SRD 3.5 Competition
- Thread starter Dimwhit
- Start date
Winternight
First Post
I hope it is not to late:
but I want to throw in my critics on the published material. It's just
SRD_Layout.pdf
is AFIK from Kreynolds not sean.
Like the color, though it look to modern (as many others had said)
keep the alternating border, it looks cool, but do a lite version also for keeping the printer cost low.
SRD v.3.5 Deluxe - Demo.pdf from ?
Sorry, forgot your name.
Like the work: KISS.
Beware of the tables, when I printed them out (B&W-only) I could barly read the shaded area.
For both :
If you are doing a screen version remember that screens are wider then long.
I have seen several PDF products that take credit to that.
but I want to throw in my critics on the published material. It's just
SRD_Layout.pdf
is AFIK from Kreynolds not sean.
Like the color, though it look to modern (as many others had said)
keep the alternating border, it looks cool, but do a lite version also for keeping the printer cost low.
SRD v.3.5 Deluxe - Demo.pdf from ?
Sorry, forgot your name.
Like the work: KISS.
Beware of the tables, when I printed them out (B&W-only) I could barly read the shaded area.
For both :
If you are doing a screen version remember that screens are wider then long.
I have seen several PDF products that take credit to that.
Flyspeck23
First Post
I'd love to contribute, but sadly that's not possible at the moment .
My PDFs would've been mainly for printing, though - and were therefore named "Handouts".
My PDFs would've been mainly for printing, though - and were therefore named "Handouts".
Simplify the class tables?
Looking at Cergorach's tables, I wondered: Is it legal to simplify the SRD in places where it's repetitive?
I hate seeing those huge class tables (as beautiful as they are, Cergorach), same as I hate seeing them in the PHB. There are only three kinds of BAB (good, average, poor) and two kinds of saves (good, poor). I wish that one of these reformats (cough, Cergorach's) could just have a line under Hit Die that said BAB: -whatever- and Saves: -etc-. Those lines could be a link to the generic 3.1 table (p22 in the 3.5 PHB) showing what that means.
Doing this, some tables could be reduced to one column rather than a spanning table (just guessing: barbarian, cleric, paladin, ranger, rogue, sorceror).
Yes, it's picky, but I would love to bring these references to the table, and it's all about packing the info in the most usable format.
Thanks.
Looking at Cergorach's tables, I wondered: Is it legal to simplify the SRD in places where it's repetitive?
I hate seeing those huge class tables (as beautiful as they are, Cergorach), same as I hate seeing them in the PHB. There are only three kinds of BAB (good, average, poor) and two kinds of saves (good, poor). I wish that one of these reformats (cough, Cergorach's) could just have a line under Hit Die that said BAB: -whatever- and Saves: -etc-. Those lines could be a link to the generic 3.1 table (p22 in the 3.5 PHB) showing what that means.
Doing this, some tables could be reduced to one column rather than a spanning table (just guessing: barbarian, cleric, paladin, ranger, rogue, sorceror).
Yes, it's picky, but I would love to bring these references to the table, and it's all about packing the info in the most usable format.
Thanks.
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Dimwhit
Explorer
Actually, Flyspeck23, I would join in if you wanted to. I think everyone agrees Amigo is on drugs or something.
I wouldn't take my word as the final or anything, but as long as you only include information from the SRD, you can do whatever you want with it. You can leave parts out, rearrange it, change the tables, whatever. As long as there is no non-OGL stuff in there.
I'm back, I'm rested, and hopefully this thing will get posted.
To address Conaill's concerns:
The version I'm working on now is supposed to get printed out. For reading curled up in a comfy chair under a reading lamp. If one needs a version that can be printed out a few pages at a time, one can always use somebody else's work. Don't bother me none.
But, it will remain a bit 'vanilla'. I'm not out to impress people with flash, I'm out to help inform people with a work that's a comfortable read.
Which is why I used Palatino for the body font. It's a comfortable font. Easy to read at 10 points, and it doesn't overshadow the text. You don't want people oohing and aahing over the type when they should be reading the words.
The headers will be changed to a different font. Verdana I think, but later I may do the headers as graphics, which will allow the use of some rather strange fonts?
Table text will be changed to Times Roman at 8 points. That way the tables can be shrunk a bit and still be legible.
My goal when all things are considered is to provide a document that can be printed out, bound into a book, and read away from the monitor. Since most folks will be picking up multiple version of an SRD PDF I figure they can always find a good screen version from somebody else. One version to impress people, one version to read onscreen, and one, mine, to read sitting in a good chair.
So if there are any publishers out there who might be interested in bringing this thing to a wider audience, get in touch with me privately and we'll work things out.
If you 'd like a fancier version, and can view Post Script files, I can send a Post Script version of the document when it's ready.
To address Conaill's concerns:
The version I'm working on now is supposed to get printed out. For reading curled up in a comfy chair under a reading lamp. If one needs a version that can be printed out a few pages at a time, one can always use somebody else's work. Don't bother me none.
But, it will remain a bit 'vanilla'. I'm not out to impress people with flash, I'm out to help inform people with a work that's a comfortable read.
Which is why I used Palatino for the body font. It's a comfortable font. Easy to read at 10 points, and it doesn't overshadow the text. You don't want people oohing and aahing over the type when they should be reading the words.
The headers will be changed to a different font. Verdana I think, but later I may do the headers as graphics, which will allow the use of some rather strange fonts?
Table text will be changed to Times Roman at 8 points. That way the tables can be shrunk a bit and still be legible.
