's because a bad macro call was inserted. Rebuild Power for the power will correct this.

Improvements include the support of same-named powers whereas before they were just skipped. For example, if there are melee and ranged versions of a power called Dagger then the first will be called Dagger Ranged, or whatever the attack type is. You can also now use the "Defender" keyword when defining triggers. Finally, Import dnd4e Powers will now prompt you when the import cycle is starting. That's a small change but it's better than clicking a button and having the MPB just sit there without any feedback for X minutes.

A few macros' have been improved through code reduction. Enjoy!
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Post by StarMan »

SL164 was hurried out the door to correct the fact Skill Check was not including your token's scores (i.e. just giving the d20 roll). On the bright side, Grant Rest for PCs is finally working perfectly if my group's Monday session was any indication. The import of Summoned Creatures has also been improved greatly. Another big change is that I have decided to make Lib:MMHoF inclusion on your map mandatory (i.e. you'll get an error if not present) as there's lotsa important powers on there. The remainder of changes are mostly tweaks rather than bug fixes. Enjoy!
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165

Post by StarMan »

SL 165 is now available and mostly consists of more monster import fine-tuning as well as a few minor performance improvements. Total Defense was still showing as an option even when already active and MMHoF handling has been tightened up a bit.

A couple of improvements improve the elimination of the "All or some" dialog in the Undo facility as well as the allowance of Immediate runs even if power locking is on. Edit Properties will now let you Delete during an encounter but be VERY careful when you do! Finally, the importer is now smart enough to set DmgType to "Prompt" if the text says "You can choose from the following types". Enjoy!
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166

Post by StarMan »

SL 166 covers a couple of semi-important fixes in that it's curious they lasted this long without being noticed. First, the Triggered Actions section of MM3 monsters was not being converted properly. Secondly, my player who is now playing an invoker noticed the Mod of Link=IncreaseExisting effects was going up by crazy amounts when multiple targets were being modified. Both these issues have been fixed but time will tell regarding the efficacy of said fixes.

Most of this release consists of further refinements to NPC importing. These vary from very minor "bolt-tightening"-type adjustments to significant reworking of a few macros that just weren't coded very efficiently the first time around. Enjoy ...
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167/168

Post by StarMan »

I never got around to announcing SL 167 and before I knew it 168 was done! Most fixes have to do with Chat output, internal code refactoring and continuing improvements to the NPC importer. Convert Rumble States now properly names Damage effects, Import PC Power now correctly names MM1 "Secondary" powers, End My Turn will now prompt for Duration="Sustain" effects more than once, Choose Grabbed no longer fails when a monster tries to grab a creature and Send Macro should no longer prompt for Token.

Noteworthy improvements include the Sunrod light source being added to the Info token if the word "bright" is detected by Import Description, Construct Rumble States now check for second Vlnrbl and Resist effects, "recharge when bloodied" powers no longer manifests a second copy (adds a Recover Powers trigger instead), Death now sends Grant Rest for PCs to DM when last NPC dies, Attack now lets you know when your critical is being downgraded and Register Effect will not set owner visibility for Invisible effects on PCs (as per request from my players). Enjoy!
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Re: The MacroPolicebox: Second Regeneration (D&D 4E Framewor

Post by Full Bleed »

I have to say, your commitment to this framework and regular updates are commendable. Especially since 4e is largely considered one of the least successful and least liked editions of D&D... the edition that allowed Pathfinder to take the RPG crown. It seems like they couldn't move onto 5e fast enough to regain the top spot.

I understand that most frameworks are labors of love... and, further, sharing them with the community is no small task to maintain... but I have to believe that if you were putting this kind of work into any edition other than 4e you'd be getting a lot more appreciation (and usage).

So, kudos to you for fighting the good fight! I'm just surprised someone has this sort of love and dedication to this edition. ;)
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Thanks for the "kudos"!

Post by StarMan »

Thanks for your kind words, FB! Your points are well taken and yes it very much is a “labour of love” for me. I am well aware of PF and 5e’s phenomenal popularity and must confess it has been tough getting new players for my 4e group. :cry: I have only played PF and 5e once each. Neither experience particularly grabbed me so I am mystified as to why they have “taken the crown” and “top spot”. PF is too bloody complicated and 5e is the opposite extreme (i.e. “D&D for Dummies”, if you ask me). So no, my group doesn’t care if 4e is the “least liked”. The codified rules system is solid and lends itself to very little arguing regarding interpretation.

