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Few question, before purchase

alexvaalexv
edited August 2011 in The Keep General
Hello. I was browsing rpg.net forums, and suddenly I was an ad about information manager for games. I clicked it and was stunned to see an application that i was looking for for ages! I was very exited about it and downloaded the trial version. I see everything what i need there, but i have few questions about the licence and stuff. Here are my questions:

1. On how much PC in can install the program? Currently I use a laptop in work, desktop in home, and an EeePC to DM. It's obvious easy to plan everything on bigger than 10 inch screen :) Can I install The Keep on 3 different PC? Is there limit on this?

2. How I can run it off a flash stick?

3. When I purchase the program from DriveThruRPG.com for example, I have 5 downloads per purchase. If for some reason I use all my downloads, can I rely on you to provide me the file?

4. Is there online activation or some other limits enforced by the software?

Few issuses now:
1. For some reason the "files" directory is locked and I can't access it and can't view the .pdf files that are currently attached into a current database. What can cause this?
2. The image viewer is handling very sluggish files bigger than 1-2 MB. For exmaple world map of Creation (Exalted 2nd edition) is very slow to navigate. Do you plan improvement on the tools?

Thanks in advance for the answers. :)

Comments

  • Ed_NBOSEd_NBOS
    Hi Alex!
    alexv wrote:
    1. On how much PC in can install the program? Currently I use a laptop in work, desktop in home, and an EeePC to DM. It's obvious easy to plan everything on bigger than 10 inch screen :) Can I install The Keep on 3 different PC? Is there limit on this?
    Its no problem to install it on more than one PC. You can install it on more than one PC, as long as each is primarily operated by you. ie, a work PC, home PC, and netbook, etc.
    2. How I can run it off a flash stick?
    When you install the full version of the program, it will prompt you to select a portable or desktop installation. If you want to install into a USB drive, select the portable option and then select your USB drive as the target destination.
    3. When I purchase the program from DriveThruRPG.com for example, I have 5 downloads per purchase. If for some reason I use all my downloads, can I rely on you to provide me the file?
    Its no problem to replace a lost download, but make sure you register the software or we may not be able to connect your download link with your name. RPGNow does not, by default, send buyer information to us, so unless you register we dont know who bought the software and who didnt.
    4. Is there online activation or some other limits enforced by the software?
    Nope, no activation, or purposely imposed limits.
    1. For some reason the "files" directory is locked and I can't access it and can't view the .pdf files that are currently attached into a current database. What can cause this?
    What do you mean by 'locked'? Are we talking the file system? Or within the keep? What is it preventing?
    2. The image viewer is handling very sluggish files bigger than 1-2 MB. For exmaple world map of Creation (Exalted 2nd edition) is very slow to navigate. Do you plan improvement on the tools?
    Well, 'sluggish' is very subjective, and can be image and machine dependent. I've not seen anything out of the expected bounds with the image viewing. If there's an image thats causing a problem you're welcome to upload it here and I can take a look at it and see if it happens here.
  • alexvaalexv
    This is the file I have problems browsing when it's integrated into the keep:

    http://hd42.de/images/exalted/Creation_Map_v7.1c.jpg

    When I use my default viewer in vista, it's no problem, everything is smooth and fast. Here i drag the map and the results come seconds later. My PC is top model, 6gig of ram and quad cpu.

    What do you mean by 'locked'? Are we talking the file system? Or within the keep? What is it preventing?
    I import a .pdf file into the root tree of the program. But nothing happens - the tab where the .pdf must be shown is blank, and when i try to go to the directory where the file should be copied I got access denied error and can't open the directory. After PC restart everything is ok. Also sometimes the .pdf files aren't showing and keep a blank pad, even when the files are copied into the appropriate directory.
  • Ed_NBOSEd_NBOS
    The next time I'm under the hood I'll take a look to see if there's anything can be done to speed things up, but any major changes to the viewer will probably have to wait until the next full version update.

    For the PDF, root items can only be text entries. So I think what may be happening is its not adding it for that reason, and not giving an error message.
  • mike0livermmike0liver
    I'm also looking to purchase "Keep" after downloading the trial version and have a few questions.

    My use of the software will be for SciFi and I'd like it to link with an Inspiration Pad facility having SciFi facilities.

    1) Is there a version of Inspiration Pad geared specifically to SciFi?
    2) If so, how do I access it?
    3) Also if so, would I be able to access it via Keep?

    Cheers,

    Mike
  • ChaosCChaos
    Thought I´d bump this thread rather than start a new one, since it covers exactly what I´m after.

    1) In the trial version, I can switch off the spellchecker, but the moment I type a single additional letter in a text file, the spellchecker goes right back to checking the text, even though it´s still marked as switched off in the menu. Does this change in the full version?

    2) Speaking of the spellchecker, is it any better in the full version than in the trial version? Because, to, its not being able to recognize contractions (like "don´t" for example) or words with apostrophes is quite a disappointment, as is the lack of an option of adding words to it like I can do in Word.

