Official ICE Forums
Systems & Settings => Rolemaster => Rolemaster Software => Topic started by: Warl on August 13, 2013, 11:26:19 PM
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I was wondering Why No Apps for a Combat/skill tool/resolution or even a GM tool hasn't been Made BY ICE and been made available on Itunes and Google Play.
I Understand ICEs Issues/concerns with independent Apps and IP protection, But wouldn't it be just as protected using such a "Pay for app" service. It would seem no more risky of ones IP than selling a book or PDF.
AND yet Such tools, regardless of which version they were made for, Would be So very useful to the community and Might even aid in drawing Interest to the game, as it would alleviate so many concerns about the "Infinite RM Charts" and make the game open to those such things intimidate. Not to mention Making our own games run so much more quickly and Smoothly.
I also understand the concerns about supporting "dead" Systems. But if such tools were made for For RM2/RMC and RMSS Those fans still using those systems would Buy those APP products and provide some additional Funding to ICE to help them finance the develoment of the next Version of RM.
Do you get the Idea I would really Like to see these things done? ;D
If there isn't Anyone on the ICE staff with the know how or time to do such a thing, Make it Known that you would be willing to make a fair agreement with some one amongst the Fans who Does have the Know how to and is willing to either sell it to ICE or take a small, reasonable per sale residual from the venture. I wouldn't be surprised f some one has already worked on such a thing.
It just seems odd/sad that in such a Technological world we live in, ICE appears to not be taking advantage of such great opportunities to Support and Expand it's Player/fan base along with making a some money on the side.
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Answer is easy. RPG is almost non-commercial or lets say you don't earn money with roleplaying products.
I've developed in my free-time Rolemaster Office. I took me around 600-800 hours in the last three years and I got 10$ donations.
Nobody will pay for this stuff. Nobody will pay for support.
My active user base is 300-500 user and now the calculation:
600 hours = 75 days * 600€ per day (thats extremly low for professional developer) = 45000€ / 500 users => 90 € per user
Would you buy an app for 90€/130$? After that you had to pay for support, hosting, etc.
Ah, I forgot:
45K *3 because you have to support iPhone, Android and PC => 135000€
135K * ~3 => RMU, RM2/RMX, RMFRP/RMSS => 405K
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I had thought of developing apps for such, but after installing the Android SDK and iOS SDK software, I found that I MUST have a constant internet connection to use either.
At least that is the error message I got when I opened either one.
You can call me paranoid if you want, but I refuse to use any SDK software that requires an internet connection. I prefer using my machine that is NOT connected to the internet for developing any kind of software. Reason: I want it to work without having internet access before I actually code in for such. As said, call me paranoid.
It might be that the only reason I need that internet connection is for their Help System. Again, I refuse to any SDK software that does not also have a Help System I can download and install and use without an internet connection. Yes, the internet Help System will be most up to date, but I just still prefer to create apps without needing an internet connection.
The one machine I have connected to the internet is paid for by the NMEDAC, and my usage is logged with their system, and I get a nasty email for using a connection they pay for for my personal usage. I refuse to pay the $120+/month for internet that comcast/xfinity wants to charge me. I feel that cable internet should only cast $20/month. I know it does not cost comcast/xfinity more than that to provide me with cable internet.
Thus, I shall not be writing any Android or iOS apps. I am also taking a course this fall in Phone App Creation just to see if I can do it. This way I'll be using the university's internet connection.
Plus there is the reason that Magistrate gives. The more complicated the app, the more I feel I should get paid for having written it. If it is something simple such as this RMFRP Species Generation Worksheet (http://www.conceptvisions.net84.net/rmfrpRaceGen/RMFRPSpecGenWrksht.html) I wrote, then I have no problem with offering it for free.
rmfr
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For the iPhone, there are the XPCalc and XPTracker commercial apps for Rolemaster.
For the PC and to a lesser extent Unix, there is AutoHARP which we sell through RPGNow, and David Klecker receives a royalty on every sale.
