Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 piiichan Mar 13, 2010 6:37:16	DOWNLOAD (Windows, Mac) Hi all, for all of you who find it difficult to keep track of things during combat (initiative, life, positions, light conditions, ground type etc...), I've started to develop a little program, called Visual Dungeons & Dragons, to greatly ease combats design the scene where the combat will take place: dungeons, forests, towns etc.... add & move player characters on the board add & move monsters It's very new (I started only a week ago), and I still have to add the third feature (adding monsters on the map), but it won't be long Don't be scared by the very rudimentary user interface, I'll make it more sexy when the basic features will all be working. My blog, from where you can get it and have a try. The posts are in French, but I'll write in English from now on. visual-dnd.blogspot.com/ Here is how to use it download unzip double-click VDnD-0.13.jnlp move around by holding down the middle mouse button and dragging the mouse add a player character by choosing his class typing his name click the "add character button" drag it around set terrain type by choosing a terrain type in the drop-down list (grass, mud, lava, etc...) holding control down hovering the tiles you want to set You'll need a fairly recent version of java, so update it if it doesn't work (config panel, java, update tab) More features to come: set / view information on each character / monster (basically the whole character / monster sheet if possible) random generation of dungeons set light level of any square (dark, dim or normal) raise walls inititative auto-compute and tracking play over the local network, with the DM's view on his computer and the player's view on another, so that the DM can hide some information from the players (monsters details, traps, hidden doors etc...) and reveal them easily ....... Hope you'll enjoy it!!! Constructive comments are welcome DOWNLOAD (Windows, Mac)
#2 astute Mar 14, 2010 14:18:41	Looks very nice, but it threw a BadFieldException for me on startup. I am glad it's a java app, though. Means I don't have go through WINE or something.
#3 yellowdingo Mar 14, 2010 14:22:30	Interesting. Very Ultima 3...      Is 5' wide the minimum tunnel width because D&D can go as low as 2.5' wide (practically a small sewer tunnel) or have diagonals. My own issues with Dungeon design are that they dont have a clue about subsidence. community.wizards.com/yellowdingo/blog/2...
#4 bone_naga Mar 14, 2010 21:12:35	Doesn't work on my PC. I just get an error message that says unable to load the application.
#5 derkartographer Mar 15, 2010 0:18:06	We have one person working on this program, another that works on MapTool, yet others on OpenRPG, GameTable, and many other VTT's, but WotC can't hire professionals that can even do half of what these people are doing in their spare time? The delay of the DDI Gametable is ridiculous.
#6 piiichan Mar 15, 2010 2:45:33	Thanks all for the nice comments. Astute Try this: go to control panel java temporary internet files settings check "keep temporary files on my computer" re-launch the app I'm using JavaFX for Visual D&D, it's quite a new technology, and deployment is not perfect yet, sorry guys.... @yellowdingo I had a look at your blog. So basically you would like to have room height information on the map, as well as how much weight the walls and columns are supporting, right? @bone_naga Have you got the two files in the same directory? Is it a java error (should have a sun or java logo somewhere), or a Windows error? @Derkartographer I don't know anything about DDI Gametable, but I agree it shouldn't be too difficult for WotC to make a killer VTT. I know I'm re-inventing the wheel with Visual D&D, but it's just plain fun developping a tool that you can customize to fit your needs and tastes exactly Do you know any VTT that is using an isometric view by the way?
#7 bone_naga Mar 15, 2010 11:28:02	I believe it is a java error as the logo flashes briefly before the message appears and the message window appears slightly different than the standard windows error message. Both files are in the same directory, and I've run other java applications without problem. The only thing I can think of is maybe that it doesn't work with a 64-bit operating system. As a side note, perhaps these gametables are what discourages WotC from pursuing the VTT. They'd have to put a great deal of effort to make something that not only matches what's already out there, but is good enough to convince people to pay for it every month instead of using something else for free. They might not see it as a worthwhile investment. Not that this bothers me. I love seeing this kind of stuff, especially from people doing it for fun that create amazing programs like MapTools.
#8 Shiftkitty Mar 15, 2010 14:40:58	Very nice! I was able to run it after updating Java (WinXP). Will you  be adding monsters and other classes later? Also, I have a trackball. No middle mouse button. You're supposed to be able to hold down both buttons and use it that way, but it doesn't work on mine. Anyway to have it scroll when you move your cursor to the edge of the page instead?
#9 piiichan Mar 16, 2010 5:03:19	@bone_naga Your guess is right, 64 bit OSes aren't officially supported yet by JavaFX, that's annoying ..... @shiftkitty I'll see what I can do for people who somehow can't use the middle mouse button, but it's definitely an issue I must address, thanks for pointing this. As for the trackball not working, I believe the techno I'm using is too young to support it. Yes, classes from the Player's Handbook 2 and level 1 monsters from the Monster Manual are on the way. It's the whole point of this project! Come back in a day or 2, and they'll be there for v0.14
#10 Shiftkitty Mar 16, 2010 9:06:40	Yeah, the trackball problem is on my end. It's a Logitech T-BC21 and I prefer the trackball to the normal mouse for fine-point control. (I have nimble fingers!) Also, the screen looks like the screen for the old "Rollercoaster Tycoon" game, and I just automatically tried to manipulate the screen using those controls! *wiggling with anticipation* I look forward to your developments, and may just decide to replace my trackball temporarily when I use this program!
#11 piiichan Mar 20, 2010 19:53:58	I was very busy last week, but I managed to work on my Visual D&D. We can now edit the player characters anytime, by left clicking on the character to edit. We can also add level 1 monsters on the map.
#12 Josha Mar 31, 2010 19:12:55	Can you print the maps you make?
#13 piiichan Apr 07, 2010 5:24:13	I haven't thought about that... but it's interesting! Are u thinking of a schematic map? Or printing exactly what we see on screen? It could be quite big...