Battlegrounds Games

heruca · Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 2:25 am Post subject: BRPG v1.0.5 beta released

BRPG v1.0.5 is now available for download. It is to be considered in beta status for the time being. If nothing major is found to be wrong with it in the next week or so, I'll take it out of beta and it will become the default BRPG download. And if something is wrong with it, I'll fix it and re-release it.

This is a full install, not a patch. The main features in this update are:

• Added an optional Portrait feature to units
• Added the ability to make objects Free-Floating (so that they don't scroll or zoom along with the map)
• Redesigned the Login panel (now called the Connection panel), to simplify the interface and make it easier to use
• Figures may now also face diagonally (hold Shift key while rotating)
• Added "Check for Updates" and "Purchase BRPG" commands to the BG button's menu

Note that the Encounter and Deployment formats have changed quite a bit, so files created in prior versions of BRPG will not work. If you have an important Encounter or Deployment you would like updated to the new format, email it to me.

As usual, see the included ReadMe file for more details.

Download BRPG v1.0.5 here:
(be sure to get the right one for your platform)
http://www.battlegroundsgames.com/BRPGv105Win.zip
http://www.battlegroundsgames.com/BRPGv105Mac.zip

Installation instructions are included in each zip file.

I also recommend that you throw away your old prefs files, just to be safe. Instructions for doing so can be found here:
http://www.battlegroundsgames.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=904

Just don't throw out your "License.txt" file, if you have one.

heruca · Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 5:44 am Post subject:

There are a couple of things I want to clarify about the new features, just in case they aren't obvious.

1) The Free-Floating feature: I figured this would be handy for things you might always want on-screen, like a compass, a map scale bar, a map legend, or a Terrain Key with Movement Costs. Free-Floating objects can have Portraits attached to them, as well (see below). And eventually, these will also serve as "triggers" for a variety of functions, such as playing sounds, calling up a website, activating a visual aid, triggering a text macro, and many other things (or combinations of things!). Expect "trigger features" to be gradually added over time. Of course, trigger icons don't HAVE to be Free-Floating, but many times that will be a good way to present them. Free-Floating objects work very well in conjunction with the Lock feature, so that the GM doesn't accidentally move them.

2) The Portraits feature:The main idea was to help illustrate the PCs better, since the tokens are rather small, especially if you like to be strict about scaling them to the grid. Sometimes an extra visual cue like this is all it takes to help one remember who's playing the elven bard and who's playing the half-elven rogue. The idea of mousing over a unit token (or selecting a unit token) to see it better appealed to me. But this feature can be a lot more than that, so I'll throw out some ideas: You might want to use JPGs of game charts and tables instead of real portraits. Attach the chart as a "Portrait" to a Free-Floating icon (a labeled scroll graphic, for example), and you've got on-call reference materials far more at hand than with the "Consult Library" (aka "Consult Charts & Tables") feature. A handy place to keep a Wandering Monster Chart, no? Or create a portrait that combines a picture of a PC with some basic game stats like Armor Class, Level, etc. Since multiple Portraits are supported, and you can swap between them with a single command, you could use them to indicate things like the Readied Weapon/Item and include stats for just that weapon on each Portrait. I've included some sample portraits in v1.0.5, but keep in mind that you can use smaller portraits or much larger ones. It all depends on how much map space you're willing to give up. On the included sample portraits, I added some yellow borders to set up a consistent design element, but you can also come up with much nicer borders or backgrounds on which to place the portrait content.

The same interface used for managing Portraits will also be used to control token art in the next version, enabling you to change your figures' artwork with a single command (posture changes, combat or idle poses, etc.)

Anyway, I know I've said some of this stuff before elsewhere on the forums, but I just wanted to reiterate it here for the benefit of those users who don't read the forums regularly, so that they can get an idea of where things are headed with BRPG.

Omnidon · Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 6:20 am Post subject:

Uploaded to the alternate mirror.

Battlegrounds: RPG Edition - Windows
v1.0.5 BETA Demo
http://allinyourmind.net/brpg/BRPGv105Win.zip

Battlegrounds: RPG Edition - Mac OS X
v1.0.5 BETA Demo
http://allinyourmind.net/brpg/BRPGv105Mac.zip

Full Bleed · General Joined: 12 Oct 2006 Posts: 499

I haven't had a chance to check out all the new features, and hopefully tonight I will be able to put 1.0.5 Beta though its paces on a network connection. But I think, as you mentioned in another thread, that getting 1.05 into release condition because of all the great development you've done is a good idea.

That said, I'm going to list version specific bugs (things I think you need to address before putting out a 1.0.5a or b) and a couple quick quirks that I think you might want to add.

I only have a few right now, but I'll go ahead and start with them.

1) When I deploy a figure, the first one has a colored "health status indicator" indicator (blue I believe.) I can't get rid of it. Future deployments don't have the problem.

