omokage said:I like RPM and the features it has. Speaking as a professional interface designer, however, I would have to agree that it's not necessarily the easiest to use or prettiest program.
QUOTE]
Thanks Omokage,
If there's anything you're interested in e-mailing me with, as a professional interface designer, you would be extemely welcomed!
What RPM tries to achieve, as a user interface is the following:
- Something that works well for a player playing their PC. This is for creation, maintenance and even in-game play.
- Something that DMs can use to create adventures and extend them - drawing on powerful PC generation capabilities, but also allow super quick generation of NPCs/monsters, with tweaking and particular aspect in no particular order.
- Something that allows DMs (in particular) to jump around in-game and react to any specific RPG need - recognizing that the tool needs to be an fast aide, rather than force you down a lengthy set of steps to get things done. For example, you don't need to follow some kind of multi-step action wizard of [roll, intiative, edit player initiatives, sequence through, perform individual actions as required] - just to do a spot/hide check.
- When it comes to actions and options, to realize that the tool could be configured for anything from fantasy to sci-fi - and somehow making interface adjust in the best way possible (for example, a hard-coded on-screen option for
Barbarian Rage" just isn't appropriate).
- Allow for either quick or detailed examination of game numbers as you progress.
- Allow quick jumping between many characters/creatures, with on the spot, examinations, lookups, quick actions, selection of options - just as happens around the gaming table with pen and paper.
--------------------------------------------------
If I were to say that a program exists that copes with your individual gaming style, not forcing a particular order, or limiting your options at various points - and that it was multi-campaign and multi-genre capable.... you might be skeptical.
With reagrd to interface design, RPM is reasoably unique in the number of different functions that it offers (readily - from any current state), usable in different settings, and by people in different roles (player, preparation DM, in-game player, in-game DM, campaign designer,...).
The user interface has undergone 3 major overhauls and tuning in its lifetime.
The reality is that those who come to it with a very specific preconcieved idea of what they're after, find that the user interface is not likely optimized for what they thought might be best.
Experience shows that those who've invested a little time to discover that they lead RPM (RPM doesn't lead them) - find that it is quick, useful and fulfills the dauting task of correct in-game play behaviour.
I've been through many discussions those who have tried hard to help with a better user interface. Occassionally we've had a big user interface revamp, but 90% of attempts just end up satisfying a particular goal, to the neglect of all the other important aspects.
I should imagine that, as a professional user interface designer, a program of RPM's capabilities in functionality and roles would be a great and interesting challenge!
If you can convince me of a better design, I'll hail you as the god of user interfaces
Cheers!
-
NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.
Laptop DM - What do I need?
- Thread starter Ostler
- Start date
noretoc
First Post
Well now, I think this speaks volumes more about RPM's creator then any post made by another. Thanks Luke.Luke said:I've noticed a few pro-DMgenie messages with negative RPM comments lately. They appear to be from very recently registered users making their first or second post.
On this thread:
Mafisto - Total of 4 posts (3 on this thread)
Slipshod - Total of 2 posts (both on this thread)
SpecialK - Total of 1 post (this thread)
Its as if non-members were browsing the ENboards and then suddenly joined up because of this interestinig thread, to relate difficult experiences of RPM, and why they like DMGenie.
Mafisto: "Not like I'm an official DMGenie spokesman or anything"
SpecialK: "Let me just start by saying that I'm not affiliated with any software/company. I'm just Joe user."
And the RPM horror stories from them: The worst I've ever heard
Its kind of unusual. Interesting...
In fact, its so spooky in its amazing co-incidences that its the funniest thing I've come across in quite a while
Last edited:
pensiv
Explorer
Luke, I do enjoy your product and have gotten a lot of good use out of it, don't get me wrong. I'd love to sit down and develop a use case for the product, but I really don't have the time. Though, be sure to know that once the time does come up, I'll contact you personally about what my ideas would be.
cheers.
cheers.
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dreaded_beast
First Post
This has been a very informative thread so far and has given me a few ideas of where to start. However, this is the big question for me:
Are there any Laptop aids that are "freeware"?
Are there any Laptop aids that are "freeware"?
drakhe
First Post
Whatever you decied to use, just remember...
Whatever you decide to choose, just remember :
As a DM, you will still need to invest time and effort to make any of these applications come through for you. You will need to prep just as before. And maybe even more then before as you have to make shure you typed every correctly. A program is only as good as the data you feed it! So yes they ALL speed up play! And no, they don't remove the need to prep! (having visions of tool X that does ALL in game calculations, has extensive campaign management, includes every feature of every currently existing peice of software AND has a library of campaign modules including all currently in print so prepping would just be an import away ;-) )
On a personal note, I bought etools, campaign suite, dmgenie, rpm, metacreator, fractal mapper and screenmonkey. At this time, I'm using etools as my official character sheet generator (specificaly because every one of my players has it) and dmgenie as in game tool. (the other tools I bought will receive due attention). First attention will go to screenmonkey as this will allow me to present my players with an interactive battle environment (the main feature I like is the dmscreen where a battle environment with fog-of-war may be displayed on a secundary monitor)
With regards to the tools I bougth, they all take time to get used to, they all have a learning curve (as does any piece of software, heck, anything new you buy will take time to get used to!)
