Developer's Kit Queries

Well, I bought my license (yay! ) and I'm eagerly awaiting the Developer's Kit. I've already posted a few questions on the forum, but I figured I would ask the source (and I'm pretty sure once you have the whole thing going System Data File development will get its own sub-forum in the Hero lab section). Anyway, here are my most basic questions:

1. Cloning Data sets: How do you "clone" a Data set so that you can work your custom alterations on it while leaving the main set intact and untouched?

2. Updating Your Datasets: is there going to be a shortcut around having to re-create the data sets you made if a core program upgrade raises compatibility issues?

3. Plausible Deniability Groups: Does Lone Wolf have a policy against Hero Lab users forming impromptu groups to work on and discuss data file projects that are compatible with Hero Lab but completely unrelated to the company or anything it has licensed?

At 11:06 PM 2/25/2007, you wrote:

Well, I bought my license (yay!

) and I'm eagerly awaiting the Developer's Kit. I've already posted a few questions on the forum, but I figured I would ask the source (and I'm pretty sure once you have the whole thing going System Data File development will get its own sub-forum in the Hero lab section).

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Authoring absolutely will get its own sub-forum as soon as the kit allows development of data files for new game systems.

1. Cloning Data sets: How do you "clone" a Data set so that you can work your custom alterations on it while leaving the main set intact and untouched?

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You can create a separate game system folder that contains just the core SRD material if you want. Or you can create a separate folder with your user-added material. For details, see the last two bullets in the Miscellaneous Topics section of the Creating Custom Material chapter in the docs.

2. Updating Your Datasets: is there going to be a shortcut around having to re-create the data sets you made if a core program upgrade raises compatibility issues?

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We are doing our utmost to make sure that we won't be breaking existing user-created data files. In fact, some of the changes we're working on now that are delaying the release of the rest of editing are due to us re-working things so that existing user files won't break. It's definitely possible (dare I say, likely) that there will be something we just can't work around cleanly. If that occurs, we'll be sure to outline what steps are needed to adjust existing files and minimize the work involved. Since all the data files are ultimately text files (XML), fixes should be relatively low-impact. For example, a fix could involve opening up a file in a text editor and manually changing certain attributes or elements to new names in some cases. But these types of problems will generally be avoided.

3. Plausible Deniability Groups: Does Lone Wolf have a policy against Hero Lab users forming impromptu groups to work on and discuss data file projects that are compatible with Hero Lab but completely unrelated to the company or anything it has licensed?

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If you are going to be discussing the IP of RPG companies, you'll need to be judicious about those discussions here on our forums. At least, as it applies to coordinated data file creation. For Army Builder and Card Vault, the creation of data files for various game systems boosts sales of the publishers' products (minis and cards). However, data files for Hero Lab can be construed as a different matter. To be on the safe side, we're striving to do everything under license. So please keep the focus here on the product and the creation of data files. Please avoid discussing any active collaboration and/or sharing of data files. Suggesting other venues where such discussions can be found is probably pushing the envelope, but it's also not something we can reasonably try to stop. We're not going to be policing with an iron hand, but we do ask that everyone be respectful.

Thanks, Rob

Another couple of quick questions:

1. Is the Developer's Kit going to be an additional purchase?

2. When adding things to the d20 templates, are there going to be any sorts of forms to make entering the entire "resume" of a class (core or prestige) simpler in the markup?

At 06:04 PM 3/17/2007, you wrote:

1. Is the Developer's Kit going to be an additional purchase?

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No. The Kit will be free.

To the extent that it is currently available, the Kit is already free. We will first be fleshing out the existing Kit documentation to describe the full details on creating new material for existing game systems (i.e. extending data files Lone Wolf releases). Then we'll be adding the details on how to create data files for completely new game systems (i.e. games for which no data files yet exist).

2. When adding things to the d20 templates, are there going to be any sorts of forms to make entering the entire "resume" of a class (core or prestige) simpler in the markup?

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There are currently some relatively simple mechanisms for adding new classes via the integrated Editor. It's largely a "fill in the blank" method of defining a class. You'll find some examples of how to use the mechanism within the included documentation.

We have mapped out another evolutionary step that simplifies things much further, but that won't be implemented for a little while still. We have a number of other features that we intend to get added first.

-Rob

Thanks; one more question. I have succeeded now in cloning my d20 data file under a different name.. The problem is now I have two d20 System data sets listed on startup that are indistinguishable. I don't even know which entry is assigned to which director, so I need to change the name on the new one. In which directory is that information stored, and where can it be altered?

MPHopcroft said:

The problem is now I have two d20 System data sets listed on startup that are indistinguishable. I don't even know which entry is assigned to which director, so I need to change the name on the new one. In which directory is that information stored, and where can it be altered?

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Edit the file config.cfg in the directory that has the cloned dataset. It is a XML file and is pretty simple to work out the line to change.

At 01:43 AM 3/21/2007, you wrote:

MPHopcroft wrote:
The problem is now I have two d20 System data sets listed on startup that are indistinguishable. I don't even know which entry is assigned to which director, so I need to change the name on the new one. In which directory is that information stored, and where can it be altered?

Edit the file config.cfg in the directory that has the cloned dataset. It is a XML file and is pretty simple to work out the line to change.

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This suggestion works fine. However, if the game system name is the same, all entries that are in folders OTHER than the default for the game system have the alternate folder displayed in small letters beneath the game system title. So you should not have to do anything special to have them distinguished from one another.

The "d20" folder is the default folder used for the d20 system data files. So that folder will never be shown beneath the game system name. All others should be identified properly.

-Rob