Kickstarter Clarification Questions

[rob]

Originally Posted by Asandir

Part of the question still remains and that is will Realm Works run on Windows Server 2011 if I install it there rather than on my laptop, for example.

As long as Windows Server 2011 supports the .Net Framework 4.0 Client Profile, which I'm guessing it does, you should be able to run Realm Works on it. However, I've not personally used Windows Server 2011, so can't promise that with absolute certainty. Sometimes Microsoft does weird things with its server O/S installations...

[mirtos]

So I have two questions:

1. With revealing info to players, can that be done on a per player basis (as in one character knows something that another doesnt?)

2. What about Windows 8? My next computer is going to (unfortunately) have windows 8, and I assume it has the needed tech details, but i wanted to know ahead of time.

Thanks

[rob]

Originally Posted by mirtos

1. With revealing info to players, can that be done on a per player basis (as in one character knows something that another doesnt?)

This capability is built into the underlying engine, but it has not yet been added to the UI. This is definitely something we plan to provide. However, it's not expected to be a part of the initial V1.0 release. That being said, it's a high priority for us to add shortly thereafter, which is why we've already built this into the architecture.

Originally Posted by mirtos

2. What about Windows 8? My next computer is going to (unfortunately) have windows 8, and I assume it has the needed tech details, but i wanted to know ahead of time.

Absolutely! Realm Works relies on the .Net Framework 4.0, which is fully supported by Windows 8. The product will actually run on anything from XP onwards, although certain service packs are required in some cases.

[mirtos]

Originally Posted by rob

This capability is built into the underlying engine, but it has not yet been added to the UI. This is definitely something we plan to provide. However, it's not expected to be a part of the initial V1.0 release. That being said, it's a high priority for us to add shortly thereafter, which is why we've already built this into the architecture.

Glad to hear it. Thats key for me. I run highly RP oriented campaigns with players often not knowing what other players do, and lots of intrigue. Thats the hardest for me to keep track of.

[Ladyofdragons]

I have pledged to the kickstarter. Fingers crossed for you, because I want that beta access! Seriously, if it doesn't work out I'd like it anyway.

Anyway, I put the word out to my gaming group, and one of the other GMs had some questions and valid points:

1. what is the order of magnitude for your projected price on the monthly cloud services, at the lowest tier? $1? $5? $10? For him it makes a big difference as to whether he would join the kickstarter or not. I know you say tiered pricing, but a ballpark would be nice.

2. if, by some chance, it is no longer economically viable to continue the cloud services (this has certainly happened to game servers over the years as the games have gone out of fashion), would you go so far as agreeing that at that time you would release an add-on product that would allow DMs to host their own data? This would go a long way for him to know that the product has a future even beyond your plans.

[rob]

Originally Posted by Ladyofdragons

1. what is the order of magnitude for your projected price on the monthly cloud services, at the lowest tier? $1? $5? $10? For him it makes a big difference as to whether he would join the kickstarter or not. I know you say tiered pricing, but a ballpark would be nice.

Our best *guess* at this point is in the neighborhood of a few dollars a month. The goal is to keep it below $5. I believe that should be achievable and that we'll be able to keep it even lower than that. Cost isn't the driving concern in all of this, since we've got a fair understanding of how much it costs for X storage and Y bandwidth.

The critical factor is determining exactly how much storage/bandwidth a "typical" user will truly want/need, and that's where we don't have any good data yet. If our current projections are wrong in that regard, we'll need to make adjustments to what the provisions of each tier are, and that will correspondingly cause the pricing to adjust. We need to pick tiers that are actually useful to large segments of the user base, and we don't yet have appropriate profile data to base anything upon.

Consequently, it's all just a guess at this point, so please don't interpret this as a solid commitment.

Originally Posted by Ladyofdragons

2. if, by some chance, it is no longer economically viable to continue the cloud services (this has certainly happened to game servers over the years as the games have gone out of fashion), would you go so far as agreeing that at that time you would release an add-on product that would allow DMs to host their own data? This would go a long way for him to know that the product has a future even beyond your plans.

