JamzTheMan wrote:What does dice tool offer that countless other choices don't? (honest question)
I roll all real dice so never use em but if I did need one, I think I would just download an android app or an online app, especially one with graphics/3d dice. If I were playing online, I'd want my dice in chat so the VTT I'm using would have it, or slack, or the forum, or what ever else.
I just can't imagine (and I may be totally wrong), but are we getting a lot of downloads still for a java swing based dice roller?
Well.. first and foremost, it's very light weight.
I use Maptool sometimes when I GM "locally" and other times I don't. It just depends upon how much time I have to prepare. Dicetool fits the need for a 5-10 minute prep time and it's VERY lightweight equivalent to macros takes little time to set up once you are familiar with the syntax. I just don't want to spend the time it takes to actually count out the result values and don't want the occasional addition mistake to come into play. Some people are bad at math, and while I normally am fine with it, there are rare occasions. I honestly hate spending 20-30 seconds adding up large dice pools. To me, Dice are the tool to resolve things, but the game mechanic should sit out of the way, hence computer automation to speed things up and get back to the narrative what effect the result produces in the game world.
Let me give a little example of how/why I would use DiceTool:
Suppose I was a wizard in some game system or another and I had a spell that does:
10d6 + Character Level + INT modifier fire damage
AND
3d6 + Character Level + WIS modifier psychic damage, HOWEVER on this roll, the stat modifier, but not the Character Level) is added to each and every(i,e roll d6 and add WIS 3 times) dice roll.
This spell also has an attach roll of d20+INT
Now, there are several ways to do this in DiceTool, but supposed you want to see EVERYTHING broken down.
I would code this up as
d20:INT;10[d6]:LVL:INT;3[d6:WIS]:LVL
and relabel the button something like Psychic Fire
Basically, the semicolons tell the engine that "this is new" and it changes the color for easier reading automatically.
Some games don't have massive dice pools, but for those which do, this tool is a quick and easy way to implement them and just get your result instead of having to freaking count.
For the record, you could just as easily set that to NOT show the results of each and every roll or only parts(for example only show the break down of the attack roll in case your game does critical hits and knowing it rolled exactly 20 on the dice was important).
Add to that fact that I COULD just as easily create macros in javascript to provide for special processing(such as the critical mentioned above).
Of course, Maptool can do all of this, but some of it requires more work(and some it does better) and there is an overhead to Maptool. My eventual goal would be to re-write DiceTool and eventually make the interface in JFX AND get it ported to android, but the port to android stuff is STILL fairly garbage even 4 years later unfortunately.
Also, I could be wrong(and if I am, please feel free to correct me), but I think that DiceTool was the first product created and used by the original team as Giliath ended up making it for his personal use during gaming sessions. MapTool was created as a personal project by Trevor, but he was never a die hard RPG gamer and I believe he did MapTool as a creative outlet until his personal commitments ended up requiring him to step away from a "hobby".