On average, to this day I get 200 to 300 hits on my download page every time I post a service release as well as 2 or 3 new users each month. As such, there’s no need to worry about its “usage”. Yes, those stats are nothing compared to the early days but it’s still cool. Some early (pre-2014) users posted and e-mailed their, as you say, “appreciation” despite a guy from my old group pointing out that you generally only hear from users when they want to complain. Nowadays I am adopting the “no news is good news” mindset but you’re right though, it is nice to hear about user experiences so I can improve. I think they gave up posting bug reports because I just fixed them too darn quickly! :lol: I used to send out e-mails from my web site’s mass mailing feature announcing my SLs. That is no longer working so I am doing so here instead.

The bottom line is that all the D&D frameworks I have seen here mandate insane amounts of tedious manual data entry … which is a deal breaker for my group. Their authors who try to mitigate that by copy/pasting spells and tables into their work are breaking WotC’s IP laws. As for my group, we want to just paste our characters, monsters, etc into MT and have fun. 4e’s DDI coupled with the MPB allows us to do that. Other frameworks and editions do not … unless I am missing something somewhere? Does https://www.dndbeyond.com allow exporting to plain text files? If so then I just might take a whack at the 5e approach!

In the meantime, I have looked at http://dnd.wizards.com/products/tableto ... asic-rules , scratched my chin and thought “Hmmm, I can import all this stuff using MPB macros.”. Actually the MPB can import 5e monsters and convert them to 4e if you recall that thread you and I answered in the “Macros” forum. 80 to 90% of the MPB is rules agnostic so converting it for 5e should not be a big deal. It would all still be inferior to the DDI->MPB solution but the writing is on the wall for when WotC decides to withdraw DDI. Sure, we will switch to 5e one day at which time I will give paulstrait a shot … but only when we have no choice.

Please read this page: http://macropolicebox.advancedfreeweb.c ... c-creation . After doing so you may well say, “Wow, what an arrogant dick!”. :evil: <shrug> Rumble was a great guy who worked hard and generously supported his users. For that, he and other contributors have earned our respect and admiration. Sadly, it just wasn’t enough so that doesn't matter. I am just trying to express my viewpoint and help the poor saps slogging through their data entry and lag nightmares. My sarcastic Rumble story will make more sense if you are familiar with his work but really it applies to all frameworks where you can only start playing after 542 years of laborious toil. If you and others don’t mind that and you’re having fun then hey that's awesome and happy gaming to you! Thanks for reading …
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Re: Thanks for the "kudos"!

Post by Full Bleed »

StarMan wrote:On average, to this day I get 200 to 300 hits on my download page every time I post a service release as well as 2 or 3 new users each month. As such, there’s no need to worry about its “usage”.
Nice. I guess that's MT's army of hidden users at work. ;)
The bottom line is that all the D&D frameworks I have seen here mandate insane amounts of tedious manual data entry … which is a deal breaker for my group. Their authors who try to mitigate that by copy/pasting spells and tables into their work are breaking WotC’s IP laws. As for my group, we want to just paste our characters, monsters, etc into MT and have fun. 4e’s DDI coupled with the MPB allows us to do that. Other frameworks and editions do not … unless I am missing something somewhere?
Yeah, one of the things that drove me into the arms of Paizo was D&D4 (and 5 for that matter) closing up their content. DEspite all of the 3e issues I had, the SRD was a great idea. I can only imagine what you could do with Pathfinder given the access their SRD provides to nearly all of their game. But I get what you're saying about most current frameworks... heck, back when LMarkus' PF framework came out, I couldn't make heads or tails about how to use it... and it seemed like too much work to figure it all out. The upside is that my own framework, organically grown over the years is customized to my particular sensibilities, gameflow, houserules (it has got a good deal of 1e DNA mixed in), etc... which would be a hard thing to expect from any other option at this point.
It would all still be inferior to the DDI->MPB solution but the writing is on the wall for when WotC decides to withdraw DDI.
Heh, I thought they already had! I guess you and that guy from Nebraska are holding down the fort! ;)
Sure, we will switch to 5e one day at which time I will give paulstrait a shot … but only when we have no choice.
From what I can tell it doesn't have anywhere near the level of improvements and updates that your work does... so if/when you do make the leap I hope you continue steering your own ship.

