RPGui - Free Online Tabletop Project

[TogaMario]

(Scroll to my last post for update notes ....)
RPGui - Latest Version Download

Lately I've been looking for a program to make (prefereably a DnD or RPG centric one) that would help out gamers or DMs, but I'm drawing a blank. I'm googling ideas like crazy and it seems like a lot of needs of gamers have been met well enough (mapping software, character sheets, online game sessions) The last ones I made were a free online gaming chat/im session program and a basic forest generator.

My question is this, does anyone out there have need of a program that they haven't found? If you suggest the program that I end up making, you'll get a free copy of it when I'm done Thanks all.

-Tyler

 

[XCorvis]

I can't really think of such a program that I haven't already seen before, so I'll make this recommendation: Find someone else who already has an OK program, and help them make it better. PCGen is a good one, but it's a large project. There are many GPL'd projects if you look for them. There are also tools like the Abulafia wiki. It doesn't need programmers so as much as contributors.

 

[kingpaul]

If you know java and are willing to work on the PCGen team, we'd be happy to have you.

 

[reanjr]

Honestly, the best thing I could possibly see is a window manager that allows you to open applications and add them to a single interface. Would be tabbed and support dockable and tabbable toolwindows. Also have slideouts.

This would allow the DM to use the programs he likes using but organize them into one environment.

For inspiration, see the VS IDE and some of the Linux X window managers.

Alternatively, a pluggable system that supports these types of things would be very useful as well. At minimal it would support web browsing, simple text documents, dice roller, and administratively (DM) controlled LAN chat out of the box.

Eclipse IDE is a possible inspiration for this as well. You could create the set of plugins required to turn it into a mean table tob gaming machine. Along with good packaging and deployment (the place many Open Source apps fail). Not sure how licensing might affect you, though.

I would love to see something like Eclipse.NET. I hate being stuck with Java as my only language choice and am not a fan of their GUI toolkits.

 

[TogaMario]

Thanks for the suggestions. Unfortunately, I don't know Java (though, I'm not sure how different it could be from C++/C# or any middleware programming languages I know) So I'm afraid I would be little to no use in that arena. Maybe it should be something that I add to the "to-learn" list.

The idea to make a windows manager is a pretty neat one. Though, I'm not sure I could sell it, it does seem like windows makes having multiple DM tools a hassle. I could press a button combo (Ctrl+Alt+Z or something) windows goes into "ghost mode" and designated open programs are displayed in a lineup or circular fashion for the DM to choose from, hiding all others (or optionally, right-clicking the program opens it as well as keeping the previously open ones). Sound good enough?

 

[reanjr]

That would be useful (I think what you are describing is similar to Mac's Expose if I am understanding you correctly), but it wouldn't replace being able to have all the windows there to look between at all times. I just wish Windows wasn't so difficult to customize in this manner.

 

[trancejeremy]

Well, the program I was working on when I got tired of it, was a combo hex mapper and town manager. Basically it would be a hex map program, but when you clicked on the town, you entered a sub menu with town information and everything.

Yeah, there are other hex mappers out there, but most of them suck.

 

[reanjr]

Well, the program I was working on when I got tired of it, was a combo hex mapper and town manager. Basically it would be a hex map program, but when you clicked on the town, you entered a sub menu with town information and everything.

Yeah, there are other hex mappers out there, but most of them suck.

What I would like to see (alot more ambitious, I know) is a mapping program that let you zoom from street level up to world level fluidly. Probably not worth it for the tiny RPG market, but the code could have other uses as well.

Basically you would start with broad strokes, perhaps drawing or generating a continent, then zoom in a bit to get a good mountain valley with a river. Then zoom in some more to make a delta. Then zoom in some more and start doing roads for a city on the coast. Then zoom some more to do buildings and streets.

Now THAT would be a mapping program.

 

[TogaMario]

So, this spansive mapper is another cool idea, but where would it stop? Could you zoom out to the planet, solar system, galaxy, etc? Could you zoom into individual buildings?

I think a happy medium would be to create a context sensitive mapping program that exported an HTML campaign map. With a world overview, regions you can click on, zooming to regional information with cities / roads / places of interest. Then each city has it's own stat readout, and maybe adventure hooks, city features (city hall, inn, magic weapons store) and each building could have it's own item loadout and cost list. So the players could look around (in their downtime between games) and find out where they want / need to go to get anything. And during games, it could help the DM with a nice visual aid, as the maps and images / readouts could be printed with a printer-friendly feature or something. Thoughts? Should the app be able to help in the creation of every single bit of the map graphics?

Thanks,
-Tyler

 

[heruca]

What I would like to see (alot more ambitious, I know) is a mapping program that let you zoom from street level up to world level fluidly.

There already is one. It's called ViewingDale .

Here's a sample movie showing the zooming in action:
http://www.viewing.ltd.uk/viewingdale/movies/PanZoom.avi