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Raven
UO Staff
Joined: 19 May 2003
Posts: 2235
Location: Clyde, Ohio
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 Posted:
Wed Mar 16, 2005 9:28 am |
Who out there plays games other than UT2004? *watches a few hands go up*
Ok now who out there plays RPG games like Dungeons and Dragons along with UT2004? *watches a few more hands go up*
Well i'm in both those crouds, and when i read this article on Slashdot earlier today i wondered how hard it would be to actually do this without anything overly expensive.
| Quote: |
| RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons are traditionally played on a tabletop using miniatures. The problem is that the players are only supposed to see those parts of the map that they have explored. Gamemasters are reduced to drawing explored sections of the map on the playing surface with dry-erase markers or using cardboard tiles representing stretches of corridor. Some fellows have an expensive but elegant solution. They map out the playing area in a laptop using software such as Tabletop Mapper, which allows to game master to dynamically hide and reveal sections of the map. The laptop is attached to a 1600 lumen DLP projector mounted on the ceiling and projecting an image of the visible map onto the tabletop. The miniatures can then be moved on a dynamic map. The eye candy factor is vastly increased, gamemaster labor is reduced, and the players have more fun. The elegance is that this is an intuitive enhancement of the traditional gaming experience, instead of an unfamiliar new user interface to be mastered. |
I usually play using the dry erase method. Now granted i get into it by using different colored markers and models as statues/monsters but this little idea sounds really interesting... But I had another idea, why not turn a flat panel monitor on its back and use a magnafier as the board and draw the map in photoshop? Hmmm... I might have to try that.... |
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JaFO
Guest
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| Posted:
Sat Mar 19, 2005 8:31 am |
You are aware that not all rpg's feature monsters and lots of fights ?
I've played a (demo-games) of 'Mage:The Ascension', 'Demon:The Fallen', Aeon (all by White wolf  ) and Dragonlance with the few fights taking place in my mind
That's not to say that a completely computerized setup with Laptops and/or PDA's for everyone wouldn't be great .... for the very rich.  |
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Raven
UO Staff
Joined: 19 May 2003
Posts: 2235
Location: Clyde, Ohio
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| Posted:
Sun Mar 20, 2005 8:49 pm |
yah i understand that.. (btw you forget the old text based games i forget which ones they are but it was just about finding items and not battling)
but primarily it is about battling |
_________________
nevaR ask Raven
Because he nevaR knows!
Http://www.guardiansofdeath.com |
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Raven
UO Staff
Joined: 19 May 2003
Posts: 2235
Location: Clyde, Ohio
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| Posted:
Sun Mar 20, 2005 8:53 pm |
btw i also had another idea.... take an old big screen tv turn it on its back and use it that way with a plexiglass top just for those last minute edits |
_________________
nevaR ask Raven
Because he nevaR knows!
Http://www.guardiansofdeath.com |
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