General RPG DiscussionDiscussion of all RPGs and non-system-specific topics. DM/GM/player issues, settings, etc. Rules discussion belongs in one the forums below.
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I spent three times that much on Dundjinni Platinum. Wish I never had.
I know the feeling.
I love the Dundjinni Users, and the free art, but Dundjinni itself runs HORRIBLE on my machine.
And my laptop is no slouch, don't get me wrong.
But the problem is compounded by the fact that the more Art you have installed (which, theoretically, should make Dundjinni more useful), the slower and slower DJ begins to crawl.
The fact that Dundjinni doesn't support printing on anything other than 8.5x11 paper (or at least it didn't when I finally sh*tcanned it) was the killer for me.
It's just easier for me to lay it all out in Photoshop.
So-- given that I am pretty good with Photoshop and I have access to all of the Dundjinni User art, where would you realistically place my need for NWN?
So you want to stick with NWN for interiors. You want to be able do it in the toolset, and you want to keep part of the map hidden from your players so you can reveal the areas only as you need to during play. What can you do?
Thanks Steel_Wind! I will apply this technique and post my results here.
This has got to be one the best DnD-software/hardware threads I've read in these forums. I only wish I had 'discovered' the nwn toolset before spending major $$$ on Dundjinni Platinum.
We made the front page actually - not just the Games section.
Too funny. Entrepreneurs, start your engines!
I was able to use the projector and NWN this past weekend with my gaming group. The response to our first encounter using the projector was amazing. Everyone loved it. We especially enjoyed having animated models for summoned creatures. It looks like this will become a part of our permanent gaming setup.
The only disappointing news is that I was not able to come up with a solution for how to properly mount the projector to something I can break down and move. For last week's session, we just placed a hook in the ceiling and suspended the projector from it. I didn't feel the need to take pictures of a projector hanging precariously from a single hook placed in the ceiling. It was pretty ugly, but it worked.
Right now I'm considering something similar to this. It's a portable stand for hanging professional photography backgrounds. It's a rather bulky solution, but it does exactly what I need it to. It has adjustable height, adjustable width, it's lightweight, and it breaks down for easy storage and portability. The cost is a factor, but I should be able to fabricate a similar solution for much cheaper than actually purchasing one. On the other hand, maybe I'll find a used one on EBay.
I'll keep posting back with updates as I work up a solution for the 'traveling gamer'.
This looks /very/ cool, and as someone with a decent amount of disposable income I will definitely be trying it out!
One question: my combats are often fairly large (as in, taking up most of a Megamat). It looks like with throw distance and all, the projected area is smaller than most battlemat surfaces. How often has this been a problem, and what solutions have you used?
One question: my combats are often fairly large (as in, taking up most of a Megamat). It looks like with throw distance and all, the projected area is smaller than most battlemat surfaces. How often has this been a problem, and what solutions have you used?
We get about a 40' wide (200 game ft.) projection on the table. Since my projection surface is in the middle of a larger dry-erase surface, I just move any satellite combat participants off the projected area and write a note next to their mini of how many feet they are from the edge of the projected battle map. It's a pretty rare occurrence for us, but we do a lot of dungeon crawls.
This looks /very/ cool, and as someone with a decent amount of disposable income I will definitely be trying it out!
One question: my combats are often fairly large (as in, taking up most of a Megamat). It looks like with throw distance and all, the projected area is smaller than most battlemat surfaces. How often has this been a problem, and what solutions have you used?
I finished a Photoshop doc of the Slavers Stockade (A2) as a 100" square doc (used Dundjinni for the keep) and run it at 50% exactly (to avoid scaling artifacts). The nice thing about some projectors is that you can do an 'on projector zoom' which is cleaner than the Photoshop zoom for getting precise scale on the table (plus it gets rid of interface). If the map doesn't fit you can adjust the zoom to say 1/2" or 3/4" squares and just be a little more precise with the miniatures. Or zoom out and use small tokens as markers until you can return to 1"=5' scale.
Our image size is 31"x41" but if I use the lens zoom it can get up to 37"x49" (with loss of brightness and resolution: goes from 19 pixels/inch to 16 pixels/inch).
Right now I'm considering something similar to this. It's a portable stand for hanging professional photography backgrounds. It's a rather bulky solution, but it does exactly what I need it to. It has adjustable height, adjustable width, it's lightweight, and it breaks down for easy storage and portability. The cost is a factor, but I should be able to fabricate a similar solution for much cheaper than actually purchasing one. On the other hand, maybe I'll find a used one on EBay.
You might also want to check out a light stand with a boom arm, but I'm guessing a background rig with two stands and a crosspiece may be cheaper and more stable. My wife is a photographer, and I used to be (I have a B.S. in photography). I know used equipment should be pretty affordable.
One word of caution, be sure to build in a safety mechanism. Background and light stands have a way of getting knocked over! Weights on the legs of the stands usually do the trick. They can be as simple as sandbags. Of course weights reduce the transportability of the solution.
Thanks Steel_Wind! I will apply this technique and post my results here.
I just ran a quick test and these worked great! The only issue I encountered was when I zoomed in with the toolset, the rendering for the black panes was a bit off. From a zoomed out perspective, it appeared everything was hidden, but, when I zoomed in, and the panes were were redrawn, there were gaps between some the panes that allowed the underlying textures to appear. But this is only a minor glitch in an otherwise plausable solution.
