Playwrite, the fine wine of game design » rpg

TrackWork initiative tracker updated to v0.53, now supports Pathfinder

Logan — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 13:24:17 +0000

I had a few requests to add support for Pathfinder to my lightweight D&D initiative tracker. I also took the opportunity to address a few bugs people had pointed out. Oh, and there’s a new icon so it matches the rest of my role-playing tools such as CrawlNotes for dungeon mapping and the 4e Power Toolkit.

Here’s a list of changes:

- Added support for Pathfinder. Touch AC, Flat-Footed AC and CMD can now be entered for combatants.

- Reactivated the heal / wound buttons from v0.4. Back by popular demand!

- Fixed a bug that prevented negative values for most statistics.

- Fixed a bug that would cause the program to crash if negative values were entered for Listen / Spot skills.

- Fixed a bug with the random number generator that would set the maximum value for a random roll to be one less than the actual maximum (so a d20 would be 1-19).

- Made some of the checkbox descriptions clearer.

- Few other miscellaneous tweaks and UI improvements.

Download TrackWork v0.53

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Adding real custom content to the 4e Character Builder: Can it be done?

Logan — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 03:24:51 +0000

Yes, and I’m going to tell you how.

Actually, I’m just going to point you in the general direction.

Disclaimer: I, in no way, condone or support reverse-engineering the Character Builder or its associated libraries. I also cannot condone redistribution of any Wizards-owned IP or content.

The greatest failing of the official 4e Character Builder from Wizards is its weak support for homebrew and custom content. For such a powerful and mature tool, it’s an incredible shortcoming. In addition, the recent (and second) delay to the September refresh of the CB highlighted the fact that players are at the mercy of Wizards for rules updates. Without WotC’s regular software support, the CB quickly falls out-of-sync with new books and Dragon/Dungeon magazines. For those on the cutting edge of the game, it’s fairly crippling.

Recently I came across a Google Code project called cbloader. It’s a fairly simple C# application that decrypts the “combined.dnd40.encrypted” file, extracts the rules database from it and writes it out as XML. You can then use the app to instruct the CB to use the XML instead of the encrypted file for its ruleset. This XML is completely editable. At any time you can redirect the CB back to the encrypted file, so you can have a modified database and the original running in parallel.

In essence, it allows you to update the CB yourself, or put in proper custom rules fully supported by the application. With colours and bonuses and all.

Obviously, if players could add their own content to the CB (including the official stuff) there would be little reason for them to purchase the monthly updates, except for major rule changes (such as with Essentials and the September CB refresh). That, and saving yourself the hassle of typing in all the new content, which is significant.

I’d like to clarify that I am not at all associated with cbloader – it’s just something I came across. If you’d like to take a look at it, go right ahead. I can tell you now, out of the box, it won’t work, and I don’t feel comfortable explaining how to fix it.

I will say that anyone with reasonable experience with programming, particularly C#, and some familiarity with reading and writing to process memory should be able to get it operational quickly, after which it will do exactly what it says on the tin. As for manipulating the XML itself, well, that’s another can of worms entirely.

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Auto-set processor affinity for Mass Effect 2 PC with MassAffinity, fix those load times

Logan — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:39:49 +0000

UPDATE: Version 0.2 is now available!

I caught wind of the fact Mass Effect 2 was causing PC users with dual-cores some grief, in the form of extremely long load times going between decks of the Normandy. Which is odd, as venturing into an entirely new planet loaded just dandy.

More than a few smart people figured out it had to do with the game’s processor affinity. Simply setting it to one core and then back to two cores fixed the problem. But having to do this every time you play ME2 sounds like a chore we could easily do without.

Hence, I coded up MassAffinity, a tiny app that takes the hard work out of it. Just place the app on your desktop (or somewhere else convenient), run it, select your ME2 directory, and hit “Run game”. After that, every time you double-click the MassAffinity app, it’ll automatically start ME2 and fix the issue.

No doubt this bug will get patched eventually, but for now, this should do the job. It should be noted this problem doesn’t affect everyone – it seems to be isolated to people running a certain combination of CPU and operating system. So, if you’re not experiencing long load times between decks, then this program is not for you.

If you ever need to change the directory, you can run the app with the “/config” switch, or run the “SetupMassAffinity.cmd” file that comes with the program.

Any questions or feedback, just leave a comment. Otherwise, enjoy! Thanks goes out to my brother, Chris, for testing the application.

Download MassAffinity v0.1

PS. If you like zombie games, be sure to check out Zafehouse and Zafehouse 2, my little side projects.

