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Using PDFimages (under linux) it has been pretty simple to extract the images from the PDFs. It is just a pain because it does extract the images, but it extracts the craptastic compressed image. This method is good for maps and character images, but with using the modules from Fantasy Grounds, this has been less of an issue for me.
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Using PDFimages (under linux) it has been pretty simple to extract the images from the PDFs. It is just a pain because it does extract the images, but it extracts the craptastic compressed image. This method is good for maps and character images, but with using the modules from Fantasy Grounds, this has been less of an issue for me.Does it work on HotV#1 interactive maps file, too? Nothing I've found works on that.
Yup, works great. I just did it to verify and here is the command I used: pdfimages "PZO7240 Interactive Maps.pdf" -png MAPS
It produced an okay file that I could use.
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if you own the pdfs, cut the maps out with a snipping tool. then use an image enhancer [i use zyro . com] to improve the image quality, and paste that in your VTT.
It would be nice if Paizo recognized the challenges that they are making for DMs, but then again, they sell the complete APs w/ maps through FantasyGrounds and other VTTs, so...
Feel your pain.
Having to get a map with snipping tool is a huge issue on its own. But let's ignore that, since that's what you actually have to do for some maps.
The quality on some maps are ridiculously bad. Junker's Delight has great maps that look good in the PDF, with a unique art style. Grabbing them, however, means they now look like a kid, not particularly skilled, drew them with crayons. And that's after using an image enhancer. At no fault of the artist, Paizo delivers really bad maps for that adventure.
Liberation of Locus-1 has maps that look bad even in the PDF. Once extracted, they're so bad that I don't know I'd run the adventure at all. If I, who would lose an drawing contest against my 5-yo, look at the maps in a pdf and think "wow, even I could do better" - it's really bad.
Back to the snipping tool thing. For Horizon of the Vast 1, that's the only way I've figured out how to get anything from the map PDF. A pdf tokenizer just grabs outlines and black shadows, which I'm guessing means that's how they intended to deliver it? None of the maps (except the hexcrawl). While it's nice of Paizo to supply a pdf with the maps, it would be a whole lot better if it wasn't literally useless for its intended purpose of letting me use the maps when playing.
Are they still not putting out a separate map book for the Starfinder APs like they do for the Pathfinder ones?
I had hoped that they would fix that for Horizons...
I'm prepping ATTACK now, and some of the maps come off nice from the pdfs, others i gotta use the ole snippy snippy... although there's a gentleman on the ole reddit who is redrawing them b/c of his dissatisfaction w/ the pdf map quality.
Yeah, horizons at least has separate map pdfs.
The standalone adventures didn't, which was quite a shame - Junker's Delight needed it badly.
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I am going to bump this thread, because I do sincerely believe that this is a discussion that should be had amongst us Game Masters & that Paizo needs to see this.
Dear Paizo:
While I would not be happy to do so, I would even be willing to pay extra just to have a separate PDF with maps that are printable. Please!
I believe the oficial answer is that such products would be easily pirated.
So, neither pirates nor paying customers can have them.
I wonder if fantasy cartographers could make their own version of said maps, but in an actual good resolution, and sell them on Starfinder Infinite.
REALLY REALLY wish Roll20 would get off their butt and get some actual AP content on there. At least then they would get the Hi res maps that we can then use!!
So friggin frustrating over there for Starfinder game content and they still don't have the Armory book to date....
SIGH
Tom
REALLY REALLY wish Roll20 would get off their butt and get some actual AP content on there. At least then they would get the Hi res maps that we can then use!!
So friggin frustrating over there for Starfinder game content and they still don't have the Armory book to date....
SIGH
Tom
Roll20 is in a weird place as far as content goes because they are a box of leggos. The way most people use it they don't NEED armory content to be on there.
I don't buy armory content and then tell it I'm using a Serpent laser, I just put in the pulldown menu that I do 2d4 fire damage and its an operative weapon and then remember it only has two shots. (or well thats what anyone using a character sheet does, I just have a really complicaed macromule/ mad lib and I fill in 2d4+3 fire)
So the market for that product isn't starfinder users (somewhat niche market), its starfinder users who use roll20 (ok not that bad), which is starfinder players who use roll20 that bother with compendiums.But Players that like that style of play have probably moved on to foundry, making that a teeeeny tiny slice of the market. Probably not enough to bother programming in the advanced stuff.
Thing is Norse, as of the end of the 4th Quarter 2021 Starfinder was still ranked in the top 10, number 10 actually (LOL).
And if you take away the uncategorized listing (and ya should as thats for a large number of games and not a single system) its the 9th most played game on Roll20. Yes the % is small but still with over 10 million active members on Roll20.... So about 18000 gamers for Starfinder on there, not to bad.
Have not heard a lot (like any) of chat for Foundry is the place to be for Starfinder in my fairly big Starfinder circle to date.
I hear ya on the copy paste or on armory items but time and again I've noted it would be quite handy to drag and drop many things from there and my groups/players tell/ask me most every session!!
Tom
Thing is Norse, as of the end of the 4th Quarter 2021 Starfinder was still ranked in the top 10, number 10 actually
I think the point got lost. Let me try it with a change of the order of operations. Compendium users seem thrown off by people who play without them...
target market= %(compendium users) X %(roll d20 users) X % (starfinder players)
I don't think most starfinder players use the compendium. When starfinder first came out there wasn't a roll20 sheet for it. People used the simple sheet, which wasn't compatable with the compendium at all. (I THINK its now compatable but you need the 10 dollar a month api and Guidance add on to do it)
... but despite having run over 150 games of starfinder on roll20 and played in at least that many, I don't know, because I don't use compendiums. I have a very complex macro mule The PC Woof Most other people just use the simple sheet.
So you have this downward spiral where people don't use compendiums, which means they don't get made, which means you need to learn how to do things without them, which means you don't need to use them so they don't get made so..
I see, never thought of it that way, not sure if thats the norm, but might be a fair share of Players and GM's that do that.
I have 24 Starfinder players over there on Roll20 currently and they all want more just drag and drop, like I do, but thanks for posting your thoughts bud.
I bug Aaron all the time with lighting a fire under Roll20 to get more stuff out and I always get the same reply, its all up to Roll20 on what they put out. They have total access to put out anything to date from Paizo.
And I always thought that if they had more than 1, 3 part AP out on Roll20 Starfinder would get more traction as I am assuming most are not running homebrew over there, but could be wrong, but would'nt hurt, ya know?
Tom
Oh and if a VTT gets an AP out then they get the hi res maps to do so, compared to what we have to work with :)
In all of those society games, I'm trying to remember the compendium coming up and drawing a blank.
The official sheet is in a distinct minority: usually from a local group that made the transition to online. If i walk into the table with the official sheet, there's usually 2 other surpised players and a mad scramble to get a functioning token going.
It's not necessarily a representative sample but its not necessarily not either.