Web Site Help / SR4 Character Generator?, shadowrun.dashifen.com Options Track this topic Email this topic Print this topic Download this topic Subscribe to this forum Display Modes Switch to: Outline Switch to: Standard Linear+

[Dashifen]

Some of you may recall the dashifen character record system which I put together a while back (yeah, I know the name still sucks). It's my intention to resurrect that system and update it for SR4 over the coming weeks. However, to do that I needed a web site. Since I wanted to do more than just the DCRS 2.0, I've created a new web site focused on shadowrun. Don't expect much. I only have the homepage and two downloads so far.

Here's where you all come in. In the bottom right hand corner of the content area there is a small box where I'd like random ironic quotations or sayings to appear. I've entered three myself -- thanks Fortune for the inspiration for one of them -- just to get the ball rolling, but I figured that you all could probably enter quite a few by the time I finish work today.

If you've got a quotation or a saying -- from a movie, popular culture, or even one of your games -- that you think might fit the bill, head over to the add a quote page and drop it into the database.

A note for IE users -- you won't see the quotation box. I'm still working to get IE to put it in the right place and since it's display was worse than horrible with IE, I've just removed it from the screen. You can still add a quote if you'd like, though, and I'll figure out how to bend IE to my will as opposed to the other way around.

Thanks everyone for the above.

In return, here's another thing I wanted to know: has anyone heard of plans in the works for an SR4 character generator similar to NSRCG? I've spoken with someone else online -- who will remain nameless to he/she decides to speak up -- and we're interested in giving it a go perhaps as both a web-based application like my old DCRS and as a downloadable program like the NSRCG. If you're interested in perhaps working on a protion of that whether it's preparing .dat files or databases, working on the interface or maybe even some programming, post below or drop me a PM. Granted, since we haven't even seen the rules yet we don't know how much we've bitten off let alone whether we can chew it, so in all truthfulness we're hedging out bets at this point. I figure there's a lot of interst out there, though, for such a program all we need is someone or a group of someones to step up and write it.

[Deschain]

You do realize that I'm going to spend the next few hours randomly refreshing your page to see if any other good quotes pop up....

[Kagetenshi]

To be fair, I did make the original statement that I was already thinking of working on it publicly.

~The Nameless One

[Dashifen]

Yeah, but I didn't want to speak for you. Didn't seem right.

[Dashifen]

[Nikoli]

lol
Thanks Dash. As always your SR work is appreciated.
Though when I get my grubby mits on SR4 I'll likely be doing something similair.

[Deschain]

[Dashifen]

[Nikoli]

I mainly focus on tools for speeding up tedium. remember the decker cheat-sheet and the ranged TN sheet. that sort of stuff.

[Kagetenshi]

[Nikoli]

I might have to familiarize myself with Python. Currently I write exclusively in excel and VB

[Dashifen]

From what Kagetenshi has shown me about python, it's not too bad. As for the web environment, my intention is a PHP/MySQL implementation with a strong use asynchronous javascript with or without XML depending on need. This will help me provide a tool online that acts as if it's on your maching similar to how maps.google.com works by fetching small amounts of data from their server quickly. I've had success working within this structure for other character generators and similar applications.

Oh, and since I noticed that some of you were adding the source of your quotes, I just added a source box. Not sure where I'll display it on the screen, yet, but I'll work on that later.

[Kagetenshi]

Incidentally, while I haven't started putting anything there yet, I'll be including various SR4 resources at sr4.sr3r.net (there's something ironic about that URL).

~J

[Shadow]

Love the site Dash, let me know if there is anything I can do (other than add quotes).

[bclements]

Python is a great language. Easy to pick up, especially if you already know some programming, and quite powerful and extendable.

I'd recommend it: I mainly use it for scripting, but it's got a variety of uses. The O'Riley Python book is my recommendation for learning it.

[Dashifen]

Thanks all ... got close the 30 quotes in the database, now. I'll leave the page up for now but that's enough that I'm not seeing the same one twice in a row too often as MySQL draws at random.

[Kagetenshi]

While we're waiting, what is our desired program functionality?

Thoughts for the Python version, though obviously anything that can be should be implemented in both programs:

• Generate a character using the full rules, allowing reversals (removing points from a skill due to changing one's mind, for example)
  • Allow alternate build point quantities
  • Do not require user to divide points into skills and attributes except by spending them on such (one of my biggest complaints with the NSRCG)
• Saving a built character to a valid XML file with enough general-purpose information to be used in other tools
  • Include CSS for displaying the file in a logical, readable, attractive manner
  • Include XSLT for transforming to XHTML+CSS in several different styles (clean, tabled, etc.)
  • Ensure the files are designed logically enough to allow easy hand-editing
• Open XML character sheets in progress and edit them
  • Validate against scheme to ensure validity
• Read gear, skills, qualities from XML libraries
  • Validate against scheme
  • Allow user to add to list on per-character basis
  • Allow hand editing
  • Allow user to add to list on permanent basis from within program?

Anything else we need? I'm probably forgetting something basic.

Ideas for future inclusion involve support for basic houserules (like the elimination of skill or attribute caps) with appropriate tagging of characters as such.

~J

[Dashifen]

I think that it's probably easier to make online tools which save information in secured database (to protect copyright and all that). Then, we can have the database export well formatted XML in the necessary way. This only works for gear, spells, qualities, skills, etc. Plus, then an online component could tap into the same databases.

Hell, if Python can check a web page or download a file and read its contents we could build an auto-dat-file-updater by recording the last update to the databases.

[Kagetenshi]

Python can do that, and it's a good idea for gear updates.

We're not going to be able to effectively protect our datafiles, though (it's flat-out impossible, and additionally against my conscience), so any information in them had best be clean by copyright standards—we'd have to talk to FanPro about what's acceptable there.

~J

[Dashifen]

Agreed. Judging by mcmackie's standards, the basic informatin (cost, availability, effect, etc.) is cool but full descriptions are a problem. Do you want to handle communications or hope someone official finds the thread (it's a poor name at this point considering I closed the quote thigy down when I got to 30 some quotes).

[Kagetenshi]

If you edit the first post you can always scrap the first half of the thread name.

I'll give someone a shout about it—we may have to stick at pure stats and a page reference.

~J

[Dashifen]

Sounds good. I'll get back to learning python ;)

[Demonseed Elite]

Very nice site, it's now added to my Shadowrun bookmarks. 8)

[CrystalBlue]

I was looking into making a SR4 program as well...untill I found out that I'm out of my league here. :( You guys have already started thinking about it, and I still have yet to get my books. You guys also must be very good programmers. I'm just a little tech college student. I wish I knew as much as you guys do...I only know about three languages, and not all of them proficiant enough to do what you're doing.

[Nikoli]

Thanks for the vote o' confidence. we're not all by any means experts. Hell I'm still struggling with english let alone programming languages.

I'm more of a GM tool type guy, I'll leave char-gen to those that want it. I'm looking to reduce tedium in gameplay.