Inventory Feature for AB?

>
> And remember, we are not trying to inventory "Chaos
> Marine Havocs" we are trying (or at least I am) to
> inventlry "Chaos Space Marines with (insert weapon
> combo)" It doesn't make a lick of difference if
> it's a veterian/normal/havoc marine, just that it is
> a chaos marine model with (insert weapon combo).
>
> Hope that makes sense......


While on the contrary I would want to inventory the
exact model type in addition to armament variables.
Thereby I could see readily what units I could easily
put together.

RK


>
> Thanks,
> Paul
>
>
> >>--
> >>'Not Colin' McAlister | License to Skrill
> >>Email: demandred@skrill.org | Visit
> http://www.skrill.org/ today!
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> >>"Dovie'andi se tovya sagain" - Robert Jordan's
> Wheel Of Time
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Yeah, but wouldn't the better way be to have the 40k Inventory file know
what type of role a particular mini would have in your army based on
either... a pregenerated list that would automatically know what that
particular mini could be used as OR it could just be a list of options to
assign to that particular entry when you created that mini's particular
record.

On Fri, 13 Apr 2001, DiPonio wrote:

> >>Also, it doesn't help the fact that a Chaos Space Marine with a Bolter
> >>could be a Veteran, Havoc, normal marine, ...
> >
>
> And remember, we are not trying to inventory "Chaos Marine Havocs" we are trying (or at least I am) to inventlry "Chaos Space Marines with (insert weapon
> combo)" It doesn't make a lick of difference if it's a veterian/normal/havoc marine, just that it is a chaos marine model with (insert weapon combo).
>
> Hope that makes sense......
>
> Thanks,
> Paul
>
>
> >>--
> >>'Not Colin' McAlister | License to Skrill
> >>Email: demandred@skrill.org | Visit http://www.skrill.org/ today!
> >>-----------------------------+------------------------------------
> >>"Dovie'andi se tovya sagain" - Robert Jordan's Wheel Of Time
> >>
> >>To unsubscribe from this group, email
> >>
> >>armybuilder-unsubscribe@egroups.com
> >>
> >>Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
> >>
> >>
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> >>
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[rob]

Keep this discussion going folks. So far, the main reason that none of this
has been implemented is due to the complexity associated with all the
things you guys are talking about. I *THINK* I've figured out solutions to
each of the problems you've pointed out, but there may be more lurking that
I haven't thought of, so keep on rolling with this. :-)

BTW, if I do this project, it would definitely be done "right" or not at
all - a lot like AB. If it's a half-way solution, it won't be worth the
investment on this end (or so I think). But doing it right entails a lot of
thought to solve the various problems. Keep the wish list going so that I
can make sure I've thought of all the big issues!

Thanks, Rob

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rob Bowes (rob@wolflair.com) (650) 726-9689
Lone Wolf Development www.wolflair.com

One fine day in the middle of the night, Rob Bowes <rob@wolflair.com>
got up to write:

>Keep this discussion going folks. So far, the main reason that none of this
>has been implemented is due to the complexity associated with all the
>things you guys are talking about. I *THINK* I've figured out solutions to
>each of the problems you've pointed out, but there may be more lurking that
>I haven't thought of, so keep on rolling with this. :-)

>Well, what I was hoping they could do (and this may be totaly
>impractical given the complexity of data files already and the
>possible combinations of minis with units) would be somthing that
>would be inegral with the data file for each game and army. In my
>dream <g> the files and inventory would work together such that as
>you create an army list, it could alert you if your list included
>more of any particular troop, vehicle, etc. than you have figures to
>match.
>
>Like I said, this would probably be pretty hard to pull off, but it
>sure would be sweet... ;-)
>
>Mike with many minis.


Ohhhhhhh....*drool*....that would be very cool.

Paul

>> And remember, we are not trying to inventory "Chaos
>> Marine Havocs" we are trying (or at least I am) to
>> inventlry "Chaos Space Marines with (insert weapon
>> combo)" It doesn't make a lick of difference if
>> it's a veterian/normal/havoc marine, just that it is
>> a chaos marine model with (insert weapon combo).
>>
>> Hope that makes sense......
>
>
>While on the contrary I would want to inventory the
>exact model type in addition to armament variables.
>Thereby I could see readily what units I could easily
>put together.
>
>RK


Ahh...well, I was thinking that a marine with a bolt gun could be

1. A basic Marine
2. A veterian Marine
3. A devistator Marine
etc...

So, by having a number of "models with bolt gun" you could then make your army, and count how many of these you are using, be they basic, veterian or
devistator...then you can see how many of that model you have. And this would even work for something like this:

Unit Options
Marine Bolter
Bolt Pistol CCw (doesn't matter if it is specifically a power weapon as you can change the description of the unit to "marine with powerweapon")
Heavy Bolter
Bolt Pistol
Power Fist
etc etc

Then when you look at your models, you can just create the unit (with unlimited size) that matches what you have.

