pming
Legend
Hiya!
You know what I want in a VTT? It's only a handful of things other than the obvious (re: things that make a VTT a, well, VTT...tokens, maps, grid/hex/gridless, etc).
The Second...where a field from one "sheet/source" can not be used to compare and modify a field from a different sheet/source. In other words, I can roll a "Damage" action and get a result...but I can't have that result automatically deducted from the monsters Hit Point pool because the monster is a different sheet/source. You have to do all that manually. So the VTT for me would need for me to be able to 'tag' some field and have the different "sheets/sources" interact with one another (I roll a to hit, I succeed, it automatically rolls associated damage, that damage is then transferred over to the targeted monster and subtracted from it's Hit Point pool).
The third is a no brainer: If I'm paying for a product...I should be able to use it. Forever. If not, I want compensation for my loss. Normally products get used up or worn out...be we aren't talking about physical stuff. It's digital. it will "last forever". And if companies are going to stick with the "You don't ACTUALLY 'own' the software...you're only 'licensing it', and we can cancel that license at any time for any reason" byline...then the customer should be given something equal in return; like if they never break the license agreement, they can use it. Forever. Period.
The fourth and last point is hand in hand with the third. If I don't want to do the 'license' thing with a subscription model, then I'm NOT licensing it...which frees up the hands of the company from having to make sure I can use it forever. They can then just say "You have version v1.5. You can use it with what you have now. Forever. But if you upgrade your computer and it stops working...not our problem". I have far too many programs that I simply can't use because the company/person died or moved on to something else (WadAuthor, which is a DOOM 1 & 2 map editor ; Homesite, which is a great wysiwyg web page builder [it was one of the VERY first, actually] ; WeatherMaster, by MilieuSim...who specifically stated in his/their license and web store, "If we ever quite, we'll make a version that doesn't require online activation to all current customers"... I'm still ticked over that!
).
So, that's my list. Let me create my own character sheets and monster sheets with my own dice/effect coding, let my buy it version by version in stead of subscription, and be honest and even-handed with me as a customer. I think that Astral will get there some day, and maybe Tabletop Simulator (OP: That one might be worth you looking into for the "3D" aspect...). Fantasy Grounds is there...but...if you don't know LUA or XML....your choices for creating your own game system or "automated rules and stuff" are seriously limited.
Tabletop Simulator
MapTool
BattlegroundsRPG
Just tossing those three out for people to look at because they aren't mentioned very often.
^_^
Paul L. Ming
You know what I want in a VTT? It's only a handful of things other than the obvious (re: things that make a VTT a, well, VTT...tokens, maps, grid/hex/gridless, etc).
- A method for "creating" my own 'fields' on an imported PDF so that I can create my own Character Sheets, Monster Cards, etc.
- "Inner tagging/contestability" of said 'fields' that I can use for other things (sheets, monsters, tokens, map locations, etc).
- A GUARANTEE FROM THE COMPANY that if they ever go out of business or decide to sell/merge with another...that I have the option of "opting out", keeping the current version, and using it off-line with my own server (P2P, HTML-Web-Base, whatever).
- The ability to Buy a version. Period. Use it for however long I want and never need to upgrade or "subscribe" to a monthly fee.
The Second...where a field from one "sheet/source" can not be used to compare and modify a field from a different sheet/source. In other words, I can roll a "Damage" action and get a result...but I can't have that result automatically deducted from the monsters Hit Point pool because the monster is a different sheet/source. You have to do all that manually. So the VTT for me would need for me to be able to 'tag' some field and have the different "sheets/sources" interact with one another (I roll a to hit, I succeed, it automatically rolls associated damage, that damage is then transferred over to the targeted monster and subtracted from it's Hit Point pool).
The third is a no brainer: If I'm paying for a product...I should be able to use it. Forever. If not, I want compensation for my loss. Normally products get used up or worn out...be we aren't talking about physical stuff. It's digital. it will "last forever". And if companies are going to stick with the "You don't ACTUALLY 'own' the software...you're only 'licensing it', and we can cancel that license at any time for any reason" byline...then the customer should be given something equal in return; like if they never break the license agreement, they can use it. Forever. Period.
The fourth and last point is hand in hand with the third. If I don't want to do the 'license' thing with a subscription model, then I'm NOT licensing it...which frees up the hands of the company from having to make sure I can use it forever. They can then just say "You have version v1.5. You can use it with what you have now. Forever. But if you upgrade your computer and it stops working...not our problem". I have far too many programs that I simply can't use because the company/person died or moved on to something else (WadAuthor, which is a DOOM 1 & 2 map editor ; Homesite, which is a great wysiwyg web page builder [it was one of the VERY first, actually] ; WeatherMaster, by MilieuSim...who specifically stated in his/their license and web store, "If we ever quite, we'll make a version that doesn't require online activation to all current customers"... I'm still ticked over that!
).So, that's my list. Let me create my own character sheets and monster sheets with my own dice/effect coding, let my buy it version by version in stead of subscription, and be honest and even-handed with me as a customer. I think that Astral will get there some day, and maybe Tabletop Simulator (OP: That one might be worth you looking into for the "3D" aspect...). Fantasy Grounds is there...but...if you don't know LUA or XML....your choices for creating your own game system or "automated rules and stuff" are seriously limited.
Tabletop Simulator
MapTool
BattlegroundsRPG
Just tossing those three out for people to look at because they aren't mentioned very often.
^_^
Paul L. Ming