I've only played 5e as a player... through a custom 5e framework here in the early days and on Fantasy Grounds. Despite MT being the more powerful platform with some core features I have a hard time playing without, I'd still probably go with FG if I was going to run a 5e game. Though, there is a 5e Character Sheet based framework that might be coming out soon here that would be a good launching point...
After doing so you may well say, “Wow, what an arrogant dick!”
Well, I think you've got the 4e market cornered and your approach is sound... so I think you can safely blow that horn as loud as you want! :)
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Re: Thanks for the "kudos"!

Post by StarMan »

It is gratifying to meet someone who understands the need to "steer one's own ship". The Rumble-loving morons I talk about on this page were genuinely perplexed as to why I wasn't bending knee to bow down with them and praise Rumble's holy name. A smart group would have been excited to be on the ground floor of having the "market cornered" as you say. Instead they just got angry so I departed with middle finger pointed upward in my wake. After a few years, their Rumble-centric group collapsed under the ponderous lag and bugs that framework offers (surprise, surprise!).
Full Bleed wrote:heck, back when LMarkus' PF framework came out, I couldn't make heads or tails about how to use it... and it seemed like too much work to figure it all out.
We tried that too! Our DM was pro-PF and anti-MapTool but I had to insist on the latter when our online players got fed up of his oral approach. He would say "OK your in a 4x5 room with northern and western exits." and "The monster is in front of you, roll to-hit!". As group leader, I then made an executive decision to use LMarkus and had about the same experience you did. Everyone hated the data entry vs utility payoff so we just dropped PF entirely and went back to the MPB. We were gonna do that anyway as PF was just a side experiment which didn't work out.

Yeah, I looked at FG and it looks awesome but none of us wanna pony up the $$$ to use it. What edition is your fw? Have you posted it here to be downloaded? You now have me wondering if I should do a short import demo for the SRD (which we used as well) just for fun and get a glimpse of the (hopefully distant) future ...
Full Bleed wrote:I guess you and that guy from Nebraska are holding down the fort! ;)
... and about 298 of our friends, yes! :lol: WotC would have pulled the plug on DDI long ago if it wasn't still economically viable.
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Re: Thanks for the "kudos"!

Post by Full Bleed »

StarMan wrote:What edition is your fw? Have you posted it here to be downloaded?
It's mostly Pathfinder blended with 1e. I can't imagine getting it into shape for a public release... and since I have so many integrated house rules it would be too much trouble cutting them out or making them optional. Not to mention that I never built it to be particularly portable and have no interest in putting together any documentation. It works perfect for my needs, as it's grown organically over the years, but I'm sure it would be challenging for the uninitiated.
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169

Post by StarMan »

I will begin this post with my most profound apologies to anyone who tried MM3 importing with SL 168. It just plain didn't work! 169 fixes that as well as the very annoying prompt to Sustain every effect when ending your turn. For saving throws, the "Name" prompt has been taken care of as well as the error out for linked effects. Construct Rumble States will now recognize bad Resist and Vlnrbl detections and Disengage will now run Grant Rest for PCs when the last NPC hits the ground.

The rest of the changes are mostly very minor efficiency and output tweaks. Enjoy ...
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170

Post by StarMan »

It is time to once again close a decade of SLs! End Encounter was giving that annoying Choose Targets error so that's been fixed as has Mercy Mode's equally maddening tendency to prompt every time you do damage. Register Effect's failure to replace the Conditions' keyword options with actual tokens' names has been fixed too. That last one is kinda esoteric and not likely something you'll come across. The importer still struggles with adding UseStrikeFeature and ReactionBloodied triggers and is something I am looking at for SL 171 as well. On a personal note, prompting for Duration=Sustain finally works correctly for my assassin.

Some very small code efficiencies have been realized and a couple of dialogs have been converted to RadioMode. Enjoy ...
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