My goal when all things are considered is to provide a document that can be printed out, bound into a book, and read away from the monitor. Since most folks will be picking up multiple version of an SRD PDF I figure they can always find a good screen version from somebody else. One version to impress people, one version to read onscreen, and one, mine, to read sitting in a good chair.
So if there are any publishers out there who might be interested in bringing this thing to a wider audience, get in touch with me privately and we'll work things out.
If you 'd like a fancier version, and can view Post Script files, I can send a Post Script version of the document when it's ready.
Re: Simplify the class tables?
Sure, it makes the document *smaller* by removing what's essentially duplicated content. It also makes it much easier for the designers to maintain consistency. But it also makes it much more cumbersome to use! I would much rather have a SRD printed in a slightly smaller font and/or smaller margins, than a super-compact one where the information I need is in 10 different places.
I for one, would *not* like this. Just because I think it's really annoying to have to leaf back and forth to look something up. Heck, there's already plenty of people complaining that the description of conditions has been taken out of the spell descriptions. So if you don't remember by heart what penalties the Entangled condition entails, you'll have to skip to the Condition Summary or the Glossary to look that up.Clint said:
Sure, it makes the document *smaller* by removing what's essentially duplicated content. It also makes it much easier for the designers to maintain consistency. But it also makes it much more cumbersome to use! I would much rather have a SRD printed in a slightly smaller font and/or smaller margins, than a super-compact one where the information I need is in 10 different places.
Sage
Explorer
My Version
Hello
I wan't to make my contribution too.
I'm considering doing a heavily hyperlinked HTML version, but we'll see about that
I removed the download after Dimwhit gave me the idea that others might want to steal my ideas, I'll put it back up around August the 30.
Sage
Hello
I wan't to make my contribution too.
I'm considering doing a heavily hyperlinked HTML version, but we'll see about that
I removed the download after Dimwhit gave me the idea that others might want to steal my ideas, I'll put it back up around August the 30.
Sage
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Bad news, I get a pair of error messages when using PrinttoPDF on the revised version of the preview (20 and -27 if you're into Mac speak), and the process stops. So it's going to be Palatino all the way.Though the table text will be set at 8 points to save space.
I'll also be adding pictures, so getting it ready will take longer. But it should look nice.
I'll also be adding pictures, so getting it ready will take longer. But it should look nice.
Re: My Version
Don't feel too bad, my 8 page fancy preview makes for an 2.8 meg Post Script file (formatting and all that, you know).
(Aint you glad Microsoft didn't invent Post Script?)
Sage said:
Don't feel too bad, my 8 page fancy preview makes for an 2.8 meg Post Script file (formatting and all that, you know).
(Aint you glad Microsoft didn't invent Post Script?
)
Dimwhit
Explorer
As far as I know, many of the contestants are waiting until the last day to post their files. Some are putting up rough drafts and samples, but I think only Reveal has posted his (at the beginning of this thread).
I honestly don't know how many people are going to enter, but it should be more than 5. With the prizes getting up there, the competition should be good. But some don't want to post until the last minute so that their ideas don't get swiped.
Sage
Explorer
Preview
Well, I said I'd removed the file, but I decided to put up a little part of it anyway, just like a lot of other people have done.
So if you go to http://ethereal-srd.tripod.com
you can download the spells section, which has all the spells (in individual entries) and magic rules in it.
The file is a tree outline thingy made in Maple Pro, so you need Maple Reader (which is a free program) to read it, but all the information is on the site.
enjoy
p.s. though it says that the file is 8 MB, that is the size of the whole thing, the spells section is only about 1.2 MB.
Well, I said I'd removed the file, but I decided to put up a little part of it anyway, just like a lot of other people have done.
So if you go to http://ethereal-srd.tripod.com
you can download the spells section, which has all the spells (in individual entries) and magic rules in it.
The file is a tree outline thingy made in Maple Pro, so you need Maple Reader (which is a free program) to read it, but all the information is on the site.
enjoy
p.s. though it says that the file is 8 MB, that is the size of the whole thing, the spells section is only about 1.2 MB.
Last edited:
DaveStebbins
First Post
Re: Simplify the class tables?
Just another opinion...
-Dave
I have to agree with Conaill, I like the all-in-one table format, like the one Cergorach did up for the monk. Having all the information summarized on one table would be just the thing for me.Clint said:
Just another opinion...
-Dave
Estlor
Explorer
Usurper said:
Making it look pretty in Word isn't a problem. It's getting to that point. Word does some pretty stupid things when you play with it. Some examples I've run across just in working on the SRD:
1. Brute force styles that have nothing to do with the style the source document used. If I want it to be header text, I'll make it header text. Stop trying to help me by making everything ugly.
2. Text box location wankiness. I drag the text box from where the bottom of the box rests on the bottom margin to where the top of the box is on the top margin. Word magically transports the box so that the upper left corner is on the upper left corner of the PHYSICAL page and will not let it be moved. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense.
3. The disappearing table. Highlight text before or after a table and sometimes you'll cut, delete, copy, or whatever command you're doing to the ENTIRE table itself. And never once did I select a part of the table. This happens with text boxes too.
4. Random text box rearrangement. For some of my things I'm doing text boxes on text boxes. I find I need more room so I enlarge the lower box, and now suddenly the box on top of it finds it's way down (or up, it depends) a page way off to the side beyond the physical page margin.
5. No resizes. Hold down ALT and resize those table columns. Oh wait, for some reason Word won't resize the ones in the psionics part of the SRD. Or ones you paste from Excel. Or movements less than 0.05 of an inch.
doktorstick
First Post
Be careful if you are using Word. It starts having serious problems beyond the 80 page count. I don't have experience with Office XP, but my understanding is that it has similar issues.
Cheers,
/ds
Cheers,
/ds
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