My experience with digital is completely opposite of yours. I play in two groups, one traditional table top as a player. The other I DM with Fantasy Grounds (FG). Now there are some difference between how I DM and how the other guy does. But, other than who the DM is, it's the same set of players....
That said, in the past I have used digital maps on a television more so for display purposes than anything else. My issue that I've always had with the concept of going full digital has always been a couple things. First, I love the tactile feel of having the minatiatures, rolling, dice, etc. Even having the physical books to look through. Second, I've also found that relying heavily on electronic media tends to either slow the game down as I look up stuff, complicate things on the amount I must prepare or keep track of, or do nothing more than distract my players from the game itself.
We had this with one of our players, still do. But he's a teenager and we just poke at him from time to time to keep him focused.Perhaps I just have squirrelly players who can't stay focused, but as soon as the electronics come out in my games, they begin to find themselves focusing on other things than the game.
I've never used Maptools, but I know others who swear by it. I will say if I only wanted to display a map, FG would have overhead. But since it also tracks characters and manages combat, it is well worth the little overhead (as shown by how much quicker our combats are.A related musing, I frankly find it baffling that after so long we do not have any decent programs up to the full task of creating and displaying maps for such tables. We have a number of individual programs sure, but nothing self contained. Liscensing issues I suspect.
Another related musing, while I would love to upgrade to a digital table, but I find myself in a situation where the lack of verity in software is unhelpful. Frankly I hate maptools. I find the interface frustratingly unfriendly, and the program is both a resource hog and prone to a number of system glitches or other errors. And unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any adequate alternatives, especially when you consider the alternatives of just using the old playmat and markers. If I have to spend 15minutes fighting to load a map I can draw in 5minutes, it doesn't give me much incentive to use the program.
Please feel free to keep the maps coming, one can never have enough tools to implement. I sadly lack the space or funds required to "level up my games" in such a way. Sure, I could make a table myself for cheaper, but when you lack the funds to buy the tv, it's kind of a moot point.
That said, in the past I have used digital maps on a television more so for display purposes than anything else. My issue that I've always had with the concept of going full digital has always been a couple things. First, I love the tactile feel of having the minatiatures, rolling, dice, etc. Even having the physical books to look through. Second, I've also found that relying heavily on electronic media tends to either slow the game down as I look up stuff, complicate things on the amount I must prepare or keep track of, or do nothing more than distract my players from the game itself. Perhaps I just have squirrelly players who can't stay focused, but as soon as the electronics come out in my games, they begin to find themselves focusing on other things than the game.
A related musing, I frankly find it baffling that after so long we do not have any decent programs up to the full task of creating and displaying maps for such tables. We have a number of individual programs sure, but nothing self contained. Liscensing issues I suspect.
Another related musing, while I would love to upgrade to a digital table, but I find myself in a situation where the lack of verity in software is unhelpful. Frankly I hate maptools. I find the interface frustratingly unfriendly, and the program is both a resource hog and prone to a number of system glitches or other errors. And unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any adequate alternatives, especially when you consider the alternatives of just using the old playmat and markers. If I have to spend 15minutes fighting to load a map I can draw in 5minutes, it doesn't give me much incentive to use the program.
Please feel free to keep the maps coming, one can never have enough tools to implement. I sadly lack the space or funds required to "level up my games" in such a way. Sure, I could make a table myself for cheaper, but when you lack the funds to buy the tv, it's kind of a moot point.
That said, in the past I have used digital maps on a television more so for display purposes than anything else. My issue that I've always had with the concept of going full digital has always been a couple things. First, I love the tactile feel of having the minatiatures, rolling, dice, etc. Even having the physical books to look through. Second, I've also found that relying heavily on electronic media tends to either slow the game down as I look up stuff, complicate things on the amount I must prepare or keep track of, or do nothing more than distract my players from the game itself. Perhaps I just have squirrelly players who can't stay focused, but as soon as the electronics come out in my games, they begin to find themselves focusing on other things than the game.
Another related musing, while I would love to upgrade to a digital table, but I find myself in a situation where the lack of verity in software is unhelpful. Frankly I hate maptools. I find the interface frustratingly unfriendly, and the program is both a resource hog and prone to a number of system glitches or other errors. And unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any adequate alternatives, especially when you consider the alternatives of just using the old playmat and markers. If I have to spend 15minutes fighting to load a map I can draw in 5minutes, it doesn't give me much incentive to use the program.