If someone believes they have the expertise and willingness to develop apps commercially, then get in touch with Aurigas/ICE. But be advised the market for all such apps is very small, because the market for the games is small and the potential user base is fractured across multiple platforms
Best wishes,
Nicholas
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A combat tracker is super useful. I don't know that I like phone or tablet better than PC, but whichever you pick you'll lose part of the market... I got sidetracked on the work of modernizing my own for RMSS/RMFRP on Windows (which is not currently pretty enough I would want to sell it), mostly due to wasting time trying to use Microsoft's crappy DataRepeater component. I did get it updated from VB6 to VB.Net though. But assuming no one else makes a good one (in which case I'd buy it), I will probably get back to it over the winter. If someone is a VB.Net programmer and wants to help, message me. :)
Character generators have a tougher time because there are multiple options currently, many of them free, at least for RMSS/RMFRP. If I played HARP I would buy AutoHARP for sure.
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I understand the issues of Time Versus Compensation.
My brother and I make busts and staction figures (static Action figures) of Fan created characters that we offer for sale to those fans who are interested in such.
Do we sell them at a $ value that makes a profit over material cost? Yes
Do we sell them at a $ value that would "justifiably" recompense us for time spent making them? not even close.
#1 because if we did so, no one would ever Buy them. Most Artists and Freelance Writers understand they will never receive a Compensation that will equal the over all time spent producing their product. A lot of Free lance Writing gigs Pay by the word count. I have done a few and the compensation doesn't come close to the time involved in producing the work.
But that brings me to the next part that answers "why do it then?"
#2 We would be making those Bust and staction figures anyway for our Own Pleasure, enjoyment and entertainment. So since it is something we are doing for ourselves anyway, and we KNOW there are many others that enjoy it as well, Why not offer them up and Make a Profit over Material costs to produce? Why Not Receive SOMETHING for the work over nothing. This is something Most Artist and Freelance writers understand, because half of why they do it is because they enjoy doing it, so why not get paid a bit on the side for doing what you enjoy and may do anyway.
Fact is There are Lots of people out there producing gaming modules for their Preferred game and then putting them up for sale. WHy? Because they were going to write the module anyway for their own game, so why not get a little $ on the side as well.
Another reason is to contribute and promote the Community you Enjoy and love.
Now I am not trying to convince you here, Magistrate, I am just pointing out the counter arguments of Why people would do it, regardless of the Facts you put out.
My Main point is that if RM is to continue to have a Basis for continuing to develop and produce it's IP, There needs to be some keeping up with advancements in the Industry. There needs to be something that is going to Draw in the New gamers, the younger Generation. Else a Game WE ALL here Love, and Want to see continued support for, Will Die out.
Also as for the part about the cost for doing it on all platforms...
If you were JUST doing a Combat tool/ Skill resolution tool. One App would do it.
There are Minor Variations between the combat tables between the two versions of RM, So insignificant that one tool, regardless of which tables you plug into the tool, would make all happy just to have something that made Combat results quicker to acquire and thus speeding up combat resolution.
Character generators are a whole other ball game, and I don't really look for that as I have my house rules that modify Character creation enough that, Unless I made the tool (had the ability to) for myself, I wouldn't be likely to use them.
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Coincidentally I have some ideas for Apps that I think would be worth while, but I just haven't really pursued the idea yet. The wife is starting to network with a lot of people more recently (she's a freelance graphic designer), so I've been thinking about her tracking down someone that knows the actual programming side. I figure I can create the content, but I need someone to design the framework.
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I built XPTracker and XPCalc for the iPad and iPhone. As Magistrate said this is more of a labor of love then making money. I spent about 500-600 hours building XPTracker and you can really break that down in to pennies per hour for work. I made them because I still game and have programming skills. With the limited time my friends and I have to game every few months we needed a faster way to get through the paper work and calculations.
When I started playing in the 80's I could walk in to a book store and there would be a whole wall dedicated to gaming, now days there is a book shelf if that. Joysticks have replaced dice and endless gaming imagination is now been confined to a TV box.
XPTracker was built to speed up gaming as well as simplify what new users had to learn on the fly. My goal was to reduce the scratch paper part of the gaming while handling combat,multi attacks, XP, skills and XP Calculating. It was not designed to replace the character sheet or the books but to aid and speed up game play.
I have a new version coming out in the next few weeks that has bug fixes and a few new features too.
