Battlegrounds: RPG Edition (virtual tabletop software) - Page 3

heruca · 4th October 2007, 09:55 PM

The BRPG v1.0.9 beta has just been released. This version adds Dice Macros, new dice mechanics to support more RPG systems (e.g., Savage Worlds, Rolemaster, Shadowrun, Hero System, Hackmaster, etc.), a screenshot feature, snap-to-grid on a hexgrid, and more.

Read all about it here(<--click).

And as a follow-up to my last post, both of the free sample adventures have been updated to work with v1.0.8a (which is now the current official release version).

heruca · 8th October 2007, 03:34 PM

I've now uploaded a tutorial video, in both Small and Large versions. It's available at the above link.

heruca · 19th October 2007, 10:36 AM

Just wanted to let you all know that Battlegrounds: RPG Edition is free for anyone to use for the next two weeks.

See this post for details:
http://battlegroundsgames.com/forums...pic.php?t=1419

heruca · 19th November 2007, 02:53 AM

The free promo is now over. It actually ended up lasting over 3 weeks.

Hopefully some people got a chance to play around with the fully-unlocked software during that time.

heruca · 19th November 2007, 02:54 AM

The BRPG v1.1 beta has just been released. This version adds drawing tools, dynamically-created text labels, a range-measuring feature, and automatic updating of Encounter and Deployment files that were created in older versions of BRPG.

Read all about it here

heruca · 27th November 2007, 05:48 AM

v1.1a has now been released, too. It adds more options for the drawing tools, adds an Undo/Redo feature, allows for numbered square grids (good for play-by-post games), and more.

Read all about this update here.

heruca · 15th January 2008, 03:43 PM

Until January 25th, 2008, Battlegrounds: RPG Edition is free for everyone to try. The free Demo's 45 minute timeout period and other restrictions have been temporarily lifted. Essentially, anyone with the free Demo or a Player Client gets temporarily upgraded to a full GM Client. An internet connection is necessary to obtain this temporary license upgrade.

I hope a lot of people take advantage of this opportunity to aquaint themselves with the software.

LrdApoc · 16th January 2008, 01:10 AM

I am a long time enworld reader and I was wondering if you might be interested in talking with me a bit more about your software. I am a game journalist - I write for a few websites but I recently launched "The Analog Gamer" as a weekly column for news.filefront.com.

I am working on a piece regarding the virtual tabletop gaming space and would like to review Battlegrounds as one option to recommend to readers looking to game on the web. I also found the links from your site especially helpful and wanted to say thanks.

I've downloaded the software (since you put it on free demo the next few days) and will be testing it out a bit to see how the experience translates.

Shawn Sines
Game Reviewer/Gaming Today
Co-host, GameOn! and File-n-Forget podcasts

azhrei_fje · 16th January 2008, 02:59 AM

And LrdApoc, what other software packages do you plan to write reviews/articles for?

I'm just wondering if my favorite tool is already on your list or if I should be evangelizing for it.

LrdApoc · 16th January 2008, 09:37 PM

Don't want to hijack Heruca's thread, but I'm open for suggestions if you have them. I'm trying to be fair as the article will also cover D&DI once it is released. Though it will likely run before WotC has that service up and running (in the next month or so).

heruca · 25th January 2008, 05:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LrdApoc

I am a long time enworld reader and I was wondering if you might be interested in talking with me a bit more about your software. I am a game journalist - I write for a few websites but I recently launched "The Analog Gamer" as a weekly column for news.filefront.com.

I am working on a piece regarding the virtual tabletop gaming space and would like to review Battlegrounds as one option to recommend to readers looking to game on the web. I also found the links from your site especially helpful and wanted to say thanks.

I've downloaded the software (since you put it on free demo the next few days) and will be testing it out a bit to see how the experience translates.

Shawn Sines
Game Reviewer/Gaming Today
Co-host, GameOn! and File-n-Forget podcasts

Hi Shawn,

Sorry for the late reply, but I've been away on travel.

I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have about the Battlegrounds software, either on the BRPG forums or via email. You can email me at this address: admin at battlegroundsgames dot com.

