Making your own power cards

Duniagdra said:

how goes your work on version 5? Will you be incorporating martial powers also?

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It is taking a while, isn't it?

My apologies for that.

Since it is taking so long, I'm most likely going to throw up the new website with the older version 4.3 set of mine.

I haven't dropped version 5. I've been extremely busy due to the Holidays and I've seen a lot of set designers taking my set data and basically relabeling it as their own. I wouldn't really mind that so much if it wasn't for the fact that no credit to me was given for entering in what amounts to a huge amount of data.

So, with a feeling that I'm not even getting a kiss before I'm screwed; I've been disinclined to release the set 5 data which now has over 5,000 cards just to see everyone else 'suddenly' have all the same data in their sets.

To answer your question; yes. The set 5 data has all of the latest Dragon articles, Martial Powers and even some new ENWorld stuff in it as well as the fact I've now included the artifacts. I'm currently playing with two new types of cards; Initiative cards which allow the DM to quickly keep track of who is where in the initiative queue and mini-character cards which allow players to print their character sheet onto a set of about 5 cards. I'm not sure if these will make the final cut or not, but currently they're promising.

This new set even has some (what I think are) new ideas on allowing customization:

* The headers now allow you to pick your own color, so you're not restricted to a fixed list
* I've simplified the customization process down (my old sets had 50+ options and it was hard to customize the card, the new set has a lot of the settings on 'auto' which will change automatically according to just a few settings at the top)
* There are now 50+ card background images as well as 10 user defined images - these background images look kind of like a sepia picture that sits behind the rules text.
* There are now 10 user defined icons so you can define your own icons if you don't like mine (or add new ones if a new set of rules come up)
* There are now 10 user defined header masks which allow you to customize the top of the card
* There are now 10 user defined card background images which allow you to customize the way the card looks
* There are no more strange funky keyboard shortcuts for icons, actions, etc. Everything is in a drop down (including the card colors)
* There is now an option called 'Edit Mode' which allows you to see, enter and edit the 'hidden text fields' that used to show up only in the list



-- Hirahito

Thindaraiel said:

[/LIST]I came to the same conclusion : there is no need to store both the card background and the colored header in the same image. The final card can be a layered combination of several smaller graphic elements, each one being less space consuming. My next version of the template will implement such a functionality.

With the appropriate splitting of code (I use include files), it is also very easy to add a new background or header : I just have to modify the menu which propose it, the script code which associates the name in the menu and a file name, and it's done !


I experimented another improvement that you may find useful for your own template, as it uses menu for action/range icons : colored action/range (or item for my template) icons for *every color*. The idea :
- the image displayed on the card is not the icon itself, but a 73x73 square image containing the color (depending on the card color field). There must be an image per color available in the template
- the image is displayed through a mask which has the shape of the range/action icon (the one selected by the menu).
=> no need to have a gren/red/black/whateverColor version of each icon, you only need one mask per icon and one color image per card color. Adding a new color is easy, as is adding a new icon.

Click to expand...

It's interesting to note that I'm using much the same technique for my new Version 5.

The backgrounds, background images, headers and icons all use masks and base images.

I didn't steal this idea from you Thin, but it seems like both of us were moved towards the same conclusions.

I got where I am by studying the MtG card sets that are included with MSE. Some of those templates are simply amazing at the level of complexity they are going to get their effects.

-- Hirahito

eloquentaction said:

It is taking a while, isn't it?

My apologies for that.

Since it is taking so long, I'm most likely going to throw up the new website with the older version 4.3 set of mine.

I haven't dropped version 5. I've been extremely busy due to the Holidays and I've seen a lot of set designers taking my set data and basically relabeling it as their own. I wouldn't really mind that so much if it wasn't for the fact that no credit to me was given for entering in what amounts to a huge amount of data.

So, with a feeling that I'm not even getting a kiss before I'm screwed; I've been disinclined to release the set 5 data which now has over 5,000 cards just to see everyone else 'suddenly' have all the same data in their sets.

