Using video maps?

[mclimbin]

Hi all,
I remember that one of the goals of Unity was that we could use videos as maps, like the Dynamic Dungeons maps. I used these a lot in my face to face games (with my VTT table), and would like to start using them again if possible.

Is this functionality available now? If not, is it on the to do list for Unity? Any idea at what stage it will be available? (ie, when the beta is over, when the full app is finished, etc).

[Moon Wizard]

While it might be something we look at eventually, animated image assets are not supported at this time.

There are FX layers in FGU, but they are very different than animated images.

Regards,
JPG

[jackkerouac]

It's something you may want to look into. FG is falling behind the competitors in this.

[Valyar]

While it will be cool to have video file played as map layer but the lack of is not a deal breaker at all. Those things are quite new, limited in terms of content and functionality. It is gimmick, not feature around your whole experience should be based. If this is your purchasing criteria - you are in the wrong hobby. :)

[jackkerouac]

While it will be cool to have video file played as map layer but the lack of is not a deal breaker at all. Those things are quite new, limited in terms of content and functionality. It is gimmick, not feature around your whole experience should be based. If this is your purchasing criteria - you are in the wrong hobby. :)

Whereas I agree to some extent - it's not essential - I think keeping up on more advanced trends is important. And video is just one FG doesn't have (dynamic lighting, etc.). The rule system in FG is awesome, along with extensions, etc. But other systems are catching up on that front, and adding LOS, Dynamic Lighting, Video Maps, etc. - all right out of the gate. It's better to be ahead of the crowd than catching up.

[vvZODvv]

As someone heavily invested in FG, I agree: while the lack of this is not a deal breaker, it is something I am looking for in a VTT.

[LordEntrails]

IMO, the effects capabilities in FGU show a lot more promise for the types of video/animation/motion that I would enjoy in my maps than being able to play videos.

Besides has has been stated time ad naseum, moving to the a Unity engine is in major part to allow much more rapid development of future enhancements. Yes the growth of FGU will be limited some as FGC compatibility is maintained, but once FGU is the dominant FG platform and FGC support can be retired, roll out of new features will be even quicker.

I will also say comparing FG to other VTTs that have never had a production release, have only been around for a year or so, have no licensed content and otherwise have no proof of longevity is like comparing a car you can buy at a dealership to a prototype shown at the Detroit Auto Show. One you can count on being available and supported. The other is just someone's fancy.

[jackkerouac]

IMO, the effects capabilities in FGU show a lot more promise for the types of video/animation/motion that I would enjoy in my maps than being able to play videos.

Besides has has been stated time ad naseum, moving to the a Unity engine is in major part to allow much more rapid development of future enhancements. Yes the growth of FGU will be limited some as FGC compatibility is maintained, but once FGU is the dominant FG platform and FGC support can be retired, roll out of new features will be even quicker.

I will also say comparing FG to other VTTs that have never had a production release, have only been around for a year or so, have no licensed content and otherwise have no proof of longevity is like comparing a car you can buy at a dealership to a prototype shown at the Detroit Auto Show. One you can count on being available and supported. The other is just someone's fancy.

I mostly agree with this, re comparisons. But, however less functional they are, video maps are pretty cool. They have shadows, audio, etc. that add a lot of immersiveness (sic) to a campaign. Of course, some of this can be approximated with effects, but it's not quite the same.

For me, I would like to see (eventually):

- Full dynamic light sources, including light sources carried by the player(s)
- LOS that accounts for darkvision and has range per player (also LOS that doesn't crash my, and my players', 64bit computers)
- More effects
- Sound, including triggered sound events

Do I expect all of that right away? Of course not! But a lot of these would be great to have.

[Heilemann]

While it will be cool to have video file played as map layer but the lack of is not a deal breaker at all. Those things are quite new, limited in terms of content and functionality. It is gimmick, not feature around your whole experience should be based. If this is your purchasing criteria - you are in the wrong hobby. :)

Tell that to the hobby which spawned a thousand intricately painted minis and a whole industry of terrain-based companies like Dwarven Forge. Trying to make our fantasy worlds real regardless of medium is an intrinsic part of the hobby.

[Zargas]

I would really, really like animated maps aswell, swaying trees, rivers, burning campfires... Just downloading them from youtube and then use in FGU would be sooooo nice. It is the one thing I feel is lacking in this product aswell.
My limited experience with FG (ultimate license for about a month) is that it is very "game technical" with rule features like targeting etc. but not as easy on the immersion with the lack of animations and not being able to play sounds / music for the players (I saw some mod that I will need to try for this).

