Zoom > 200% and 1:1

[B.O.B.]

I've been trying out your demo, and I have 2 suggestions for the zoom feature:

1. Zoom more than 200%. Why? Because monitor/TV resolutions are going up - especially with the 4k monitors, and sometimes zoom 200% is not enough. For instance, I play a game where 1 grid square = 5 feet in the game, but also 1 inch on a physical map - on my 4k monitor I zoomed to 200%, and the grid square was only about 3/4th inch.

2. Zoom 1 to 1. I use an external TV that I had a special plexiglass cover made for to display maps when I am running game sessions. It would be nice if I could tell the program the following things:

• Grid square size (basically 1 inch)
• Output monitor width & height in physical dimensions (not pixels).
• Send this to the client exe and have it auto zoom 1 to 1.

Of course you have a step up on one of your competitors that I was using and got frustrated with. Their software would never remember default zoom so every game day, I'd have to get the TV setup, load up every map, and then rezoom and use a physical ruler to get the zoom to the correct setting (I also couldn't just input a zoom number have it jump to that).
Yours apparently has a way for me to predefine views and force the client to that - so I can load a map at home, hookup the TV, zoom and measure it out, and then define that as view 1 or something and then on game day, just load and broadcast that view.

[heruca]

Welcome to the BG forums, B.O.B.

1. An interesting use case that I hadn't considered. I suppose it would have to be used with the understanding that pixellation will occur.

2. For this to work, you would probably have to input the dpi setting of your display, not just the physical dimensions.

Regarding Views, I suggest you use View 0 to set the default zoom level, since that is what gets auto-set when you load any Encounter.

Are you aware of the program's ability to do fine zooming, as in 1% and .1% increments? That's going to give you more precise control than I think most other VTTs. Unfortunately, since you can't seem to attain 1:1 scaling on your display, that's not likely to help right now. It's more intended for projector users.

[B.O.B.]

Thanks for the quick reply.

1. That's fine - some pixellation is still better than being hand drawn on a blank map by me.

2. I was aware of the fine tune increments. I can usually get close on the 1:1 zoom - I use a physical ruler, eyeball it, and call it good. I didn't even think about monitor DPI, but I do know what that it is. It was more of a lazy thing for me: the TV monitor display area isn't going to change, the DPI setting on the monitor isn't going to change. What does change is the map images - they aren't always the same dimensions, and some of them don't even have the same DPI (as I', pulling the maps from the PDF of the scenario I'm running - and the DPI is never the same from one PDF to the next). I am also telling the software the number of squares on map when I load it.

I was just hoping for something where I could plug in the unchanging numbers (monitor DPI/dimensions) and that 1 square = 1 inch, and have the software do the math on what the correct zoom should be based on that and the map image / number of squares I said the map was.

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Thanks for the tip on view 0. Your competitors product would not remember the zoom I set on the last load/save and who knew what zoom I'd get on the next load.

My primary use of either of programs is fairly limited: load specific maps, set some fog of war manually, broadcast the map to 2nd monitor with the correct zoom and scroll position. Everything else is physical, like minifigs/props. Your competitor's was abysmal on this - even without the 1:1 zoom, yours is already leaps and bounds ahead. I plan on buying this on my next pay check.

[heruca]

I could see about adding a means of manually bypassing the 200% max. zoom limitation.

What does change is the map images - they aren't always the same dimensions, and some of them don't even have the same DPI (as I', pulling the maps from the PDF of the scenario I'm running - and the DPI is never the same from one PDF to the next).

DPI settings of graphics has no bearing in BRPG, which only cares about pixel dimensions.