    3) In the trial version, there´s only one databse which is automatically loaded when I start it, and saved if I quit. Does the full version include the ability to switch between databases (and to quit without saving changes to a database)?

    3a) Speaking of the full version, if I upgrade to it, will I be able to keep the database I´ve been working on in the trial version, or is that completely separate?

    4) Are there any plans, in the future, to allow including Astrosynthesis maps in The Keep?

    5) It doesn´t seem to be possible to copy several cells in a table, then select the same number of cells in a different table and paste the cell contents into these tables - at least I haven´t managed to do so yet. Am I missing anything?

    Thanks in advance for your reply.
  • JohnTaberJJohnTaber
    mike0liver wrote:
    My use of the software will be for SciFi and I'd like it to link with an Inspiration Pad facility having SciFi facilities.
    [John] Hi Mike: I am NOT from NBOS but here is my understanding. :)
    mike0liver wrote:
    1) Is there a version of Inspiration Pad geared specifically to SciFi?
    [John] This is a forum for the The Keep but Inspiration Pad is just a random name generator. You can certainly create whatever you want in the tool and use it in The Keep.
    mike0liver wrote:
    2) If so, how do I access it?
    [John] Just open Inspiration Pad...not sure I get the issue here.
    mike0liver wrote:
    3) Also if so, would I be able to access it via Keep?
    [John] In The Keep Inspiration Pad stuff shows up as simple folders. Works really neat actually. You can copy it into your entries.
  • JohnTaberJJohnTaber
    Chaos wrote:
    Thought I´d bump this thread rather than start a new one, since it covers exactly what I´m after.
    [John] Hi Chaos: I do not work for NBOS but I can talk about some of these.
    Chaos wrote:
    1) In the trial version, I can switch off the spellchecker, but the moment I type a single additional letter in a text file, the spellchecker goes right back to checking the text, even though it´s still marked as switched off in the menu. Does this change in the full version?
    [John] I have never tried to turn off the spell checker. Sure sounds like a bug though...just my take. Why do you want to turn it off? Just curious...
    Chaos wrote:
    2) Speaking of the spellchecker, is it any better in the full version than in the trial version? Because, to, its not being able to recognize contractions (like "don´t" for example) or words with apostrophes is quite a disappointment, as is the lack of an option of adding words to it like I can do in Word.
    [John] Huh...I get all the fancy work options and it works with quotes. Not sure why this is not working for you. :(
    Chaos wrote:
    3) In the trial version, there´s only one databse which is automatically loaded when I start it, and saved if I quit. Does the full version include the ability to switch between databases (and to quit without saving changes to a database)?
    [John] Unfortunately not to my knowledge. This is one of the big drawbacks right now if you have multiple campaigns. They need a way to handle this better...a larger campaign setting or something might do it...not sure.
    Chaos wrote:
    3a) Speaking of the full version, if I upgrade to it, will I be able to keep the database I´ve been working on in the trial version, or is that completely separate?
    [John] Yes, at least from my experience quite a while ago. Note that you can also backup your db too just to be safe. ;)
    Chaos wrote:
    4) Are there any plans, in the future, to allow including Astrosynthesis maps in The Keep?
    [John] Can't answer this one.
    Chaos wrote:
    5) It doesn´t seem to be possible to copy several cells in a table, then select the same number of cells in a different table and paste the cell contents into these tables - at least I haven´t managed to do so yet. Am I missing anything?
    [John] I agree. Right now the table handling is not wonderful. This is one area where I would like to see enhancements as well.
  • KitsuneZetaKKitsuneZeta
    Chaos wrote:
    [...]3) In the trial version, there´s only one databse which is automatically loaded when I start it, and saved if I quit. Does the full version include the ability to switch between databases (and to quit without saving changes to a database)?
    you have to dig around for it, but there IS a way to handle multiple databases. Each database has to be stored in its own folder, though. Check section 14.1 of the pdf manual for the specifics on it, but here's the quick version:

    Using the /path "C:\Full\Path\To\Folder" parameter (replacing the "Full\Path\To\Folder" with the path to the folder where your database is/will be) when launching TheKeep will make it look in that directory as opposed to the directory the executable is in (or wherever it normally looks). You can set this up in a shortcut.
  • Ed_NBOSEd_NBOS
    Chaos, do you have a specific purpose for wanting multiple db's? The Keep can easily track dozens of campaigns worth of data. Thats what its designed for- keeping all your gaming notes in one place.
  • ChaosCChaos
    Ed_NBOS wrote:
    Chaos, do you have a specific purpose for wanting multiple db's? The Keep can easily track dozens of campaigns worth of data. Thats what its designed for- keeping all your gaming notes in one place.

    Well, for one thing I prefer to keep my campaigns separate; it´s just a personal preference.

    For another, I could see myself using The Keep for things unrelated to gaming, which I would definitely want to keep separate from gaming. For example, it would have been very useful when I was working on my diploma thesis, to keep track on all the research and sources and stuff.

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