Microsoft Surface used for D&D
- Thread starter darjr
- Start date
amysrevenge
First Post
I have no problem imagining an admixture of traditional RPG implements (books, paper, dice, miniatures, battle grids) and technological aids (e-books, CB, dice rolling software, and alternate creature and environment visualization schemes) being able to help rather than hinder the roleplaying game experience.
Automating the displays does not necessarily have to lead to automating the game itself (and even if it eventually did, this would not necessarily have to be a Bad Thing - I do not consider current limitations in computer AI to be permanent limitations).
Maybe it's the imaginative SF fan in me, but I can easily imagine a near-future RPG with a computer DM working marvellously, and yet maintaining much of the experience of traditional RPG play. Current MMO gaming does NOT capture this feel (not does it pretend that this is even a goal), but it would be blind and/or shortsighted to assume that this will always be true.
Automating the displays does not necessarily have to lead to automating the game itself (and even if it eventually did, this would not necessarily have to be a Bad Thing - I do not consider current limitations in computer AI to be permanent limitations).
Maybe it's the imaginative SF fan in me, but I can easily imagine a near-future RPG with a computer DM working marvellously, and yet maintaining much of the experience of traditional RPG play. Current MMO gaming does NOT capture this feel (not does it pretend that this is even a goal), but it would be blind and/or shortsighted to assume that this will always be true.
darjr
I crit!
And then slashdot goes and posts about Sony's 360 degree 3D tabletop display
Pretty dang cool!
TarionzCousin
Second Most Angelic Devil Ever
That dire wolf should have taken an Attack of Opportunity from the nearest figure when it moved. 
Er, I mean, "Very cool!"
Er, I mean, "Very cool!"
Plane Sailing
Astral Admin - Mwahahaha!
I love the Surface technology, but I don't love that application. It seems to me to be a particularly poor use of it though - looking like a horizontal version of a poor RPG for the most part!
I'd like to see something that knocked my socks off, but that isn't it. Something with multi-touch goodness and the kind of design used in other Surface applications.
Cheers
I'd like to see something that knocked my socks off, but that isn't it. Something with multi-touch goodness and the kind of design used in other Surface applications.
Cheers
DaveMage
Slumbering in Tsar
I think they are trying to do too much with it.
Having it be a mapper and provide the battlemat grid (with terrain) based on a pre-loaded adventure would be enough.
The dice roller is way too slow.
The interface is way too slow.
Combat is slow enough - the last thing it needs is technology that slows it down even more.
Having it be a mapper and provide the battlemat grid (with terrain) based on a pre-loaded adventure would be enough.
The dice roller is way too slow.
The interface is way too slow.
Combat is slow enough - the last thing it needs is technology that slows it down even more.
Steel_Wind
Legend
Somehow, I doubt that anybody would be blase about this if it was sitting on their kitchen table.
As with all things, cost is the issue. I expect we are five years or so from this being within reasonable financial reach of dedicated gamers. ("Reasonable", like "risk" is a higly subjective term)
Projectors are already ridiculously cheap and many here have tried their hand with them. Large flat screens? Getting cheaper again. Touchscreens might be harder to bring the price down to less lofty reaches, but there are all sort of moiton capture cheats that replicate touch technology - without the cost of it, too.
Not sure this precise implementation is a keeper - but for a proof of concept? Very cool.
We're getting closer and closer to the 3D touch table imagined in 80s era X-Men comics for general D&D use. The one question left is whether there will be any kids inclined to even want to bother to try it - or if they will have moved on as well.
Jury's still out on that one - but it ain't looking too good right now.
As with all things, cost is the issue. I expect we are five years or so from this being within reasonable financial reach of dedicated gamers. ("Reasonable", like "risk" is a higly subjective term)
Projectors are already ridiculously cheap and many here have tried their hand with them. Large flat screens? Getting cheaper again. Touchscreens might be harder to bring the price down to less lofty reaches, but there are all sort of moiton capture cheats that replicate touch technology - without the cost of it, too.
Not sure this precise implementation is a keeper - but for a proof of concept? Very cool.
We're getting closer and closer to the 3D touch table imagined in 80s era X-Men comics for general D&D use. The one question left is whether there will be any kids inclined to even want to bother to try it - or if they will have moved on as well.
Jury's still out on that one - but it ain't looking too good right now.
wayne62682
First Post
I would not mind something like that just for the maps/setup, and not so much the powers and tight coupling to the game rules. Sort of like MapTools on steroids.
Did not watch the video, but simply behaving as a dynamic map-style tool would be excellent. The DM could then focus on the storytelling and detailed description elements, rather than needing to run a checklist of combat relevant terrain(possibly), or at least track the PC's travelling outside of combat. I could see that alone being useful, adding more things at the moment might be a strain on most systems, especially when rolling dice is so darn simple for us anyway(except maybe the math on that 20d6 fireball or the like...)
Similar Threads