2) This a pretty important one. The new selection code seems very nice, until something bugs it and things starts jumping squares when you're just selecting the figure. It doesn't happen until after you've used the zoom feature.
So, deploy a figure and at 100% the code works as intended. Zoom out, then zoom back in and it doesn't.
As an aside, when we do left-click-and-hold to "grab" a figure to move it, I think the mouse pointer should turn into a hand like it does when we grab the map to drag it. It would be nice to have the feedback that we have the icon "in hand", especially now that it is more selective about when we are on the right part of the figure to select/grab it.

3) Just a nit-pick. But once the FoW is enabled, the "Enable FoW" button should probably change to "Disable FoW" to turn it off. That or it should just be labeled "Toggle FoW On/Off." It's just strange clicking the Enable button to turn it on and off.

More later as I find them.

Omnidon · Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 12:06 pm Post subject:

Full Bleed · General Joined: 12 Oct 2006 Posts: 499

Horizontal/Vertical Offsets Bug:

Don't know if this was in previous versions or not because I just haven't used the feature much.

First, when I click on the Horizontal Offset, I kind of expected the figure to move Horizontally, not move vertically (same with vertical offset.) It's probably just semantics (because I guess we are moving the Horizon Line.)

Second (and this is the real bug), when using one offset modifier, there is an interval when the figure moves a pixel or two in the opposite vertex you are offsetting. Just grab a figure and start cranking on the Horizontal offset and you'll see what I mean.

Full Bleed · General Joined: 12 Oct 2006 Posts: 499

heruca · Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 2:19 pm Post subject:

heruca · Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 2:22 pm Post subject:

Full Bleed · General Joined: 12 Oct 2006 Posts: 499

heruca · Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 2:51 pm Post subject:

Phergus · Captain Joined: 24 Jan 2006 Posts: 52

I like the free-floating and portrait features Heruca! Very cool.

Some serious problems with using them however. Making an object free-floating and then clicking on it has it shifting several grid cells per click. Very wierd. With each click the object shifts and a grid cell several cells offset from the original placement is highlighted. The Movement Guide is positioned several cells away as well. The Portraits are being placed off screen and can only be seen if I drag my window size out to full screen width.

The BRPG window is still failing to take into account usable screen width when determing the default width to open at. Windows allows the task bar to be position on the right side of the screen (or left or top). There are system calls specifically for getting the screen width available for apps but I don't know if they are exposed to you in your dev environment. 90% of Windows programmers screw this up so it isn't like it is a unique problem to BRPG. Smile

This may be connected to the problems above as I resized the BRPG window from the left side and then repositioned the window to bring the right side back into view.

Also the rotate keys cause an error:

Property not found

#myType

Script Error. Continue?

heruca · Posted: Mon Feb 05, 2007 8:44 pm Post subject:

The problem with objects shifting is only on large objects, correct? Bigger than one cell?

Regarding portraits being off-screen, I screwed up, and am basing portrait positions off the display resolution and not the size of the map window. Since I always run BRPG at the size of my screen, that never happened for me. I can fix it easily enough, though.

You should be able to resize the map window from any edge, in any order. Any screw-ups are in my positioning code, not in the order you size the window. I'll see about improving it.

Regarding the rotate keys cauing an error, that's major, and will require an emergency patch in the next few days. Sad

Does it also give an error if you rotate multiple selected figures at once?

Phergus · Captain Joined: 24 Jan 2006 Posts: 52

Full Bleed · General Joined: 12 Oct 2006 Posts: 499

heruca · Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 3:11 am Post subject:

heruca · Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 3:14 am Post subject:

Farland · High Commander Joined: 23 Apr 2006 Posts: 525

Is the patch being released tonight? It hasn't been released yet has it?

heruca · Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 9:17 pm Post subject:

No, not tonight. I haven't announced a release date, but I assure you it will be before the 10th or 11th, since that's when I leave on my next trip, and I want to leave you all with a nice stable version that doesn't have any show-stopping bugs (like the current error when rotating a unit in Windows).

Full Bleed · General Joined: 12 Oct 2006 Posts: 499

Helizar · Sergeant Joined: 20 Jan 2007 Posts: 41

Does the save deployment for single units work? I can't seem to save a single unit. It brings up a message saying that I have to have 1 or more units available to save the deployment. The Save Deployment is available when I have a single unit highlighted. It just brings up that message though. Was this fixed or is it going to be fixed with the patch. Wasn't sure.

heruca · Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 2:03 am Post subject:

Helizar, there was a bug that wasn't allowing single-unit selections to be saved (actually, there was more than one bug). But I've just fixed it for the v1.0.5 patch.

It just goes to show there's good reason for putting these updates out in beta status first. Sometimes during these updates, a LOT of stuff gets changed around under the hood, creating the possibility of a lot of things breaking. But thanks to the good feedback you all have been submitting lately, the bugs are being dealt with quickly.

heruca · Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 2:09 am Post subject:

Phergus · Captain Joined: 24 Jan 2006 Posts: 52

heruca · Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 2:20 am Post subject:

By any chance, is that different cell always being highlighted in the exact same place on your left display?