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Grab the 4e Power Toolkit v0.6.0, now includes power uploading

Logan — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:10:13 +0000

Create custom 4th Edition D&D powers and classes and upload them for the RPG community at large to use! The latest version of the 4e Power Toolkit allows you to do just that. It’s available, right now… so what are you waiting for?

v0.6.0 also removes the minimum size on the creator windows, allowing the program to be used on small screens, and I’ve fixed a problem that would prevent secondary and tertiary attacks from appearing on power cards. Otherwise, v0.6.0 is a lightweight update… but one you can’t do without!

You can download it from here, and all custom classes and powers can be seen at dnd.playwrite-blog.net.

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4e Custom Classes: The Gunslinger

Logan — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:40:33 +0000

A fellow by the name of Mr. Bagelman has uploaded the “Gunslinger”, an interesting ranged martial striker created using the 4e Power Toolkit. Here’s the official description, as well as one of the class’ powers:

Gunslingers are ranged fighters who wield alchemical implements called “guns” and “pistols” and “rifles” to hurl projectiles at their foes (although there are some who use one or two crossbows). Their weapons do great damage at long range as well as close-quarters, but come to a disadvantage when it comes time to reload, given their early and experimental nature. Some Gunslingers take the time to make alchemical bullets, with special abilities, such as fire or acid. Gunslingers prefer to slide around the battlefield, keeping their enemies at a distance.

Bullseye

Gunslinger Feature

Your target is as easy to hit as the broad side of a barn.

At-Will * Martial, Weapon
Minor Action Ranged sight
Prerequisite: Gunslinger class

Target: One Enemy

Effect: You designate one enemy you can see as your target. Once per round, when you hit your target with an attack, the attack does extra damage based on your level (1d6 Heroic, 2d6 Paragon, 3d6 Epic). If you can make multiple attacks in a round, you can decide which attack to apply the extra damage to after all attacks are rolled. If you have dealt Bullseye damage since the start of your turn, you cannot deal it again until the start of your next turn.
The Bullseye stays on your enemy until the end of the encounter, until the Target is defeated, or until you designate a different enemy as your Target.

I quite like the idea of a pistol-wielding alchemist type. If you do too, I recommend checking the class out in full.

The Gunslinger [4e Custom Classes]

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4e Custom Classes: The Transmuter

Logan — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:30:05 +0000

A new custom 4e class made with the 4e Power Toolkit was submitted today, and it’s packed full of tasty, much like a chocolate croissant or dinosaur kebab. Called the “Transmuter“, this class combines the versatility of the wizard’s utility powers with nifty polymorphing abilities. Here’s the class description:

There are many different styles of shapeshifting to be seen. One is the literal bodily alteration where the body physically changes, this is the path of which you chose. Your spells hamper your enemies and strengthen your allies. When pressed you shift form and stirke at your enemies with newly gained claws, and breath of fire. Ever changing and adapting, this is your magic, this is your life.

And a sample power, copy-and-pasted directly from the Power Toolkit:

Ettercap Webspinner Form

Transmuter Attack 5

You take the form a an ettercap webspinner, and in doing so gain its mastery over webs.

Daily * Arcane, Poison, Polymorph, Zone, Implement
Minor Action Personal

Effect: Until the end of the encounter, you take the form of a medium ettercap webspinner. You retain your statistics, hit points, and defenses, but you have a speed and climb of 5, and resist poison 10. You can use your arcane powers while in this form, and you gain the following melee basic bite attack, webbed terrain attack, and web walker ability.

Melee Basic Bite Attack: Standard action; reach 1; your
level + 7 vs. AC; 1d6 + Intelligence modifier damage, and you make a secondary attack against the same target; Secondary attack: Intelligence vs. Fortitude; ongoing 5 poison damage. Secondary attack is an implement attack.

Webbed Terrain: Standard action; area burst 2 within 10;
once per encounter; Intelligence vs. Reflex; the target is immobilized (save ends). The zone is filled with spider webs and is considered difficult terrain until the end of the encounter.

Web Walker: You ignore the movement effects of webs and difficult terrain related to spider swarms.

You can check out all the powers and details of the Transmuter at the 4e Custom Classes website.

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Introducing the 4e Power Toolkit: Create your own classes, races, powers and power cards

Logan — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 10:47:05 +0000

Forget Word. Forget Excel. Forget the mash of programs you’ve been using to roll your own powers and classes. Now you have a tool that does it all.

