MapTool Marketing Video (Call for Help!!!)

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jfrazierjr
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Re: MapTool Marketing Video (Call for Help!!!)

Post by jfrazierjr »

brad wrote:
Natha wrote: - Perhaps a quick note about the ability of MT to handle foreign languages game/frameworks ? (like patoace's spanish one)
How do you switch languages in MapTool? If it is easy I would like to show it. I know with a framework it is just part of the programming, but in the notes for some of the builds I see notes about people working on translation for MapTool. How does someone take advantage of that?
Not that I am saying you should be the one to do this, but if you pass a specific argument to the java process when starting maptool, you can force it to try to use a non native language if that language is available in the maptool resources files and it will translate error messages, menu items,etc. I can't look it up right now, but I am sure someone else will pop in shortly to answer that.
I save all my Campaign Files to DropBox. Not only can I access a campaign file from pretty much any OS that will run Maptool(Win,OSX, linux), but each file is versioned, so if something goes crazy wild, I can always roll back to a previous version of the same file.

Get your Dropbox 2GB via my referral link, and as a bonus, I get an extra 250 MB of space. Even if you don't don't use my link, I still enthusiastically recommend Dropbox..

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palmer
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Re: MapTool Marketing Video (Call for Help!!!)

Post by palmer »

jfrazierjr wrote:If this is concept should be in it's own video, perhaps something like "The least you need to know to use Maptool" with the bare minimum.
The least you need varies based on your intended usage.

Straight up example... the networking functions are not needed if you're using it for a battlemap in a F2F game, but are needed for a remote game.

Facing is important and a minimum for any game using facing (Gurps), but not neede for D&D.

Drawing tools and dropping objects aren't needed for people who use premade maps (Photoshop, DJ, rpgmapshare). Import map isn't needed for those who don't use them.

It's hard to say what is a universal bare minimum.

I for one consider sight and VBL bare minimums (light I can pass on, but not VBL) for pretty much any game

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brad
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Re: MapTool Marketing Video (Call for Help!!!)

Post by brad »

torstan wrote:Is there a possibility of a snazier splash screen at the start? I know that's the traditional opening for the tutorials, but as the first screen to sell a new tool it might be nice to have something with a little more glitz?
Good point. I am not a graphics guy though. Any ideas? Anyone else want to make something up? It doesn't have to be in MapTool, just something I can display on my screen and record.
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brad
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Re: MapTool Marketing Video (Call for Help!!!)

Post by brad »

jfrazierjr wrote:
I have been thinking about also adding a link to the wiki also, and if I could make it in blinking alternating colors, I just might think about that also....
Thanks for the reminder! I keep forgetting to add a link to the Wiki in the Recources links on the video tutorials website.
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Azhrei
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Re: MapTool Marketing Video (Call for Help!!!)

Post by Azhrei »

Natha wrote:
brad wrote: How do you switch languages in MapTool? If it is easy I would like to show it.
Well, it's automatic and based on the OS/Java I think.

So ... I made a silly suggestion as it won't be easy to show that ...
(unless the devs can point you to some kind of trick to make MT think he is running on a foreign OS)
It is possible, but I don't think it's worth it. Although...

What might be cool is a companion video to Brad's done in Spanish or French or...! It would be super-cool if said companion video were a translation of Brad's. Someone takes Brad's audio and translates it, then replaces the original audio with the translation. :)

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Jector
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Re: MapTool Marketing Video (Call for Help!!!)

Post by Jector »

Having watched it again with a mostly alert mind, I still think it's a good vid.

My advise is to not worry about adding or expanding very much. At least try to keep in mind that it's supposed to be an introduction. It's far too easy to over complicate things when revising them.
They skip over how difficult or hard it is to set up light and vision (while for the rest they give a how to). They also might mention if there are tutorials (especially video tutorials).

Also whether or not you have to use a separate program for chat and or voice chat that can host multiple users.

Also a play example would be helpful to go along with the simple map creation.
These are valuable comments as they're from the uninitiated. I'd agree that a short display of dropping VBL (only need about 15 to 20 seconds for it) would be nice to show how easy it is. Light and vision get a little more complicated, so I'd put that in a more thorough tutorial.

Mentioning the numerous video and online tuts would be good.

Putting in that there is a built in text chat would be groovy.

