 Would you like to contribute to a Online SR Tool?, Create an online SR tool? |
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 Nov 30 2007, 06:53 PM
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#1
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Running Target  Group: Members Posts: 1,002 Joined: 22-April 06 From: Canada Member No.: 8,494  |
It is getting harder to play Shadowrun recently (family, work, other activities, etc.), but I still want to play the game. I saw the program that is coming out for D&D 4.0 that will allow players to play their game from different areas. This means you can play a game of D&D even if you are not in the same country. There will always be a game going on. I thought a similar tool for SR would be great. I was thinking of starting an Open Source project that would create the tool set needed to run a SR game. GMs would be able to host a game and invite players to the season. A built in IRC chat program will be used to let players communicate and there would different visualization tools to show what is happening in the game.
Of course I would only go ahead and start this project if there was first interest in using the tool set, and secondly people that could help me program the tools. EDIT: After looking over the ShadowNet project I think that it would be better to develop with that project rather then start a new one (why reinvent the wheel). I would encourage others to take a look at the project as well. |
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Nov 30 2007, 06:57 PM
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#2
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,002 Joined: 22-April 06 From: Canada Member No.: 8,494 |
Just some brainstorming:
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Nov 30 2007, 07:14 PM
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#3
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The ShadowComedian Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 14,538 Joined: 3-October 07 From: Hamburg, AGS Member No.: 13,525 |
sadly i can't code AT ALL . . there's a reason for me playing trolls you know? O.o
i'd love something like McMackies(SP?) NSRCG3 for Shadowrun4 . . if it were Web-based it would be even better, but probably close to impossible i'd think . . no, i really don't know shit about programming, so i might be wrong there too *g* Problem would be making it uncheatable, but that should be doable by making char-gen strictly server-based and have the server save those files . . |
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Nov 30 2007, 07:52 PM
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#4
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Shooting Target Group: Members Posts: 1,706 Joined: 30-June 06 From: Fort Wayne, IN Member No.: 8,814 |
I'm going to be negative here, so bear with me...
I am not all that interested in playing RPGs with strangers. In my 15+ year gaming career, I've been in several groups, but they have all been made up of friends. The rare occasion when we have brought other people into our group, it usually didn't turn out all that well. So, an online game, while it is technically doable, I don't see the point, well, unless you are interested in playing with a bunch of strangers. I guess there could be some egoistic GMs out there that can't get enough and wants to run games for a bunch of strangers, but I think overall, the amount of people wanting that will be small. Even looking at the DnD model, I just don't see it being all that desired. I just think tabletop RPGs should be played on the tabletop...that is why they are so fun and when you take that away, a lot of luster is lost...and really, at that point, you might as well play an MMO that will be a lot more polished... |
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Nov 30 2007, 08:01 PM
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#5
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,883 Joined: 16-December 06 Member No.: 10,386 |
The only people I've ever gamed with are people who were strangers until I started gaming with them, with the exception of my brother and a cousin. Online can be an excellent tool, and it has nothing to do with ego and everything to do with geography and convenience.
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Nov 30 2007, 08:04 PM
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#6
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Genuine Artificial Intelligence Group: Members Posts: 4,019 Joined: 12-June 03 Member No.: 4,715 |
If if you or someone (everyone?) you know went to a distant college, or moved because of a job, joined the military, or any other reason why your group of gaming buddies aren't all within a half hour of each other. |
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Nov 30 2007, 08:16 PM
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#7
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MechRigger Delux Group: Retired Admins Posts: 1,151 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Hanger 18, WPAFB Member No.: 1,657 |
Moving this to an appropriate forum.
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Nov 30 2007, 08:21 PM
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#8
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ghostrider Group: Retired Admins Posts: 4,196 Joined: 16-May 04 Member No.: 6,333 |
Caine, Redjack, Dash, myself and one of my local buddies all play in an online game right now. We use Skype voice and text, and physical dice. I might eventually throw MapTool into the mix if I can find the time to learn it and prepare stuff for it. Right now, since I'm GMing, I also use SR4W (available in Community Projects) for player tracking and combat calculations (most of them anyway), and I use WikidPad for planning and notes. I'm looking at using Init Tool for initiative at some point, but right now I use paper. My reticence in getting excited about another new online RPG tool isn't because I have something against playing online. It's due to the fact that there are already so many things out there for doing so. Add on that out of every 10 projects I see online that get kicked off with the end goal of being a usable tool, one might eventually become usable, and my excitement is tempered further. So I wish you all the luck in the world if you decide to do something like this, but I already play online with what's available right now. Not to be a buzzkill or anything. One big program that did all of this and was Shadowrun specific would rock ass. No offense intended, it's just a "I'd believe it when I saw it and started using it" situation.
