"Base" ruleset for release

[joshuha]

I am releasing the first step in what I feel is necessary to create a true base ruleset that can be used as a springboard for other rulesets.

Currently at this point in the project there is no license attached at all and this contribution is free for both public and commercial work. As we get organized and plan more features and a codified API we will probably choose a license at that point.

Two files linked here meant for use with the Full Fantasy Grounds license.

The first is the base.zip, this file is the ruleset file stripped of all D20 information (including the d20 system license headers). This file should be unzipped to your Ruleset folder, most easily found by going to Start -> Programs -> Fantasy Grounds II -> Application Data Folder.

The second is the extensions.zip, this file should be directly unzipped to your Application Data Folder. It will create the extensions subfolder for you if you do not have it created already.

Currently the character sheet, combat tracker, images, NPCs, and story components have been rolled into modules. This means if those extensions are not picked the buttons to those components will not be in Fantasy Grounds. The character sheet, NPC sheet, and combat tracker only have the name field (and a number field on the tracker). These are essentially just placeholders for the modularized extensions for these components we will create later.

Eventually rather than stubs with just a name field I would like to plan for a generic, flexible sheet that serves as the included extensions to work off of. This weekend I will begin soliciting volunteers to get the next steps organized and start the planning process to refine this a bit more.

Base.zip (https://www.fouruglymonsters.com/base.zip)

Extensions.zip (https://www.fouruglymonsters.com/extensions.zip)

[Foen]

Thanks for this Joshuha.

Stuart

[Valarian]

One volunteer here

[Foen]

As an OGL contribution, I am submitting v0.1 of a foundation ruleset. This differs from Joshuha's ruleset in several important ways:

It is explicitly published under the OGL, and anything derived from it will be subject to the OGL.
It is not based on zero content, with extensions for each element. Joshuha's version uses this technique to good effect, but the alternative approach of including stub functionality within the ruleset means you don't have to convert extensions to ruleset code. Importantly this means that Joshuha's version is better suited to generic use, and this is (arguably) better suited to foundation use.
It includes more original SmiteWorks content than Joshuha's. I chose this route because I personally found it easier to adapt existing code (like the top part of the main character sheet which includes details about race, sex etc, and their great inventory tab functionality) than to start from scratch. Just a personal preference.
It is bundled with the extended Notes, Remote Commands and Preferences functionality from my previous posts. It uses a db-based tracker and also includes revised inline index functionality (found in Call of Cthulhu and some Savage Worlds rulesets) and an extension of the basic numbercontrol/stringcontrol fields (based on Toadwart's numbercontrolX and stringcontrolX templates). There are other functionality extensions as well.
I am not trying to make this compatible with Joshuha, and VERY IMPORTANTLY I cannot lead on running this project. It is squarely aimed at those who wish to start from a reasonable base to create new rulesets (commercial or community).

Please let me know if you think this is worth pursuing. If there is no appetite for this, I'll just use it for my own (and DA) rulesets.

Cheers

Stuart

Foundation v0.1 (https://www.witheredlands.co.uk/download/Foundation%20v0.1.zip)

[joshuha]

As an OGL contribution, I am submitting v0.1 of a foundation ruleset. This differs from Joshuha's ruleset in several important ways:

It is explicitly published under the OGL, and anything derived from it will be subject to the OGL.
It is not based on zero content, with extensions for each element. Joshuha's version uses this technique to good effect, but the alternative approach of including stub functionality within the ruleset means you don't have to convert extensions to ruleset code. Importantly this means that Joshuha's version is better suited to generic use, and this is (arguably) better suited to foundation use.
It includes more original SmiteWorks content than Joshuha's. I chose this route because I personally found it easier to adapt existing code (like the top part of the main character sheet which includes details about race, sex etc, and their great inventory tab functionality) than to start from scratch. Just a personal preference.
It is bundled with the extended Notes, Remote Commands and Preferences functionality from my previous posts. It uses a db-based tracker and also includes revised inline index functionality (found in Call of Cthulhu and some Savage Worlds rulesets) and an extension of the basic numbercontrol/stringcontrol fields (based on Toadwart's numbercontrolX and stringcontrolX templates). There are other functionality extensions as well.
I am not trying to make this compatible with Joshuha, and VERY IMPORTANTLY I cannot lead on running this project. It is squarely aimed at those who wish to start from a reasonable base to create new rulesets (commercial or community).

Please let me know if you think this is worth pursuing. If there is no appetite for this, I'll just use it for my own (and DA) rulesets.

Cheers

Stuart

Foundation v0.1 (https://www.witheredlands.co.uk/download/foundation%20v0.1.zip)

PS. Stuck in an airport lounge, I'm not sure the ruleset upload will work! If not, I'll re-post tomorrow. Stuart

Well I envision that there will be 2 version of my ruleset but building on each other. The first will be what I am calling my "base" ruleset that will be lean and mean and be enough that if someone wanted to start from scratch on a new system or do something like an Indy game with a character sheet and images they could do so.

However, I want to eventually create what I will call a "generic" ruleset that extends the sheet, tracker, npc, etc. to be able to support customizable fields to suit most games quickly. However, to do this I would not touch the core stripped down code and instead design a master "generic" API that it itself is a plugin and the other extensions have a dependency on that.

Also, right now it may not make much sense to strip out the images and story components but as those functions are exposed more to the API (like drawing our own shapes) these may need to be customized per game system and having them in the extension format makes it easier to keep it system specific.

