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Hey! We're back alive. Thank goodness.
We are going to be upgrading the site to a dedicated server; it should improve performance (we'll see how much - I'm curious myself!) and I have been convinced that it will be more robust and resistant to the type of hardware failure that occurred today.
There is no ETA yet for this upgrade - we're figuring out details - but likely within a week or just a tad more. I'll post a message when it occurs in case there ends up being unexpected downtime.
Thanks!
--TG
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https://www.tabletopgiant.com/groups/emerald-spire-epikos-in-hixson-tn
Trying out the group functionality, at least a few of my fellow gamers have signed up :D hopefully I'll generate a little traffic and maybe some Patrons for you.
Observations re: Groups: Create A Group could be easier to find. It was a little counter-intuitive to have to go to the page for finding existing Groups to create a new one. Not sure where works better, though, I was looking under My Groups in the "Your Stuff" page to start.
For Groups that always meet at the same time/place, a default Place and Start and End Time in the Event Creator would be appreciated. It's not a huge hassle to fill in, but it'd be nice if I didn't have to since every one of my events will be at the same place and start at 6:30 pm.
re: Cloning a character: I was helping a friend work on his character and attempted to Clone it to my profile, expecting an option to overwrite an existing character since all of my slots are full. Instead, I got a message stating that if I ever add another character slot, the character I tried to clone will fill it in (thus preventing me from cloning a character into that slot, either).
Thanks as always ^_^
Very cool!
I do agree with the 'Create a Group' button being a little too hidden. I could put a 'Create Group' button on the user's home profile page, on top of their 'Groups' block - which is where you were looking at the start. Very open to additional suggestions here.
I've played a lot with events but at the same time they really need exactly what you are doing - some use. I have no doubt that there are little hidden surprises that I need to fix, but we just need to reveal them so that I can clear them up. If you see anything else that doesn't quite work, please do let me know - I'd like the event planning to be perfect for Pathfinder groups, or at least as close as I can get it.
I believe what I need to do with cloning is have it disabled in the event that the player does not have a character slot open, with the note 'Clear a character slot or gain a new one in order to clone this character'. If you delete a character from a character slot - it's open - so that is one way to get a cloned character into a slot. Having it staple the clone into a new locked slot that the player can't even access isn't really providing much for the player. I will look into that.
Thanks!
--TG
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Quick note for everyone - we have the order for our dedicated server in place! The upgrade is likely to occur sometime within the next couple of days (tomorrow is pretty likely). Hopefully we will only be down for a couple of hours as we do the migration to our new home.
The performance of the new server will likely blow away the old VPS. It also comes with a large HD RAID - since it is a RAID, even if one drive malfunctions and dies, the remaining drive will keep the site alive while it is repaired. Very cool!
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Hello all!
The new traits redo is live and I'm pretty happy with it so far. Please do give it a shot; while traits are a fairly small part of character creation, this new UI is important as it is establishing the methods used for interacting with the website.
Much of the application is based on 'hover' effects that do not work well with mobile, and also many selections cause the entire page to refresh, which takes too much time and is awkward. When you try traits, you'll see this is all fixed; it is all button driven and enabled so as to make your selections without a page refresh.
If you take a trait that needs a following selection, the application will automatically load that selection page for you so that you don't forget or miss the option.
Further - homebrew and grandfather'd trait support is in! You may 'steal' any trait, and old faction traits are available to 'grandfather' to your character as well.
This new design is going to be cascaded throughout the site. Feats, spells, and everything else will be updated to be similar in design and feel. Spells, in particular, really need this - choosing spells is a slow and tedious process and they will benefit a lot by this upgrade. The same sort of scheme will be used, including the ability to 'steal' feats and spells or anything else.
Every tab is going to be visited and enhanced in this way. We've done the Merchant's Quarter, Ability Selections, and now Traits. Next up are likely the Basics, Race Selection, Racial Traits, and Class Selection. Spells and Feats soon after, and of course those two will take the longest.
After every tab is visited, then we will pick a core class and design it so that you can level it all the way to 20. That will mark the beginning of the 'leveling' effort.
!
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(note: at least one thing always goes wrong)
Sometimes, I hate it when I'm right.
There is a technical issue with the server provider I am working with that has shut the site down; it has nothing to do with the application. It is a hardware failure.
Once the technical issue is resolved, the site will migrate to the new dedicated server. Then it will be rock solid and won't be going anywhere and it will be reliable.