To answer your question; yes. The set 5 data has all of the latest Dragon articles, Martial Powers and even some new ENWorld stuff in it as well as the fact I've now included the artifacts. I'm currently playing with two new types of cards; Initiative cards which allow the DM to quickly keep track of who is where in the initiative queue and mini-character cards which allow players to print their character sheet onto a set of about 5 cards. I'm not sure if these will make the final cut or not, but currently they're promising.

-- Hirahito

Click to expand...

Hey, no rush, but I am getting impatient.lol
I went through a lot of time reading through and keeping track of Ander's, Grandpa's, and your progress. As well as others who have added onto Ander's and Grandpa's work. It gets confusing at times, but I never got to see your work.

It saddens me to that your work has been pirated (no credit to the originator). I can only imagine the time and effort you all spend building these power card only to find someone else has taken you work to save themselves time and not give thanks. That's pretty low.

I'm in the midst of completing a 4 Ed pdf character sheet that does all the computing for you. I know how I'd feel if someone took it and said they made it. I was going to add into it a script to generate power cards right from the sheet, but I think instead I'll just pimp the three of you out giving links to each of you main tracking posts/websites. It's been a lot of work just getting the sheet to work how I want it; adding in a feature for power card too... Damn, if I have the time...

Very interesting, Thin. I'll have to see it so fully understand. Please know that I don't pretend to be a coder in any way. I have zero scripting or coding skills. I struggled (and do mean struggled) to teach myself the basic syntax and commands for my templates. I'm stumbling my way through it all.

Duniagdra said:

Hey, no rush, but I am getting impatient.lol
I went through a lot of time reading through and keeping track of Ander's, Grandpa's, and your progress. As well as others who have added onto Ander's and Grandpa's work. It gets confusing at times, but I never got to see your work.

It saddens me to that your work has been pirated (no credit to the originator). I can only imagine the time and effort you all spend building these power card only to find someone else has taken you work to save themselves time and not give thanks. That's pretty low.

I'm in the midst of completing a 4 Ed pdf character sheet that does all the computing for you. I know how I'd feel if someone took it and said they made it. I was going to add into it a script to generate power cards right from the sheet, but I think instead I'll just pimp the three of you out giving links to each of you main tracking posts/websites. It's been a lot of work just getting the sheet to work how I want it; adding in a feature for power card too... Damn, if I have the time...

Click to expand...

I always take the time to credit the people that added to the project in my header files. (Only the coders see them, but only coders really need to, don't they?) That's all it takes to make most people happy.

And... amazingly enough I have been toying with a .NET C# program that would take basic inputs from flat rule files and spit out a PDF character sheet as well as a set of power cards that are appropriate for your character (including customizing the math to match your stats).

I scrapped that idea in favor of a new one... take the output of the DnDI Character Builder and then spit out a new PDF sheet(s) based on your character. At the same time, customize and then print out a set of power cards that had all the correct math and text based on the feats your character had selected. (A dwarf's Second Wind power card, for example, would mention that it was not a standard action.) It's my thought that WoTC won't be pissed off at a project that requires their product instead of replacing it. PCGen replaced them for version 3.5E and WoTC went after them, basically making them jump through Mickey Mouse hoops.

That project is currently on hold until I get version 5 out the door, BUT... I would be much interested in collaborating with someone good at making PDF's for the output stage of this project. Interested?

-- Hirahito

eloquentaction said:

I always take the time to credit the people that added to the project in my header files. (Only the coders see them, but only coders really need to, don't they?) That's all it takes to make most people happy.

And... amazingly enough I have been toying with a .NET C# program that would take basic inputs from flat rule files and spit out a PDF character sheet as well as a set of power cards that are appropriate for your character (including customizing the math to match your stats).

