Update Idea for Fantasy Grounds II

[Voldran]

One of the most time consuming parts of creating adventures in the current system is manually entering in monster data. However with the advent of Dungeons and Dragons Insider, there is a online compilation of all the official monsters for the game. I have recently downloaded a copy of the Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition Combat Manager (DnD4eCM) for my home games. The great thing about this program is its ability to convert the RTF version of a clipboard copy to a pasted autofill format for use within the program for near-instant use.

By the developers figuring how to apply this to FG2, it would considerably cut down prep time and authoring time for DMs using this software for VRT-based gaming. In addition it would also serve to fill a niche in gaming that is currently lacking for 4th Edition users, cheap published but quality campaigns by users of the software.

If others have ideas for streamlining the creation process please add them via reply to this post.

[Valarian]

Already been thought about. There's a parser about somewhere.

[Acroyear]

Check out this thread. The Parser is currently being updated again..
https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14634&highlight=parser

[Voldran]

True, but the parser is very clunky and not viable for quick assembly of full adventures and campaigns. The purpose of my posting this is to have something similar to Parser be integrated into the system for quicker entry and assembly. With DND4ECM the assembly of combat encounters is simple and quick. Using that system I was able to formulate an adventure complete with encounters in under 30 minutes. Combined with Xorn's initial tutorials and the FG2 system I would like to see the process streamlined to one hour prep time for an entire adventure module that is read to play over the internet. By integrating a system that can import the DDI data from the Adventure Tools program can make that possible.

[Doswelk]

Ah!

But why would I need that?

I do not play D&D 4e

I'd rather the developers focused on the program and let the people who want to play D&D write the tools to help you.

I'm happy to use a licensed game system (Savage Worlds) and continue to buy (or make) the modules for it.

As has all ready been stated the Parser program does the job of taking the data from the D&DI (or whatever it is called). Your idea is very good though I suspect that non-official D&D stuff can be a pain to enter, maybe you could make the suggestion in the thread for that.

[Moon Wizard]

I've actually been taking steps in that direction with v2.8. However, given our limited resources, I'd rather write tools that people can use to import data, than to build an end-to-end system specific to 4E. This allows people to also import data for other systems using a tool like Hero Lab (for 3.5E, PF, etc.).

With v2.8, there is an importchar/exportchar option in both the 3.5E and 4E rulesets, and APIs to allow ruleset developers to add import/export to other rulesets. The import/export could actually be expanded to other record types as well (such as NPCs and items).

For 4E, someone in the community will need to write a utility or figure out how to transform the DDI character builder files into the FG database format for the 4E ruleset. I'm hoping it may be as simple as building a custom XSL style sheet and applying to the DDI file, but I haven't done any research on it. I'd actually be very interested in this myself for my own 4E game.

Cheers,
JPG

[Zeus]

I've actually been taking steps in that direction with v2.8. However, given our limited resources, I'd rather write tools that people can use to import data, than to build an end-to-end system specific to 4E. This allows people to also import data for other systems using a tool like Hero Lab (for 3.5E, PF, etc.).

With v2.8, there is an importchar/exportchar option in both the 3.5E and 4E rulesets, and APIs to allow ruleset developers to add import/export to other rulesets. The import/export could actually be expanded to other record types as well (such as NPCs and items).

For 4E, someone in the community will need to write a utility or figure out how to transform the DDI character builder files into the FG database format for the 4E ruleset. I'm hoping it may be as simple as building a custom XSL style sheet and applying to the DDI file, but I haven't done any research on it. I'd actually be very interested in this myself for my own 4E game.

Cheers,
JPG

This has already been done for 4E and DDI. Eugenez developed a utility that will allow you to import DDI export characters into FGII.

You can find more info on the tool here (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11239&highlight=Character+importer).

As of 2.8 you no longer have to use the inbuilt method for importing the converted XML into a FGII campaign however the DDI import XSL is in place and works fine.

If you have a 4E Catalog (courtesy of the 4E Parser) it even attempts to link powers.

[Iceman]

This is AWESOME! The ability to import/export characters into any consistent format for 3.5e will allow me to use character generators and trackers that I have already created in Excel and Access and NOT have to update two copies to make sure all the skill points, feats, spells, etc. are correct. When can we expect to see this addition?

If the answer is pretty darn soon I might just add you to my Christmas card mailing list............



I've actually been taking steps in that direction with v2.8. However, given our limited resources, I'd rather write tools that people can use to import data, than to build an end-to-end system specific to 4E. This allows people to also import data for other systems using a tool like Hero Lab (for 3.5E, PF, etc.).