Unfortunately I don't have an ETA - I'll bump this thread with hopefully good news once the migration is settled.
Thanks!
--TG
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We're back alive - so good to be back alive.
There were some issues in the migration to the new server (there are always issues) but those are now mostly dealt with. Once things are completely ironed out, we'll be able to enjoy our new faster far more stable home.
The new IP is taking some time to propagate. If you view the site and you see something about the migration being done soon - it's the 'old' site. If you see 'migration complete!' - it's the new site. This will be corrected as the new IP hops around the globe - perhaps another day or so.
I'll be working to smooth remaining migration issues out here this week, and then we'll renew efforts to refactor the various areas of the site into shape in preparation for the push-to-20.
Thanks!
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One thing I've always wanted is a tool that can show which archetypes are compatible (moreso than the chart on d20pfsrd). Basically I want to pick "this archetype" and then see what other specific archetypes are still available (as in don't replace any of the same class abilities so I can also be that archetype). If you could incorporate that somewhere I'd be forever grateful.
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Basically I want to pick "this archetype" and then see what other specific archetypes are still available (as in don't replace any of the same class abilities so I can also be that archetype). If you could incorporate that somewhere I'd be forever grateful.
I'm happy to say that Alyksandrei is right - you can already do this :)
Head to the Archetypes selection for any class, and then look towards the top for the 'This helpful toggle can show or hide invalid archetypes:' and the toggle that follows. It defaults to 'off', so that the default is so show all archetypes.
Turn it to on so that it filters out invalid archetypes, and then you can take an archetype and - after it refreshes - it will show you the remaining archetypes for which you still qualify.
For many of the newer classes (which only have a handful of archetypes) often you can only take a single archetype; but for the other classes that have been around for awhile you can sometimes sneak in quite a few.
I'm working hard on the next update and I'm looking forward to getting it live. I will say that it takes a big tangible step towards making this a full level-20 character manager. I'm pretty excited about it!
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I think the tool is off to a great start. It's not something I can really switch over to completely until it supports leveling characters, but for throwing together a quick level 1 build, it's nice.
A couple of observations:
I couldn't figure out how to purchase a special material weapon. I generally buy things like shuriken as special materials, and I also wanted to buy a cold iron Temple Sword.
Also, Shuriken come in lots of 5 for 1gp, but I don't see that reflected anywhere on their listing. I might have just missed that. It appears to be charging 1gp per shuriken.
I posted this on the missing content thread on the site. The deities from Distant Shores (or at least Matravash) don't appear to be included. She was not available as an option for me to select.
Is it possible to swap the order in the PDF of the skills and the Special Abilities? My preference would be to have a single sheet (front and back) that includes the basic stats and attacks and the skills as a quick reference. I can accomplish that just by printing pages out of order or moving them around in the PDF, but being able to swap it before the PDF is created would be more convenient.
Nice work on this.
EDIT: Ah, I see, the Skills are listed in the stat block on the first page as well. So ignore that comment.
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Thank you for the feedback!
For the moment items that come in lots are only kept track of via their name; an arguably clunky method, but it works for now. I updated Shurikens to reflect their lot number - you'll now see them listed as "Shuriken (5)".
At a future time I would like to handle lots in a bit more sophisticated way so that they can be given consumable tracking features on the character sheet.
I also updated the list at the top of our missing data thread - I do believe everything from Distant Shores needs to be added.
Special materials are not yet implemented :\ I have a plan for how to do this, and it will allow the full functionality of making custom magical weapons and armor available. But - it will be a little while. I feel like that feature is less important than the actual push-to-20, so I'd like to get that going before working on special materials.
Similarly, we need a proper 'magic shop' that sells all magic items; but that, too, should wait until we have better progress into a full level 20 character manager.
That all said - the next update, as mentioned above, will make a bit step towards the direction of supporting level 20 characters. A lot has been done. I'm pretty excited about it!
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I didn't want to create an issue on-site for this as it's something you either know isn't implemented or it's just something I can't figure out. Are familiar archetypes implemented?
They are not; they will be done, but I don't have a firm plan as of when they are to be implemented. Quite possibly it could be as we rework the classes for the push-to-20; when I get to a class with familiars (likely the wizard), perhaps we can add the familiar archetypes.