There was a project called Audiopad. It had diagrams projected onto a tabletop. As the user moved plastic tiles, the computer somehow saw them, and changed the music.
Imagine if the computer could somehow see the miniatures on the table. It would know each characters's weapons and spells. It could then do useful utility work, like figuring ranges, calcuating combat, that sort of thing.
We get about a 40' wide (200 game ft.) projection on the table. Since my projection surface is in the middle of a larger dry-erase surface, I just move any satellite combat participants off the projected area and write a note next to their mini of how many feet they are from the edge of the projected battle map. It's a pretty rare occurrence for us, but we do a lot of dungeon crawls.
In response to the original question, that sounds about right Jans and it's what we do too.
A larger image would be nice. I would appreciate a crisp and clean 48"+ diagonal view. But in order to do this, you need:
1 - a wide angle lens
2 - an XGA projector running at 1280x1024 native mode
3 - Excellent 2000:1 or better contrast
4 - Extremely bright ANSI lumens output (2200+)
5 - Projector model with enough capability to do all of this in a very limited throw range.
Generally speaking, those specs call for a mid-range projector price, or certainly at the "upper end" of the low range ($1600-2000). Like anything else, technology marches ahead and the capabilities grow. In 12 months such system specs may be de rigeur.
One of the posters in this thread indicated he had orderd a projector with a wide angle lens capable of 50"+ in about 5' foot throw and his posts seemed to reflect that maximum image size was of significant importance to him. My concern was that the contrast on the unit was too low for this but it may be that it will turn out okay. I look forward to his pics showing us what's possible in a limited throw range with his projector.
While a 38"-42" diagonal may seem small, for most purposes this is more than adequate for the vast majority of what you will use the map for at the table. As well, remember that the map image easily scrolls so as the battle moves - you just move the figures a little. Your map is bigger than your projected image size - just not all at once It gets quite intuitive and we have found no problems with such an approach.
And yes, sometimes the bad guys are notionally off the map table entirely and we imagine them "near Mark's knee" or whatever. Overall, the limitations of the set-up are far exceeded by its qualities-in-use.
__________________ .Robert
Last edited by Steel_Wind; 17th March 2005 at 02:50 AM..
Steel Wind - could you eyeball the projector I linked to earlier - I think it was the last part of the previous page - and tell me what your professional opinion is?
Steel Wind - could you eyeball the projector I linked to earlier - I think it was the last part of the previous page - and tell me what your professional opinion is?
I responded last night to that one already. It's on page 6 - you just must have missed it.
__________________ .Robert
Last edited by Steel_Wind; 17th March 2005 at 02:48 AM..
Whoops, thank you kindly Steel Wind. Yeah, seeing as how I will probably be taking the projector over to a buddy's house now & then, I may just go with the PB2220. Then again, that econo mode bulb life might make it worth toting around the extra poundage. Guess I'll just hafta roll some percentile hehehe
Has anyone experimented with hanging a mirror from the ceiling, and bouncing the projector off of that? You could leave the projector sitting on the table, or wherever your laptop is positioned. Makes it much easier to set up and tear down. Plus you wouldn't have so much trouble with throw distance, allowing you to pick a projector with better resolution, light output, or contrast.
The only drawback is that you need a reasonabel size mirror on the ceiling. Let's say you want a 3'x4' projection... you would need a 1.4'x2' mirror on the ceiling for that. Should be a lot lighter than the projector itself, but better make sure it's well secured. I'd rather have a 10 lb projector crash down onto the middle of the table, than a 1lb piece of sheet glass...
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Questions? Check the SRD, the online d20/D&D rules,
the Official D&D Game Rule FAQ, and Official D&D Errata.
Although a set up like this is more than likely years down the road for me, I was wondering if there would be some way to project the lines you use for miniatures with the picture projected instead of prejecting onto a battlemat or similar? Thanks.
But - in general - you don't want to when you are projecting battlemaps. The beauty of the projector is that the image zooms /scales digitally. This is very handy for a number of reasons depending on your image.
At the same time, in terms of battlemap use, 1" = 5'. That does not change when using standard 3/3.5e miniatures rules. There is, therefore, a great utility in having the image scale independent of the grid.
Photoshop has a grid that does not resize with the image. You can also set it up with subdivisions. So, for instance, heavy lines every two inches (10') and lighter ones every inch (5').
I just ran a quick test and these worked great! The only issue I encountered was when I zoomed in with the toolset, the rendering for the black panes was a bit off. From a zoomed out perspective, it appeared everything was hidden, but, when I zoomed in, and the panes were were redrawn, there were gaps between some the panes that allowed the underlying textures to appear. But this is only a minor glitch in an otherwise plausable solution.
Thanks again Steel_Wind!
Yeah. Imprecise alignment of "tile" edges - though in this case the tile is, in fact, a placeable.
These are called "sparklies" in NWN tileset modeling terms. You have NO IDEA how much debugging we do for sparkles when modeling tiles.
But - good news. We have a fix for this. You can automate the whole placeable creation thing via script in the exact centre of the tile.
One of the guys on the team says he can whip up the necessary script. Give me a bit and you should be able to make this bug proof *and* automated.
I know I already posted on this topic once about the set up, but I just wanted to say that this topic has re-awakened the geek in me. I haven't gamed in years and have barely scanned a gaming book as well. Saw this on slashdot, checked it out, and immediately the old gamer in me was back to life. Just wanted to say thanks.
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