New Kobold Press Module Scarlet Citadel

[spoonhead]

Hi, Just loaded up the new module and noticed that there are no story pins on any of the player maps. The DM maps neither (they do have the room numbers though), but I hardly use those. It's a bit tricky to describe the areas and navigate players around the maps without them.

Secondly, none of the encounters NPCs have been added to the map, so they will have to added manually, as it stands.

Could (should) they be added?

[Ludd_G]

I've just received my copy and am very disappointed to hear this. Hopefully it's an oversight that'll get sorted soon? What you describe as missing is surely the minimum requirement for publishing a FGU module and not optional extras?

[Zacchaeus]

I've alerted the developer.

Please report here in future - just so I don't miss things https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?64816-5e-Bug-Reports-(2021)

[Ludd_G]

Thank you for chasing this up. Much appreciated!

[Minxdobby69]

I'm the dev on Scarlet Citadel. The pins are an issue between starting the project in Classic and bringing it into Unity. The missing encounters on the maps are completely my oversight. I'll fire up the project and get those fixed asap. Thanks for the heads up.

[Ludd_G]

Thanks Minxdobby69 :D

[DM_BK]

I have a question about this module. How do you intend for the level 2 overlay map to be used. For example area 202, the players enter the room and the vats inside the room might become broken, the results of which are shown on the overlay map. How do you show that to the players if they are on the normal, non-overlay map.

I think I'm missing something as to how these overlays are supposed to work. The small overlays seem understandable but an entire map of overlays, that isn't in multiple parts, is baffling me. Thanks!

[Minxdobby69]

Hi DM_BK. I'm the dev on Scarlet Citadel. From your post I assume you're using Classic if the maps are giving you problems. Unfortunately, Classic can't handle overlays so it was a choice between having a ton of individual overlay versions for each map (especially for the 2nd level) and poor performance for users. Performance for users won out (as all of the maps are very large). So to use the overlay 'options' within classic you'll have to hop from the plain map to the overlay map depending on what the players do or just stay on the original map. Cheers.

[HywelPhillips]

Hi Minxdobby69

Was it intended to have the maps-with-overlays as having multiple layers in FGU?

At the moment I just have two versions of the map, one with no overlays, and the other will the overlays on but all already flattened into the map background layer. It would be awesome if we could have them as unflattened extra layers to turn on and off - it sounds like maybe that was your intention? If it was, something has got messed up in the process of taking the module through the export procedure. I vaguely recall reading something about layers getting flattened on export but my Google skills weren't up to finding it - anyone know if this is something FGU currently supports?

Cheers, Hywel

47976

[Minxdobby69]

Indeed it was intended to have layers...but you are correct. Being created in Classic and ported over to Unity, then the major update to 4.1 mid-stride seems to have flattened the layers. I'll get to work on a fix for this asap. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

[HywelPhillips]

Thank you, that would be awesome!

[Minxdobby69]

Unfortunately, the layers won't be available within Unity as part of the maps as the module was originally created in Classic and Classic doesn't support layers. However, you will find all of the overlay images in Appendix 3 so you can add them as layers in Unity on your own. Each is labeled with map and room location. Hope this helps.

[HywelPhillips]

Hopefully this is something FG will permit going forwards, now that Classic isn't getting updates any more.

I just tried putting the overlay on the first couple of levels. It was fiddly because the scales don't seem to match. The versions in appendix 3 pre-imported look good but I don't think there is a way to overlay them and maintain the scales from the pre-existing images?

I tried three ways to import from the assets window and manually rescale and reposition.
1) Drag and drop from assets onto layer. Very hard to get to line up, can't figure out what to enter manually for the scale. Walls and lights are in the wrong place on the imported layer, but can be turned off.

2) Drag from the asset window as a paintbrush to stamp on a paint layer. Allows the scale to be set precisely, but if you put the paint layer over the scene it blocks lighting.

3) BEST WAY: Go to layers, tile tool. Drag overlay from asset window. Now you can set the scaling precisely - for example for the Lvl 2 slime vats it needs to be 10 x 8. Click to paste and you can reposition. Turn off lighting and LOS on this layer because it is all in the wrong places. But once you have done this, the layer seems to receive lighting correctly.

I'm not sure exactly why those three methods produce those results- I'm experimenting! But method 3 is the way to do it if it helps anyone else.

