D&D 4E Nintendo DS homebrew 4e game aids.

[Sphyre]

There's a bunch of programs people have made, from auto-calculating character sheets to simulated dice rollers to monster creation and initiative trackers.

I came up with this idea a few weeks ago, yet, it's been about 9 years since I last programmed anything; leaving me with barely anything to remember. I still haven't decided whether I want to brush up on my programming and try to make it myself or let it be an idea that stays in my head.

Before I let it die, or make the project an exorbitant amount of time, I was going to see if anyone was interested in helping me with this project. Basically, if there is a programmer who is familiar (or willing to get familiar) with the Nintendo DS who likes the idea of what I'm proposing, it might be a project that could be done much faster than if I tried it on my own.

The Idea: Create an NDS character sheet. By using the NDS one can take advantage of multiple things it has to offer. The double screen. The touch screen. The quick note taking without the use of paper. The very small size (say goodbye laptop, especially for those of you like me who has a 17" widescreen laptop that it's battery died a while ago, so it only can be used plugged in).

I don't expect anyone to want to jump on this, but I figured a shot in the dark was better than nothing at all. If you're interested in helping programming it, please contact me via email (sphyre_san atyahoo. com ) or AIM (Sphyre Kun).

An aside, if anyone else knows of any NDS homebrew that would be useful at the 4e table, feel free to post it here too, as it could become a useful resource.

 

[TheNinjaD]

I support this idea.

 

[Pfhoenix]

I'd support porting my Character Sheet to the DS if I had a DS and a devkit, and I wasn't faced with completely recreating a UI for a memory limited system.

 

[Sphyre]

I'd support porting my Character Sheet to the DS if I had a DS and a devkit, and I wasn't faced with completely recreating a UI for a memory limited system.

What kind of character sheet do you have that the DS couldn't handle? It handles 3d (on one screen at a time without a problem, to do both is harder as it has two processors, one more powerful than the other, each dedicated to a screen) and I think it was upto 64 sprites on the screen at a time. It has two screens at 256x192 resolution. I think the harder time would be having to remake the UI for two screens instead of one, in the first place, not the limitations on the hardware.

 

[Pfhoenix]

In my signature, you'll find the link to my Character Sheet (and DM tools).

64 sprites is nothing. While real-time rendering performance isn't necessary for a character sheet, readability at certain resolutions of text size is a major consideration. 256x192 is a pitifully small amount of screen space as it is, and when you have a window with over 500 controls on one page, suddenly rendering just a handful of textboxes that need to be readable becomes non-trivial.

Now, I'm not saying it can't be done - with a lot of time and effort, you could rework a character sheet layout that did what you needed, but you definitely wouldn't have the full convenience that the computer version allows. Using either screen isn't a technical hurdle at all (I'm sure the API is set such that you can create your render surface on either screen at will).

 

[shinobi_guyver]

I could see this working.

The touch screen could handle input, perhaps via drop down boxes, while the top screen only displays what has already been entered.

The directional buttons can scroll the sheet as necessary, while the letter keys can simply approve/deny actions. The L and R shoulder buttons can change pages.

For the pages, it could be:

1) Character attributes, Race/Class/Paragon Path/Epic Destiny
2) List Racial/Class/Path/Destiny features and Abilities
3) Feats, perhaps with descriptions/summaries
4) Skills
5) Equipment
6) Powers (Spells/Prayers/Exploits) (this could be multiple pages as needed)

 

[Sphyre]

For the pages, it could be:

1) Character attributes, Race/Class/Paragon Path/Epic Destiny
2) List Racial/Class/Path/Destiny features and Abilities
3) Feats, perhaps with descriptions/summaries
4) Skills
5) Equipment
6) Powers (Spells/Prayers/Exploits) (this could be multiple pages as needed)

The concept I had would have had 5 tabs, minus your 2nd tab. The real treasure would be in the powers tab, which allows drag and drop usage on the lower screen, while the upper screen details the specifics of the ritual.

***

Pfhoenix,

64 sprites is a lot for such a small resolution. Assuming it's per screen that comes out to 64 4x4 pixel sprites. Assuming it's total for the two screens, it's 64 8x8 pixel sprites. That's a pretty populated screen.

As for 500 controls, that's just tailoring to the screen. Obviously with two 256x192 screens, you won't be able to display a dictionary of information, but the nice this is, that with the proper interface it can show more userfriendly information than many screens due to the touch screen interface along with two screens. In this instance the top screen tailored to the pertinent information, while the bottom screen is the selection of said information. Power selection would be on the bottom while the full details would be viewed on the top. It's not like reading a whole book, it's about selecting the information you're looking for on the fly.

Yes, I agree it would require a major overhaul from a PC program to the DS, but given it's limits it has a lot of capability.

 

[Pfhoenix]

I'd support porting my Character Sheet to the DS if I had a DS and a devkit, and I wasn't faced with completely recreating a UI for a memory limited system.

Quoted for pertinence.

 

[SSquirrel]

You could do something like Brain Age does for sudoku, tap the box and the box blows up bigger. I think it would be readable w/no real problem and the top screen could house the more frequently needed information.

 

[Creeper]

I'd love to get my hands on something like this, but I have 0 programming knowledge.