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  1. #1

    Player character managment

    I've tried looking through threads for this information and have failed.

    I'm looking for how character management is handled from Player to GM back to Player.

    I just started a new campaign and this is the first time I've used FG as a online game client. I've used it to replace books and to manage the game for live games so this has never been an issue.

    Here is what I have.

    1) I have the ultimate license and host the game online.

    2) Currently have 5 players, of which 2 have bought the standard license.

    3) The two that bought the standard license made their characters offline and imported them into the campaign I hosted.

    My question is how do they receive the changes they make to the characters that they imported into my campaign when they are offline? For instance they are about to level up so how can they make those changes locally on their own computer and it sync to the character in the campaign data.

    I hope this makes sense.

    Thanks

  2. #2

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    normal behavior is just to have them modify their characters in your campaign while you have FG up. this allows the DM to keep track of changes.

    You can save out characters as the DM and send them back to the players. they can then upload the characters into their local files and modify and then re-upload back into your campaign. To my knowledge you would have to email the XML to them.

    Personally i save out characters often and place them in a separate file so i can track the characters both for myself and in case the characters somehow get messed up. I tend to do a save on level up or significant change.

  3. #3
    Try this (I hope I don't miss any steps)

    First, I would recommend as well that they level up their character in your campaign so it would be the most up to date copy. You can leave the server on after game session if they needed more time to complete the level up.

    After that, they should return to the launcher and select the Manager Characters button. Then in the bottom window to right before pressing "Start" the player should see your server name. They select (Highlight) that entry and press "Start".

    After the desktop loads, select the PC button. In that window they should see all of their Local Characters and characters with a "Server" label. That would be the copy of the character from the campaign server. Select the brown / symbol to open import/export options and select to export and save the server character. That would give them an up-to-date version of their campaign character in .xml format.

    After that, they should re-import the saved .xml character as a local character for maintenance or moving into a different campaign.

    This was how I managed characters in AL Games that are essentially one-shots with different games/DMs each week.

    I hope this helps.

  4. #4
    LindseyFan's Avatar
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    I like to do that same thing. Only I keep my "spares" like pregens when I am testing a module I am writing.
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    I own an Ultimate License, all WOTC D&D stuffs, and the SW rules.

  5. #5
    Awesome thanks everyone! GarthGiantbane that was the idea I was looking for if they wanted to utilized AL. I'm running it using AL rules, I'm not sure if I'll stick to it (it will be the players decision).

    Overall it seems that it's pretty important to export the who campaign occasionally in case of problems. Which is never a bad idea.

    I have a shared cloud folder I use to share campaign information so I'll use this instead of email.

    Thank you all!

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by GarthGiantbane View Post
    Try this (I hope I don't miss any steps)

    First, I would recommend as well that they level up their character in your campaign so it would be the most up to date copy. You can leave the server on after game session if they needed more time to complete the level up.

    After that, they should return to the launcher and select the Manager Characters button. Then in the bottom window to right before pressing "Start" the player should see your server name. They select (Highlight) that entry and press "Start".

    After the desktop loads, select the PC button. In that window they should see all of their Local Characters and characters with a "Server" label. That would be the copy of the character from the campaign server. Select the brown / symbol to open import/export options and select to export and save the server character. That would give them an up-to-date version of their campaign character in .xml format.

    After that, they should re-import the saved .xml character as a local character for maintenance or moving into a different campaign.

    This was how I managed characters in AL Games that are essentially one-shots with different games/DMs each week.

    I hope this helps.
    This may the answer I was looking for. I have been trying to use Manage Characters, but the list of characters is always blank for any campaign I am a player in... from what you say, it is because I wasn't connected to that campaign server at the time. The FG client doesn't maintain a persistent local copy, evidently, so I have to do the work while connected to the campaign server.

    How silly of me not to have figured that out. Thank you for triggering the light bulb.
    Last edited by MerlinAmbrose; February 8th, 2017 at 01:01. Reason: clarity
    Nothing exceeds like excess.
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  7. #7
    Trenloe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MerlinAmbrose View Post
    The FG client doesn't maintain a persistent local copy, evidently, so I have to do the work while connected to the campaign server.
    Manage characters does maintain the last PC data for each campaign you connect to from that computer. It is stored in the <FG app data>\cache directory on the player instance computer you used to connect to the campaign. This allows you to view, and make a copy of and edit, the PCs you controlled in that campaign.

    When you say "the list is blank" - is that the campaign selection list in Manage Characters? Or do you see the campaigns and load up a campaign in manage characters but there are no PCs to select?
    Private Messages: My inbox is forever filling up with PMs. Please don't send me PMs unless they are actually private/personal messages. General FG questions should be asked in the forums - don't be afraid, the FG community don't bite and you're giving everyone the chance to respond and learn!

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Trenloe View Post
    Manage characters does maintain the last PC data for each campaign you connect to from that computer. It is stored in the <FG app data>\cache directory on the player instance computer you used to connect to the campaign. This allows you to view, and make a copy of and edit, the PCs you controlled in that campaign.

    When you say "the list is blank" - is that the campaign selection list in Manage Characters? Or do you see the campaigns and load up a campaign in manage characters but there are no PCs to select?
    No PCs to select. The character list is empty after the campaign loads. All the campaigns I am playing in do show up in the list of servers. I've been doing it while disconnected from any campaign server.

    I have only a player license. What I have been doing is get the DM to send me exported XML file for the character, and importing that into a local blank campaign on my machine.

    And when I check those cache folders using a file system explorer there is never any character file present. Ever. Under any circumstances I have checked. Does the temp copy get wiped on disconnect?
    Nothing exceeds like excess.
    Ultimate License. Classic and Unity.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by MerlinAmbrose View Post
    No PCs to select. The character list is empty after the campaign loads. All the campaigns I am playing in do show up in the list of servers. I've been doing it while disconnected from any campaign server.

    I have only a player license. What I have been doing is get the DM to send me exported XML file for the character, and importing that into a local blank campaign on my machine.

    And when I check those cache folders using a file system explorer there is never any character file present. Ever. Under any circumstances I have checked. Does the temp copy get wiped on disconnect?
    Sounds like there might be a write permissions issue on your FG Data path?

  10. #10
    Trenloe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MerlinAmbrose View Post
    And when I check those cache folders using a file system explorer there is never any character file present. Ever. Under any circumstances I have checked. Does the temp copy get wiped on disconnect?
    Nope, these files don't get wiped - they stay so that Manage Characters can access them. Within each <fg app data>\cache\<campaign name> directory should be a campaign.dat file (encrypted, so you can't open it). If this is not present, or is 0KB in side, then it sounds like your issue is as damned says - you aren't writing to these directories.
    Private Messages: My inbox is forever filling up with PMs. Please don't send me PMs unless they are actually private/personal messages. General FG questions should be asked in the forums - don't be afraid, the FG community don't bite and you're giving everyone the chance to respond and learn!

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