We had also talked about a GMTracker app that would help speed up the GM finding the results on the tables. You enter the characters attack data and other information and the result is presented to you with out tracking down the info from the tables. But this would be a situation where we would just provide the GMTracker app and ICE would sell the table modules that you can download and use through the app. End result would be faster gaming which is what we are all looking for but it is just talk right now and have not talked to ICE about anything like that officially.
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We had also talked about a GMTracker app that would help speed up the GM finding the results on the tables. You enter the characters attack data and other information and the result is presented to you with out tracking down the info from the tables. But this would be a situation where we would just provide the GMTracker app and ICE would sell the table modules that you can download and use through the app. End result would be faster gaming which is what we are all looking for but it is just talk right now and have not talked to ICE about anything like that officially.
As I said, this sort of thing is super useful, especially if you track injuries (rounds of stun, amount of bleeding, etc). I don't use any iOS devices so it wouldn't be as great for me running a game (although our GM does, so...) but based on personal experience I can say it does really speed things up.
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I have developed an application to use with my gaming group, with different modules that manage character creation, leveling up, adventuring, inventory, and character sheet.
All can be run from a Windows PC, and everything but the leveling up can be accessed via web browser, so no worries about iOS/Android/Windows.
Also, the character sheet module is specially tailored for mobile devices, and updates the player with info on stun, bleeding, remaining hits, etc, and also shows the description and parameters of all known spells.
The GM application resolves all spell casting, attacks, criticals and skill rolls according to the tables.
I contacted Thom 2 months ago about it, but I am still waiting for a response.
Mind you, the system has potential for RM2,RMFRP,RMU, but it is currently more dedicated to solving things the way that my group prefers, and before I could release it as a commercial (or even free) product, it would require some tweaks to make it more useful for a larger audience.
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A combat tracker is super useful. I don't know that I like phone or tablet better than PC, but whichever you pick you'll lose part of the market...
Actually that's not necessarily the case. I've created a cross-browser, cross-platform combat tracker web app that works on basically anything (PC, iPad, tablet, iPhone/Android smartphones, etc.) using responsive design. I wrote it one weekend a few months ago for our own RMC group. It includes all the combat and crit tables (yes all of them), and I'd be very happy to release it for free. I'd have to strip out the copyright stuff first (tables), then give instructions (and regular expressions) for how you would copy and paste the table data from the PDFs into the javascript. The app actually works without the tables - you can just type in the results - but of course that defeats much of the time saving benefits.
I'll post some screenshots after this.
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Rolemaster (RMC) Combat Minion screen shots
1. Main Screen
(http://www.web.com.au/tmp/rolemaster_combat_minion_1.png)
2. Combat.
Note 1: Any and all rolls can be overridden by typing over the computer rolls - don't want to take the fun of rolling away from players :)
Note 2: The software parses the crit text to extract the wounds for you automatically
Note 3: Can zombies be stunned? GM must always check and change the wound where required
(http://www.web.com.au/tmp/rolemaster_combat_minion_2.png)
3. Encounter Log (so you can go back and check what happened)
(http://www.web.com.au/tmp/rolemaster_combat_minion_3.png)
4. Creation/Edit of PCs & NPCs/Creatures
(http://www.web.com.au/tmp/rolemaster_combat_minion_4.png)
5. Works on Smartphones (though why you'd ever want to is beyond me)
(http://www.web.com.au/tmp/rolemaster_combat_minion_5.png)
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That would still work pretty good for RMSS/FRP. Where's it at?
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That would still work pretty good for RMSS/FRP. Where's it at?
I can't give out the public website address without first stripping the copyrighted attack and crit table data (which won't happen today).
Also I've already been sent a private message by ICE about the possibility of releasing it as a commercial program. Personally I have no interest in making money out of it (ask me again if RM gets millions of players ;)), but it would make sense for ICE to wish to commercialise it with full table data. Something like this has the possibility of increasing RM's popularity by moving it away from the perception of being "chartmaster". Since the software itself is a website, comercialisation could work by adding login/password access of some type.