First, there’s the Power Creator. This lets you make powers just like the 4e Power Creator before it. Except this has support for Secondary and Tertiary attacks as well as Sustain and more. You can even add your own power sources and keywords using text files.

With a few powers created, you can load them into the Class Creator. Play around with primary stats, proficiencies and other details, and then export it all as a pretty document, presented much like the PHB. HTML is the only option right now, but PDF and text formats are not far away.

Finally, there’s the Power Card Creator. Export your powers as power cards using the template you want. Templates are made in HTML, so they can include images, CSS… whatever you want. There are two included with the program – one optimised for HTML and the other PDF. And yes, you can export the cards to PDF and it’ll format them all nice-like.

So, where can you find these awesome tools? Why, they’re all included in the one program – the 4e Power Toolkit!

It’s beta, so if it crashes or something doesn’t work, don’t get angry. Actually, if the program does chuck a hissy fit, please post about it on the 4e Power Toolkit forum so I can fix it.

The program features an auto-update function, so you’ll always know when a new version is available. For now, get the latest build from the link below. You’ll need Windows XP or Vista and the .NET 2.0 Framework. I apologise for not having a Linux or Mac version – it’s beyond my abilities to even entertain the idea of supporting other platforms.

If you like the toolkit, be sure to have a play with the other 4e apps I’ve put together:
CrawlNotes: A dungeon-planning tool for all occasions
TrackWork: The no-frills initiative tracker

Download the 4e Power Toolkit

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Does it have a shape? If no, eat 1d6 investigators

Logan — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:34:26 +0000

A small snippet from Petersen’s Field Guide to Cthulhu Monsters (Call of Cthulhu). Greywulf’s Lair pointed out this Lovecraft-inspired chart in a recent blog post, and I couldn’t help but draw attention to its excellence.

I’ve always found flowcharts terrifying from a professional standpoint, but now I have a reason to be scared of them in all facets (and realms) of life.

Note: I realise Nyarlethotep doesn’t eat investigators – Cthulhu does. But let’s just run with it.

Best RPG flowchart. Ever. [Greywulf's Lair]

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Why players need to be heroes

Logan — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:05:18 +0000

In games, balance doesn’t always mean equal.

Most people do not play games to be the underdog. We like to succeed at the things we do, and games give us an accessible way to accomplish this feat. With this in mind, we still like to be challenged. Or, at least, feel like it.

Hence, the illusion of balance – making the player believe they’ve done well through their own skills or intelligent use of mechanics, without giving away the fact that this feeling has been ochestrated by the designer. Games after all are about fun, not punishment.

To do this, a game ultimately has to be balanced to favour the player. Consider the following scenario, which you’d find in almost any RPG or MMO:

A player encounters an AI opponent of equal level. Both characters are at maximum health. They begin to fight.

A whack here, a whack there… we get a resolution. Now, which of the following results do you believe is balanced?

The player or the opponent wins, albeit almost dead.
The player wins, with 50 percent or more health.
The opponent wins, with 50 percent or more health.

Balance in its purest form would dictate answer one to be correct. In terms of a fun experience that doesn’t drive the player to self-harm, number two is accurate. Most people would agree that the last answer is neither balanced nor fun.

Obviously, many games feature players and AI opponents with different abilities, some not designed to deal damage, but to negate a benefit an enemy might have, or to improve their own state. It’s with these particulars that we avoid homogenisation, and where most balance problems arise.

But I digress. A game that uses answer one, which relies on the fickle nature of a random number generator, as the basis for balance would suffer from pacing problems, and perhaps those of hardness. Answer three is simply unacceptable from a difficulty perspective – the player would be forced to abuse game mechanics or worse, cheat, to obtain victory. Answer two is technically not balanced, but in the eyes of the player, who is just looking to enjoy themself, it’s not so bad.

Players need to feel more powerful than the status quo, and not just for reasons of ego. Progression is an important aspect of playing a game, and if the player feels like they’re banging their head against a wall, it does little to encourage them to continue playing. Taking into account the fact that for a game to feel balanced, the player must feel more powerful, or at least more capable, than the enemies they face, it’s understandable that achieving balance between two human players presents an enormous challenge.

If you tell a player through gameplay that they’re a hero, it’s hard to convince them otherwise when the AI is replaced with brains. The player feels they need an answer to every problem, to have the ability to counter every situation. Otherwise, how is it fair?

Sure, a designer can deliver this, but only if they’re willing to homogenise or alter the way in which players fight one another, compared to AI opponents.

It’s something to think about.

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