Coolest. Gaming Set-up. Evar.

Krypter said:

No need to be rude, Patryn. I already know about that project. Notice that it isn't finished yet, and that it only deals with Sigil, not the entirety of the planes? Nothing about Pandemonium or Mechanus there. It still doesn't address my problem of how would you present the wonders of the planes outside of a generic tileset, or where you would get miniatures of exotic planar creatures. Some may exist, some may not. That by itself limits your options, whereas your imagination is limitless.

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I have to voice my incredulity. I really don't think you are being fair here. Sure, any thing in the physical world will have bounds that your imagination can surpass. However, I can't help but feel that Steel_wind deserves a standing ovation. I can imagine a bridge over lava: stone obsidian with carefully crafted tiles that are worn from heat and traffic, with an underside that looks like glass because of the polishing effects of the heat. Square columns rise on either end of the bridge and the lava is a mixture of orange, red and black with pustules of sulfer rising in geyser like spouts, blah blah blah.

Which is cooler? That description with the visual aid, or without it? Certainly the projector set up only adds to the flavor.

Trying to figure out how big an image I could get by projecting the image from the floor below the table (home-made 1/2" plywood 4'x8') through frosted glass (no shadows on the map, can mark on the glass.

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Why not just buy a LCD screen tv and lay it on its back?

I've been mulling over doing something like this for a while, but usually decide the price isn't worth it. I hadn't checked on DLP prices in a while, and now they are looking much more affordable... Perhaps I'd better rethink my stance

That's a pretty cool idea!

I always play D&D with miniatures.

And, I'd also love to be able to use a projector (or just a giant computer screen with Powerpoint, or something like that). It would be really cool to be able to say "you're walking through the forest" and project this big image of some green forest scanned outta NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC or something. (Occasionally I show players pictures from books, etc., but it'd be nice to be able to blow them up on a big screen.) I also like using music and so forth.

But... personally, I'm not very excited by the idea of projecting giant "DunDjinni" and "Neverwinter Nights"-style maps on the miniatures board. Those fancy color maps are nice, yeah, but the only REALLY important thing with a map is, "Can you tell where everything is? Are the lines between the squares visible, or are they obscured by a bunch of color stuff?"

So, I love the idea of using technology to enhance a game, but IMHO, I'd rather just take 30 seconds and draw some lines on a BattleMat to show where the dungeon walls are, and THEN say "To the north is a rough-hewn passage with fungus and mushrooms growing out of the walls. To the east you see a wooden door with a rusty padlock chained to it."

But that's my personal bias. I've never been very excited about map-creating software. Maps are supposed to be functional first and pretty second. (And if I really want to, I can just draw something myself...)

Sorry, I just had to throw in a dissenting opinion. It's still an amazing idea though!

Jason

Will said:

First, me, I come at things as a writer... personally, I'd find that more of a distraction than a boon, though it certainly looks neat. But... armshadows. It looks neat until you actually have to move things around.
Much of what I describe in a game is more detailed than a visual map, and I'd rather enhance the imagination aspect than the 'game' aspect.

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That's kind of where I'm coming from too. I like the idea of using a projector or other visual aids for a game, this just isn't the first thing I'd choose to do with it. I'd rather show pictures of things the characters encounter.

Finally... 'NWN tools are available to anyone reading this'... you missed a clause. 'Who uses a PC rather than a Mac.' Not that I'm still bitter or anything.

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You said it! It's so cruel for us Mac users... (sob sob)

Jason

ptolemy18 said:

"Can you tell where everything is? Are the lines between the squares visible, or are they obscured by a bunch of color stuff?"

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This is really the time saver for me. My players demand to have a very accurate map. We have a great time with the table top tactics aspect of the game.

My players like to focus on problem solving, plot resolution, character design, and combat. I can certainly see how a projected map would be less useful for a game that focuses on character personality development and storytelling.

All of my maps are scanned from Dungeon magazine and all DM-only info is edited out. I'm kind of a Photoshop monkey, so it doesn't take me much time. Gridlines and terrain details are very visible.

You may have already answered this but, how do you get the scale right and how do you project a 1" grid using the NWN toolset?

In my group, we used the host's big screen TV (hooked up to his computer) to display the big dungeon map from RttToEE. We used a laser pointer to indicate stuff on the map, and the host used his wireless mouse to zoom in and out and move the map around for us.

Under Table Design

I worked on an under table projector system as a test project with a previous employer.

The major concern was the distance required between the projector and the surface. The solution was to mount the projector (a small one from BlackBox) directly underneath the table top, but offset to one side. It pointed downword at an angle towards an optical grade mirror (one where the silvering is on the front of the glass so that there was no refraction). The mirror could be smaller than expected as it was approximately 1/2 the distance so that the image was not full-sized. The throw distance for a 24" x 36" image was about 6' and could be achieved in this method. The keystone function of the projector was used to make the final image square on the surface. The surface was a sheet of plexiglass with a vellum sheet attached to catch the image.

FYI: You can get optical grade mirrors from inside old Projection TVs.

I hate to tell you...

...and it is a nice setup, it really is...

But my groups setup is a bit better, and is about to get an upgrade.

I will try to remember to post pictures and such here when we do (until then, wait in suspense!)

I like the projector from on top though, it is different.

- Kent -