Without doing that much research I figured a new version VTT that was using unity would have all theese kinds of bells and whistles (maybe in time). But as of right now apart from the new LOS layer it feels like a product from early 2000.

I do not want to spend the majority of the time assigning targets, represent the correct various statuses and modifiers in effect and so on. I want the most time spent to be on storytelling, creating atmosphere and grabbing the attention of each player.

So it is my greatest wish, with my newly bought ultimate, that this will come soon =)

[LordEntrails]

I would really, really like animated maps aswell, swaying trees, rivers, burning campfires... ...

So it is my greatest wish, with my newly bought ultimate, that this will come soon =)
Welcome!

Vote for the idea on the wish list; https://fg2app.idea.informer.com/proj/?ia=125321

[Kelrugem]

I would really, really like animated maps aswell, swaying trees, rivers, burning campfires... Just downloading them from youtube and then use in FGU would be sooooo nice. It is the one thing I feel is lacking in this product aswell.
My limited experience with FG (ultimate license for about a month) is that it is very "game technical" with rule features like targeting etc. but not as easy on the immersion with the lack of animations and not being able to play sounds / music for the players (I saw some mod that I will need to try for this).

Without doing that much research I figured a new version VTT that was using unity would have all theese kinds of bells and whistles (maybe in time). But as of right now apart from the new LOS layer it feels like a product from early 2000.

I do not want to spend the majority of the time assigning targets, represent the correct various statuses and modifiers in effect and so on. I want the most time spent to be on storytelling, creating atmosphere and grabbing the attention of each player.

So it is my greatest wish, with my newly bought ultimate, that this will come soon =)

I understand you :) But I think that this effect and targetting stuff also increases and improves the storytelling, immersion etc., because you need to care less about rules and calculations when the programme is doing that for you (while keeping the cool crunchiness ;) ) :) That also improves accessibility of rulesets since it is easier to jump into games with different rulesets without the need to have an elaborated knowledge of the rules :) (as long as the DM has some knowledge)

[Valyar]

We will get there sooner or later.

[ColinBuckler]

For me, the automation, the content, Smite Works customer service and even these forums are all factors that keep me using Fantasy Grounds.

However if I was a new player looking around at various new VTT's that are out, some of the features the other VTT's have would be hard to refuse such as animated maps and true LOS (darkvision/light source limits), the price for the GM version and not appreciating the automation value of FG.

[lostsanityreturned]

the price for the GM version and not appreciating the automation value of FG.

Yeah, this is a huge factor, the pizzaz of stuff like foundry and lower cost of entry.

I don't blame people for thinking foundry will suit them better. But I would never direct a GM towards it for 5e or PF2e atm, it has a lot of flashy features or things that impress folks coming from R20 but if you have decent FG competency it is left in the dust from a campaign management and campaign play standpoint.

This said, if a GM doesn't use the various management features of FG, foundry is a perfectly viable and cheap way to run online. (I bought it, I use it to run simpler games and forbidden lands. It is a good VTT and quite flexible. Just not something I would run 20 levels of a campaign on let alone 10).

[JK47]

I second this. Having an animated map like this (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eLPR343BNJNCOhR9G_E0jny0K97SohjK/view) would make the game even more immersive. There are many artists making these video maps now and I would love to incorporate them. We can't really do in person gaming as much so this would be a way to keep VTT exciting! It's a bit disappointing that it's not in Unity but I am sure it'd be very complicated to layer and use tokens etc

[TXCBoy36]

Personally, I chose FG over other platforms over this platform's ability to create and/or modify adventures, rulesets, etc. I also found that the cost comparison played a huge role as well as the sourcebooks are much more expensive on other platforms vs the reduced cost of the material available on this platform. I am not really very interested in video maps....I am use to graph paper, roll out maps with markers and magnetic counters, so this platform works great for me....everyone in the group that I run loves this VTT.

[JK47]

Personally, I chose FG over other platforms over this platform's ability to create and/or modify adventures, rulesets, etc. I also found that the cost comparison played a huge role as well as the sourcebooks are much more expensive on other platforms vs the reduced cost of the material available on this platform. I am not really very interested in video maps....I am use to graph paper, roll out maps with markers and magnetic counters, so this platform works great for me....everyone in the group that I run loves this VTT.

Oh, my group and I love FG and we shopped around first. But, a good thing can be made better by adapting to new-ish technology. You may not prefer it, but more options on the platform will make different types of gamers very happy.

