SimpleInit

[Brigand]

Here's an idea for a really simple initiative tracker...

Step 1: Select all the tokens being used in the encounter.
Step 2: Populate the initiative list with those token names.
Step 3: Enter initiative values for each name on the list.
Step 4: Sort the list by clicking on the Initiative column (like sorting a table in Excel)

If you made the init tracker a window you could "pin on top of" all other windows, it'd be simple to move it around as needed. Maybe add a button that acts like a macro in the init tracker with a user defined formatting that draws on the tracker name selected and copies it to the clipboard or sends it directly to the chat.

Name | Init
Aria 20
Kobold Wyrmpriest 18
Kobold Slinger 14
Morin 12
Javert 6

(Add | Clear | Copy/Send)

Add - adds the selected token names to the bottom of the initiative tracker list if it's not empty.
Clear - clears the tracker of all names and initiative values.
Copy - Copy takes a user defined formatting and inserts the selected name into the formatting, then copies it to the clipboard.
Send - Does the same thing as copy, but is built in as part of maptool and sends the initiative with the formatting to the chat window like a macro

At the top of the tracker, add the Edit > Preferences menu items, that brings up a preferences window (or it could be built in to maptools preferences as its own panel/tab). This is where it has a check box for On Top of Windows and a text box to enter the desired formatting. Formatting would use [Token.Name] to pull the name from the selected entry on the tracker list. Or it could just be [Name]. Maybe include the init as (Init) as well.

Possible formatting:
/e [hr]~ [Name][Init]

would look like:
__________________________________________________________
~ Aria (20)

Obviously you could use any html formatting in it as well.

[UntoldGlory]

I think the problem is that some systems allow for people to act multiple times in the same round, and other systems don't use the "start at the top and work your way down" thing at all, and lots of other exceptions that make it difficult to do a "simple" init.


Personally, I'd be fine with just a "pinned on top" window where I can drag a token to get a mini version of it. Then, tokens in the windows are autoaligned, 1 token per row. If you need the same token more than once, drag it on a second time. Tokens on the list could be dragged up or down the order willy nilly (to account for things like holding or some form of "action boost" that some system or other might have, and there could be an up and down arrow on the side to "cycle" through init. In a perfect world, when you click down (or up for whatever reason), the next token would be highlighted, and an announcement message popped into chat (i.e. "-----------<Aria's Turn>----------------"). Then, when it got to the bottom of the list and you press down again, it highlights the top token, pops a "============= ROUND 2 ==============" into chat, and it starts all over. To round it out, just have a "Clear Initiative" window to dump the tokens.

I would think that would cover most if not all systems fairly simply.

[jay]

I believe that is what lud is adding to MT, or something very similar. But, the initiative isn't that simple in all games. For instance Hero separates a turn into 12 phases and each character goes multiple times a round. Savage Worlds doesn't use numbers but playing cards instead. Sorting can be difficult as well since you have to be able to handle ties according to the game rules. A simple sort can't do that.

[Brigand]

That's why it's called SimpleInit. It isn't supposed to work for everything. Just sort things simply.

[UntoldGlory]

I believe that is what lud is adding to MT, or something very similar. But, the initiative isn't that simple in all games. For instance Hero separates a turn into 12 phases and each character goes multiple times a round. Savage Worlds doesn't use numbers but playing cards instead. Sorting can be difficult as well since you have to be able to handle ties according to the game rules. A simple sort can't do that.

I think mine handles that pretty well. You never type a number in, and a token can be on more than once.