FG Ruleset Tutorial

[Zane_Marlowe]

Hi Friends,

Many of you have been asking me about this, so I finally just decided to post the bit that I had, and then I'll be able to work on the other two bits when I can.

The first document can be found here

What it covers is the basic FG file system, how to get your first ruleset worked up, and how to edit character sheet, NPC sheet and monster data.

I'm going to insert my own disclaimer here: I'm a hack. I am NOT a code guru, and I do not pretend to have more knowledge than what I could figure out by just making educated guesses about what I was seeing in the xml files. Others have extended ruleset functionality into new kinds of controls on character sheets, etc. Any of this is stuff you can do, and stuff I've not done because I didn't need it to end up with a good playable finished product in the time I had alotted.

The next edition will discuss how to create the reference nodes I developed for use in my rulesets, and the final edition will discuss how to modify the graphics for the ruleset.

These tutorials do NOT require you to know XML, nor do they require you to have expensive tools.

Let me know what you think,
ZM

[ByteBandit]

Thanks for posting this Zane, just what I've been waiting for. Going to have a good read through it now Keep up the good work.

[Ged]

When making (and especially modifying) a ruleset, it's best to start by

1. creating the new folder for the new ruleset (say, rulesets/my_ruleset)
2. copying the base.xml from rulesets/d20/ to the new folder
   
   (now starts the block of instructions deviating from Zane's)
3. copying only the file that you want to edit from rulesets/d20/ or data/ to the new folder (e.g. rulesets/d20/charsheet.xml)
4. change in rulesets/my_ruleset/base.xml the line
   <includefile source="rulesets\d20\charsheet.xml" />
   into
   <includefile source="rulesets\my_ruleset\charsheet.xml" />
5. modify the file rulesets/my_ruleset/charsheet.xml
6. repeat 3-5 selecting different files from rulesets/d20/ or data/

Advantages of this procedure: most importantly, 1) only the modified files will need to be sent to player client when connecting to the host (game master). 2) Keeps the ruleset a little easier to debug, since all crashes can be pinpointed to the modified set of files. And finally, 3) the files in data/ folder especially are system independent and fit reasonably well in most rulesets and thus need not be copied for each ruleset (though they have fantasy flavour).

Anyway, very well done Zane, thanks for posting the tutorial! I guess the above instruction is a matter of taste, but that's the way it was designed in particular to keep download times down and to allow quick additions for house rules etc. (no need to hack the whole ruleset).

[DarkStar]

Advantages of this procedure: most importantly, 1) only the modified files will need to be sent to player client when connecting to the host (game master).

Good to know. So, how does it work, exactly? If I create a new rulesest with, let's say, 3 modified files and don't include any others, how will this look on a client (player) machine? Where are the missing files loaded from? resource.pak ? Is it mixing official ruleset with my new files? Until now, I thought that you had to include all files in your new ruleset, even if you did not modify them.

Ehh, you are really missing some good documentation here.

[mr_h]

*looks both directions*
*swipes the PDF*
*runs off to work on his own ruleset*

[Zane_Marlowe]

Ged, I'd agree that using a limited list of files is better for client downloads. The reason I instructed the reader to make a complete file transfer is because the instructions on what to change in the tutorial are open-ended. If the reader wishes to change something that I haven't instructed them to, then they can do so without having to spend more time setting up the file system. These instructions assume that people will be creating both d20 and non-d20 rulesets, and that they can change any number of things. Since the tutorial does not give steps to make a specific ruleset, but basic concepts for making any ruleset, then I'm assuming in the file system setup that they'll change everything.

Now that said, when I finished my Adventure ruleset, I went back and repointed the base.xml file for those files that were unchanged, and deleted the unchanged files from my ruleset folder, so all I was left with was the changed files in the ruleset, as you suggest. So I think we agree, but since I don't have the last steps up yet, the final "cleanup" details haven't shown this strategy.

Darkstar, as far as I know, whatever files are in the ruleset folder will be transferred to the client. If the client has already downloaded the ruleset, then I believe it will only download those files that are newer on the server than are on the client.

[Oberoten]

My hat is off to you sir. This is the kind of documentation we need to go out there and make this into all it can be.

[Stuart]

Darkstar, as far as I know, whatever files are in the ruleset folder will be transferred to the client. If the client has already downloaded the ruleset, then I believe it will only download those files that are newer on the server than are on the client.

I'm not so sure on this ... I made some major revisions to the ruleset my players use and posted it to them. They installed this yet when they logged on to the game they still had to download the entire ruleset again despite a) installing it prior to this and b) only two files had been modified subsequent to the initial download.

The tutorial is excellent ... it is certainly filling some of the alarming gaps in my xml-savvy.

[Kalan]

Very well done Zane! I'd not worked up to playing with the Monster or Personality entries as yet - having focused almost primarily with the addition of "books" onto the basic SRD structure (well in my case MSRD structure).

All in all very well presented! Kudo's to you

[Zane_Marlowe]

I've updated the linked tutorial file with the next major section on how to create the main text reference. Once this is done, I'll turn to the secondary references such as spells and monsters, and then on to graphics.

This one should keep you guys busy for a while though

ZM