I scrapped that idea in favor of a new one... take the output of the DnDI Character Builder and then spit out a new PDF sheet(s) based on your character. At the same time, customize and then print out a set of power cards that had all the correct math and text based on the feats your character had selected. (A dwarf's Second Wind power card, for example, would mention that it was not a standard action.) It's my thought that WoTC won't be pissed off at a project that requires their product instead of replacing it. PCGen replaced them for version 3.5E and WoTC went after them, basically making them jump through Mickey Mouse hoops.

That project is currently on hold until I get version 5 out the door, BUT... I would be much interested in collaborating with someone good at making PDF's for the output stage of this project. Interested?

-- Hirahito

Click to expand...

WOW!

Please don't get me wrong. When I said I'm making a character sheet, I'm mostly hacking my way through it. I'm not a pdf coder. I'm learning though and have some reference materials. I'm interested, but I just want to be sure you understand I'm far from a professional programmer. I do have the resource available for when I get stuck on something. I'm curious to know more in how you would implement this.

Duniagdra said:

WOW!

Please don't get me wrong. When I said I'm making a character sheet, I'm mostly hacking my way through it. I'm not a pdf coder. I'm learning though and have some reference materials. I'm interested, but I just want to be sure you understand I'm far from a professional programmer. I do have the resource available for when I get stuck on something. I'm curious to know more in how you would implement this.

Click to expand...

I'm a C# programmer. I have a few libraries that let me rip apart PDF's and reassemble them as I desire.

So, the plan would be to place tags inside the PDF like {STR:BASE}, {STR:BASEMOD}, {STR:FINAL}, {STR:FINALMOD} and so forth. My program would rip apart the PDF and replace these tags with their appropriate values and then print them out.

No PDF programming required.

As for the Power Cards, MSE added a new feature in version 3.7 that allows you to 'talk' to it in a command line type interface. So I would tell MSE to load the appropriate set, find a card, modify it's text, then Export it as an image into a directory (wash and repeat for each card). Once all the images were exported, I'd re-assemble them onto a PDF that matched the output format they selected and viola!

It's not rocket science, but I think it would be better than what's out there now.

-- Hirahito

eloquentaction said:

I'm a C# programmer. I have a few libraries that let me rip apart PDF's and reassemble them as I desire.

So, the plan would be to place tags inside the PDF like {STR:BASE}, {STR:BASEMOD}, {STR:FINAL}, {STR:FINALMOD} and so forth. My program would rip apart the PDF and replace these tags with their appropriate values and then print them out.

No PDF programming required.

As for the Power Cards, MSE added a new feature in version 3.7 that allows you to 'talk' to it in a command line type interface. So I would tell MSE to load the appropriate set, find a card, modify it's text, then Export it as an image into a directory (wash and repeat for each card). Once all the images were exported, I'd re-assemble them onto a PDF that matched the output format they selected and viola!

It's not rocket science, but I think it would be better than what's out there now.

-- Hirahito

Click to expand...

Sure I'm interested. It could be fun. Two people working to the same goal can get there twice as fast.

eloquentaction said:

It is taking a while, isn't it?

My apologies for that.

Since it is taking so long, I'm most likely going to throw up the new website with the older version 4.3 set of mine.


-- Hirahito

Click to expand...

Hirahito-
Don't worry. I would kiss you before screwing you, but I'm not a programmer, so it doesn't matter.

I am, however, a big fan of using MSE with your data (thankyouthankyouthankyou) and styles. While I'd love to see v.5, if it is going to be more than a few days, could you throw 4.3 back up? Pretty please?

Keep it up!

Zald

Zald said:

Hirahito-
Don't worry. I would kiss you before screwing you, but I'm not a programmer, so it doesn't matter.

I am, however, a big fan of using MSE with your data (thankyouthankyouthankyou) and styles. While I'd love to see v.5, if it is going to be more than a few days, could you throw 4.3 back up? Pretty please?

Keep it up!

Zald

Click to expand...

Sure thing. I'll try and get the new site up in the next few days.

-- Hirahito