[LordEntrails]

I second this. Having an animated map like this (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eLPR343BNJNCOhR9G_E0jny0K97SohjK/view) would make the game even more immersive. There are many artists making these video maps now and I would love to incorporate them. We can't really do in person gaming as much so this would be a way to keep VTT exciting! It's a bit disappointing that it's not in Unity but I am sure it'd be very complicated to layer and use tokens etc
Make sure you vote for the feature request linked in post #11

[lostsanityreturned]

Make sure you vote for the feature request linked in post #11

But where do we vote for a feature request tracker that has all the features that are already implemented cleared off of it ;)

[A Social Yeti]

My two cents on dev direction for that stuff, from a development project POV:

While the dev path of, push more prettier pixels and sparkly effects, is what the last decade+ of video games is what it has been.

I hope the VTT dev path takes greater aim at being functionally useful heavy mechanics automation and GM organization / creation aid tool. More than focusing on features to supplement the power of imagination.
Visual aids are nice and all, but the automation and organization of dense complex mechanics, are the one and ONLY thing a VTT can offer, that nothing else can.
There are tons and tons of FREE options to just be perosnally interactive and provide visual aids to players. A VTT is superfluous in the market, relative to that job. Yeah the VTT is on the hook for this visual aids too, but if visual aids is the bulk of the VTT's dev efforts, then the VTT and google free meet, and all other video chats, are right next to each on the shelf to pick between for what they all do.

What the VTT can offer that no other way of sharing visual aids can, is to automate dense cumbersome mechanics for the GM and players. That's it, nothing a VTT does in visual can't be done with other tools just as readily, just as easily, and often for free.
What a VTT can uniquely offer is the mechanics automation. That is all a VTT has that nothig else could also do. I think the VTTs get way stronger to focus on what only they can do, more than try to have all the sparkly razzmatazz first.

As an example:
The dynamic line of sight feature for FGU.

If that was only ever going to be, simplistic no game rules control, infinite line of sight to the next solid wall or edge of the map.
Then anyone that wanted to play the actual rules of their RP system that had vision distance limitations, will just always have to be sure that bit of fluff is turned off. Because it would mechanically break the rules of the game otherwise, if it reveals to the PCs anything that, in rule they do not have the ability to see yet.

I assume that the dLoS feature, is just in stage one, I know dev is in small steps, everything in bite sized chunks as best as can be managed.
But then the actual roadmap plan would be, to have it tie into the character sheets in the party to actually dynamical determine the mechanical line of sight of the characters based on the in use rule set.
And if you got real detailed about it all, GM options for: ignore LoS limits, individual party LoS draw, shared party LoS draw.

So just say'n here, some of us will have little to no praise for what functionally, is just fluff razzmatazz, rather than real mechanically useful creation, organization , and automation tools to run a game.

[similarly]

It's probably my age, but while the animated maps are cool and pretty and all, I think it's something that appeals more to people who grew up with the video game generation. I started playing D&D in 1985. We rarely used maps! It was all what you'd now call "theater of the mind". In a way, I feel all the visuals and sound effects and background music take away a bit of the imagination that used to be such a big part of the game, when we'd REALLY get so deep into a game that the table would disappear, and we'd see the forest or the cave or the tavern. Different times, I guess.

[Griogre]

Different times, but also different capabilities - in face to face you can't have automated video maps the way you can on a VTT. People are just trying to promote the medium's advantages. It similar to the difference between reading a book and watching a movie - both are entertainment but both tell the story in different ways. The trick would be to find a story that really can use an animated map as other than a "gee-whiz" cosmetic way.

[similarly]

That's a good point about using the medium to its full advantages. I suppose watching TV wouldn't be the same if they said "You know, when I was a young'un before TV, it didn't have pictures, and was called 'radio' and you had to use your imagination!" and so they stopped using pictures.

I guess it's a bit silly of me to expect time to stand still. I do appreciate the beauty of those maps. As I said: they are cool and pretty, and they're lively! It would be cool if they were interactive, and you could snuff out the lights, or if your movement caused birds to scatter. Is that a thing?

[Trenloe]

...in face to face you can't have automated video maps the way you can on a VTT.
Oh yes you can! :D Lots of people put a flat-screen TV on their table for face to face games (including me) and use that for maps. That's exactly how most people use video maps like Dynamic Dungeons: https://www.patreon.com/dynamicdungeons/posts

[Xydonus]

Animated maps are cool, but somewhat limiting. If I want a specific map, with specific layouts, I make them myself (I'm a prolific map-maker) with the caveat being that they are not going to be animated. Until that process becomes more easy and efficient vs the time cost of making a map animated, this is a feature that I don't particularly care for. Nice to have, but personally not something I'm bothered with.