Reply With Quotenoooo.... I have been thinking of this since I first saw the table at the Microsoft release a few years ago, i didn't think a D&D app would come out before the table...
Good find!
I am going to cry myself to sleep now...
Microsoft "Surface" and D&D
An interesting tech demo for something a group at Carnegie-Melon is working on. It's an interactive table from Microsoft being used to run a mock D&D encounter. They show it with a battle map and a regional map.
It may be of some interest here.
http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/10...osoft-surface/
“Maps encourage boldness. They're like cryptic love letters. They make anything seem possible.”
-Mark Jenkins
noooo.... I have been thinking of this since I first saw the table at the Microsoft release a few years ago, i didn't think a D&D app would come out before the table...
Good find!
Pretty neat stuff there.
My Finished Maps | My Challenge Maps | Still poking around occasionally...
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When they rolled the d20 it landed on its point which I know is hard to program but the thing I always assumed is that you would roll real dice on a real table because if you were using it as a VTT then why not use a monitor.
The surface is a great bit of gear but I think the way this is being used is all wrong. D&D and this kit has been talked about to death already tho but its a good link cos this is the first I have seen using D&D on the real surface and so thanks for posting.
Yeah... If your using a VTT locally, then use real dice, if your using a VTT online, you don't need MS Surface...
Also that table's just too small, many time I've considered a monitor behind glass for a VTT, or maybe a projector, and every time I've stepped away because just a table of good size was out of the question, much less the electronics.
I like the idea of playing on the surface table, but it won't be practical for at least 10 years, if not a lot more
I've seen a projector pointed down at a table and it basically works. The important thing with a projector is to make sure it is far enough away to make what is being viewed big enough, which when a battle map is made to scale can be very hard to get the proper distance
People scale the image to fit. With PS / Gimp etc that can be trial and error but my app has (projector compatible) real world scaling option. If your lucky enough to have a table and projector in the same place all the time then you can find the right scaling once and then its alright. So theres some options to help out in that regard. The surface is nice cos its 'projected' from underneath instead of on top. I just don't think the gesture pick up is enough to warrant the extra expense of having custom hardware for this. We can do everything but the gesture that it does with common RPG apps and a projector. Maybe the value will be in the surface software but I dont think that will be the case.Originally Posted by JoeyD473
THis is more about the monitor table idea..
You could build your own, the trick would be building it to match the a range of monitor sizes. THis might be somthing I look into. Semi modular system made from a durable material. Use somthing like a railing style system to adjoin the monitor/tv. plann cable routing, add some fold out desk top type things for players...
I could do this
Ok couple minutes of research shows that the glass top would run 3-5 hyndred. An additional $300 for frame materials and fasteners.. I could probaly out put somthing simple for about $700 (gave me $100 buffer on my estimate) this would not include the TV/monitor and of course software. figure $15.00/hr for my labor [once I get the designe and proccess down figure about 4-5 hours genrous estimate for work time] gives me $75.00 labor costs, round total estimate for consumer ease, means selling these for about $800-$1000 hand made game table dor vtt....
Wont sell verry manny but hey it be a good excersise on Game Industry business practice.
You could also buy a glass topped table off of CraigsList and get the glass frosted (shouldn't be too expensive) then position a projector from underneath. Should work OK.
“Maps encourage boldness. They're like cryptic love letters. They make anything seem possible.”
-Mark Jenkins
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