D&D General Next Generation VTT

[Shiroiken]

What about Tabletop Simulator? Seems to check all the boxes. It even has a VR mode that would have me consider shelving my plastic/metal miniatures for good if I could get others to buy in.

This is what I figured would be closest to what the OP wants. Could be done in workshop with scripting, but the amount of work required would be hideous. Of course once someone did it, everyone else could enjoy their hard work...

 

[Umbran]

If you can't envision how the actual dungeon design process could be pretty quick...admittedly maybe with an initial steep learning curve...don't worry about it. There are lots of people who have trouble envisioning something new and better. You have good company.

Mod Note:

Dude, the condescension and dismissive approach doesn't make you terribly persuasive. It gets you reported, then someone has to come in here with red text, which probably doesn't make you happy. So, you know, maybe dial it back a notch, and everyone will be happier, hm? Thanks.

 

[Dausuul]

Intuitiveness, ease of use, and reliability. I don't want it to take hours to whip up an encounter on the fly. I want it to take minutes, and not many of them. Does it take longer than sketching out a map with a wet erase markers on my vinyl battlemat? If so, not interested.

On the other hand, if it looks like a map sketched with wet erase markers on a vinyl battlemat... that's just fine. I'll take fancy graphics if they're on offer, but they are by no means necessary.

Roll20 is okay once you get the hang of it, but the hang-getting takes a while.

 

[Raith5]

I am not interested in 3D stuff but I agree that Roll20 and FG are a bit primitive. With regards to Roll20 I think it is gets most of things right but I would really like to see initiative tracker that works properly and a character sheet that works better (more along the lines of D&D Beyond).

 

[Nilbog]

I think for me the differential has to be between VTT and video game, I lived NWN 2 and would love a current gen version of it, however it's a video game and not what I'd want in a VTT.

I like to use a VTT to enhance the imagination and fill in some finer details, not the other way around where the imagination fills in the finer details of a VTT.

Having said all that I think there is definitely room for improvement on the current offerings and some great suggestions on this thread.

So for me:
A) ease of use, this means more modular maps and better ruleset integration
B) cross device support, make it run equally well on iOS, Android and Windows, even better if it's browser based
C) integrated lighting on objects - if I add a column to the map I'd love it to have all the lighting parameters built in, rather than me having to add them.
D) dynamic lighting and environmental effects- if I describe that a storm rolls in, id like to be able to reflect this on the VTT
E) scalability - mentioned previously, let me be able to zoom out for exploration mode and in for combat
F) open API - let the community be able to tweak it

 

[DarrenShard]

I think for me the differential has to be between VTT and video game, I lived NWN 2 and would love a current gen version of it, however it's a video game and not what I'd want in a VTT.

I like to use a VTT to enhance the imagination and fill in some finer details, not the other way around where the imagination fills in the finer details of a VTT.

Having said all that I think there is definitely room for improvement on the current offerings and some great suggestions on this thread.

So for me:
A) ease of use, this means more modular maps and better ruleset integration
B) cross device support, make it run equally well on iOS, Android and Windows, even better if it's browser based
C) integrated lighting on objects - if I add a column to the map I'd love it to have all the lighting parameters built in, rather than me having to add them.
D) dynamic lighting and environmental effects- if I describe that a storm rolls in, id like to be able to reflect this on the VTT
E) scalability - mentioned previously, let me be able to zoom out for exploration mode and in for combat
F) open API - let the community be able to tweak it

It sounds like you are similarly frustrated with existing tools. I have been playing D&D for too many years to admit to, and being in the software industry was equally frustrated with the state of existing tools. My equally long time friend and I, were frustrated and did start building our own tool.

We made it far enough along that we decided to make it into a product. If you want to try something different than Roll20 or Fantasy Grounds then check out Shard Tabletop at Shard Tabletop. We would love to hear what you think.

 

[Guest 6801328]

you clearly have never done anything like this.

Done anything like what? Write a VTT? No.

Open up the hood and write my own code? For 35 years, in dozens of languages. Classifier systems? Check. Neural nets? Check. Adaptive algorithms? Check. Genetic programming? Check.

And you?

 

[Guest 6801328]

I like to use a VTT to enhance the imagination and fill in some finer details, not the other way around where the imagination fills in the finer details of a VTT.

Similar to what somebody else said up-thread. And I both agree with the sentiment, and am still drawn to the technology.

 

[FlyingChihuahua]

Done anything like what? Write a VTT? No.

Open up the hood and write my own code? For 35 years, in dozens of languages. Classifier systems? Check. Neural nets? Check. Adaptive algorithms? Check. Genetic programming? Check.

And you?

Well then clearly you can just write it yourself, right?

 

[Oofta]

Well then clearly you can just write it yourself, right?

Hey now. If roughly 1% of people who would use a VTT could do all that coding and have the time and desire to do it then obviously it would be a blockbuster.

Don't get me wrong - it might be interesting if Larian releases a DM mode for Baldur's Gate 3 in a year or two. Some games release level editors. Might even be fun. But you're going to be using their assets, probably their version of the rules that they modified to work in a video game.

That's just not what I think of when I think VTT.