Campaign Data

[Stuart]

Is this a bug ?

I have created a "sandbox" campaign to write up some adventure modules ... I spent a good few hours last night entering new data to a campaign but when I opened up the campaign this morning, nothing had been saved.

This is not the way FG worked :mad:

Is there a command I have to use to Save data before closing a campaign ? Do I really have to create a module each time ... given that adding data to a module and then exporting again does not appear to work. The data from the original module remains in the original module, and new data is swallowed up somewhere 'cos the new module is totally blank !

[Valarian]

This is exactly the way I work when creating adventure modules. I use a separate campaign, rather than clog up the campaign folder we're playing in. I must say I've never had a problem. I can't think of anything special that I've done ... I may have typed /save. One thing I have done is to create test characters. Maybe this is required?

[Stuart]

Creating a "blank" campaign is always the way I worked with FG ... I'm sure it is supposed to work in the same way with FGII ... I'll go look and play and see what I did wrong.:confused:

[joshuha]

So just to reiterate what you did:

1) Created a blank campaign
2) Added lots of information like Story entries, maps, etc.
3) Exited campaign with no crashes or not killing FantasyGrounds.exe
4) Came back next day and nothing is there?

If so that is odd, you shouldn't have to type /save, it commits the DB when you exit FG normally.

Did you export the information out to a module with /export or were you not that far yet?

[Stuart]

Exactly what I did ... I am going to see if I can repeat it later tonight, let's hope I can't:o

No export ... the one thing I'd kinda like is some ability to add to a module and overwrite the existing modul without being re-prompted for the names etc ... which I can never quite remember, lol.

[Stuart]

Would be nice if you could open a module, add data to it and then save that module under a new name rather than keeping a campaign until everything was ready. If I wanted to collaborate with someone in producing new content, not being able to edit modules in this way is a real pain.

Cutting all of the mod I have into a campaign is pretty irritating and time consuming.

[Ghoti]

Would be nice if you could open a module, add data to it and then save that module under a new name rather than keeping a campaign until everything was ready. If I wanted to collaborate with someone in producing new content, not being able to edit modules in this way is a real pain.

Cutting all of the mod I have into a campaign is pretty irritating and time consuming.

Can't you? I thought that's how the /export command worked, no?

Also, regarding your problem in your original post, I seem to recall seeing that the autosave functionality in FG2 is broken, even though it periodically tells you 'Campaign Saved', it has actually not done so. The /save command, however, works properly.

I'm fairly new to FG myself, but what I am doing is also what some of the above posters are - I have a 'sandbox' campaign for all of my fiddling (one for each ruleset, D20 and SW), and once I have an adventure complete, I /export it into a module. I have not yet needed to modify a module, but it seems to make sense that you could fire up the sandbox, open the module 'book', make your changes, and re-export it. Naturally, back up before trying in case *only* the changes get saved :)

Hope this helps!

[Stuart]

I have not yet needed to modify a module, but it seems to make sense that you could fire up the sandbox, open the module 'book', make your changes, and re-export it.

Not working :( Module saves but the new module has nothing from the old module.

[Griogre]

I have not yet needed to modify a module, but it seems to make sense that you could fire up the sandbox, open the module 'book', make your changes, and re-export it. Naturally, back up before trying in case *only* the changes get saved :)
This should not work. Edits to module data are not kept once the campaign the module is opened into a campaign (in this case the sandbox campaign) is closed.

I don't use the sandbox method because I am personally an incremental updater and I don't like have to take the time to "load" the sandbox campaign. To load your sandbox you would need to unzip the module and replace the sandbox campaign files with the module files, make your updates and re-export.

Edited to replace "load a sandbox *campaign* instead of module. Sorry for any confusion.

[Stuart]

This should not work. Edits to module data are not kept once the campaign the module is opened into a campaign (in this case the sandbox campaign) is closed.

It doesn't :(



I don't use the sandbox method because I am personally an incremental updater and I don't like have to take the time to "load" the sandbox module.

I think we are talking sandbox campaign rather than module ... well, I am ... I think ...


To load your sandbox you would need to unzip the module and replace the sandbox files with the module files, make your updates and re-export.

Aarghhh .... this is horrible ... I now have a couple of happy hours ahead of me and somehow, I think it's my fault. I'm gonna go and sulk by my compost heap for a while ... :mad:

[Griogre]

I think we are talking sandbox campaign rather than module ... well, I am ... I think ...

Yes, you are correct - campaign, not adventure module. I edited the post above. Sorry for the confusion and for being the bearer of bad news. :(

[DNH]

All this talk of sandbox campaigns and exporting/re-exporting modules has left me confused. What I imagine, how I would like my set-up, is something like the following ...

One campaign which is the one being "run", the one the players play in. This contains story items and images which are chiefly campaign notes, etc. Another campaign (several, actually) which is where the adventure resides. All the story items, images etc are what you might expect - room locations, maps, handouts, NPCs.