With v2.8, there is an importchar/exportchar option in both the 3.5E and 4E rulesets, and APIs to allow ruleset developers to add import/export to other rulesets. The import/export could actually be expanded to other record types as well (such as NPCs and items).

For 4E, someone in the community will need to write a utility or figure out how to transform the DDI character builder files into the FG database format for the 4E ruleset. I'm hoping it may be as simple as building a custom XSL style sheet and applying to the DDI file, but I haven't done any research on it. I'd actually be very interested in this myself for my own 4E game.

Cheers,
JPG

[Moon Wizard]

I'd like to have v2.8 released before August, but I need to make sure it is stable. Community testing is going well, but we're still digging up issues.

Regards,
JPG

[EugeneZ]

Thanks for bringing up my tool, DrZeuss... I often hear that people wish there was a way to import 4e characters into FG2, apparantly no one (not even JPG ;) ) uses the search function...


If you have a 4E Catalog (courtesy of the 4E Parser) it even attempts to link powers.

Yes, but there's some really weird bug that makes FG2 totally freak out when someone does this. I spent many hours trying to figure out what's going on and have probably missed something obvious. I should try the whole thing again with the new import tools JPG added to 2.8.

Keep in mind that my DDI-to-FG2 tools are "open source" (no license, but the code IS available) so anyone can feel free to finish what I started.

Tenian doesn't want his code open sourced, so my priority is currently to work with him to get some of the bugs in that software squashed. Even if everything JPG is working on comes to pass, the Parser would still be required to convert text/Compendium material to the FG2 XML DB format.

Both my importer and Tenian's parser are 4e tools that aren't going anywhere, for the same reason JPG said: FG2 is ruleset agnostic. JPG's efforts as described in this thread will make the work of community-built tools much more focused and less voodoo-like but it won't replace the need to convert from one application's format to FG2's expected format.

- EZ

PS - JPG, I tried to use pure XSL for the DDI-to-FG2 converter but it just grew to be an unreadable mess. In all my experience with XSL, it often seems to be the perfect tool for XML-related jobs and often turns out to be the worst tool imaginable.

[Hye Roler]

I've actually been taking steps in that direction with v2.8. However, given our limited resources, I'd rather write tools that people can use to import data, than to build an end-to-end system specific to 4E. This allows people to also import data for other systems using a tool like Hero Lab (for 3.5E, PF, etc.).

As I'm no longer interested in playing 4e, I'd love to see something that's integrated with Hero Lab for PF. I own a license for it and would love to see more great stuff for that version of the D&D game.

[Leonal]

As I'm no longer interested in playing 4e, I'd love to see something that's integrated with Hero Lab for PF. I own a license for it and would love to see more great stuff for that version of the D&D game.
With Hero Lab now having support for custom output, all it requires are some smart people to make it easier to transfer between the two.^^ (i.e. not me)

[Zeus]

I tried to use pure XSL for the DDI-to-FG2 converter but it just grew to be an unreadable mess. In all my experience with XSL, it often seems to be the perfect tool for XML-related jobs and often turns out to be the worst tool imaginable.

Quite true, one question, does your tool support XSLT v1 and v2 or just v1?

With v2, in my experience, its a little easier to pull off some of the more challenging transformations. If it does support v2, I might take a look at updating it (with your permission of course).

If the bulk of the transformations can be made in XSL, it should be possible to make XSL's for other rulesets, including the newly revised 3.5E/Pathfinder rulesets.

However, as Leonal has said, HeroLab v3.7 now supports custom output formats. Given the tool already supports 4E, d20, Pathfinder, Call of Cthulu, Mutants & Masterminds, World of Darkness and Savage Worlds rulesets as well as integrating support for things like DDI scraping of content (must be a registered subscriber), it make senses that either Smiteworks approaches Lone Wolf in some form of partnership or a group of community members takes on the challenge to build the custom FGII output formats.

Having a well supported tool that can support most of the supported rulesets in use with FGII today makes great sense.

[EugeneZ]

Quite true, one question, does your tool support XSLT v1 and v2 or just v1?

It supports both. The job would be downright impossible with v1... with v2, it's just extraordinarily cumbersome. My plan was to switch to a more classic style of import/export that did not rely on XSL.

Anyway, you can certainly use and/or modify my XSLs and import/export code as much as you'd like. All the latest materials are available in the SVN repo linked from the project thread.