If nothing happens with ICE, my intention is to release it sans data and let GMs add the data themselves from their (paid for) PDFs. (I've kept the regexes I used to convert a PDF copy/paste straight into javascript form - in fact it's documented in the javascript itself).
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The cross-platform connectivity in both of those is a great feature.
Merkir, that looks pretty nice. I also really like the log. Is there a way to load and save characters/groups? E.g. the GM wants to prepare a set of encounters ahead of the session to save time during play. (For ours, I also included the option to specify in the file a random number of creatures of type X, armed with a random weapon from a set of 1-4 options.) I think I also save more information about the characters/monsters than you do. Here are some of my screen shots for comparison:
Main screen. Note that I have the targets, parry amount, etc right on the main screen. Easier to keep things consistent, you only have to ask people for their parry amount once (not both when they attack and defend). If they do the same thing next round, you don't have to change anything. You can also designate groups, and then save or delete entire groups at once (e.g. unload all the monsters, keep all the PCs loaded). I put everything on the same list and then it sorts to show initiative.
(http://www.madreporite.com/rpg/rmca/rmca1.png)
Character/monster stats. I included critical reduction and such in the stats so it's automatic. Also, you can have multiple weapons listed to make it easy to switch between them on the main screen (I'm not sure why Sam has a beak...). There's a checkbox to mark whether the program should roll automatically for the character (NPCs, monsters) or not (players).
(http://www.madreporite.com/rpg/rmca/rmca2.png)
Condition page. The injury description is a short summary instead of the full critical text. Otherwise pretty obvious.
(http://www.madreporite.com/rpg/rmca/rmca3.png)
Combat. There is an "other modifiers" field but mostly you can do everything with the checkboxes. There are automatic links (e.g. checking Rear also checks Flank, checking Surprise also checks Static).
(http://www.madreporite.com/rpg/rmca/rmca4.png)
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That would still work pretty good for RMSS/FRP. Where's it at?
I can't give out the public website address without first stripping the copyrighted attack and crit table data (which won't happen today).
I'm really mainly just interested in the information tracking found on the first and last screen shots. Looking stuff up can be done by the players, but as a GM I love to have something that tracks most that stuff (that being the OB, DB, hits taken, stuns, etc, etc).
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The cross-platform connectivity in both of those is a great feature.
Note that it's only a single site/web app. Responsive design means it adjusts layout to fit the screen size of the underlying platform.
Is there a way to load and save characters/groups? E.g. the GM wants to prepare a set of encounters ahead of the session to save time during play.
Yes, in fact the screenshots I gave above have a database of about 80 PCs/NPCs/creatures behind it (for our campaign). If you look closely you'll see in the search/filter 'key' box the characters "z1". When I entered the zombies, I gave them all the keyword "z1" for filtering purposes. You can search/filter by either this keyword, or the name itself, as wildcards. Typically you would want to give each creature a keyword like "E1" for encounter 1, or "R3" for room 3, or whatever is suitable for your campaign, grouping the creatures to where they exist within your world.
Regarding attacks, it was my design choice not to store (initially) any attack info. The software saves each char/creature's most recent attack. The next time that char/creature attacks, it automatically restores the last attack info. The aim was to save the last 5 (or more) attacks and be able to choose from the "most recent attack" list, but that's a TODO. It only stores the most recent attack at present.
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I'm really mainly just interested in the information tracking found on the first and last screen shots. Looking stuff up can be done by the players, but as a GM I love to have something that tracks most that stuff (that being the OB, DB, hits taken, stuns, etc, etc).
That's one of the main functions of the software, and it automatically does all the end-of-round upkeep adjustments as you can see in one of the screenshots.
The other main function - the other big time saver - is that it looks up all the tables for you. The idea is that nobody has to look up tables if they don't want to.
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Since my software is broader reaching than the topic of this forum, I think I'll start a new topic and post it there in the interests of letting more people see it, and to get more feedback.
Also I'll consider stripping the copyright material and making the software (url) available publicly, but I will wait a while to see if ICE wish to give feedback on that idea first.
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A good way to encourage the use of RM in modern groups is that the smartphones can become a virtual character sheet. Here's a screen of my current version of my system for the character sheet module, which updates automatically and shows the current status.
