RolePlayingMaster features (gone "Gold") - Update/DragonStar available
- Thread starter Luke
- Start date
Hi,DruidDM said:
I sent a fix to your e-mail address. I'm hoping for feature suggestions here, and prefer the thread not to get too cluttered with support issues.
I'm happy to continue any required support by e-mail (quickest), or you can use the RPM message board
------------ Later Edit -------------
For anyone else that may have an enraged barbarian that needs some calming down:
You simply set "Enraged" on, and "Update", then "Enraged" off, and "Update".
Regards,
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Progress on requested features
To put you in the picture, I have recieved e-mails with a number of good suggestions for the next update (even a couple a big word documents!).
There have been some very good suggestions which I've dived right into coding up, and looking at the results, I can appreciate how much more usable things are with some easily made changes. Keep 'em coming. Here are some key items I have so far...
Character/creature generation
- A fair bit of work with templates, and in particular with defenses (such as resistances, immunities, and spell/damage resistance). These defenses are, of course, particularly relevant when adding templates to standard races. The statblock has changed to show these better.
Adventure Preparation
- The Adventure detail, maps and locations, and encounter groups are being re-organized to fit together in a much more obvious and friendly way. It's a lot easier to see how everything fits together...
- You can use the BattleMap now to click directly onto the map for entering location descriptions, much as you can create creatures, (or encounter groups) on the spot.
In-Game Play
- The BattleMap itself is being re-organized to be more friendly in the way everything fits together. In particular, you have a much better way of viewing relevant location, creature and action information as you work with the map.
- You now see more detail on creatures as you move the mouse over them on the map.
- The "Game Log" is being organized in a more friendly manner with regard to showing rounds, creature actions, attack of opportunity, and results (of attacks, damage, skill checks, saves etc).
I'm pretty happy with what I've been sent so far, and how the results are turning out. This appears to be the phase of RPM evolution where I capitalize on all that core capability "hidden" in the guts of the program
Till next update...
To put you in the picture, I have recieved e-mails with a number of good suggestions for the next update (even a couple a big word documents!).
There have been some very good suggestions which I've dived right into coding up, and looking at the results, I can appreciate how much more usable things are with some easily made changes. Keep 'em coming. Here are some key items I have so far...
Character/creature generation
- A fair bit of work with templates, and in particular with defenses (such as resistances, immunities, and spell/damage resistance). These defenses are, of course, particularly relevant when adding templates to standard races. The statblock has changed to show these better.
Adventure Preparation
- The Adventure detail, maps and locations, and encounter groups are being re-organized to fit together in a much more obvious and friendly way. It's a lot easier to see how everything fits together...
- You can use the BattleMap now to click directly onto the map for entering location descriptions, much as you can create creatures, (or encounter groups) on the spot.
In-Game Play
- The BattleMap itself is being re-organized to be more friendly in the way everything fits together. In particular, you have a much better way of viewing relevant location, creature and action information as you work with the map.
- You now see more detail on creatures as you move the mouse over them on the map.
- The "Game Log" is being organized in a more friendly manner with regard to showing rounds, creature actions, attack of opportunity, and results (of attacks, damage, skill checks, saves etc).
I'm pretty happy with what I've been sent so far, and how the results are turning out. This appears to be the phase of RPM evolution where I capitalize on all that core capability "hidden" in the guts of the program
Till next update...
More features
More upcoming feature goodness...
Character/Creature Generation
- The Modifiers system (currently used for races, class features, feats, items etc) is now extended to Race Types. This means that if you create a new Race of type "Dragon", or "Undead", the Race automatically inherits things like special immunities from its type (and so, of course, do any creatures you create of that race type). If you create a new Undead, for example, it automatically gets the 11 or so immunities for being undead.
Adventure Preparation
- I've added key detail templates that you can select from when creating a new adventure (Introduction, Background, Synopsis etc). These contain rich text descriptions to assist you in building your adventure skeleton. You can edit the templates to suit yourself (eg. Put your standard e-mail, web-site address and graphic, in the "Credits" detail for your adventures).
In-Game Play
- An "Encounter Done" button has been added to the other 4 buttons controlling combat initiative management. It shoots you off directly to the screen that calculates XP for the party. Prior to now, some weren't even aware that RPM can calculate and distribute XP for you after an encounter.
In a later release I'll have the "Encounter Done" step optionally enter the Game Log details for the encounter into the outlook-style Campaign Calender/Diary. You'll be able have a campaign diary with a full record of events.
You can also edit directly into the Game Log now.
General
Added the "Scrolls" feature requested above. You can add as many spells to the scroll as you like, along with the caster level.
It's not yet quite as good as wands, where you can "Use" the item in-game to actually cast the spell, and create any effects that the spell has being programmed for.
More upcoming feature goodness...
Character/Creature Generation
- The Modifiers system (currently used for races, class features, feats, items etc) is now extended to Race Types. This means that if you create a new Race of type "Dragon", or "Undead", the Race automatically inherits things like special immunities from its type (and so, of course, do any creatures you create of that race type). If you create a new Undead, for example, it automatically gets the 11 or so immunities for being undead.
Adventure Preparation
- I've added key detail templates that you can select from when creating a new adventure (Introduction, Background, Synopsis etc). These contain rich text descriptions to assist you in building your adventure skeleton. You can edit the templates to suit yourself (eg. Put your standard e-mail, web-site address and graphic, in the "Credits" detail for your adventures).
