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DMDad
March 19th, 2026, 04:57
FGU DM Assist Observer Core (Early Access)

Hello everyone,

I’m opening this thread as the main support, update, and feedback thread for FGU DM Assist Observer Core (Early Access).

This project is a Fantasy Grounds Unity extension focused on DM-assist observation and context capture. The goal is to help support review-friendly DM workflows by observing combat and table activity in a cautious, practical way.

What this extension is trying to do

FGU DM Assist Observer Core is being built to help a GM keep track of what just happened at the table without jumping to hard conclusions when the event sequence is unclear.

The current design focus is:

combat observation

turn and encounter awareness

recent table-context capture

cautious interpretation of ambiguous event sequences

support for downstream DM-assist summaries and companion workflows

Current state

This is an early access release and is still actively evolving.

Right now, the project is aimed primarily at:

5E testing

practical live-table usefulness

calm, review-oriented interpretation

reducing noise while still preserving useful context

Design philosophy

One of the core goals of this project is to avoid overstating uncertainty.

When the evidence is clear, the assistant should help surface confirmed combat events and useful context.

When the evidence is less clear, it should present those items as worth checking, not as mistakes by the GM or players.

That distinction matters a lot to me, and it is a major part of how I want this tool to grow.

Optional companion tooling

This Forge release is the core Fantasy Grounds Unity extension.

I also have optional companion tooling in progress, including dashboard and workflow-oriented utilities that build on the observed context. I’ll use this thread to share updates, notes, and information related to that broader workflow as it develops.

I do not want to overpromise here, so for now I’m treating that companion layer as evolving early-access tooling rather than a finished public product.

Feedback I would really value

If you try this, I’d especially like to hear:

what felt immediately useful

what felt noisy or distracting

what you trusted

what you doubted

what information you wanted faster

what would actually help during live play

whether the wording felt calm, fair, and practical

What this thread is for

I’ll use this thread for:

updates

release notes

support

feedback

bug reports

discussion about usefulness and table feel

future companion-tooling notes

Thanks to anyone willing to take a look and share impressions. I think there is a lot of potential here, and I want to shape it based on what is genuinely helpful in play rather than just what seems clever in development.

DMDad
March 19th, 2026, 05:07
Optional Companion Tooling

I also have an optional companion tooling package available for testers who want to try the broader DM-assist workflow beyond the core Forge extension.

Please use the newer companion package: FGU_DM_Assist_Companion_Tooling_Early_Access_v0_10 .zip

This package is optional and experimental. The Forge release is the core Fantasy Grounds Unity extension. The companion tooling is a separate early-access workflow for people who want to help test the larger dashboard, context, and summary side of the project.

Basic setup

Download and extract FGU_DM_Assist_Companion_Tooling_Early_Access_v0_10 .zip to a local folder.

Install the Forge extension normally in Fantasy Grounds.

Run run_me_first.bat.

Then run:

run_01_snapshot_once.bat

run_02_build_context_pack.bat

run_03_generate_copilot_response.bat

To launch the local dashboard, run:

run_06_launch_dashboard.bat

Optional:

run_07_live_refresh_loop.bat

Optional manual log source

If you prefer to test against a copied log instead of the live Fantasy Grounds path, place a copy of console.log here:

incoming_logs\console.log
-----------
The feedback I’d especially value:
-How easy/hard/understandable was the setup/installation
-what felt useful right away
-what felt noisy or distracting
-what you trusted
-what you ignored
-whether the dashboard helped during play
-what information you wanted faster

Thanks to anyone willing to try it and share impressions.

Tempered7
March 20th, 2026, 03:03
I quick-tried this tool in Tutorial Campaign to see what happens if I damage without a confirmed hit and it warned me about it.
Two things to note though:

1. It requires python to be installed.
2. Some of the .bat files need to be edited for User\User Name path.

Thanks for this excellent tool! I will make more tests when I have time and report back.

EDIT: Live Refresh Loop is a great addition because I couldnt find out how to refresh manually. I mnean I press the refresh button but nothing happened.

DMDad
March 20th, 2026, 03:46
Thank you — this is very helpful feedback.

I have pushed an updated companion tooling package that addresses those setup issues:

the batch files now auto-detect the usual Fantasy Grounds console.log path

you can also drop a copied log into incoming_logs\console.log if you want to test against a local copy

Python checks are now friendlier and clearer

the dashboard now gives visible refresh feedback, including whether a manual refresh found new context or not

I have updated companion tooling package and you can find I changed the attachment in the earlier post.

FGU_DM_Assist_Companion_Tooling_Early_Access_v0_10 .zip

Basic setup

Download and extract FGU_DM_Assist_Companion_Tooling_Early_Access_v0_10 .zip to a local folder.

Keep the Forge extension installed normally in Fantasy Grounds.

Run run_me_first.bat.

Then run:

run_01_snapshot_once.bat

run_02_build_context_pack.bat

run_03_generate_copilot_response.bat

To launch the local dashboard, run:

run_06_launch_dashboard.bat

Optional:

run_07_live_refresh_loop.bat

Optional manual log source

If you prefer to test against a copied log instead of the live Fantasy Grounds path, place a copy of console.log here:

incoming_logs\console.log

The Live Refresh Loop was added for exactly the reason you mentioned, but I agree the normal refresh flow needed to communicate better. So, getting corrected.

Tempered7
March 20th, 2026, 04:05
You're welcome.

I just noticed that Python install has changed at the latest version so it adds itself to the PATH automatically, and no need to worry about manually adding the exe anymore.
Active live-refresh will be great as native at next patch cant wait.

I will use this tool in long sessions of 5E dungeon crawler called Griogre's RD1 Random Dungeon Tiles when I have time. I make many mistakes because of poor eye sight so I can surface many things and give extensive feedback.

Also, one thing that comes to mind as an option is that some sort of noise [like a beep from the browser] to warn DMs if something crucial [i.e: a critical error] happens.

lovingHate15
March 23rd, 2026, 02:36
Is there a way to disable the messages being visible to players? I'm testing out the extension, and it seems my players can see every message DMAssist creates.

DMDad
March 23rd, 2026, 03:53
Is there a way to disable the messages being visible to players? I'm testing out the extension, and it seems my players can see every message DMAssist creates.

Thank you — that is a very important catch.

At this stage, player-visible DM Assist output is not the intended long-term behavior for normal play. I am planning to make observer/debug-style messagingeither GM-only, optional, or hidden unless explicitly enabled.

So yes, I’m treating that as an active issue to fix.

Thank you for flagging it. That is exactly the kind of feedback I need.

DMDad
April 2nd, 2026, 03:14
This update was superseded. Check out the most recent post.

Still early access, but it’s finally in a state where outside testing is worthwhile.

DMDad
May 2nd, 2026, 15:50
FGU DM Assist — Companion Tools Refresh

Posting a refreshed public tools-only package for the current FGU DM Assist companion workflow.

This package is for testing the live companion surfaces and support flow, including:

dashboard
watch flow
combat summaries
announcer/guidance behavior

Note: this zip does not include the extension. Please use the normal Forge/store path for the extension itself.

This is still an active early-access / playtest package. It is usable, but still being refined, especially around announcer visibility and action narration retention.

Feedback is especially welcome on:

dashboard usefulness
summary/watch usefulness
announcer timing
which live callouts are most valuable during play

Thanks again to everyone testing.