(http://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=0B4VSGeZf5uqxYmVTM0lMNFdhSkk)
While some groups may find this idea heretical, I have found that when their characters are not being the center of attention, some players will now use this time to review their spells in their smartphone instead of playing fruit ninja.
But just as Merkir said, the main reason to have this kind of application is to include all charts and spell lists. My application would look quite empty without all the data that is obtained from the PDF's.
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A definite solution to the main problem I hear is if a Data Package is sold by ICE, containing all the tables and relevant other stuff. Use something everyone can incorporate in their program and a user must buy and the program and data package. Make it .xml, or something, so an average Joe can't really make use of it. That way ICE and the programmer get to make some money.
RM is perfect for a digital format. If we can have a night of gaming without table look up and multi-page character sheets and perhaps rules discussions, it would make RM a far better game. Its % resolution, combined with tables and the large number of variables involved will go down so much more smoothly. Not to mention that ICE/ GCP would become the first company to offer such a digital format. Firsts usually become the standard other companies must conform to...
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Have yourself an idea point, Vlad!
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The XML format is a real possibility. All my RM applications are based on XML data. I have already converted most spells in the spell books and RMFRP companions to XML, also all Maneuver Tables, Combat companion attack and critical tables, and of course most professions and Shadow World races.
Also, the character creation wizard I designed saves a lvl 0 character as XML, which can then be loaded with the leveling module, and the same character XML files are used by the adventuring module.
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AutoHARP already uses the split program (which is free for software licensing purposes) and database files which are sold by us on OneBookShelf for a royalty direct to the programmer. This is a very viable model.
Best wishes,
Nicholas
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The ideal in my mind is a player with a smart phone rolls or has his smart device roll, it sends it to the database which updates all of the numbers approved, changed or disapproved, and then spits out the result for the GM to approve, change or not approve, adds the info the right PC or NPC sheet and combat moves on to the next person.
But the above way looks really great also.
MDC
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AutoHARP already uses the split program (which is free for software licensing purposes) and database files which are sold by us on OneBookShelf for a royalty direct to the programmer. This is a very viable model.
Best wishes,
Nicholas
Can you give a pointer to this? I did not find anything sounding computer-related on OneBookShelf.
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Here are the Auto-HARP links.
HARP Fantasy (http://ironcrown.us6.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=1730d3188d2e7829f557ff314&id=1dc123036c&e=5df0f99e93)
HARP SF (http://ironcrown.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=1730d3188d2e7829f557ff314&id=5eed9662f1&e=5df0f99e93)
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If the GM is using a notebook/netbook with the adventuring module, it is enough for the player to roll and tell the GM the value obtained, then the GM enters the rolls and checks the result.
Although most fields are completed automatically, the roll is always manually entered.
(http://www.gdriveurl.com/?idl=413766706674&out=1)
(http://www.gdriveurl.com/?idl=213766707424&out=1)
This is obviously by design, as my current groups shudders at the thought of a random roll used for their characters.
For the rolls where the outcome should not be known (such as sense ambush), I ask the players for some rolls beforehand, and the system then can access them randomly later.
PS: Please confirm if the images in this and my previous post can be seen.
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Images are visible to me...
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The images are visible to me as well.
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I see an image in the more recent post but not in the previous ones.
A nice thing about XML is that it's easy enough to work with that in principle you could have data packs that work in a variety of applications. You could also have XML export from a character generator that is read by any GM tool. And if the data files are useful to users of multiple pieces of software, there's less duplication of work and perhaps more sales per data file.
With regard to applications with all the data built in, I will note that one of the (few) things WotC did well in D&D 4.0 was their character builder program. It was super easy to develop and level a character because all the skill, ability, and spell descriptions were right at your fingertips. The data was free for the first three levels and after that you needed to buy a subscription... although the limits on sharing were such that a normal-sized gaming group could share one subscription.
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that looks Nice.
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The ideal in my mind is a player with a smart phone rolls or has his smart device roll, it sends it to the database which updates all of the numbers approved, changed or disapproved, and then spits out the result for the GM to approve, change or not approve, adds the info the right PC or NPC sheet and combat moves on to the next person.
