A couple of questions

[aka.john]

Hi all, Johnn Four pointed me to RW a couple weeks ago and I like everything I've seen so far. Here are a few questions:


More tutorials on the way?
Will my players need a copy of RW to view my campaign?
Cloud storage? Is it the only option for saving your work?
Any future plans for compatibility for use with Roll20 or Google+ Hangouts?


Thanks.

[pyremius]

1. I presume so, but at this time it takes a back seat to bug removal and testing.

2. There will be some form of player viewer available after the main product is released (player's can't view what you haven't entered, so it's a lower priority). Additionally, if a player does purchase a full copy of Realm Works for their own use, I believe the plan was to allow that to access your database as a player instead of having to install a separate program. Finally, the longer-term plan is to develop web-based access to the data, so it's accessible from mobile devices as well.

3. You can make local backups of your data, but the only planned way to make it available to players or GMs who wish to purchase it is through Lone Wolf's cloud service.

4. They've talked about creating some APIs for other companies to hook into rather then create their own virtual desktop tools. Again, this is a lower priority then getting the base product out so we can start entering data.

[aka.john]

Thanks for the reply.

My question regarding the cloud is really related to when I would be working on it; I will probably want to work on RW even when I don't have a web connection. I was hoping there was a sync feature that updated the cloud version when updates were made offline.

[Nicole]

Yes, we offer the ability to sync changes to the server which were made while Realm Works was running offline. There are a few operations which must be performed online (realm creation and new installs are two examples), but the majority of your time can be spent offline.

[EightBitz]

Thanks for the reply.

My question regarding the cloud is really related to when I would be working on it; I will probably want to work on RW even when I don't have a web connection. I was hoping there was a sync feature that updated the cloud version when updates were made offline.

There is. You can work offline and snyc changes to the cloud.

[Acenoid]

Is there a player screen , that could be placed on a second monitor or the same monitor as an overlay?

[pyremius]

Yes. It's called Player View, and you can select revealed snippets (text, maps, etc.) to be shown there. You have the ability to select which monitor is used for player view, so if you only have one monitor you can turn it around for the players without revealing the rest of the data you're using.

[Chemlak]

Is there a player screen , that could be placed on a second monitor or the same monitor as an overlay?

You're looking for Player View (and it's great on a second monitor).

In a topic, hit CTRL+P (Show in Player View), which will bring up the player view preview tab. Any Revealed snippets in the topic will become viewable in a window. Just to the left of the close window "X", there's a greyed out circle. Click on it, and it will turn yellow. That topic is now visible in Player View.

Above the Content Link section of RW (or whatever that bit at the right is called) are two monitor pictures. Click the down-arrow on the right-hand one. Change to Display 2 (or whatever your second monitor is called). Then click on the left-hand monitor picture ("Show Player Window to the Players").

Et voila. You can add as many topics to the player view as you have screen space, the yellow reveal button updates in real time (so you can set things up in advance and only reveal them when you need to), and you can move the topic windows around in real time, too. Having one monitor for you and one for your players is FANTASTIC.

[rob]

Everyone else has fully covered your other points (thanks!), but I want to add two quick notes to these questions...

More tutorials on the way?

More tutorials are definitely planned and outlined. The problem is that tutorials are in direct competition with fixing bugs and adding new features, since its the developers who are creating the tutorials. So it's a juggle on this end to make time for creating the tutorials, especially when we way behind on lots of important features. What would be most valuable to us is to know what things would be most useful to provide tutorials on. So I guess I'll start a thread on this subject...

Will my players need a copy of RW to view my campaign?

You will need the cloud service so others can access your campaign. In addition, players will need either the Player Edition or web-based player access. The Player Edition will be out first and be a special version of the GM Edition that allows viewing everything you've revealed - it will have a small cost. Web-based player access will be a browser-based interface that will have more limited capabilities, but it will be free and accessible via just about any device.

Hope this helps!

[Avi]

You will need the cloud service so others can access your campaign. In addition, players will need either the Player Edition or web-based player access. The Player Edition will be out first and be a special version of the GM Edition that allows viewing everything you've revealed - it will have a small cost. Web-based player access will be a browser-based interface that will have more limited capabilities, but it will be free and accessible via just about any device.

Hope this helps!

Would you consider the option of floating licenses for the player view. I DM for my nephew and would like to "hold" the licenses for their use whichever branch of the family comes to play...

[Nostromos]

To the "player view" option...there are some thoughts about this for running via a second screen/tv/projector in the "Suggestions" area. At least for me, small things like background color, a full screen mode (without the border), etc. All in all definitely a great tool for running a campaign so far!

[rob]

Would you consider the option of floating licenses for the player view. I DM for my nephew and would like to "hold" the licenses for their use whichever branch of the family comes to play...

Just like the GM Edition, the Player Edition will simply leverage accounts that are logged into. If you want to hold onto those accounts and simply login the players once they get to the game, you are welcome to do so. There is no requirement that each player be given the login information for their personal use. That's entirely up to you. :)