I know I've mentioned the big update coming up, and with its release I'd like to come up with a roadmap for future tasks that can be commented upon or even influenced by site members. This next update will roll out the basic design for the full level 20 character manager, and following tasks will add to it in blocks. After the update, I'd like to compile a list of 'major' tasks - including familiar archetypes - and list them out in their tentative order of implementation. This order of implementation will be open to discussion and possibly things can be re-ordered based upon enthusiasm/desire for various features.
I've said 2-3 weeks for this big update in the past, but it may be more like 3-4 (I'll struggle for it not to go longer than that). It is large and it is going to change things. I can't wait to make it live!
Hey TG! Not sure if this has been brought yet before or not; however, while working on my halfling Telekineticist I noticed that the Merchant Quarter Encumbrance meter is not taking the character's size into account. It properly tracked the purchase of a Masterwork Backpack, but its still showing the standard Encumbrance for a Medium character as opposed to a small character.
Other than that, its still looking great! I'm very excited to see the next round of updates, especially the ability to add levels!
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...its still showing the standard Encumbrance for a Medium character as opposed to a small character.Nice catch! In the back of my head I was aware size affected carrying weight, but somehow applying it here escaped me.
It is fixed on the dev server and will migrate over with the big update. :)
No problem! Initially I was thinking to myself "38 pounds on an effective 11 strength halfling? Sweet! I can actually wear studded leather... wait a minute..." Looking forward to your next big update, TG. Still doing a fantastic job on this! If I get to the point where I can afford to do a little donating, I'd like to do so.
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Hm, have you considered to store a short description of the spell om the same table as the name, so you don't need to query the other table initially? You could display a "more.,." link and then dynamically pull the long description if needed.
This should make the whole thing a lot faster (and more readable as well).
As someone who uses pfsdb I have to say I'd rather wait a couple seconds to get the full data than have to hit "more". Searching would need to search the whole description anyways.
Is there a publicly viewable of stuff that has yet to be implemented? Also, I'm making a character with an archetype from Heroes of the Streets. So if the data from there could be implemented that'd be awesome.
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Is there a publicly viewable of stuff that has yet to be implemented? Also, I'm making a character with an archetype from Heroes of the Streets. So if the data from there could be implemented that'd be awesome.
No - but we're thinking along the same lines. With the next big update, I'm going to create a discussion thread on the Grand Lodge forums that will contain a rough list of major tasks and their order of implementation.
This will help give everyone an idea of what is coming up and the order of events. Further - it will be open to discussion. I'm very interested in hearing what functionality people would prefer to have next, and so there will be some flexibility in this schedule and it is possible something can be bumped in priority if enthusiasm (and practicality) warrants.
Also, I'm making a character with an archetype from Heroes of the Streets. So if the data from there could be implemented that'd be awesome.
I know I'd linked this thread to you over on TG just minutes ago, but I'll link it again here for everyone else as well. This thread will keep track of missing content - including Heroes of the Street. The push-to-20 has me absorbed for the moment, but we're definitely going to work to bring in this missing material in due time.
!
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I wanted to drop by to post an update.
I'm very excited that Tabletop Giant is going to act as the official event planner for the upcoming Gamex 2016 convention in Los Angeles, California. I've been working very closely with VO's Jon Merriex and Ashley Shields in order to create a planner that is customized specifically for PFS. It's still being worked on as feedback continues to come in, but so far I am pretty happy with it.
The planner for Gamex 2016 can be found here: https://tabletopgiant.com/groups/gamex-2016-pathfinder-society.
The big update is still in work, and obviously some breaks had to occur in order to support Gamex (I have been quite busy). However, I'm really excited about the progress that we've achieved with this update. When we roll this out live, you will see real and tangible progress towards a full level 20 character manager. I'm reluctant to give an ETA for this update as it has been evolving; one task opens up the immediate progression of another. We're shooting for a matter of weeks. Please stay tuned :)
Thanks!
--TG
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Also as soon as "the big update" goes live I'll input some of my more complicated characters and let you know how it holds up.
Very cool. To be clear - it won't be finished. You will be able to enter much of a character, but not all.
However, the road to it being finished will be made clear with this update. It will be very obvious that "oh, now just this this and this needs to be done!". This is important as it establishes that our goals are attainable.
!
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Hope things are still going smoothly with the update, TG! Definitely excited to see it roll out (hopefully) soon. I've got a few more complicated PCs that are waiting for this before I can do a complete sheet. I'll let you know if I see any issues once it goes live.
You got me all excited when I saw that there was a new post here :(
LOL. Me too. I became a patreon supporter because I like where tabletop giant is going or at least its potential but it is sad when we dont get updates. Informed customers are happy customers.