That's a valid question, but we honestly haven't given it any thought. Right now, all our energies are focused on getting the product launched - not on its potential demise at some indeterminate point in the (hopefully) far-off future. So we can't make any guarantees about anything like that at the moment. I can promise that we'd make it possible to get your material out of the product for use somewhere else. Beyond that, it's not something we've thought about yet.

[mirtos]

so here's a weird question. Multiple campaigns that share the same world? does realmsworks support this sort of thing?

[rob]

Originally Posted by mirtos

so here's a weird question. Multiple campaigns that share the same world? does realmsworks support this sort of thing?

Here's an excerpt from a reply in the Comments section of the Kickstarter that addresses this idea...

Once we get the community repository into place and sharing of material is supported (i.e. the core goals of this KS), you should be able to re-use your own campaign. You would first setup and share your basic campaign world (Realm1). Once it's shared, you could then import that realm multiple times as the starting point for multiple distinct campaigns (Realm2, Realm3, etc.). What's revealed would be completely distinct for all the different campaigns, so different groups would know different information about the overall world.

[rob]

In another forum, the question was raised regarding what we're really trying to achieve with Realm Works, as it's not clear exactly what type of gaming group we're targeting. That's probably because we're trying to accomplish quite a lot with the product. Here's an adapted version of my reply in that forum that will hopefully make the vision a bit clearer...

There are both short-term and long-term goals for Realm Works. In the short-term, there are many games being played where high-speed internet access is not reliably and inexpensively available. Cons are a prime example of this, as are venues like many schools, clubs, and libraries. But consider game preparation as well. How many people have constant internet access on the train, on the bus, at lunch during work? If you come up with an idea, you want to run with it then - not hours later.

Now consider the reliability factor. How often do people experience internet drops or slow-downs? What about server outages? What happens when you've only got a slow connection or the server goes down for even 5 minutes? It renders the game unplayable if you're 100% reliant on a high-speed connection to a server somewhere.

What if you're a GM who normally runs games at home with full internet access but also wants to run games at GenCon or PaizoCon, where internet access is costly and slow? Do you want to have all these tools available at home and then have nothing at the Con? That's far from an ideal scenario.

The only way to address these issues is to provide a non-web-based solution that runs on a disconnected client. Always available. Guaranteed performance.

That's the short-term reality. So let's look at the long-term now.

The sands are shifting away from desktops/laptops and over towards tablets with internet access. In the upcoming years, internet access will continue to become faster, cheaper, more widely accessible, and more reliable. At some point, it will become truly ubiquitous. When that day occurs, the client application will be of no value to anyone. But we're not there yet. We're living in a transitional period, so we need something that will work today and shift along with the sands.

Enter the cloud. The Realm Works cloud is NOT just storage. It's not Dropbox or GoogleDrive where you store simple documents and files. It's the entire campaign fully operational on a server. Players can access it via a web-based interface from their tablets if they want. It's fully accessible between games. But nobody is reliant on the server in order to actually PLAY their game.

Over time, we'll be replicating all the functionality of the client application onto the server. The net result will be duplicate functionality, with both a purely online interface and the client application, catering appropriately to anyone in any environment. At some point, the sands will have shifted enough that we leave the client application behind.

That's the evolution plan for Realm Works.

Now couple that with the ability to find pre-made content like settings, adventures, and NPCs in the community repository. Instead of having different books/PDFs with Post-Its and scribbled notes to cobble them together, everything is integrated into one unified environment. You can rename locations and NPCs to place them into your world. You can establish links to put the Dungeon of Doom from PublisherX into a setting from PublisherY that you've already woven into your own campaign. No more flipping between different resources during games. And it's all available to the players as well - the pieces you've revealed, at least.

That's the overall vision and evolutionary plan. Realm Works is not targeted specifically for either online or offline play. It's a solution that will be equally suited to both purposes while further immersing players and GMs into the game.

[mirtos]

It sounds like some of the stuff I am hoping for (individual player knowledge) wont be available day one but soon. very excited. (also in at the beta testing level, so i too am hoping it makes it and if it doesnt might be allowed into the beta test as well).

out of curiousity, from a technical perspective, have you decided who you are using for your cloud services? Is it local to you? If you are using amazon, id warn you my company has had some bad experiences with them. just as an FYI.