Collective Reviews

[Dark Lord Galen]

The purpose of this thread is to include not only reviews from the forum community but to consolidate reviews from elsewhere that might interest the community as a whole. It is not intended as a "feature request" (as this is governed elsewhere), nor to create a "flame thread". This will help provide Rob and his team with feedback (positive & negative) without polluting other threads that "drill down" to details.

I listed this a a new thread,
1> to not continue a conversation that was detailed to a particular feature (calendars in this case)
2> can serve as a repository of review and critique if we all use it as such and act as adults.

[Dark Lord Galen]

I'll start,
Rob had stated elsewhere that the community only sees a portion of the feed back of desired functionality.
That got me to thinking (dangerous in these parts) so I did abit of research on reviews and found these:

While the entirety of the review is not listed (the link is) my focus was to determine if there were negative or most requested items and were they being addressed.

Here we go....

Originally Posted by DAEGAMES

http://daegames.blogspot.com/2014/04...ks-review.html
The only drawbacks are that the loading times are occasionally slow, it definitely has a higher learning curve (which I strongly feel pays off in the long run), and will likely seem intimidating until you get comfortable with it.

Personally, never felt it was particularly slow... though I am using a LARGE machine

Originally Posted by Gnomestew

http://www.gnomestew.com/reviews/sne...k-realm-works/
Is It Perfect? Nothing is perfect, but there is nothing I can say negatively about the features or look and feel. As with all software, the initial release is likely to be missing a few features that people want, but that is what subsequent versions are for. The main complaint I have heard, and sympathize with, is that this software will release only for PC’s at first.
Comments
• I’m waiting for cloudless sharing to player clients over a LAN (ie. cons where there’s spotty/no reliable internet) and sharing/revealing content to a single player rather than the entire party. Lone Wolf are already talking about adding both in future versions,
• From what I’ve seen here, looks and sounds a lot like Masterplan..

There's one Rob mentioned... Player content missing
Funny how the LAN integration's were also mentioned (seem to recall saying that here)
and disagree, I have Masterplan, and other than the calendar (yea sorry Rob, my pet peeve) RW is far superior in all other aspects.

Originally Posted by Realm Works Facebook Site

https://www.facebook.com/RealmWorks
Comments
• If the players had a full version of realm works is it possible for them to link with the GM and see the revealed topics only or is this something we go to wait for the players edition for? I don't want to have to manually show them each bit of information, my players all use hero lab and it is just easier if they are capable of looking up notes and such that are revealed to them whenever and however they want.
• Do you use Realm Works? Head over to our forums where other fans discuss how they're using the tool. It's also a great place to bounce ideas off of others, or ask questions and get input from the community. Check it out!.

Another for Player Access.... but does that count? it is RW page after all? :O)

Originally Posted by Paizo

http://paizo.com/threads/rzs2pe8l?Re...ches-Transform
• I assume this is meant for 100% digital play, since there is no mention for printing support and no print button on the menus..

There is one for the "need print capability" crowd

Originally Posted by outsydergaming

http://www.outsydergaming.com/2014/0...review_19.html
• The only downside is that the value is in the product's potential, not in its immediate use. It requires a significant amount of time and effort to input even an adventure's worth of information, much less an entire campaign setting. Furthermore, the ability for players to access campaign information on their own computers isn't available yet..

There's another for player access needed

Originally Posted by Outsydergaming interview with Liz

http://www.outsydergaming.com/2014/0...liz-theis.html
Liz>While I’m not a developer, I participate in their meetings so that I’m kept up to date on projects and plans.
Will there be any functionality for allowing players to edit their own character files?
• In general, players will not be able to edit content entered into Realm Works by the GM.
• There are some features that will allow players to make contributions to the realms they are in. Eventually, they will be able to write notes and create journals for their characters. It’s possible we’ll move towards additional player contribution, but that would be down the line. We encourage our users to request features on our forums. That will give us idea of the support for a particular idea..

Score one for forums being the tool that provides support for a particular area.

Originally Posted by knighterrantjr

http://knighterrantjr.blogspot.com/2...alm-works.html
Downside?

Yes, but how serious the downside is will vary.

Even though it is extremely easy to enter items into the program, there are so many options that it's easy to be intimidated, ……..

If you want a hard copy of a given tab, you can't directly print it out or export it as a PDF. For example, if you wanted a physical copy of your plot map, you would have to do something like a screen capture to reproduce it, there is no current way to directly extract that element.

There is an ongoing fee for the cloud storage of your campaigns. We'll go into this a bit more below, but the nice thing about this charge is that it doesn't start until all of the features are up and running. But that does bring us to . . .

