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mattcolville
December 7th, 2010, 23:27
I'm certain this is answered in several places elsewhere but I couldn't figure out how to properly formulate my search.

Some modules, when loaded--typically Adventures--create little tabs in the GM...I really have no idea what these things are called. The little shields on the right of the screen that say Story, Maps & Images, etc....

Some modules, when loaded, don't. I can access them through the Library, but their infos do not appear to show up in the

Is this;

A: Because the module doesn't contain that type of data. Like...the PHB doesn't have Story entries?

or

B: Because when parsing the data, some flag or bit or boolean is set that determines the behavior of the module on load?

or

C: Some other reason? :D

I'm keen to know, as I parse my own data, how to made modules load like adventures, and how to make them...not.

ddavison
December 8th, 2010, 01:49
This differs somewhat by ruleset, but the main reasoning is that they are stored in different XML files and in different XML structures. You can build the story mode type with the tabs using the built-in user interface (or by creating the XML externally to FG with a parser or a tool.) For library modules, you currently have to build these external to FG. Both module types are stored inside ".mod" files. You can rename them to ".zip" and unzip them to look at how the structures differ.

If you don't have any story/adventure modules, you can export your existing campaign into one using a "/export" command from the chat window.

-Doug

EugeneZ
December 9th, 2010, 07:41
To add to what Doug said:

A module author can choose to place data in either the library, the scrolls, or both. Generally speaking (but not always, depending on ruleset) most types of data support being accessed from either one, so it's a choice of the module author.

The next question is why an author would choose one, the other, or both. Well, adding an entry to the library is usually a given, and while in the library it's essentially reference material. Adding an NPC to the library means when you open that module as a DM/user, you can REFER to that data, but not actually modify it. It's static. You can, however, copy any library node to a scroll (any scroll -- it does not need to be specific to the module. Right click on the bottom part of the scroll with the flag and you can add categories). Once copied, the copy can be changed to your heart's content, which does not actually change the module -- you're just changing the copy you made. You can access the original in the library any time.

Some module authors choose to make this process faster by also including the data in a category automatically created by the module, saving you the time of creating a new category and dragging all the data from the library to the new scroll category. Since it's done for you, you can browse directly to the appropriate category on the scroll, access the data, and change it immediately. Now you're "sort of" changing the actual module content. What FG2 really does is keep an XML file within the moduledb folder of the Data Dir named similarly to the module, and this XML file contains a list of all the changes you've made. FG2 makes these changes transparent to you -- every time you open that module, it'll load your changes into the scroll, so it seems like you're directly changing the module. But if you send the module to a friend, he won't have your changes unless you also send the appropriate moduledb file.

Even if you change the scroll data, the library data always stays the same, and can still be used as reference. So, that's the basic gist. Use the library to get the original versions. Use the scrolls when you're actually running the game so you can quickly make changes on the fly. If an author neglected to add scroll data, copy it over yourself manually before running the module.

Of course, this is just my view. As with many things in FG, different people probably have different takes on it....