Animated PNG.

[Oberoten]

I just realized that there is a wonderful thing out there called animated PNGs that are open-sourced as a format. Since FG is allready using normal PNGs for most graphics... is there any chance of us eventually getting Ani-Pngs as well?

I can load them up as normal PNGs allready but they show only the first frame... imagine the tokens and character-portraits that could be done with this?

- Obe

[demonsbane]

I can load them up as normal PNGs allready but they show only the first frame... imagine the tokens and character-portraits that could be done with this?

There are other VTTs around there able to do that, at least regarding tokens.

The capability of displaying animated PNGs would be a great addition to FG2.

[unerwünscht]

Before we jump headlong into adding full animated PNGs, I would like to suggest one more option. If FGII could load animated PNGs, and was set to not play them as animated but instead allow for a step through frames on right click (for instance) you could then use an animated PNG so that frame one was the portrait style token, frame two was a top down style token, frame three was a death state token etc... and I think that would bring more to the table than just animated PNGs... Just my opinion tho.

[StuartW]

Animated GIFs have been around for some time, but aren't supported in FG. I guess it is something to do with the underlying DirectX graphics engine.

[Sigurd]

Sounds like a toy not an improvement.


I'm not averse to toys if they land in our laps but I wouldn't put a lot of effort into this without a clear way they improve the table. I shudder at the thought of eight player icons each waving their arms or asses in ways that were oh so clever the first time.

Now if there's a simple, memory efficient, artistic vision for this I'd be interested to hear it.

Fore example, ala unerwünscht, if the file type efficiently stores multiple frames for portraits then what about something like the old castle wolfenstein health display? At programmed hp levels the portraits change or get an overlay with a skull or something. This would be a controlled use of frames not a simple perpetual jiggle.

It would be very very cool to have chest tokens that revealed something when they were "opened".

[Griogre]

I like unerwünscht's idea. There are some other cool things you could do with multiple frames or linked images like doors opening and closing, but like Sigurd I'm a bit skeptical of the value of a true animated gif or png if it sucks up a lot of development time.

[StuartW]

For my two pen'th, I think the multiple frames idea is really interesting but might be easier to achieve through cycling non-animated images using existing mechanisms. As implied earlier, development resources may be better focused on areas where the benefits are more tangible.

Just my 2c!

Stuart

[unerwünscht]

One of my code monkeys sent me this link. As I am not a lua coder it made almost no sense to me. Maybe someone else can make heads or tails out of it as an extension.

https://www.anythingbutipod.com/forum/showthread.php?t=55616

[Nestor]

unerwünscht's origional idea about the 3-4 rotating pngs would be a big addition in my opinion I can think of all kinds of applications, doors, chests, traps.

[demonsbane]

unerwünscht's origional idea about the 3-4 rotating pngs would be a big addition in my opinion I can think of all kinds of applications, doors, chests, traps.

I want to second this. Besides, other VTTs -map based ones- around there already implement this from some time ago. I can think in at least two or maybe three.

[Oberoten]

Or even simpler than a Anipng with several frames, let us have several token-holders on the CT or someting with a one-click switch.

I'd love to be able to set wounded and dead enemies to different looks.

Hey? It'd even avoid the problem of turning the O token upside down when it is dead. ;) (Turn it into a x instead maybe? *;) )

- Obe

[Zeus]

How about leveraging Bitmap widgets to layer additional state icons over tokens e.g. blood drop for damage, flame for fire, etc. etc.

Support for this is already built in (I think) so its a matter of adding some code to the rulesets.

I think the only challenge would be coming up with representative bitmap icons and position of placement on the token (some are pogs but others could be top-down characters).

EDIT: Here's a sample of the widgets I had in mind for 4E, nothing fancy.

https://farm7.static.flickr.com/6011/6001128719_379eccec79_o.jpg

[demonsbane]

EDIT: Here's a sample of the widgets I had in mind, nothing fancy.

https://farm7.static.flickr.com/6011/6001128719_9cf03b5f05_o.jpg


My browser (Chrome) says that the photo is currently unavailable.

[unerwünscht]

DrZeuss the picture is not loading for me, but I think what you are saying is maybe using an overlay system something like how the portrait frames currently work. I have been looking into a way to change the portrait frames with globally but I will look into it and see if I can do it per token.

[Zeus]

Sorry, not sure what happened there. Anyhows it should now be working.

[unerwünscht]

As mentioned before I have made an extension that will change the portrait and token frames. HERE (https://www.gamingarmy.com/catalogue/vtts/fg2/extensions/zframes-silver)

What I am working on is furthering that extension so that the DM has an option menu that would allow her/him the ability to select other frames. However if we can get that working we should be able to add an option to the radial menu that would allow you to set the frame per token instead of globally. This would allow you to implement exactly what you are looking for.

If someone with more LUA skill than myself would like to help out :)

[demonsbane]

As mentioned before I have made an extension that will change the portrait and token frames. HERE (https://www.gamingarmy.com/catalogue/vtts/fg2/extensions/zframes-silver)

This is a bit off topic, but anyway: it is not new to you that I'm very interested in seeing an extension allowing the GM to select other frames and sizes, too, for the character portraits (they look very-very small in HD and Full HD resolutions). Right now, under your zframes extension (I just tested it), the portrait-style token that can be extracted from the character portrait (by dragging from it with the mouse pointer) has a greater size than the default, increasing its readability and usefulness.


we should be able to add an option to the radial menu that would allow you to set the frame per token instead of globally

Definitely that would be a great plus.


If someone with more LUA skill than myself would like to help out :)

I can't help, but I wish you luck with that.

[Sigurd]

When this gets looked at. I think it will depend on how well it can be implemented. The user side advantage would depend on standard sequences and low resource use.

If I know a sequence will simply advance whenever its activated I can load one item that is many things of the same size. ie house, house open, house on fire, house ruin, secret door beneath the house. With a little work setting up the file it is easier on the user to organize.

This doesn't work if:

it doesn't work
it has too much overhead for the program

It may work better with stacked pngs or something.


There would be a big advantage if you could lock the graphic in place and simply make it change. Placing new graphics in the same spot is fiddly.