I'm in all of those situations with different gamer friends right now. So yeah, spot on. Edit: amusingly enough, we're having almost this exact conversation over at the Fear the Boot forums. |
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Nov 30 2007, 09:11 PM
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#9
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Target Group: Members Posts: 11 Joined: 14-May 03 Member No.: 4,587 |
Well Dashifen is doing a web based shadowrun thing, check it out. Here is the link:
http://forums.dumpshock.com/index.php?show...opic=19581&st=0 -The Frawg |
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Nov 30 2007, 09:53 PM
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#10
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Manus Celer Dei Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 17,006 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Boston Member No.: 3,802 |
Shameless self-promotion (and the repository). It's "SR3-oriented", but that mostly means that the default dieroller explodes and uses variable successes; it's intended to be modular enough that most RPGs could be played on it. I certainly wouldn't turn down help ;) It's actually currently working at a basic level of functionality, though it'll take some time and effort to get it over the hump of "better than an AIM chat room" (to be fair, the apparent reduction in AIM's unreliability had raised this bar, though their breaking unicode in IMs (but not in chats!) lowers it again). Also:
For what it's worth, though we've added several people who no one in the group knew before they joined, the weekly online Shadowrun games I play and GM in began because a group of us who knew each other in real life and had started a game (AD&D back then, this was a long time ago) and wanted to continue with it when we were no longer residing in the same geographic region. But I guess that point has been made. Edit: regarding your feature list, what do you mean "web hosted"? ~J |
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Nov 30 2007, 10:02 PM
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#11
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Target Group: Members Posts: 89 Joined: 9-August 06 From: The Sixth World Member No.: 9,060 |
An interesting proposal. I already do some Shadowrun gaming online using message boards. I haven't needed live chat since all the players are in different areas and time zones. The message boards move slower, but the players are all active and I'd say that all of them have been enjoying the game immensely. It's almost more detailed and engrossing when you have to post RP rather than speak it.
I also see Deek's point of view where the average person generally wants to RP with people he/she is familiar with. In my 15+ years, I've had one solid group for most of it. However, I've also been an admin of a couple mass player (500+), message board based RPGs before and it's been lots of fun. I think there would be substantial interest in Shadowrunning with strangers. It's kind of like Gen Con or any other convention. You run with people you've never met and see what happens. |
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Dec 3 2007, 12:29 PM
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#12
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Target Group: Members Posts: 18 Joined: 9-July 07 From: Newark, Oh Member No.: 12,204 |
I already do this to a point, my group uses the chat room on barrokstowers which has a built in dice roller and then we use ventrillo for voice chat, between the two we got what we want but would love a site that had that plus a way to post maps and such as well, right now we use photobucket
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Dec 3 2007, 01:30 PM
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#13
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,002 Joined: 22-April 06 From: Canada Member No.: 8,494 |
Web-hosted means that all the networking tools are connected through the internet. A perfect example of this would be Tremulous. A single play hosts the game but people connect to him via the internet. Also all the tools would be most likely Java based so that any computer that runs java could use the tools. Certain parts of the tools could even be built into the website (the dice roller, the unified notebook, the players database, etc.). |
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Dec 3 2007, 01:47 PM
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#14
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Manus Celer Dei Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 17,006 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Boston Member No.: 3,802 |
Either I'm far too tired this morning, or you're using "web" and "internet" interchangeably. Could you clarify a bit more? Do the clients communicate over HTTP, and if so, how do you get around the statelessness?
My next project is probably to create a formal specification for an SR3 character in some language-independent format, probably YAML. I'd suggest that'd probably be a good thing to do pretty early for you as well, as it'd avoid getting locked into something like Java and permit use beyond this project. ~J |
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Dec 3 2007, 02:48 PM
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#15
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,002 Joined: 22-April 06 From: Canada Member No.: 8,494 |
Web based usually means that most of the resources are hosted on a website. "web" and "internet" are linked but not interchangeable. |
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Dec 3 2007, 03:33 PM
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#16
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Manus Celer Dei Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 17,006 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Boston Member No.: 3,802 |
I know they aren't, hence my confusion :)
But yeah, I see what you mean now, I think—a web view of much of the material, at least, and I could see a case for grabbing certain resources via http. ~J |
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Dec 3 2007, 04:02 PM
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#17
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Target Group: Members Posts: 60 Joined: 4-October 05 Member No.: 7,811 |
Currently just starting a campaign using Fantasy grounds II, map ends up looking something like this: http://usera.imagecave.com/Raij/overheadmap.JPG
It's designed for D20, but we've adapted it to SR with a different skin and some other minor changes. It would be great if it had a built in SR ruleset though (but due to copyright cannot) |
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Dec 3 2007, 04:52 PM
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#18
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Manus Celer Dei Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 17,006 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Boston Member No.: 3,802 |
Copyright almost certainly does not apply to rules, though it does apply to a specific expression of them.
Not a lawyer, not legal advice. ~J |
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Dec 3 2007, 05:15 PM
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#19
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Target Group: Members Posts: 37 Joined: 5-December 06 Member No.: 10,236 |
All legal stuff aside, I think it would be great to at least have someone try to cook up a program like this. It would be great for all of us gamers who have limited/restricted time/traveling abilities.
Now, I can't program, but if you end up needing help for the GUI, or other images and such, I've been a graphic designer/digital artist for a long time, and would be happy to help put some graphics in. |
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Dec 4 2007, 04:14 PM
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#20
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,002 Joined: 22-April 06 From: Canada Member No.: 8,494 |
The only way you would interfere with the copywrite on a program like that is if the GUI is more then 20% the same (I love knowing copywrite laws). So as long as the background rules were totally different and you created a GUI (similar or not) from scratch, you would be fine. For a project like this I would also licence it as open source so that the project overall has the chance of a longer life cycle (also makes things a little more legit).
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Dec 4 2007, 08:32 PM
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#21
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Target Group: Members Posts: 17 Joined: 3-December 07 From: Chicago Member No.: 14,474 |
For what it's worth, I am working on a ruleset that would make playing SR 4th Ed. easier in FG2 (character sheets, npc forms, etc). I'm stuck on some coding issues but am fairly close. I've even reached out to Catalyst about trying to sort through any branding IP issues I may run into, and if all goes well maybe more. |
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Dec 9 2007, 02:19 PM
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#22
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Target Group: Members Posts: 17 Joined: 3-December 07 From: Chicago Member No.: 14,474 |
I've posted a screen capture of what I've got so far with regards to an SR 4th ed ruleset for FG2, it can be found at the Fantasy Grounds Forums.
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