Not all of the features are ready to go. There is suppose to be a player version of the software that allows your players to access all of your cloud stored information that is clicked for player access, but that program isn't ready yet. Also of note, if you don't have players that are likely to want to spend money for their own stripped down version of the program, this feature isn't nearly as attractive.

There will also be an option to view the player enabled cloud stored campaign information from a website, but this will have an unspecified lesser functionality than the player version of the program. I have a feeling that a lot of players will be using this option to view things between sessions, and if the functionality is too stripped down, it's going to cut into the usefulness of having all of that campaign information shared in the first place..

Another Player access ding, and a no print ding

So "final" tally for negative review points
Player Access
No Print Capability
No LAN support
PC based ONLY at this time
Fees for Cloud Use
Steep Learning Curve

All in all the reviews of the software from multiple sources are HIGHLY positive.

[Dark Lord Galen]

My REVIEW of FEATURE Milestones
Below is a snippet (IN BLACK) from the kickstarter posting detailing what Realm works DOES (based on the posted selling points of the kickstarter) and what the Kickstarter hoped to accomplish as funding goals… The comments (listed in blue) will relate to what is actually an accomplished milestone as of 7/1/14

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...campaign-tools

Originally Posted by RealmWorks Kickstarter Posting

Key Realm Works Features
As we demonstrate in our video, Realm Works lets you manage your RPG content in one unified environment.
This includes: (to “include” implies it is already there)
1.all the people, places, things, and events of your world. CHECK
2.Beyond just text, it encompasses pictures and maps, CHECK
3. custom calendars, dates tied to those calendars, NO
4. statblocks, Hero Lab portfolios, CHECK
5. audio and video files, CHECK
6. and a wealth of other material. CHECK
Realm Works weaves all this content together through a simple, intuitive interface.
Realm Works provides many powerful features and capabilities which are shown in the video, in images on this page, and on our web site. Everything shown is from the current version of Realm Works, which is in the hands of our Beta team right now.

Here's a summary of the most important features:
•Quickly develop new content and revise existing ideas for any genre (e.g. fantasy, sci-fi, modern) and any play style. CHECK
•Effortlessly manage diverse content,
1. including images, CHECK
2. maps, CHECK
3. Hero Lab portfolios, statblocks, CHECK
4. audio, CHECK
5. video, CHECK
6. and virtually anything else. ONGOING

•Intuitively organize content for on-demand access and review during play, placing everything at your fingertips for quick and easy retrieval. No more leafing through pages of notes to find the information you need! CHECK
•Determine exactly what information is known by the players and what remains hidden at a glance. CHECK
•With our patent-pending Fog of World™ technology, Realm Works makes it a breeze to incrementally reveal and display every aspect of your world to players, requiring only a single mouse click. Revolutionize how you share your world with your players, easily showing them only what they learn during the game. CHECK, but currently all or none, can’t reveal to some and withhold to other players
•The incremental reveal of maps makes it trivial to illustrate to players what has or has not been explored or discovered. CHECK
•Connections between your content are automatically detected and created, allowing instant access to all the interconnected elements of your world. CHECK
•Flexible navigation tools let you instantly view any aspect of your world as easily as browsing the internet. CHECK
•Track and visualize all the relationships that exist between selected content in your world.
1. Realm Works makes it easy to manage secret identities,
2. view relationship diagrams like family trees, NO, while you can generate relationships, it doesn’t really apply “like a family tree” You cannot create a generational tree of relations as this would imply.
3. and even track attitudes between or among NPCs or characters. CHECK
4. Keeping track of hidden schemes, subterfuge, and actual motivations behind the scenes has never been easier. CHECK
•Immediately see what the players learned during a particular span of time. CHECK
1. You can find exactly what was learned during the last game session, making recaps before the next session fast and accurate. CHECK
2. You can even view a summary of everything the players have learned during the entire campaign, even if it spans many real-life years, and instantly access the details associated with that content. NO, while you can produce a view of everything learned, this implies a chronology, which can’t (yet) be done “in game” but a “log” of game sessions could be gathered.
•Full text search instantly locates what you need, and you can tag any content you wish and leverage the tag for filtering your content. This is extremely powerful in conjunction with Realm Works’ cross-linking capabilities, allowing instant access to the content you seek. CHECK
•Place pins on maps to indicate significant locations, events or encounters. Use these maps for navigation to immediately access the information associated with individual pins. CHECK
•Fully customizable templates get you started building your world immediately and let you smoothly organize diverse information about all the people, places, things, and events in your world. CHECK
•Enter your own original content just like a word processor or efficiently cut-and-paste from source material you already possess. CHECK
•At a glance, see all the connections for whatever you’re viewing, both to and from other content. Instantly see everything that references an important NPC or item. CHECK
•Weave the critical story elements of your world together and visually outline your plots, whether they are epic quests or minor story arcs. CHECK
•Create custom calendars for your world. Link multiple calendars together and see how all the dates translate to your master calendar. Calendars can reflect different in-game cultures, lunar calendars, and worlds. NO
•Conveniently manage game notes and preparation tasks with full linking to game content. CHECK
•Easily show material to players during and after play without having to create additional, separate materials for them. CHECK