Oh well,
=]
Paul

Ya, it would be cool to have the program do that, it would also be cool to have the program be able to hook to a digital video camera and be able to recognize what
each mini is and it's roll as well as weapons and points cost..... =D

I guess I am willing to put a bit of effort into clicking on options for a particular mini's record (as you stated below). No need to create an AB Unit for every possiable
unit out there. Just give me the ability to have unlimited unit sizes and any type of unit from any type of army in the same roster and I would be happy. I have no
desire to try and get someone else (cuz I have no idea how to do it) create a specific data file with every unit and every combination. I think it can be done with the
current data files....less work for someone that is doing it for "free" is cool with me.

Thanks,
Paul


>Yeah, but wouldn't the better way be to have the 40k Inventory file know
>what type of role a particular mini would have in your army based on
>either... a pregenerated list that would automatically know what that
>particular mini could be used as OR it could just be a list of options to
>assign to that particular entry when you created that mini's particular
>record.
>
>On Fri, 13 Apr 2001, DiPonio wrote:
>
>> >>Also, it doesn't help the fact that a Chaos Space Marine with a Bolter
>> >>could be a Veteran, Havoc, normal marine, ...
>> >
>>
>> And remember, we are not trying to inventory "Chaos Marine Havocs" we are trying (or at least I am) to inventlry "Chaos Space Marines with (insert weapon
>> combo)" It doesn't make a lick of difference if it's a veterian/normal/havoc marine, just that it is a chaos marine model with (insert weapon combo).
>>
>> Hope that makes sense......
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Paul
>>
>>
>> >>--
>> >>'Not Colin' McAlister | License to Skrill
>> >>Email: demandred@skrill.org | Visit http://www.skrill.org/ today!
>> >>-----------------------------+------------------------------------
>> >>"Dovie'andi se tovya sagain" - Robert Jordan's Wheel Of Time
>> >>
>> >>To unsubscribe from this group, email
>> >>
>> >>armybuilder-unsubscribe@egroups.com
>> >>
>> >>Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >To unsubscribe from this group, email
>> >
>> >armybuilder-unsubscribe@egroups.com
>> >
>> >Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>
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>>
>
>
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>
>
>

>Keep this discussion going folks. So far, the main reason that none of this
>has been implemented is due to the complexity associated with all the
>things you guys are talking about. I *THINK* I've figured out solutions to
>each of the problems you've pointed out, but there may be more lurking that
>I haven't thought of, so keep on rolling with this. :-)
>
>BTW, if I do this project, it would definitely be done "right" or not at
>all - a lot like AB. If it's a half-way solution, it won't be worth the
>investment on this end (or so I think). But doing it right entails a lot of
>thought to solve the various problems. Keep the wish list going so that I
>can make sure I've thought of all the big issues!
>
>Thanks, Rob


Ok...sounds good to me. That is one of the things that I have always liked about you and your product. No crappy solutions.

As for me? Well, get ready, cuz I have lotsa ideas and now that I know you want them, I'll start throwing them out there.

=]

Paul

You might try Army Builder Lite - I had downloaded it so that I could
see how well my Fleet Action files performed in it. I just tested, and
found that for 40k, it does not impose the unit size restrictions,
although some of the weapon # restrictions may be there (in a quick
test, Chaos Havocs could take up to three of each heavy weapon).

Mathias Gehl
mgehl@home.com

DiPonio wrote:

> I guess I am willing to put a bit of effort into clicking on options for a particular mini's record (as you stated below). No need to create an AB Unit for every possiable
> unit out there. Just give me the ability to have unlimited unit sizes and any type of unit from any type of army in the same roster and I would be happy. I have no
> desire to try and get someone else (cuz I have no idea how to do it) create a specific data file with every unit and every combination. I think it can be done with the
> current data files....less work for someone that is doing it for "free" is cool with me.
>
> Thanks,
> Paul

You might try Army Builder Lite - I had downloaded it so that I could
see how well my Fleet Action files performed in it. I just tested, and
found that for 40k, it does not impose the unit size restrictions,
although some of the weapon # restrictions may be there (in a quick
test, Chaos Havocs could take up to three of each heavy weapon)

After thinking about this some more and reading what others have suggested,
I envision the system functioning maybe like this...

Step 1
Inventory your mini collection.

For example, the mini I want to inventory is a SM w/ Bolter and a Power
Weapon ( the mini is actually a converted standard bearer). He may function
as the following in my army:

Sgnt w/ Bolter+CCW
Vet. Sgnt w/ Bolter+CCW
Vet. Sgnt w/ Bolter+Power Weapon

These are the options for this mini that I have in my inventory.