In the meantime, I'd just like to clarify for everyone that there is always a free Demo version of Battlegrounds available for download, not just when I'm running one of the "Free Use" promos like the one I mentioned above.

LrdApoc · 25th January 2008, 08:13 PM

Thanks for the response Heruca, I'll be sending you mail shortly.

heruca · 28th February 2008, 05:14 AM

BRPG v1.2 is now available for download. This version adds card deck support (including custom card decks) and fixes some bugs. Also included is a new batch of Devinnight's wonderful hand-drawn top-down figure tokens (26 figures in all).

You can download v1.2 and read more about it here.

heruca · 31st March 2008, 01:34 AM

Fair warning: The current Sale on all Battlegrounds software ends tonight (at midnight, EST), as does the current Free Use promo.

Ashrem Bayle · 10th April 2008, 12:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by heruca

The Player Client and the GM Client can both display the map full screen. If you have two laptops networked together with an ethernet cable (or wireless), one for the GM and one for the players (hooked up to a projector), you'll have some sweet capabilities at your disposal in a face-to-face game session. What won't be possible in this initial release is to output both the GM and the Player's views from a single laptop/desktop.

Has this been fixed yet?

heruca · 10th April 2008, 02:26 AM

Hi Ashrem Bayle.

It is currently possible (and has been for quite some time) to run both a GM Client and a Player Client on the same computer at the same time. As long as you've got at least two video outputs, you'll be able to drive both the GM and the Player views from a single computer. However, since you will be running two instances of the program, you will be using twice the RAM (not ideal), so this setup is only recommended on systems with a decent amount of memory.

I am still hoping to be able to someday have both views be generated from a single instance of the program, but this has not proven to be possible, as it would involve a major rewrite of the rendering engine. Therefore, I have put this potential feature on the back burner, in the hopes that it will be possible in Battlegrounds v2.

Ashrem Bayle · 10th April 2008, 03:19 PM

Thanks for the reply. I should be able to get by running to instances.

I do have a suggestion however:

The demo times out at 45 min right? I understand why, but I'm not sure it's long enough. For me to test your program sufficiently, I need to run a game session with it. Game sessions usually last about four hours.

Now, I can see why you wouldn't want to stretch the demo to four hours, but might I suggest a different approach?

Instead of a 45 min cap, what do you think about changing to something like 8-10 hours total. So you could use it for 8-10 one hour sessions, or one eight hour sessions or whatever. After you've accumulated 8 hours (or whatever) of use, it takes you to your website instead of launching the program.

This is enough time to test it properly, but not enough to negate the need to purchase a license.

Just a thought.

For myself, I'm very tempted to purchase a license, but hesitant to do so without seeing it play out in game.

Also, can I do two instances running on the same computer with one license?

heruca · 11th April 2008, 05:14 AM

No, you can't run two instances on the same computer with one license, because the program automatically boots any client connecting with a license key that is already in use.

You can run a licensed GM Client and the free Demo at the same time on the same computer, but the Demo will still time-out after 45 minutes.

Unfortunately, the 8-10 hour trial period you suggest would entail messing around with registry files, which I am loathe to do for a number of reasons (otherwise, people would simply re-install the Demo every time it expired, and never have to pay for the program).

I think running a couple of 45-minute sessions should be more than enough to try out the various features of the program and be able to assess if your group would like the software or not.

heruca · 22nd April 2008, 10:49 PM

The BRPG v1.2a beta has just been released. This version adds high-resolution interface graphics, on-demand loading of external media bundles, customizable vision types, an optional on-screen button interface, and some Fog of War enhancements, including the addition of beam-style light sources (e.g., flashlights). It also fixes a number of bugs.

Download v1.2a and read more about it here (<--click).

heruca · 14th May 2008, 04:44 AM

This "maintenance" release fixes a number of bugs that were reported or discovered since v1.2c was released. It is available in two formats: Patch, and Full Install.

Download v1.2d and read more about it here (<--click).

This should be the last release in the v1.2 series.

Next up (in a month or two), v1.3.