I wanted to see what types of icons you prefer to represent your characters on a vtt.
Top Down Mini (looking down from above)
Icon (conceptual representation)
Face (actual face of your character)
Symbol (A symbol that represents your character)
Anything (Any of the above is fine, I just want to play!!)
Other (Please specify)
I wanted to see what types of icons you prefer to represent your characters on a vtt.
Top down is the only possible choice. The game I'm currently playing in uses tokens (faces) instead of top down and it works fine, but I can't help but keep thinking how much better it would be if we went with top down especially given the relative realism of the maps. The fight for our lives that we are currently in would definitely benefit from top down as there are like 20 something combatants in a house - gang members, demons, sorcerers, and vampire slayers (that would be us).
I agree, but WHEN is Trevor going to get player changeable token images in Maptool? Heck, for me the problem is getting my DM and the other players to accept a VTT as "normal" for our face to face games. Most of them don't want to use a computer at the table, much less for maps and virtual minis. Heck, for me at least, THE idea situation would be a projector mounted above a game table and using a combination of real minis (of which we have quite a few) and computer tokens. This assumes I could not get everyone at the table to use a computer and Maptool's lighting features.
Joe
My Finished Maps
Works in Progress(or abandoned tests)
My Tutorials:
Explanation of Layer Masks in GIMP
How to create ISO Mountains in GIMP/PS using the Smudge tool
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Unless otherwise stated by me in the post, all work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
Or, you could setup your computer to use a t.v. as a second monitor. I know that I've seen people setup a t.v. as a monitor and are able to slide icons from their "Laptop" screen to their "T.v." screen. This could work out if you set the t.v. monitor behind your laptop monitor, the player's view of VTT on the t.v., and the GM's view on the laptop. And you'd still be able to see your players as long as no one sits directly across from you. If all else fails you'll have to stand. Personally, I wouldn't want everyone having a laptop at the table... last time we did that, the people with laptops were playing games other than the table top game...
My favorite setup though is the projector on the ceiling, but pricey and not good to go if you live in a building that it wouldn't be allowed in. :-/.
Er... I believe you can already do that. Yes, just tested it. Players can change tokens no problem. Open the properties for the token, go to the config tab where you see the image, in the top left is the current token image, click the green '+' navigate to the image you want to use, done.
And the really cool thing is that MapTool has a built in projector mode that makes throwing the map on the monitor or projector all that easier.
hmm.. when was that added? I thought I remember some talk over on the forums about this feature a just a few months ago. In any event, it would be nice to make it even easier, perhaps a right click menu on the token with a set of tokens in a certain folder and it will show all in said folder. Or perhaps set up the config properties will links to all the images you would want and then have that populate a right click menu.
My Finished Maps
Works in Progress(or abandoned tests)
My Tutorials:
Explanation of Layer Masks in GIMP
How to create ISO Mountains in GIMP/PS using the Smudge tool
----------------------------------------------------------
Unless otherwise stated by me in the post, all work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
What exactly is considered High Resolution for Tokens?
The state idea is really a good one. If its just a family of images, it would be really easy for the players\dm. You could build a little menu with descriptions and then auto-rename the images to match. Players might choose 5 states with short descriptions. The program could choose the correct picture and title (if it existed) and just change the title if it didnt. Would work a treat for shape changers and lycanthropes as well, even vampires. The nice thing is you could implement the structure and leave the content to whoever wants to use it. The tokens are tiny and even having 12 duplicate images for each player wouldn't be too big a hit. I'd give players 5 phases and NPC's 3.
Good idea.
RE: Token Choice.
Fgrounds has the very elegant system where your character is represented on the game board with an image. Its almost always a face but it can be any png. The elegant thing is that the same image appears in miniature on the initiative table. Drag the image from the init table to the map and it automatically labels and highlights your character when its your turn. If a player selects a target from the map. That target is encircled with the players die colour.
As a result, for players, I typically prefer portraits. For opponents in combat I like top down.
Sigurd
Last edited by Sigurd; 06-16-2008 at 12:57 AM.