In-Game Play
- An "Encounter Done" button has been added to the other 4 buttons controlling combat initiative management. It shoots you off directly to the screen that calculates XP for the party. Prior to now, some weren't even aware that RPM can calculate and distribute XP for you after an encounter.
In a later release I'll have the "Encounter Done" step optionally enter the Game Log details for the encounter into the outlook-style Campaign Calender/Diary. You'll be able have a campaign diary with a full record of events.
You can also edit directly into the Game Log now.
General
Added the "Scrolls" feature requested above. You can add as many spells to the scroll as you like, along with the caster level.
It's not yet quite as good as wands, where you can "Use" the item in-game to actually cast the spell, and create any effects that the spell has being programmed for.
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Features and a Question
Concerning new feats, skills, spells, house rules, etc.
How about an automatic script generator for those that don't know how to script the prerequisites and expressions, vars, etc, etc.
A global definition of variables and their uses and how to use them (maybe there is one and I havn't found it yet) would be nice for those that would rather do their own scripting.
Being able to customize rules would be great, as would being able to use the variant rules in the DMG.
Possibly a future option to be able to select the campaign type (SW, CoC, Etc) or just mix and match rulesets together would be nice, and probably introduce a lot of bugs.
Options for Grim'n'gritty HP system etc would all be nice as well.
Again, I'm not done exploring this utility, so not sure if all this is in there or not.
Also, how would I go about getting the scripting for the parry feat in Nov's Dragon issue, I can get the prerequisites working, but what about getting it to use the AoO's as parries?
RPM is a great tool and I solute you for giving it to us.
Concerning new feats, skills, spells, house rules, etc.
How about an automatic script generator for those that don't know how to script the prerequisites and expressions, vars, etc, etc.
A global definition of variables and their uses and how to use them (maybe there is one and I havn't found it yet) would be nice for those that would rather do their own scripting.
Being able to customize rules would be great, as would being able to use the variant rules in the DMG.
Possibly a future option to be able to select the campaign type (SW, CoC, Etc) or just mix and match rulesets together would be nice, and probably introduce a lot of bugs.
Options for Grim'n'gritty HP system etc would all be nice as well.
Again, I'm not done exploring this utility, so not sure if all this is in there or not.
Also, how would I go about getting the scripting for the parry feat in Nov's Dragon issue, I can get the prerequisites working, but what about getting it to use the AoO's as parries?
RPM is a great tool and I solute you for giving it to us.
Re: Features and a Question
In the new patch you'll find it easier to add Modifiers to these things. For example, a specialized little dialog editor pops up showing you common variables to modify (such as skills or abilities). If you choose "Skills", a skills list will pop up for you to choose from.
You can also check out the "Game Explorer" (Alt+X), which shows you all the different database tables and their fields (Creatures, in particular).
As far as scripting is concerned:
- RPM uses a super-enhanced version of JavaScript. The details of where the scripts are is at the bottom of "Help | About".
- If you go into "Developer mode", you'll see "Expr" and "Vars" tabs appear in various windows (races, abilities, clases, feats, skills etc). The "Vars" are where you can create new variables (beyond the standard fields available in the tables). For example, if you want to implement StarWars rules, you can create new variables starting with "V_" which get stored in the "Vars" area.
I have an idea for the near future on how you can also include rule overrides for core rules (eg StarWars having a different way to calculate health - how you become stable, dying, staggered, unconcious or dead).
The update has examples of how you can select actions such as "Charge" and "Attack of Opportunity", which are examples of special variations of game mechanics behind making an attack.
The "Actions window" (Shift+Alt+A) is a great example of how expandable RPM is. You can add virtually anything in there, and script it, with the desired popup menu hierarchy and sub-menus available when you select an option. You can also code in Qualify expressions, so that options not currently available won't appear.
I'm bedding down the updates to the initial release before dedicating some documentation for this. I can give you the following for now though:Nyms said:
In the new patch you'll find it easier to add Modifiers to these things. For example, a specialized little dialog editor pops up showing you common variables to modify (such as skills or abilities). If you choose "Skills", a skills list will pop up for you to choose from.
You can also check out the "Game Explorer" (Alt+X), which shows you all the different database tables and their fields (Creatures, in particular).
As far as scripting is concerned:
- RPM uses a super-enhanced version of JavaScript. The details of where the scripts are is at the bottom of "Help | About".
- If you go into "Developer mode", you'll see "Expr" and "Vars" tabs appear in various windows (races, abilities, clases, feats, skills etc). The "Vars" are where you can create new variables (beyond the standard fields available in the tables). For example, if you want to implement StarWars rules, you can create new variables starting with "V_" which get stored in the "Vars" area.
Well its all open for you do do whatever you wish.
This is already there, since you can create a Source with the ability to put game mechanics behind specific items, races, abilities, classes etc in the Source.
I have an idea for the near future on how you can also include rule overrides for core rules (eg StarWars having a different way to calculate health - how you become stable, dying, staggered, unconcious or dead).
E-mail me details, and I'll see what I can do.
The update has examples of how you can select actions such as "Charge" and "Attack of Opportunity", which are examples of special variations of game mechanics behind making an attack.
The "Actions window" (Shift+Alt+A) is a great example of how expandable RPM is. You can add virtually anything in there, and script it, with the desired popup menu hierarchy and sub-menus available when you select an option. You can also code in Qualify expressions, so that options not currently available won't appear.
You're welcome
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