Most of my Pathfinder gaming occurs online using Hero Lab and D20Pro. I know there are alot of other good online VTT's out there as well such as Fantasy Grounds and Maptools.
I'm just wondering if anyone has heard whether Paizo in any capacity has given any official support to any of these VTT's such as offering perhaps non exclusive licenses etc. It would be good to see Paizo get behind these virtual tools that help promote their products online.
I think that releasing PDFs that are formatted well for art and map retrieval is the best thing they currently do, and I hope they continue to do so.
I don't believe there is official support for any VTT, but there is a community-built Pathfinder extension for Fantasy Grounds that is frequently updated.
Someone built a Pathfinder framework for Maptools as well.
I think that releasing PDFs that are formatted well for art and map retrieval is the best thing they currently do, and I hope they continue to do so.
Agreed, though I wish there was a way for us to share the maps & tokens used in a VTT rather than everyone creating their own version.
And don't forget the OGC. That lets us trade the creature stats once you get it into a good format (like, say, importing straight from the PDF into my program, DM's Familiar, and then exporting macros out of DMF for use in Maptools). :)
Oh, I think a generic, parse-able XML (or other format) standard for statblocks and powers and the like would be the t*&$$.
But good luck getting the proprietary VTTs to agree on that.
It would be very nice to see Paizo say: "Do it this way." And watch them all fall into line.
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The other thing I would love to see over time is access to higher-res artwork. I fully understand why Paizo doesn't release that stuff, maybe they would need to make changes to the way art-orders went in or something — but the art that comes into Paizo is usually much better for VTT use than what you can actually get out of the PDF.
If I had a way to buy Legacy of Fire's maps in the original artist's resolution, I would pay for that. $20 right now, if they want it. I'm sick of struggling with the low res on the pdf maps.
On the other hand, I know that would require overhead and procedural changes, and probably changes to the art order. If they ever get around to doing it, they could add value by keeping objects and plot-critical map items on different layers — that would be a huge boon for interactivity in programs like MapTool.
It's definitely possible, they have the art already, but is the demand there?
they could add value by keeping objects and plot-critical map items on different layers —
Like removing room numbers, traps, and secret doors? You can already do that. SomePDFImageExtractor will get it out as well a copy & paste from Adobe 8.0.
Like removing room numbers, traps, and secret doors? You can already do that. SomePDFImageExtractor will get it out as well a copy & paste from Adobe 8.0.
Oh, yes, I have mastered that process. SomePDF is Windows-only, though, so inconvenient for me. The idea of switching to a windows partition to work with art is just madness.
What I mean is that you could actually layer art on the map; things that could move. Tables, chairs, etc. Most cartographers already reuse objects to a considerable degree. A for-retail digital map set would be improved by this separation of resources, as it would make it easier to reuse maps.
Whenever I pay for a PDF or a Subscription from Paizo, it is a major part of my decision to consider what maps and art I will be getting for my money. I am trying to build a collection that will make me the world's greatest improvising VTT GM.
To elaborate, I'm a Modules subscriber, even though I never play modules and I consistently play APs. Why? Because of the diversity of maps.
If Paizo wanted to know what I'd be willing to pay for in digital assets, I would be overjoyed to tell them. And I could go on about it.
I don't believe there is official support for any VTT, but there is a community-built Pathfinder extension for Fantasy Grounds that is frequently updated.
There is also work on a new extension for the new 3.5 ruleset (which is awesome, but only available in test mode at the moment) for Fantasy Grounds.
One by meand a friend, which changes to the correct skills and changes grapple to CMB.
And one by madman, which is the same as mine, but he added some of the things from the one you linked to.
Both of these require FG to be updated to the latest test version though, so while I would recommend trying them out, it might be a while before FG 2.8 goes to release mode.
We are currently doing a test of releasing our out-of-print Flip-Mats and Map Packs in PDF form (as well as our two upcoming products, Map Pack: Magic Academy and Flip-Mat: Haunted Dungeon). For more about that, read this post from Vic Wertz. We'd all love to hear your feedback!