What I find very weird (and this is a fenomenon I specificaly noticed concerning the whole mastertools/etools thing) is the number of people that complain about a piece of software (in the widest sence possible, not limited to the tools mentioned in this thread) because it doesn't do what they need it to do or does not contain all the features they think it should have. All software that is in one or other way mass-marketed (be it commercial, freeware, shareware, open license, or whatnot...) is per definition created to be usefull to a large number of people, hence specific/specialised/oddball features must needs make room for the most/more common features.
Whatever you decide to choose, just remember :
As a DM, you will still need to invest time and effort to make any of these applications come through for you. You will need to prep just as before. And maybe even more then before as you have to make shure you typed every correctly. A program is only as good as the data you feed it! So yes they ALL speed up play! And no, they don't remove the need to prep! (having visions of tool X that does ALL in game calculations, has extensive campaign management, includes every feature of every currently existing peice of software AND has a library of campaign modules including all currently in print so prepping would just be an import away ;-) )
On a personal note, I bought etools, campaign suite, dmgenie, rpm, metacreator, fractal mapper and screenmonkey. At this time, I'm using etools as my official character sheet generator (specificaly because every one of my players has it) and dmgenie as in game tool. (the other tools I bought will receive due attention). First attention will go to screenmonkey as this will allow me to present my players with an interactive battle environment (the main feature I like is the dmscreen where a battle environment with fog-of-war may be displayed on a secundary monitor)
With regards to the tools I bougth, they all take time to get used to, they all have a learning curve (as does any piece of software, heck, anything new you buy will take time to get used to!)
What I find very weird (and this is a fenomenon I specificaly noticed concerning the whole mastertools/etools thing) is the number of people that complain about a piece of software (in the widest sence possible, not limited to the tools mentioned in this thread) because it doesn't do what they need it to do or does not contain all the features they think it should have. All software that is in one or other way mass-marketed (be it commercial, freeware, shareware, open license, or whatnot...) is per definition created to be usefull to a large number of people, hence specific/specialised/oddball features must needs make room for the most/more common features.
GodPhoenix
First Post
mafisto said:
Good! Feel free to IM me if you have questions (but I may not know the answer). The feature that I referenced is called "link" where you can create links to other maps from the visible map. I don't know if it's explained in the tutorial, but it's in the help files. Oh, and the help files are fan-tastic. I thought it'd be a major pain to print to scale, but the help files made it super easy.
We actually play with a laptop running CC2 hooked up to a projector...and run combat on the wall. It's nice if the PCs want to fight someone in town...everythings already there and to-scale. I also have a bunch of 'generic' encounter maps ready (forest, road, lakeside, desert, graveyard, mountains, etc) just in case the PCs go somewhere I wasn't expecting.
Wonko the Sane
First Post
<slowly guiding the thread even more off-topic...>
My basement doesn't have a ceiling per se, so the projector is lashed to the roof beams and shines right down on the table
The only improvement would be to put the projector under the table made of some material that is a)opaque enough to catch the projection but b) clear enough to see through, and c) tough enough to deal with dropped cigarettes, spilled coke, etc. Does anyone know of such a material?
I use CC2 to make dungeon maps, with each room on it's own layer. I reveal each room as they come to it, complete with furnishings and cute little jpegs of the critters in the room (thanks WotC
).
God, I love gaming in the 21st century
My basement doesn't have a ceiling per se, so the projector is lashed to the roof beams and shines right down on the table
The only improvement would be to put the projector under the table made of some material that is a)opaque enough to catch the projection but b) clear enough to see through, and c) tough enough to deal with dropped cigarettes, spilled coke, etc. Does anyone know of such a material?
I use CC2 to make dungeon maps, with each room on it's own layer. I reveal each room as they come to it, complete with furnishings and cute little jpegs of the critters in the room (thanks WotC
).God, I love gaming in the 21st century
GodPhoenix
First Post
Wonko the Sane said:Does anyone know of such a material?
I use CC2 to make dungeon maps, with each room on it's own layer. I reveal each room as they come to it, complete with furnishings and cute little jpegs of the critters in the room (thanks WotC
God, I love gaming in the 21st century
Yeah, well...not an actual material...but you can take a large sheet of plexi-glass and spray on...I don't know what it's called...but you use it to faux-frost glass. Spray it on the bottom and project from the bottom. Then you can use overhead projector markers to scribble on the top, etc. Should work...AND it'll keep people from getting blinded.
We do the individual room reveals too. It rules.
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