I would export the latter campaign in its entirety to a module, which I would then open in the former campaign to be able to run it.

So far, so good. But what happens when I want to make amendments to the module, say to add new locations, amend magic items or something? I am assuming that I would have to open the latter campaign (from above), make the amendments, and then re-export. And the changes will show when I re-open the resulting module in the former "play" campaign.

Or do I have this wrong?

[Stuart]

The campaign-adventure resides in a module that you create (in a campaign named appropriately) and then export as a module. This module can then be opened into your campaign and contains the encounters, npcs, maps etc for that adventure. Other adventure modules can also be accessed and, of course, non-adventure modules such as House Rules, Ptolus city districts and so on.

If you want to change a campaign and add information ... no problems :)

If you want to ammend an exported module, well ... that's where I got stuck. As far as I see it and as far as my FGII allows, opening a module and adding to it does not save the entire module (original + ammendments) even if it is renamed (which is irritating). The work around is to go into the module's xml file and cut and paste from that into a new module or vica versa i.e work outside of FGII and use a text editor.

To be honest, if you want tables in your module (Encounters, DC results) then you are going to have to do this in the xml file directly... well, I think this is the case. I have not noticed a table ctrl in FGII. Would be very nice to have one, Joshua ?

[DNH]

I believe you can make amendments to the module data IF you make them in the original campaign in which the module was created. So, say I create an adventure module called something like "The Lost Shrine of Go-Go-Ju", then export it and open it in my main "play" campaign. I can make amendments to it there but they will not be permanent. To make permanent amendments, I will need to open it in the original "Go-Go-Ju" campaign and make them there, then re-export.

It occurs to me that I don't know whether or not impromptu amendments to the open module in the "play" campaign will save along with the db. My guess is they won't.

[kalmarjan]

The campaign-adventure resides in a module that you create (in a campaign named appropriately) and then export as a module. This module can then be opened into your campaign and contains the encounters, npcs, maps etc for that adventure. Other adventure modules can also be accessed and, of course, non-adventure modules such as House Rules, Ptolus city districts and so on.

If you want to change a campaign and add information ... no problems :)

If you want to ammend an exported module, well ... that's where I got stuck. As far as I see it and as far as my FGII allows, opening a module and adding to it does not save the entire module (original + ammendments) even if it is renamed (which is irritating). The work around is to go into the module's xml file and cut and paste from that into a new module or vica versa i.e work outside of FGII and use a text editor.

To be honest, if you want tables in your module (Encounters, DC results) then you are going to have to do this in the xml file directly... well, I think this is the case. I have not noticed a table ctrl in FGII. Would be very nice to have one, Joshua ?

The funny thing is that there are icons for creating tables. I am not sure if they are implemented in FGII, but they are there. Josh, any ideas about that?

Sandeman

[Griogre]

All this talk of sandbox campaigns and exporting/re-exporting modules has left me confused. What I imagine, how I would like my set-up, is something like the following ...

One campaign which is the one being "run", the one the players play in. This contains story items and images which are chiefly campaign notes, etc. Another campaign (several, actually) which is where the adventure resides. All the story items, images etc are what you might expect - room locations, maps, handouts, NPCs.


I would export the latter campaign in its entirety to a module, which I would then open in the former campaign to be able to run it.

So far, so good. But what happens when I want to make amendments to the module, say to add new locations, amend magic items or something? I am assuming that I would have to open the latter campaign (from above), make the amendments, and then re-export. And the changes will show when I re-open the resulting module in the former "play" campaign.

Or do I have this wrong?
You have it correct. This is how I do it because it is very easy to change any adventure module and re-export it - and I, at least, tend to fiddle with my modules a lot. Another style is where instead of having a bunch of extra campaigns people use one campaign over and over. This works well if you don't really plan on updating the adventure once you are done. Many call this one campaign they use over and over again to make adventure modules a "sandbox" campaign.

The problem with this is you need to first load the "sandbox" campaign with the adventure module if you need to make a change to a module. It's not really difficult, you just unzip the adventure module and override everything in the "sandbox" campaign with the module files, make your changes and then re-export.

Basically the styles are clutter and convience vs. no clutter but more work to update. Which is better for you is a personal style issue.

[Griogre]

I believe you can make amendments to the module data IF you make them in the original campaign in which the module was created. So, say I create an adventure module called something like "The Lost Shrine of Go-Go-Ju", then export it and open it in my main "play" campaign. I can make amendments to it there but they will not be permanent. To make permanent amendments, I will need to open it in the original "Go-Go-Ju" campaign and make them there, then re-export.

It occurs to me that I don't know whether or not impromptu amendments to the open module in the "play" campaign will save along with the db. My guess is they won't.
All correct. Your impromptu amendments to the module will presist as long as you don't close the module in the campaign.