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Battle Report:
Earlier today I played a game of All Quiet on the Martian Front using Skwyre.
I created and imported a map using FWE. I hand to convert this to a .png file, but I tend to do this anyway, as my friends who are NBOS deprived can use my maps. (Please understand that I have had some of my maps PUBLISHED of MONEY. not much money, but enough to add Published author to my Resume.)
For this test, I downloaded a non-copyrighted image of miniature figures and cropped out various images. This is a stop-gap, as I intend to photograph images of my figures, lovingly painted, for future events.
I then used the ADD MAP and UPLOAD IMAGE features to add my playing surface and to add the miniatures. (C1)
I invited a friend from 1000 miles away and we played a game. Inviting was easy.
We chatted, rolled dice, and used the "Measure" feature a lot. One thing I learned by accident is that UNDO only removes things "drawn" on the map. it does not move pieces. This was a good thing,
Concerns:
C1: It seems that only I as campaign designer could add my uploaded minis, view the minis in the Add Mini dialog, or move the minis on the map. This may be an issue, as I intend to have players upload pictures of their minis for play. Games made by people who sell physical miniatures will want to encourage people to buy figures, or at least to prevent people from avoiding buying figures.
C2. There is no way to adjust the size of the minis. The minis change size with the map. If this means that the minies are needed to be 100 pixels per inch for a map 48x72 inches, or 4800 by 7200 pixels, the resolution on the minis is going to be pretty low.
C3: Players should be allowed to upload their own minis and move their own minis. I will have to see if opponents can upload their own files.
C4: It worked out well to use the Measure feature to determine the movement and range for the minis, but it was a pain for the campaign designer to move all the minis. As it was, I drew measured arrows in red, moved my minis according to the arrows, and my opponent drew arrows in blue. At the end of the turn, multiple presses of UNDO eliminated the unwanted arrow. Being cautious, I only found out at the end of the game that CLEAR only clears drawings.
C5: The circle feature could use a measure addition.
C6: It was difficult to turn off the grid.
Good Points:
R1: The chat feature works well. I would like to try it with 3 or more players, but it worked very nicely for two players.
R2: The die rolling feature was awesome.
R3: the speed of loading and responding was excellent.
R4: The ability to design and upload "my own" maps is great.
R5::Being able to label each mini was good.
R6: Being able to access multiple maps should be a good way to keep areas secret until the right time comes. It's easy to add maps.
Needs:
A help file that explains what all the buttons do.
The ability to eliminate the "standard" minis from campaigns that don't use them. Bilbo just took up space with the martians and hardy human troops.
So far I have pushed the features pretty hard. What I have yet to do is to make a Big Map and see if I can get the scales right.
Comments
Glad to hear it went well!
The way minis work right now is that the campaign owner can move/delete any mini, but general campaign members can only move/delete their own minis.
For uploads, they are attached to your account. So if you upload a file, only you have access to it (to add a new mini or background). Obviously when you add it to the map, everyone can see it.
I will give my opponent images so s/he can upload them. each player should be able to move his own armies in a miniature game.
Is there a way to save a circular, or other shaped image with Fractal Mapper?
No, FM doesn't support exporting images w/ transparent backgrounds. You'd need an image editor for that. What you can do is draw the image in FM, and then in another editor mask out the area you want transparent.
I have been trying with GIMP, which I use mostly for changing formats (convert BMP to JPEG, etc.)
I have been reading tutorials on how to save a circular or other shaped image.
Of course, I also want to keep "testing" (Okay, playing with) Skwyre.