[Bidmaron]

If this is our new project working thread, then I will offer my assistance here as well. Sign me up, Joshuha! Foen, thanks for your contribution as well. It sounds very intriguing for my own personal use on my ruleset someday.

As part of our re-baseline, I'd like to propose that the story sheets be more html-like in that you can link things in a more conventional way rather than having each link only on a stand-alone line like we currently have. Think xhtml web pages, but without all the control functionality. I've long wanted to be able to put in passages where the names would be hot-linked to relevant pages. That's the kind of thing I'm talking about. Also, we aught to have the ability to put images onto a story page (more like a web page again).

Joshuha (and Foen if you change your mind), sign me up for whatever you'd like, but I'd especially like to work on this kind of functionality when the time is right.

[Oberoten]

In for a penny, in for a pound... AKA, suggest and I will see what i can do.

[joshuha]

As part of our re-baseline, I'd like to propose that the story sheets be more html-like in that you can link things in a more conventional way rather than having each link only on a stand-alone line like we currently have. Think xhtml web pages, but without all the control functionality. I've long wanted to be able to put in passages where the names would be hot-linked to relevant pages. That's the kind of thing I'm talking about. Also, we aught to have the ability to put images onto a story page (more like a web page again).

Joshuha (and Foen if you change your mind), sign me up for whatever you'd like, but I'd especially like to work on this kind of functionality when the time is right.

Well this may not be possible currently. We don't yet have script access to formattedtext nodes at the level to parse it to make new functions.

[Bidmaron]

This isn't the first time on the boards that we've lamented the lack of formattedtext parsing ability. I wonder how high this is up on the developers' priority list.

The other thing we need is the ability to communicate with the outside world to pass information to other programs/processes. Has that one been discussed before?

[Foen]

Uploaded the ruleset now, please see my original post for the link.

Stuart

[Bidmaron]

Joshuha/Foen, can we cheese our way through it (making story pages more html-like, that is)? What I mean is, would it be possible to make a dynamic windowclass (I'm still learning all this, so I hope my terminology is right) that will read the database, recognize that you have normal formatted text and place it on the window, leave a gap in the lower text control for a hot link and then superimpose a string control over the underlying text box so that when you click on the overlying string control, it executes the hot link? This is a terrible kluge work-around, and it would require a 'make hot-link' radial command when the user originally enters the text, but my (admittedly) limited understanding of the program documentation so far doesn't tell me it's impossible.

Likewise, any reason I couldn't dynamically create a windowclass such that I put an icon onto the window where it is appropriate? I know we then have the challenge of placing the image into the icon directory somehow (one of the many reasons why I think it's crucial to have FG2 be able to communicate with the outside world with a Lua script) or require the user to put his images there.

[sondermann]

Hi. I can't get the extensions to work. They do show up when I host a session. I can pick and choose the different extensions but when FGII actually starts there seems to be no effect.

[Foen]

If you are talking about Joshuha's Base ruleset, then you might want to drop him a PM (or seek him out on FUM).

Generally with extensions, they need to match the right ruleset and the version/release number.

Foen

[Tarostar]

Uploaded the ruleset now, please see my original post for the link.

Stuart

Thanks, just downloaded this and will have a look. I've been working on my own ruleset for a while now, but not come across extensions before so that will be interesting.

Is this project still in progress or considered finished?

I note that you are releasing this with no copyright claims and have stripped out the D20 content. Still all the files are headed with "Copyright 2008 SmiteWorks Ltd". I'm just curious how this works and why you kept that copyright in the header. Is this a requirement from SmiteWorks for any developed ruleset?

PS! In my own ruleset I have kept the original copyrights in the files as my version is heavily based on the original ruleset (even if all the D20 specific stuff is gone). When/if it gets to the stage where I might distribute it beyond my local gaming group I plan on contacting Smiteworks first for their permission.

[Foen]

The Foundation ruleset is released under the OGL and is derived from the SmiteWorks bundled ruleset, but uses no d20 logo or d20 OGL material. It is important to distinguish:

d20 Logo material: owned/copyright WotC, published under a more strict licence
d20 OGL material (such as spells, feats, skills): owned/copyright WotC, published under the OGL
SmiteWorks OGL material (such as the XML and Lua files, but excluding any d20 OGL material): owned/copyright SmiteWorks, published under the OGL
SmiteWorks proprietary material (such as the ruleset graphics files): owned/copyright SmiteWorks and only useable with their express permission

The Foundation ruleset therefore contains SmiteWorks proprietary stuff (you cannot distribute this without their permission) and SmiteWorks OGL stuff (you can derive from this and freely distribute, provided the stuff you create from it is also distributed under the OGL and you recognise the contribution made by SmiteWorks).

Phew!

As a result, the files reflect SmiteWorks ownership and contribution by including a copyright notice, but they acknowledge no debt to the d20 OGL or Logo.

On the more straightforward topic of whether this is work in progress or finished, the answer is 'this version is finished'. Just like the FGII default (d20) ruleset, it makes sense to add new facilities and provide bug fixes in different releases. I'll try to also provide a list and changes from one version to another whenever I post a new release.

Foen

[wigwam]

I cannot get base extensions to show. I can see them on the frontpage but not when I click "Start." (I have tried with and without the "blobs" next to the extension...!)

Plesae can someone help?

[joshuha]

I will have to see if the patches changed anything when I get home. However, I will be working with Foen soon to form his ruleset as a good universal ruleset. However, I will still tweak mine to function as more a skeleton than anything (which was the intention) rather than something you can play with out of the box.