Mapping with projector and fog-of-war

[JohnnFour]

Time for yet another mapper thread, sorry.

I'd like to beam a map onto the wall for the group to see and need software to do this. Here are my requirements:

* Installs onto a thumb drive

* Fog-of-war allows me to reveal the map as the PCs wander

* Only one display (the wall) is possible, so software that requires two monitors won't work, or that requires the DM to see a secret version and post the reveal won't work - the players will see it all, all the time

* Tokens I can move around on the map to represent PCs and their foes

Thanks for the help!

 

[Agamon]

Is it possible to have fog of war with only one display? How would the DM know what to uncover?

I usually use 2 displays, but if anyone has an answer for this, I'd like to hear it, too.

 

[JohnnFour]

I have the maps in paper form as well, so I'll know what to reveal next. I used to use Photoshop for this, but the location to be used requires me to bring what apps I need on a thumb drive.

 

[Redrobes]

You might like to check out ViewingDale which can do all that you request. There is a movie about the fog of war abilities on the (new !) website.

http://www.viewingdale.com
ViewingDale movies...

--update, sorry guys I just checked the link and its broken - brand new website etc, so here is the fog of war movie link
http://www.viewing.ltd.uk/viewingdale/movies/FogOfWar.avi
It will be fixed in a few hours when I get back to the web site PC to fix it...
-- end of update
-- update2, all fixed now --

You can install it to any location that has about 150+ Mb free. You can use it stand alone or via a network (2 monitors) the choice is yours and also there is some special features for projectors built in. The program uses variable sized font so you dont have to squint if its too small and its a zoom browser so you can zoom into areas where there is detail instead of players needing to get up close to see what it is.

Naturally you can create great maps with it and move all the character and monster icons when you play.

It has fog of war icons which black out sections of the map which you can uncover as you wish.

Its got oodles more but the website can tell you all about it. If you want to ask any questions then please ask or use the website forum.

Theres a free demo for it so try it out ! - and let us know how it goes...

I'll leave it to heruca to talk about his battle grounds rpg but that also had good fog of war ability too.

 

[azhrei_fje]

And you might consider http://rptools.net/ as well. It is undergoing tremendous development right now, and if it doesn't have a feature you want, speak up on the forums and the dev team works on getting them in there. Even to the point of putting bug fixes on high priority if someone states they have a game coming up and a particular bug is a show-stopper for them!

Given all that, the lead developer is a new daddy, so I expect his time will be at a bit of a premium in the future.

Since you only need one display, and you're not going to let the players move their own figs on the map, MapTool would work just fine. (Install the latest Java JRE from http://java.sun.com/ and then use the Web Start Development version to get all the latest goodies.

Oh, and it's free software (as in BEER and SPEECH).

 

[Steel_Wind]

Gee Johnn. You might try...oh....the NWN toolset - say?

Yes, The Toolset. (Not in game - the toolset)

Rick Burton did a custom script for me a year and half ago that spawns in black blocker planes as placeables over the entire toolset map.

You then delete the placeable as you go to reveal the tile underneath. As long as the camera does not dip below the height of the blocker plane - fog of war is perfect.

Using a projector - the scale problems *mostly* go away. The script itself is portable to NWN2 and the model is trivial to make. Given the lack of furnishing in the interior tiles for NWN 2 - it will work even better for that purpose. Plus, the scalability of all placeables in NWN2 makes correcting for Airplane Hangar syndrome much easier. I have the script package sitting around somewhere. Email me and I'll send it to you.

Tokens to move around? I think you might find some in the Toolset.

Tabletop Mapper works as well. Google it - or try the downloads section here on Enworld (thought the one stored here locally on Enworld is a little out of date). I can mail you a copy of the most recent Tmap if you can't find it.

You can thank me on Tuesday afternoon

 

[JohnnFour]

Thanks Robert. I plan on GMing the World's Largest Dungeon, so I'll be using map scans. For custom maps though - NWN is indeed sweet.

 

[schporto]

Gee Johnn. You might try...oh....the NWN toolset - say?

So I'm curious enough to possibly try this (i already have NWN). Are there any tutorials out there on how to run a p&p game using the NWN toolset as a ummm visual prop? It seems like it would be neat and would help me with some visualization issues possibly. (Can I see into the room from here?)

So as to not completely just hijack the thread...
I've used the Gimp (photoshop type program) in the past. I would create 3 layers, 1 has the main scanned map, 1 has secret doors hidden, the final has shades of blue blobs blocking the map. The blues are slightly different tones (about 10 different on the values) and visually are the same BUT the magic wand can tell the differece. Wand click, ctrl-X, and area is revealed. Unfortunately this can't run from a thumb drive (AFAIK), and player tokens would be difficult with it.
The problem with only one display is being sure of what you are revealing. I initially tried using Gimp with a top layer filled in black. I would then erase bits as I went. Well figureing out where that door was so as to not reveal the other side got a little tricky.
What ever method you go with test before you use it in a game. Make sure you know how to use it. I had issues at the last game with the rptools.net maptool (my fault entirely), and trying to hold up the game, in mid combat, while figureing out a software ment to make life easier, just sucked.
-cpd

 

[tennyson]

So I'm curious enough to possibly try this (i already have NWN). Are there any tutorials out there on how to run a p&p game using the NWN toolset as a ummm visual prop? It seems like it would be neat and would help me with some visualization issues possibly. (Can I see into the room from here?)

You took the words right out of my mouth. I have the toolset, but I would love to go through a tutorial and see what could be accomplished.