Cheers, Hywel

[DM_BK]

I am on on FGU and I'm certain Hywel has described the issue perfectly.

Glad to hear you are working on it Minx. Thanks!

[HywelPhillips]

I found a few other issues.

Map 02 - the secret doors in areas 203, 204, 205 can be implemented in a more straightforward way without needing to switch on or off overlays. I added the overlay tile for 203 (204 + 205 seem to be there even on the without overlays map) and changed the LOS so the respective doors are secret doors rather than a wall and a regular door.

The pulsing blue light in area 216 is there on the base map without overlays. I don't know if it was intended that that should be on the overlay only, so it only appears when the overlay is activated? I'm going to leave it there because foreshadowing but not sure that was intended.


Map - PC 03 Dwarven Barracks doesn't have LOS information and only has one of the lights. It's there on the version with flattened overlays, so I copied than underneath the map as a tile and used its lighting and LOS, but I think that should be there on the base map too. The green light for the overlay on 303 should be on the overlay tie not the base though, as I assume that's meant to appear once the overlay is triggered.

That's all I got time to do for the moment, I will post more if I find problems on later maps. None of these are game-killers BTW, it would just be nice to get the full effect of suddenly superimposing a cool extra effect and light on the map for the players, so worth making the most of the hard work that went into to design by implementing it so you get max impact in FGU.

Cheers, Hywel

[jrowsey1]

I see this module is on sale this week. Have there been any updates to the map overlays or fixes applied since last July? I'm using FGU for reference.

[Maetco]

I see this module is on sale this week. Have there been any updates to the map overlays or fixes applied since last July? I'm using FGU for reference.

I don't know the answer to your question, but the easiest way to find out is to buy it and if the quality isn't up to your standards, ask for a refund. Fantasy Grounds store has an automatic refund policy for 30 days (IIRC).

[jrowsey1]

I purchased the Module and can confirm that none of the overlays have been updated or added to the map. There are artifacts in the story notes where apostrophes should be as well. It’s clear this was made in Classic and not updated.

It’s a real shame that the developer doesn’t take the opportunity to update the Unity module. The use of map overlays in this module could really shine if done correctly. As it is now, I’m left to fiddle with scaling and disabling LOS and lights on the overlays to make it work.

Anyone else purchasing the module, just know you will have to take a good amount of time to set up the map overlays correctly.

[naturaltwenty]

Indeed - even the lighting on the first map (Ruins) is hosed - looks like I'll have to put in some time to redo some of these so they actually function.

[LordEntrails]

Indeed - even the lighting on the first map (Ruins) is hosed - looks like I'll have to put in some time to redo some of these so they actually function.
If you start a new thread with details of the issues that you are seeing, then the module developer can be contacted and corrections made. But the above statement is not detailed enough to provide meaningful feedback to the developer.

[naturaltwenty]

Indeed - it's more of a quality issue and just overall shoddy craftsmanship vs. some of the other vendor's products.

Example - on the first map, Map - PC 00 Castle Ruins:

- wall points not connected
- I'll admit this is where I get nitpicky - the wall points are too close to the edge of the wall it's representing, which from the player side makes it difficult to tell "what is this in front of me"
- the view setting of the layer is not set so all the players see is nothing (again - for an experienced FG User this took me a few mouse clicks but from a user experience standpoint it's poor design)

Note that all of these are not insurmountable but a revision is due and I can only imagine a newer DM coming on and realizing all of the work ahead of them (retweaking maps for layers as noted above for the overlays)

The adventure, I think is great, but running it is going to be a PITA and I'm rethinking running it...

[LordEntrails]

Have you had a chance to see if this is pervasive to all the maps?
The wall points should certainly be connected correctly. The layers visibility should also be set correctly. In terms of the segments being on the edge of the walls, that's a preference thing. I agree with your preference, but not everyone does.

I don't have access to the developer contact info, but hopefully someone should stop by this thread shortly who does. You can also check to see if their is a conversion notes story that has a name and/or contact info for the converter.

[naturaltwenty]

No worries - thanks for the guidance/direction. I've already adjusted the map (to my retentive preferences :) ) and because it's a new campaign I'm setting up it was nice to get back into the details for a change. I'm going to spin up a test campaign using it again so I can validate the OOB config and record my steps so as not to look like an *** :)