A play example would be nice for another tutorial. Again, I'd say leave it out of this one.

A few final things, you may want to show the use of facing on round tokens and rotation on top down. You wouldn't even have to talk about it, just use it while manipulating tokens so people can see them. Maybe a conical light source in use somewhere else? Like the cave sequence?

And I'm going to second the translations. That would be very cool since we're primarily English speakers. It would help put the word out to lots of other folks that are unaware of the MT goodness.
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brad
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Re: MapTool Marketing Video (Call for Help!!!)

Post by brad »

Azhrei wrote: What might be cool is a companion video to Brad's done in Spanish or French or...! It would be super-cool if said companion video were a translation of Brad's. Someone takes Brad's audio and translates it, then replaces the original audio with the translation. :)
That would be great. If a fluent speaker of another language had the software to do that I could render the final video in something other then flash to make it possible or easier. I am not sure what the best way to go about that would be. It would be fun to do that with the tutorials as well, once I update them and if someone had the time. I suppose you could also record the audio, assuming you timed everything out right, and send it to me. I think I could yank out me talking and put in the new stuff with what I have.
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patoace
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Re: MapTool Marketing Video (Call for Help!!!)

Post by patoace »

I can help with the transaltion to spanish, and, if someone points me to the right software to do the voiceover, I can start making some drafts.

As another option, spanish speakers are used to movies with subtitles, so that would be also possible.

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Natha
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Re: MapTool Marketing Video (Call for Help!!!)

Post by Natha »

I think french hobbyists won't mind about subtitles too.
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brad
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Re: MapTool Marketing Video (Call for Help!!!)

Post by brad »

It would be nice to have different languages for both this video and the tutorials. We can use this one as a test case and if we can come up with a smooth way of doing it, then we can look at doing the tutorials once I update some more of them. That is assuming you guys have the time. I think our first goal would be voice, but if that is too difficult I know we could do subtitles. Subtitles would just be more work.

I will mess around a bit and make sure I can do the changing audio tracks on my end.
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brad
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Re: MapTool Marketing Video (Call for Help!!!)

Post by brad »

So, I tinkered a little and I think I found a simple solution. Window has a basic tool in its accessories called Sound Recorder(in Vista anyway, not sure about XP). I played the video and hit record as close together as possible and talked along with the video. I just did about a 30 second test. Camtasia has 2 audio tracks available so I muted the first one(my normal narration) and tossed the new audio in the second spot. It worked out nice. I didn't start the recording and the video at exactly the same time, so the new audio was about 2 seconds off the whole time, but it never got worse then that.

I think this could be an easy way to do translations. You just talk along with the video as you are recording, then email me the audio. Sure the new audio will probably always be 2 or 3 seconds off the original, but most people probably wouldn't even notice that. I think we should do a test. If you have Sound Recorder do what I just did with the first draft of the video, translating it into Spanish. Don't worry if you are a little choppy or don't speak smoothly. This is just a test, so don't waste a lot of time trying to make it sound great yet. You don't even need to do the whole thing if you don't want to. Then just email the audio file to me using the Submission page on the tutorial website. I will combine it and post the result here. Since I don't speak Spanish you will have to be the one to decide if the audio is lining up with the video ok.
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Saagael
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Re: MapTool Marketing Video (Call for Help!!!)

Post by Saagael »

Can you not move around or offset the audio block? Sorry, I'm used to adobe premiere, and know nothing of Camtasia.

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Azhrei
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Re: MapTool Marketing Video (Call for Help!!!)

Post by Azhrei »

Probably. But if Brad doesn't speak the language, it may be tough to know how much to offset it by. ;)

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brad
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Re: MapTool Marketing Video (Call for Help!!!)

Post by brad »

I am sure there is a way to offset the audio. Probably just a click and drag or something, I just have never messed with the audio yet. As Azhrei says though, I wouldn't really know how much to do it. I would have to offset and then post and ask and then try again. So, if it wasn't more then a couple seconds off I probably wouldn't bother. The number of people that would be bilingual and compare the two would be small. At least I hope so. :)
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Saagael
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Re: MapTool Marketing Video (Call for Help!!!)

Post by Saagael »

Probably. But if Brad doesn't speak the language, it may be tough to know how much to offset it by.
Durr.... didn't even think of that. My apologies.

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