As I was writing my software, I was thinking even more ambitiously than that. I envisage players using any device, logged into the GM's Rolemaster Combat Minion (RCM) (screenshots given earlier), with the player literally choosing what their char is doing during any part of the round. Using ajax/push/pull, RCM could easily report on what happens at the end of each 10% activity. This would be especially useful for movement when using hex grids and miniatures, since the timing of each hex of movement is far easier calculated by software. Whenever a char is due to move a hex, RCM says so, and the player moves. Of course if "simultaneous" movement is not desired, RCM could still abide by the round phases as in the RAW. Ie. 2 phases in RMC/2 or 3 phases in RMU.
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merkir,
IMHO that is great.
I also do not think that with younger players today if RM gets the label of the "app" system that it will hurt it in any way.
MDC
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It seems the first image (mobile character sheet app) lost its sharing properties, here goes again:
(http://www.gdriveurl.com/?idl=113767471075&out=1)
As regards the ease of character creation in WotC products, the character wizard we are using for RM was partially inspired by it, here is a screenshot of the Step 8 - Culture
(http://www.gdriveurl.com/?idl=513767473853&out=1)
I am not sure about updating the character sheet every 10 seconds, unless the group is meeting online, I prefer the attention of the players on the GM, we currently update the character sheet automatically every 1 minute, just to make sure that stun, penalties and remaining hits are known to the player before choosing the next move.
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see these things that both merkir and Voriig are showing is exactly what we need
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We're monitoring closely and will be contacting both with our thoughts once John is back to his home office and can review the entire situation. We do agree that electronic support is critical for future success, especially with a system like Rolemaster - less so with HARP, but still very valuable there also.
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Couple things to consider.
I'd prefer this kind of thing is downloadable and not have to go to a web-page to use. For example, as odd as it sounds, if I'm camping and we're gaming (which we do on occasion) I want to be able to use this on a laptop or smart device (android/iphone, ipad/tablet/kindle, etc) without having to have an internet connection.
I'd definitely pay $5.00 for a well made comprehensive combat app, maybe $10 if it does everything I want it to.
Those things would be to track...
Level
Hits
PP's
Bleeding
Stuns (of the various kinds)
OB (possibly broken down into it's parts)
- Natural OB
- Item bonuses (Magic or not)
- Magic bonuses (spells impacting the OB)
DB (possibly broken down into it's parts)
- Quickness
- Shield
- Magic
- Talents
- Adrenal Defense
...etc...
If you want to get really fancy; track in combat duration of spells cast on individual targets. Everything from Charm or Confusion to Auras and Hastes, etc, experience earned, etc.
Even without result look-ups this is a great way to track combatants status'.
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Here are the Auto-HARP links.
HARP Fantasy (http://ironcrown.us6.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=1730d3188d2e7829f557ff314&id=1dc123036c&e=5df0f99e93)
HARP SF (http://ironcrown.us6.list-manage.com/track/click?u=1730d3188d2e7829f557ff314&id=5eed9662f1&e=5df0f99e93)
Thanks but what I'd rather need is the pointer to the "split program" and "database files".
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You can download the executable on its own from David Klecker's sourceforge page. For ease, we include the executable and the database files in the commercial downloads.
Best wishes,
Nicholas
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I'd prefer this kind of thing is downloadable and not have to go to a web-page to use. For example, as odd as it sounds, if I'm camping and we're gaming (which we do on occasion) I want to be able to use this on a laptop or smart device (android/iphone, ipad/tablet/kindle, etc) without having to have an internet connection.
I do agree with that. Interconnection is cool but we've also had games disrupted by loss of internet (e.g. wireless router has hallucinations or whatever it is that wireless routers do when they're not routing) so I'd rather not depend on the internet.
If you want to get really fancy; track in combat duration of spells cast on individual targets.
That seems like a good idea. From the implementation perspective it's just defining an event and counting the rounds. Could also be useful for things like "time until the next group of guards arrive", "time until the drawbridge is fully lowered", and other plot-related events, not just spells.
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I'd prefer this kind of thing is downloadable and not have to go to a web-page to use. For example, as odd as it sounds, if I'm camping and we're gaming (which we do on occasion) I want to be able to use this on a laptop or smart device (android/iphone, ipad/tablet/kindle, etc) without having to have an internet connection.