What We Will Do With Your Support

As we indicated above, initial Realm Works development is nearly complete, with release slated for July, 2013. CHECK, based on defined features above, though the deliverable date of July 2013 was missed

This Kickstarter will allow us to accelerate our current development efforts and pack more features into the product for its public release.
1. The key capabilities to benefit most from this Kickstarter are the cloud server CHECK, though this implies the purpose of the kickstarter was to support the implementation of the cloud server and community repository (& 3rd party?) components, not “other features”.
2. and community repository components. ONGOING,
•can the community sync with the server? CHECK
•can the community get 3rd party components? NO, though in defense of LWD this was a Forum discussion and not really a listing within the Kickstarter (to my knowledge)
•can the community (players) get components? NO, which is also implied as “community” but LWD & Rob’s position that this was a goal (As noted below)

Critical features of these two components include:
•Full player access to revealed aspects of the world and the ability to download or review anything they’ve learned about the world. Our Fog of World technology governs the information that players can access, limiting them to only what they’ve learned through play. NO
•GMs can share their creations through the cloud for use by others. NO
•GMs can browse the work of others and integrate it into their own worlds. Imagine being able to find a pre-made encounter, or a tavern, or an entire region with adventures and NPCs. Drop it into your own world, change a few names, hook it into locations in your world, and it’s fully integrated for use. No scribbled notes. No Post-Its. No juggling between PDFs, books, and your own files. Realm Works is built from the ground up for exactly this purpose. CHECK
•Secure cloud backup of all material for GMs. CHECK
•Synchronization of different computers to the cloud, with automatic change detection and resolution. CHECK

Kickstarter Comment
The purpose of the kickstarter as defined in its listing was to incorporate the player integrations and set the cloud “aloft”.
• $170k was collected and earmarked to hire additional programmers to primarily meet 2 milestones (containing 10 benchmarks) and if timing allowed, the integrations of “other features” (business speak for other things we think of that we can fill in with along the way that do not impede our milestone goals).
• From a business model, (and as a manager myself) I can understand Rob’s concern. Of the 2 milestones & 10 benchmark targets, only one milestone has been partly met and only 5 of the benchmarks that support them. This equates to 50%, which any sane manager would not like seeing. Especially since he obtained public financing.

[Dark Lord Galen]

Lastly, is a closing critique by me. This is not with malice nor intended as a slight to the great effort LWD, Rob, and his team have done sofar, but as a semi varnished view only.

Summary
Out of the 34 “Features Included” 30 of the milestone markers have been met. Out of 4 remaining, 3 directly relate to calendar creation and one defines the ability to create family trees. That is 88% of features reported on Realm Works kickstarter as "Included" that it can do RIGHT NOW….
The only glaring fail is currently the custom calendar. This was part of the “included features” and a selling point that was suggested as “nearly complete”.

This however, cannot be construed as a success to deliver, but as a failure. RW fails to deliver on a feature already sold as included.


Rob’s concern (not to imply speaking for him) has refocused to justifying the faith that we the community place in LWD & him ($170k worth via the kickstarter + those early purchasers) in delivering what we purchased. If I were in his place I would certainly place my team’s focus on those that already fronted their hard earned dollars.

Unfortunately he has had to make this decision shorthanded (as in lacking programmers) and at the expense of not completing the “featured milestones.”

Nowhere were we promised
1>print capabilities
2>spellchecking
3>LAN management, etc.

These (and many more) are above and beyond the promised deliverables.

Though we as a community may wish for MORE or IMPROVED features, Rob and His team have delivered on many "wishes", hunted a multitude of bugs, red herrings, and appeasements.

However, the fact of focus remains all but the four Items within the featured and the five within the Kickstarter goals remain.