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I'm here - we're pushing forward as always :)
I apologize for the larger than usual gap in updates. It definitely has gone longer than I had intended, but it is for a good reason - there is just a ton of work being done which amounts to a good deal of progress.
When I originally set upon this update - which is to setup the design for the full level 20 manager - it was to pretty much 'Complete task X'. However, task X immediately opened the door to task Y - another portion of the full manager - which then made task Z very obvious in how to approach it.
In other words, this update is taking longer simply because I keep cramming things into it. Things are falling into place in a good way.
However, the limit to that has been reached. I am currently revamping the Skills page to be geared towards leveling to 20, and then the character sheet is going to be worked so that you may set the current level of your character (the idea there is that you'll create your entire build, but then can set the level of your 'sheet' which will cause it to ignore all build selections of a higher level).
Again I do apologize for the gap, and I really appreciate the enthusiasm. When the skills update is complete and I start on the character sheet, I'll drop a note here so that you'll know that only one task is left, and then the update itself shouldn't be that much longer.
Thanks!
--TG
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Skills are looking good! Here is a screenshot.
As can be seen in the screenshot - you toggle which level you wish to set your skills, and then do so appropriately.
Each skill also has a 'Maximize' button which will cause a skill rank to be put into the skill for every level (if a skill rank is still available, of course).
This improvement only took the last week; many other things have been improved since our last update.
Next is a new feature for the character sheet which should not take very long, and then some cleanup and release. This big-big update is getting close :)
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Thats great news! Thanks for the hard work.
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Seems like an awful lot of clicks. I get what you are doing by creating a level planner, but I'm not sure forcing everyone to use it is a good idea. If I'm entering my pre-existing 7th level PC, I'd rather just type in the total ranks I have rather than make close to the hundred clicks it might require.
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If I'm entering my pre-existing 7th level PC, I'd rather just type in the total ranks I have rather than make close to the hundred clicks it might require.
I do see what you're saying, but the system is as it is for the benefit of a useful feature.
One of the features of the full level-20 app is that you can set your character sheet to any level, any time, and the stats will automatically adjust to your build selections. The only thing that is intended to be 'global' with your character is your inventory and gold.
The intent of this is to allow a player to create an entire level 20 build plan right from the start, and then simply 'bump up' their level as they play and gain experience. Keep in mind 'cloning' will still exist (and a new 'character factory' type mechanism is in the plans too), which means players can also simply copy builds they like and adjust them to fit their needs.
For this to function properly, skill ranks must be assigned *per level*. It's a design requirement for this feature. Otherwise, if someone makes a level 10 character and has a total of, say, 100 skill points, then then they drop 7 skill points into 'Perception', the problem is - what levels were those skill points assigned? Levels 1-7? Or levels 1-2, and then 5-10? It becomes mathematically impossible to tell, which renders the philosophy of following a build plan impossible.
It *is* a lot of clicks as it is, and the 'Maximize' was to help with that (a lot of people put a point into Perception every level, for example). I'll work to think of other shortcuts as well (and am open to suggestions!).
One thing about the iconography for Train vs Maximize. I think it would benefit maximize to have a different icon, maybe a double plus so that at a glance the icons are more descriptive to the action being performed.
That is an excellent idea and it will be done :) I do believe I'll also add a 'confirmation' box for Maximize - it would be unfortunate to accidentally click it!
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Is there a way to make it a choice? Maybe up front when creating a new character have a choice of build plan or free input.
Is there a way to reduce the number of pages? That's really the part that bugs me the most. You have to switch between level and then switch between skill type.
I never liked the fact that there were separate pages for Knowledge, Craft, Perform, and Profession skills. I'd rather have them all in one long list. (I tend to set the page size to 100 everywhere to reduce the amount of page switching.)
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TG is an evolving creature so anything is possible. This is just the first pass (well, more like the third pass - but you get the gist). A 'free input' is something that could be worked on in the future.
With the new layout, there is only a single table - but it's also true that it loads the different skill selections by toggle.
Perhaps - here's a thought - what about an 'All' toggle which loads all skills at once?
Edit: Already in - here's a screenshot using the 'All' toggle with the table set to '100'. Seems to work fine.
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That definitely helps. I tend to edit PCs on my desktop rather than a mobile device, so I prefer options that load more data onto the screen at once and save clicks.
I have an idea that I'm going to look into to make it even better. It'll take a day or so but I think it'll work.
