Pre-pre-load images

[sozin]

Hello all! I was wondering, is it possible to load an image onto a client machine without having to use the Fantasy Grounds preload function? (IE manually copy the image to that client host). I use FG with projector and tabletop, and thus have control over both the client and DM client, and having to preload all the images I use is pretty slow.

thx!

[Sorontar]

Just view them out of FG perhaps if you have control of both and want it to be quicker?

Shortcut to the images file on the desktop and open them with any viewer?

As long as its not a map that should be okay.

[sozin]

sorry, yeah, these are all rather large maps, and I really need the fog of war functionality.

[Tokuriku]

I used a client module once with that in mind...
The players can download the module and put it in their module folder.
You then have access to it as any other module :)

[zifnab69_fr]

I used a client module once with that in mind...
The players can download the module and put it in their module folder.
You then have access to it as any other module :)

Hello Kenshin
How do you do that
i'have FG2 and i creat a "client data" module with a small story and a map
i put this module in a player computer module folder
he see it in the module menu and can request to acces it.
i grant him the access
But the player can't see the map or the story...
what's wrong ?
thank you

[Griogre]

I used a client module once with that in mind...
The players can download the module and put it in their module folder.
You then have access to it as any other module :)
Did you do this in FG2? Where you put a map in the client module? I'm curious how you got this to work.

[Griogre]

Hello all! I was wondering, is it possible to load an image onto a client machine without having to use the Fantasy Grounds preload function? (IE manually copy the image to that client host). I use FG with projector and tabletop, and thus have control over both the client and DM client, and having to preload all the images I use is pretty slow.

thx!
I don't know of a way to do this other than before the game, sharing the images with the client. The images are cached on the client so if the map is constant then it should pop faster on the client when you actually call it up on the game. If the maps are truely vast there may be a limit on the size of the FG2 client's cache though so you may not be able to cache all your maps.

[Toadwart]

Did you do this in FG2? Where you put a map in the client module? I'm curious how you got this to work.

Haven't tried it but from what I've heard about client.xml based modules - if the player has the module locally then they can use it. Though apperantly the DM has to permit the use of that module - not sure exactly how that works . . . (and the DM doesn't get to see it, just permits the player to activate it for their own use during the session)

Edit: hmm, now I think about it. If it was a map/image how would the player access it? The players can't get at maps directly (at least in the default ruleset...)

[Foen]

I think that if the player has the image in their module, they can't call it up directly, but when it is 'shared' by the GM the local copy is used, saving network bandwidth.

At least, that's how it has seemed for me.

Stuart
(Foen)

[zifnab69_fr]

i don't understand.
we can allow or force the player module use.
For me, it'll be similar as master module
i need that my players can have there hown books with the world story, some maps they can read during the game, but i don't have to share as a master.
Well the same as rulebooks for master but with lots of informations usable by player.

for exemple, for a "call of cthulhu " game, players are going in a library, they found lots of books. i'll like to have the possibility to give them a module like "story module" with lots of article to read during the play, and in on or two of these article, some "good informations" for them....
(Sorry for my bad english i hope you understand what i mean.
and for now, impossible to do that

[Griogre]

You can't do your master module Zifnab. Or more precisely, you can do it but the players can't see it. The problem is the player's client in the default ruleset does not have storybooks, image, personalities or items. They can't open those types of things because they only have Notes and a token box.

What you can do, but not by using the /export, is make libraries like the d20 basics, and d20 spells to contain your background materials.

[zifnab69_fr]

Well, i don't know ( and don't want to know) XML, so it 'll be difficult.....
it'll probably be a great enhancement for FG2 to hallow this kind of function.

In the same way, ( but i'm going to post in the workshop).
for player, the "note" book is to light....

As a master, i have a great campaign we are going to play for several days or month...

i'have tones of item, maps, text to share to my players. and i want they have them for all the campaign. But i don't want to re share it all time we begin a new session.
so what i need is , when i show a map, or an item ( weapon, artefact) that players can save them in something like a "campaign book" So next time we play ( in the same campaign) they have all they found last day...