I would say to prevent having 100 possible combinations per mini, that the
mini should only be inventoried with weapon options and not from the
equipment list. Equipment can be added to the mini in the army list
(grenades, auspex, etc. etc.) Hmmm... however, this does bring up the
question of whether or not a player uses a WYSIWYG army. I would think that
most of us don't. For example, I know that sometimes I add an auspex to
mini's that don't have one attached. (Heheh... however with the new lictor
rules, it really isn't worth it anymore).

Maybe I am just not envisioning all the possibilities, but I really don't
see how you could make the inventory system auto-identify mini's that you
informed it about without an extreme amount of work. I don't think... " Hey
Mr. PC, I just bought GW's mini #5483FR and what all can I do with it?"
That lookup db would be huge and under constant maintenance (how many game
systems does AB support now?!? Yikes!!!) I'd say building a db record of a
"new mini" based on the army list would be better. That gives you total
control over what exactly the player wants the mini to represent (with
variations even). This does however bring up a possible roadblock (imo)
that I will write about in my next e-mail.

Step 2
Build an army list. Your army list is not only validated vs. army/codex
rules (the rules) but it is also compared against your inventory (if you are
substituting mini's for a particular game the inventory check could be
turned off). Army Builder wouldn't prevent you from adding a mini that you
don't have in your collection but it would warn you that you don't have a
mini defined for that unit or squad or whatever. Potentially you could
print a "pick list" as well for your inventory and use it with your army
list to pick your mini's.

I REALLY like the picture idea except for that auto-identify the mini (HA!).
This ain't the 22nd century. How about just the ability to save a small
thumbnail image that could be added to the inventory record for each mini.
Thumbnail... small... like 128x128 or something tiny but identifiable. This
could also optionally be printed on the pick list if desired. This kind of
thing would really be helpful to someone with large mini collections from
multiple game systems I think (god I know it would help me out even with my
med. sized collection). Also, since several mini's (your standard trooper,
grunt, whatever) would have identical records, an inventory record could
also know that I have 42 painted standard marines (or whatever) and will
track how many of those I use to build my army. Save room in inventory db
as well as be able to only have 1 pic for all those identical mini's.


Granted, I only really have exp. w/ Army builder using GW armies in
40k/Fantasy/BFG, but I would assume that these "stats" that inventory would
track are pretty generic so this idea might work for all the different games
that Armybuilder supports. Someone else better than I would be able to
decide that part. I just want to help and put an idea out there to throw
darts at. I've been waiting on a mini inventory system in AB for two years.
All of my gaming group is drooling too since I passed on the info about this
discussion.

One last idea... inventory might also track a location for the mini. I say
this because I knew a guy that has so many miniatures in his collection that
his mini cases are numbered as well as the slots in the mini case. He used
Excel to track his collection. Now that's a collector... heheh. I could
put in the inventory that the particular mini that I want to use is in case
2, tray 3, slot 4 or whatever. This could be just a text field where the
user puts in whatever location info they desire.

Okay... enough for now. =)

-Dennis


> -----Original Message-----
> From: DiPonio [mailtoiPonio@voyager.net]
> Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2001 12:14 PM
> To: armybuilder@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [AB] Inventory Feature for AB?
>
>
> >> And remember, we are not trying to inventory "Chaos
> >> Marine Havocs" we are trying (or at least I am) to
> >> inventlry "Chaos Space Marines with (insert weapon
> >> combo)" It doesn't make a lick of difference if
> >> it's a veterian/normal/havoc marine, just that it is
> >> a chaos marine model with (insert weapon combo).
> >>
> >> Hope that makes sense......
> >
> >
> >While on the contrary I would want to inventory the
> >exact model type in addition to armament variables.
> >Thereby I could see readily what units I could easily
> >put together.
> >
> >RK
>
>
> Ahh...well, I was thinking that a marine with a bolt gun could be
>
> 1. A basic Marine
> 2. A veterian Marine
> 3. A devistator Marine
> etc...
>
> So, by having a number of "models with bolt gun" you could
> then make your army, and count how many of these you are
> using, be they basic, veterian or
> devistator...then you can see how many of that model you
> have. And this would even work for something like this:
>
> Unit Options
> Marine Bolter
> Bolt Pistol CCw (doesn't matter if it is
> specifically a power weapon as you can change the description
> of the unit to "marine with powerweapon")
> Heavy Bolter
> Bolt Pistol
> Power Fist
> etc etc
>
> Then when you look at your models, you can just create the
> unit (with unlimited size) that matches what you have.
>
> Oh well,
> =]
> Paul
>
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, email
>
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>
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> http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>