Mac/iPad/Android Integration

[lifer4700]

Here is the link to the thread where we discussed Player View functionality. I learned a few things about the way the software has been designed.


1) The purchased software, I'll call it the Rich Client, is where the authoring is going to take place. In this form it is also called the GM Client. An internet connection is only required to create a Realm, and when you want to sync information to The Cloud. Once a Realm is created, it is theoretically possible to never connect again, performing all authoring and playing all game sessions using only the existing install and zero internet connectivity. The Player View - commonly displayed on a 2nd monitor - is used to display revealed information to the players.

2) A Rich Client could also join an existing realm, created by another GM using their Rich Client. In this use, however, the Rich Client does not have authoring capabilities, and is simply a viewer of revealed information. This would require internet connectivity to The Cloud to sync, but I don't believe it would be required after that... except to get updates from the GM.

This is all that exists today. In the future, Wolf Lair may release two other clients.

3) A purchasable Rich Client, that is simply a Player Client. This will act like #2 above. I think this version is unlikely.

4) A Web Client, (free?). This will behave similarly to #2 & #3 above, except that it would require a constant connection to The Cloud. This requires only a modern web browser.


DISCLAIMER: This is how I understand it. I could be wrong - it's happened before!

[rob]

@PatrickRenie: Here's the info about the Mac that we have posted on our FAQ...

Q: When will Realm Works work on the Mac?
A: The answer to that is unknown at the moment. When we first began development of Realm Works, we chose C# and .Net as our environment for a number of reasons. One of those reasons was the existence of the Mono project, which would allow us to readily port Realm Works over to the Mac. Unfortunately, our latest assessment of Mono revealed that a few portions of .Net that we leverage within Realm Works are not supported by Mono, which means we aren’t able to perform the port as we had intended. We’ll be investigating this more fully now that Realm Works is released, after which we’ll hopefully have more accurate information on where things stands vis-à-vis our use of Mono.

To delve in a bit further...

The Kickstarter was targeted from the outset as a native Windows product, with the same stated goal as above. Our intent was to use Mono to port the resulting Windows product over to the Mac. The problem is that Mono has made some choices about what parts of .Net to support (or, more accurately, what NOT to support) that leave us over a barrel right now. Once the dust settles a bit after the launch, we'll circle back and re-assess exactly where things stand with Mono, after which we can determine how best to proceed vis-a-vis the Mac.

Rewriting the entirety of Realm Works using a different toolset for the Mac would be a mammoth undertaking that is almost certainly not a viable option. Once we assess how much work would be involved in getting a native Mac version into place now that Mono is a gimped path for us, we'll be able to determine how best to move forward regarding the Mac. However, we simply don't have the necessary information at the present time.

Sorry I don't have more detailed information right now, but we need to spend some time analyzing the situation before we can provide anything more useful.

[rob]

@lifer4700: There are a few conclusions you've drawn that are incorrect. Allow me to clarify things...

First of all, the plan is to start with the web-based version as a feature-limited version of the native Windows client and then EVOLVE it into the same full-featured product over time. Obviously, there are certain limitations of web-based applications that will influence how we implement some of those features, so there will definitely be differences between the two. However, the goal is to evolve the web-based version to support everything we can that's in the disconnected, desktop client.

Why are we planning this? Because then we can support everyone's favorite device, including the ones that haven't been announced yet and that will appear in the years ahead. An internet connection will be required, but the internet is becoming progressively more ubiquitous every year, so a number of years from now it will be very uncommon for someone to not have an internet connection. At that point, the liability of requiring an internet connection will diminish to the point where the desktop client that can run offline isn't all that important anymore.

The "purchasable Rich Client that is simply a Player Client" is ABSOLUTELY going to happen. That's the Player Edition that we've already announced for release in May. It's basically the same as the GM Edition, except that all the editing capabilities will be stripped out and syncing to the cloud will need to only send down the content that has actually been revealed to that player.

Hope this helps!

[gevalim]

Rob, thanks for the thorough explanation with regards to Mac version.

For me personally this means that I will not be able to use Realm Works anytime soon - to invest into Windows virtualization means to invest about $300+ and that is a huge investment I am not willing to take now…

[clichekiller]

I too supported the kickstarter because I believed them when they said they'd be developing for the OS X. I'm quite disappointed that they've downplayed that commitment but can't say I don't understand the reasoning or the logistics behind the choice. An official update on the matter would be greatly appreciated. Running a virtual machine isn't really an option as I don't want to pay for the window's license required to do so.

[mirtos]

Bad information in this post. Ignore.

I too would like a real Mac version. Running a VM is good, but you lose resources.

[mirtos]

However, I remember in the kickstarter they were clear that it would be windows first, and that a VM would be required for OS X.

[zorakzoran]

Since I don't have a PC with Windows, I'd really like a version for the Mac OS. The software looks great and I'd really like to try it out. My other machine is Linux so I might as well put in a plug for that OS too.

[RBB]

Hi. Please do a full OS X port, with a designed-for-Mac UI. I backed the Kickstarter with this in mind, though not expecting the UI retool.

I know it's a much bigger task than you anticipated so I would be willing to kick in more beyond my original Timber Wolf ($65) amount to get something usable without Parallels or VMWare. OS X is a growing platform, and if you also did an iPad version there would be a lot of synergy–and even shared code–especially with some of the changes in iOS 8 and Yosemite.

Thanks,

Rick Blair

[David Petty]

I note the last post on this was in 2014. Is there any update on the availability of Realm Works for Mac please?