[Griogre]

You might find a yahoo or google group helpful for now. I use a private yahoo group for that type of stuff, myself. The player can then look at all the stuff offline from FG. They can also use the message boards to roleplay or plan out what they want to do the next week too.

[zifnab69_fr]

yes, good idea,for off line play
but it's not exactly what i mean.
i'm very sorry for my english, well i speak french....
so
during the game, i share a map to my players. ok they see it. By, by, have a good night,,,, we shut down the computer.
some days later, we continue the game, as a master i must share again the map....
it's easy if there is only one or two maps..
but if i share a picture to only one or two players, then share 3-4 maps to others, and again two or tree "story text" to all players, i must remember what i had shared last time, who have it...
I'll like that FG2 remember what was shared last session or that players can save these information on their hown computer...

[Tokuriku]

Wait, wait...
If you want to give access to "books" in your campaign the way you described it.
I think the best way to do it is trough a "Story Sheet" as a starting page with links on it.
These links can point to other pieces of text in your module.
The only thing is that, if players have not received the linked sheets at least once, it will not be cached and therefore not accessible... unless you put them in a "Client" module :D
I did it my self and it works great.
The only thing you have to do is "share" the main link sheet and then your players can access all the other sheets linked on that one and to any other link beyond ;)

Et si tu as besoin d'aide ou de conseils en français, moi aussi je suis francophone :)

[zifnab69_fr]

ahhh, un français....
j'essaie de me dépatouiller avec les modules, surtout cotès "joueur" et j'avous que j'ai un peu de mal a comprendre comment ils fonctionnent et surtout a quoi ils servent....
j'ai l'impression qu'ils servent surtout a éviter le transfert réseau de grosses pièces, plustot que d'étre des "objets" que l'on donne aux joueurs.
je vais essayer ton truc de la page centrale au plus tot

[zifnab69_fr]

well the link work fine, i just have to share the first page of "story book" and then players have all the book
But , it did not work for pictures , maps....
some improvement to made.

[Tokuriku]

This is because they have to receive the images at least one time so that they become cached for them. If they have a client module, then they should have access to them.

Pour ce qui est des modules, je pourrais t'en parler assez en détail.
Le seul problème c'est que j'aime tapper ma pas tant que ça hahaha.
Alors si tu veux des conseils ou autre chose du genre, moi je suis accessible sur Skype si tu me donne un temps et un jour où tu es disponible.
Moi je suis disponible les soirs de semaine (5:00 à 9:00 pm) mais je suis au Japon alors +9 pour moi.
Aussi, tu dois savoir que je suis Québécois alors je ne garantie pas que l'accent soit compréhensible HAHAHA!

[zifnab69_fr]

well, even when they receive the images one time, they appaired masked, like with fog of war until i shared them....

oula, un québécois du japon qui parle a un français de france....
ça va étre chaud.
a voir pour le tchat, mais j'ai peur que ça soit compliqué au niveau des horaires...
je te tient au courrant
merci en tout cas

[Foen]

Hehe, sorry for my anglophone restrictions.

I have found that you can distribute a client module with images that cannot be browsed (that doesn't stop a hack, but the contents are not accessible from within a client FG session). If the GM uses the same module and 'shares' the image, then one of two things happen:


The image is drawn from the module at the client end (removing the need to download big files); or
The module does not exist/is out of date and the client sees a blank sheet.


If you get this working, no caching is required. The upside is speedy image sharing, the downside is (potentially) big module files.

[Tokuriku]

This might be different for you but when I used this method, images would not update themselves when I did "update shared image" after chaging the view (zooming in for exemple). I'm not 100% sure that was the problem but I can see no other reason and when I changed the images to a "host" module, all worked fine...

To circumvent this, "preload"ing the image will update the view for your players.