Rob has conveyed where he and his team will focus (thanks for that)

Rob, we as a community in turn have a reasonable right to expect, not for you to fulfill on wishes and desires (that's a perk), but on points already agreed.
1> Custom Calendar
2> Player Access
3> the ability for GMs (prefer DMs myself) to share and collaborate information

These are the remaining promised deliverables.....
Do I like that the calendars have been deferred for the player access,,,,, No, but I understand it from a business model and Rob's point of view.... doesn't make me like it... but guess what... its his call...
The only thing left to say is......
How can we help?

[Parody]

Originally Posted by Dark Lord Galen

Below is a snippet (IN BLACK) .... The comments (listed in green) will relate to what is actually an accomplished milestone as of 7/1/14.

Just so you know, I find your green comments impossible to read on the default forum theme. (You've got light green text on light blue and off-white background.)

[Lexfire]

http://ghmaps.net/realm-works-a-few-...nto-a-new-era/

I love Anna Meyers work on Greyhawk maps and she has provided her impressions of Realm Works.


BTW, check this excellent GH map - be sure to zoom in

http://ghmaps.net/onlinemap/onlinehexhd.html

[Dark Lord Galen]

Originally Posted by Parody

Just so you know, I find your green comments impossible to read on the default forum theme. (You've got light green text on light blue and off-white background.)

Thanks Parody have revised
My monitors have custom color settings and I forget that sometimes

Originally Posted by Lexfire

http://ghmaps.net/realm-works-a-few-...nto-a-new-era/
I love Anna Meyers work on Greyhawk maps and she has provided her impressions of Realm Works.

BTW, check this excellent GH map - be sure to zoom in

http://ghmaps.net/onlinemap/onlinehexhd.html

Thanks Lexfire, I to am a HUGE fan of the GreyHawk Cartography Goddess, thanks for including the link, I did purposefully omit it because I had commented on it there.

[Dervish]

I think you need to consider for a moment that Rob touches on text in the video on the kickstarter page at 1:36 he states that text is the cornerstone of any campaign he then extolls on how realmworks has any of the features you would expect from a word processor. that he showcases fonts and styles and does not mention Spell check or printing does not matter one little bit. The implication is there for everyone to see and hear.

[Dark Lord Galen]

Originally Posted by Dervish

I think you need to consider for a moment that Rob touches on text in the video on the kickstarter page at 1:36 he states that text is the cornerstone of any campaign he then extolls on how realmworks has many of the features you would expect from a word processor. that he showcases fonts and styles and does not mention Spell check or printing does not matter one little bit. The implication is there for everyone to see and hear.

While I agree that at 1:36 (thru 1:48) Word processing elements, as Rob mentions, are indeed a part of RW.

I think, however, you stretch the "implication". And by that alone, its does matter more than "a little bit". Not to "rule munger or lawyereeze "but "many does not equal all".

On pausing the video and even reviewing the highlighted pieces, there are selections for Right, Center, and Left justify, Bold and Italic, as well as font types, table building, find/ replace (my favorite part that could have easily been overlooked), etc... All are parts of most word processor.

Nowhere to be found is a print button nor a spell check. (though personally a print or PDF feature would be nice)

Further, anyone with any exposure to various software would have to agree that realmworks more closely resembles a data base (akin to C+, Dbase3/4, Access, Alpha4, etc) than a word processor.

I think that it will in time have these features, but the critique was confined to what was to be provided by the kickstarter. That is why I based the critique on the listed features, and the target goals as listed.... not the forum desires.
Lastly, critiques are like opinions, we all have them, it is for each of us to interpret and determine if the goals have won our hard earned $.

So keep them observations, and reviews coming.

[mirtos]

I think comparing it to a DB, while valid, isnt a valid argument for discussing the kickstarter. Also, not everyone is going to have a technical background and realize that its more akin to a database.

By comparing it to a word processor during the kickstarter, expectations were set. I think that it was stated during the time, that most of the non cloud features were set and the kickstarter was for the cloud work.

I just went through the comments in the kickstarter. Printing is specifically mentioned there in response to a question from a user, back during the kickstarter time. So expectations were definitely set.

"There's no feature to export all maps en masse. However, you can export individual elements. You will also be able to select multiple content elements for printing. So if you're just trying to generate a PDF, you could select multiple elements and print them, outputting them as PDF instead. You can definitely differentiate whether you're printing content for yourself or the players, with the latter only including material that has been revealed."

So while you're right that the kickstarter goals were for the cloud work, a lot of information was mentioned during the kickstarter, and definitely implied. Dont get me wrong, I like the software, but i also understand where other people are coming from. The kickstarter, in my opinion, did a bad job at managing expectations. If the print wasn't ready, Rob should have more carefully parsed his words in the comment. "Printing, while not yet ready, will be this....".