Just to clarify, a web app needs no continuous connection to the Internet. For example Rolemaster Combat Minion initially looks like you're going to a website - which you are - but thenceforth you set the site to be used offline, and you never need connection to the Internet thereafter. You can use the system for years without an Internet connection. The database of characters/NPCs/creatures is saved and maintained entirely on the client side, whether that be a desktop, notebook, tablet/ipad, android/iOS smartphone, whatever. Only if you want the optional functionality described above where players can log into the system using their own devices would you need Internet, or connectivity of some kind.
The thinking these days is to design systems which are as platform/OS/connectivity independent as possible. My company wouldn't normally consider developing software tied to a particular platform. Been there, done that, doesn't fit with today's use of technology. Having said that, and probably having put a few other developers' noses out of joint on this forum, let me say that with a relatively low user base like RM, you might be able to consider forcing users onto Windows, or whatever. Obviously not ideal, but there still could be some viability.
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This looks great! Would be cool if ICE maybe gave folks a password for the system when they purchase PDFs. I'd pay a pretty big 1 time fee if it's as good as it looks. How I wish Rolemaster had a set of tools like TSRs Core Rules for Ad&D. I'd pay much for it!
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This looks great! Would be cool if ICE maybe gave folks a password for the system when they purchase PDFs. I'd pay a pretty big 1 time fee if it's as good as it looks. How I wish Rolemaster had a set of tools like TSRs Core Rules for Ad&D. I'd pay much for it!
Agreed
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I said I would start a new thread to introduce "Rolemaster Combat Minion" (RCM) to the wider forum audience, to describe it a little better, and to get some feedback. Sorry I haven't done that yet... but I will in the next few days. On a personal note, since our group started using RCM instead of printed table look-ups I'm a much happier GM :). I believe many other GMs would like it too.
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Just to add to the appetite for a Rolemaster application, this is a fully functioning window to register maneuvers by each member of the party.
Of course each check on the right commits the outcome, so those without undead lore need not embarrass themselves by rolling.
(http://www.gdriveurl.com/?idl=313777490201&out=1)
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Nice, that's super useful. I would also add a field for other modifiers besides difficulty. It could just be an "Other modifiers" field that lets you enter a number.
I assume there's some way to distinguish between percentage maneuvers (as shown) and absolute maneuvers.
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Speaking from the experience of using the program, more than one field per character during an action only complicates things for the GM. So far I've tried to keep the players up to date with what the system does and what it doesn't.
Here is another screenshot, explained below:
(http://www.gdriveurl.com/?idl=913778320746&out=1)
The second character has a number between parenthesis that is lower than the first. This is because at the time of executing the maneuver, he has suffered a -10 from a critical. This is already considered in the maneuver result listed.
The total bonus also includes level, ranks, items, etc.
If the character has, for some reason, a modifier that is not considered, I'd rather have the player do the math and I'd just input one number per character.
As regards moving vs static maneuvers, the XML configuration files state the resolution type for each skill. This allows not only to choose the correct table, but also to avoid listing offensive bonuses on this window, and listing only offensive bonuses on the attack window.
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I was thinking of an "Other modifier" that would apply equally to all the players. Same as the difficulty rating. Not a per player modifier, I can see how that would get out of hand.
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Just letting you know I started a new topic for Rolemaster Combat Minion which includes a link to a youtube video to see it in operation, here:
http://www.ironcrown.com/ICEforums/index.php?topic=13646 (http://www.ironcrown.com/ICEforums/index.php?topic=13646)
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A wee late to the party but here's my 2cents. Since I've partially gotten back into programming, and other duties and commitments permitting, I should have a finalized combat tracker program/app for Windows 8 computers and tablets around march 2014. The idea is to track NPCs and monsters only at the time being, and be compatible with RMU only. In my current campaign it's gotten to the point that we just spend way too much time book-keeping and I really want to cut down on that. The program will accept monsters and NPCs through the use of an Excel sheet and classify according to level and type (Undead, Dragons etc). I'll throw updates on the forums as I get closer to release in case anyone's interested as, as always, I just do these things in my own free time.