I'll report back ;)
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Edit: Already in - here's a screenshot using the 'All' toggle with the table set to '100'. Seems to work fine.
What tool did you use to capture that whole page at once? Or do you just have that many monitors stacked up for a huge resolution?
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What tool did you use to capture that whole page at once? Or do you just have that many monitors stacked up for a huge resolution?Edit: Already in - here's a screenshot using the 'All' toggle with the table set to '100'. Seems to work fine.
Wow would I love that many monitors. You may have given me a new life goal. :)
I use a nifty little Chrome plugin called Awesome Screenshot. It's free, very convenient, and lightweight. When I make web pages, it's nice to take a screenshot of the whole thing so you can see it all at once - gives a 'higher level' sense to the layout.
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What tool did you use to capture that whole page at once? Or do you just have that many monitors stacked up for a huge resolution?Edit: Already in - here's a screenshot using the 'All' toggle with the table set to '100'. Seems to work fine.
Wow would I love that many monitors. You may have given me a new life goal. :)
I use a nifty little Chrome plugin called Awesome Screenshot. It's free, very convenient, and lightweight. When I make web pages, it's nice to take a screenshot of the whole thing so you can see it all at once - gives a 'higher level' sense to the layout.
I didn't really think you had that many monitors in that orientation. Though, now that I say that, I could almost do that at home.. I've got three monitors on my home PC 1920x1080 x2 and a 2560x1440. Just change the orientation so they're sideways and that gives 6400px and the height of that image is 7681px. Obviously I'd lose some, but it's closer than a lot of people could get.
Thanks for a link to the plugin ^_^.
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Based on Michael's feedback about the great number of clicks to do a high level character, I've come up with another pass. This was a pretty extensive rework and changes the general philosophy of how skills are to be entered into a character.
Here's a screenshot of the new system.
As it is now, the setting of the levels at the top is mostly cosmetic; it is merely to set the level the skill bonuses are shown within the table, so that you can see different skill totals at different points in the character's growth.
Skills are now selected in a popover 'grid'. Hit the 'train' button on any skill, and this grid will appear in which you enter the levels you want to train the skill. Levels that no longer have skill points available are disabled with the little red circle and cross on them. Hit 'Set' when done, and all skill ranks for that particular skill are saved all at once.
This is a compromise so that 1.) the system can tell which skill ranks are assigned at which levels and 2.) you can enter them all at once instead of the far more tedious click-wait-click-wait-click-wait method it was prior.
Setting of the levels at the top of the page does have one minor function influence. When you create a 'custom' Craft or Profession skill, such as 'Craft (Taco)', it will initially be saved with a rank in the currently level you are viewing. After its initial creation, it will show within the table like any other skill and you can adjust it as you wish.
Hope this is better! If it isn't, let me know - it's important to get it right. Character sheet update is next :)
!
--TG
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It still allows multiple ranks taken at some levels, right?
There's always one last use case :)
From the hip I think I'll come up with a way to add multiple skill ranks by repeated button pushes of the same level (which will circle back to 0 after the max). There is going to be some 'herding of cats' to get this last use case to work, but I'll get it done.
I'll shuffle back off to my cave and figure this one out - not quite done yet! Thank you for pointing that out!
!
--TG
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Next round! Let's see if this version lasts longer than two posts (lol).
This new version retains the philosophy established in the last; clicking on a skill will generate a popover which contains an entry grid to set ranks in that skill throughout all levels of your character. This allows you to set all ranks for a single skill with a single form entry.
The grid is guided - it will not allow you to overspend skill points, and it recursively checks forward and backwards to make sure you are not exceeding the HD (level) boundary.
Take a look and let me know if this looks to settle most concerns - if there are any further ideas or suggestions, please do make them. This is important to get correct.
Thanks!
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I'm not sure I get how it works just by looking at the picture.
Well, that's not a good sign.
Here is a close up of the entry form
This character is level 18, so there are 18 levels in which you can assign ranks. Each square for each level has a running total of how many ranks have been placed into the skill.
The 'Up' button conveys information through icons and color.
Green: Trainable - as long as there is a skill point
Blue: the skill has been maxed, either at that level or later in the build
Hammer and anvil: Skill point is available - hit the button to add a rank
Crown: Skill is maxed and cannot be raised further
Trophy: No more skill points are available
The icon choice wasn't really the best; working with what I have for the moment! Edit: I'll tinker a little bit with the icons/colors and see if I can make it more obvious.
