Ironwood Omnimedia

Development continues, but not without its hiccups. However, there is good news as I still feel that I should meet the release date of July. Specifically when is still up in the air. However, a final Character Generator and a Character Manager are nearing completion. Then I have some bugs to hunt down and fix. So, what’s the good news? Simply put its…

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Yeah, I was scratching the edge of completion on the character generator, but I still haven’t crossed over. Some difficulties remain, but I am working on them. They all fall within two elements still not finished. However, today may mean the completion (finally) of one of them. The other hurdle is not past, but I have a way over it so it is only a matter of time. So the question you have been asking, a release date, will be…

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I have Guitar Hero 5 playing a custom set list of 95 songs or so in party play mode. Its not unlike listening to a playlist on an MP3 or media player except from time to time if I am so inspired by the song playing I can play along. Its a good mix of Pop, Classic Rock, Punk, and of course the Blues. Why is this important? It isn’t. I am simply giving you a bit of insight into today’s mood. I am feeling good. I got music jamming, I am actively grooving to it, even singing along (be glad you can’t hear it), and I got a huge chunk of code done this weekend. Finally, after months, load outs are DONE! So, I am feeling good. Frampton is playing “Do You Feel Like I Do” and if that feeling is good, and accomplished, with a touch of victory, then yes.

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So this weekend I had a great time. I got some more character sheet code done for the Character Manager. Furthermore, I got to run a game sessions for the guys at Nerdy Show. The session ran so well that, well…

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Yeah, yeah. Its been a while between posts. Too long in fact. There really is no reason except for the lack of progress up until last week. Furthermore, there is a new development coming along I can’t really divulge yet until some things are final. So, I am sorry for the silence, and the lack of any real news. However, there is some coming and I can’t wait to divulge it. As for progress, well I am happy to report that I have made some really large leaps and broken through a particularly challenging part of the character generator.

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So I have had some major breakthroughs with DPnP in the past few weeks. Primarily, I have brought the XML back to it through some help from a friend of mine. I also had a huge epiphany in regards to handling Load Out management. Load outs were introduced with the Modern Sagas Beta. They basically came from the idea that a single static inventory sheet that listed only what I carried, but not when I carried it and what it did was more or less useless. What I decided to do was create inventory sheets that included all stats for equipped items and armor, as well as items kept in packs, worn on the body, etc. Furthermore, they are designed to be written for multiple loads. For instance, you have a light load out for travelling, which may include light armor, a lighter weapon, and a dagger or back up with everything else in a pack. However, you have a separate load out for heavy combat with heavier armor and weapons, perhaps a shield, and no packs for unnecessary weight. The difference is plain. When you are travelling you need to stay light, but also capable of quick variation. However, when you know you are going to engage in heavy fighting you pretty much know exactly what you need, and only those few things. Weapons and armor change based on situation. You can play with load out combinations, name them, and modify them away from the game. Then, when you come back to the game, you can easily and quickly pull up a load out sheet with your favorite configuration for that situation. Its all very easy to use on paper, but much more difficult to implement electronically. It has to have a very easy interface as well as provide a multitude of variations and information. As many PC and console gamers know, electronic inventory management is usually the most unlikeable aspects of most RPGs. Very few games have done this well, and fewer still would even work with my situation. I have designed and tried to code no less than six variations so far. I finally found one that worked.

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This week I am coming off of a short little vacation, mostly of the mind. In essence, I needed to take a few steps back and look at some issues from a mind that was not dragged down with progress. I escaped from the constant grinding away at the code and design elements and did next to nothing for several days in regards to working on DPnP, or E-RPG as a whole. It paid off.

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The DPnP system so far is developed primarily for two purposes: creating and managing campaigns, and creating and managing characters. One of the first future expansions to the suite will be to create an adventure creator. However, I have found that DPnP is still quite useful in the creation of adventures out of the box (per say as there is no real box).

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I was hoping to have some good screen shots to show concerning this article. However, I spent the better part of last week engaged in a serious migraine battle that threatened to put me back in the hospital. I think we have the problem identified with this and should have it resolved this week. However, that slowed down some progress. However, the Digital GM Screen is a huge addition to the CRM. Its potential is immense. It not only handles basic information, but it also has tools to allow you to run some amazing scenarios that would just be too cumbersome to do without it.

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There is on element of DPnP’s success that is somewhat out of my control. That element is community involvement. Ironwood has a community forum that receives some lurker traffic but not much discussion. That forum is really just a placeholder. While all of the forum is a valid community forum, there are large sections that will be or is dedicated to growth through DPnP. The idea is simple, you create content, then you share it with the community. This is an important feature as it makes a potentially limitless library of content available for free. (more…)