Feature requests for upcoming Fifth edition:

[Tekwych]

Originally Posted by nylanfs

Any idea on when we can start throwing money at you guys?

Shadowrun 5 for Hero Lab Update

[TheMaskedFerret]

Ok, Requests for Shadowrun 5:

As you do for Pathfinder Society, can you make an option for a 'Shadowrun Missons' character that supports the limitations of the Shadowrun Missions character Creation?

Any chance of a Calendar for Shadowrun Missions that will allow you to track Lifestyle automatically?

Please support Karma for Cash/Cash for Karma options.

What are your plans for supporting things explicity in modules? There is one module available for 5 with an additional Truck not in core, a Rocket Launcher not in Core, and some other stuff not mentioned in Core. If it was statted out in the system, would you include it as a separate package or as part of the main data, or would I need to offer it somewhere else for free?

All I can think of for now.

[cndblank]

Originally Posted by Mathias

Have you tried the Adjust tab? I know we're missing some things on that list - if you see something missing, please tell us, so we can put it on our to-do list.

I did looking for a why to show that the NPC had the bullet barrier spell active, but I haven't tried it recently.

[cndblank]

Originally Posted by Mathias

I'm sorry, but the purpose of this is to slow down piracy. If someone could just make an immediate copy of material purchased in an add-on, they could quickly go through a product, copying everything in it, and send that copied material to others.

I understand the reasoning and realize there are limits outside your control especially when you are working as a contracted third party provider.

A fan supported spread sheet can do simple character creation so Hero Lab has to be targeted at Power users.

It has to provide all the information and put it in a useable format. Or it has to provide a shared source of user content. Having a way to load user created characters/gear to a searchable central location would help.

As is, all the DRM does is hurt both the Lone Wolf Development AND the Catalyst Game Labs customer base and reward the pirates who don't have to pay for the privilege of cutting and pasting.

it is a shame that the PDF releases didn't come with the Hero Lab Format automatically.

[Pollution]

Originally Posted by TheMaskedFerret

Ok, Requests for Shadowrun 5:

As you do for Pathfinder Society, can you make an option for a 'Shadowrun Missons' character that supports the limitations of the Shadowrun Missions character Creation?

Any chance of a Calendar for Shadowrun Missions that will allow you to track Lifestyle automatically?

Your first request is probably going to be included, since it was in the 4th ed version of HL for SR.

The next part is KIND of in there already too. The Journal is AMAZING. Here's what I do for my missions characters:

Entry 1 = M1W1 - Run - Mission Name (include NuYen earned and Karma earned)
Entry 2 = M1W2 - Train Firearms 2-3 (spend on the advancement tab to do it)
Entry 3 = M1W3 - Purchase Augmentation (Normal recording)
Entry 4 = M1W4 - Run - Mission Name (include NuYen and Karma earned)

Hit the Pay for lifestyle button at the bottom

Entry 5 = Edit the entry that was created for paying lifestyle to say M2W1 - Paid lifestyle
Entry 6 = M2W1 - Train Firearms 3-4 (notice that it's the same M#W#)

The Journal is GREAT for tracking lifestyle IMO. Just put the M#W# before every entry.

[Pollution]

Originally Posted by TheMaskedFerret

Ok, Requests for Shadowrun 5:

Please support Karma for Cash/Cash for Karma options.

This is also in the program now.

Again, under Journal.

New entry:

M4W3 - Working for the man
Under Karma put "-5", under NuYen put "10000"

You will lose 5 karma and earn Y10,000

pretty sweet workaround if you ask me. been doing this for a while myself. It tracks nicely.

[Tekwych]

An upgrade window for those that have owned SR4 license of HL that would give us either the SR5 core, or more likely IMO, the add on files at a discount.

A 10-15% discount on the cost of the first set of add on files for those that have shown long term support would be nice but the time frame should be kept short. No more than 2 weeks from announcement.

[Annadeus]

I agree with others that the black background with white text is way too hard on the eyes. Would be awesome if we could just choose between two or three themes instead of it being dependant on which game data file we're using. I've been building my first Shadowrun character for a few hours now and have a serious headache and eye strain from the black/white colour scheme.

[dhyde79]

Originally Posted by cndblank

If I'm going to spend the money to buy the material twice (PDF/hardcopy then the Herolab), then I want to be able to copy and paste any official NPC, critter, or piece of gear make my changes and go.

If I'm going to have to entering it by hand then why do I need Hero Lab?

ok, I'm going to chime in here, as a prospective customer...
that's a TERRIBLE answer. if that's a measure requested by specific publishers of specific games, lock their data, in this case, Shadowrun, they release their PDFs faster than their hard copy books, the PDF's are searchable, copy and pasteable, and, in the end, if I'm so inclined, I can take the PDF, and email it to everyone in the world, and while I'm breaking the law, they don't set their books up to stop me from doing so, because they realize, that making it harder on their targeted market to utilize the product as they need for their games, means their market is far less inclined to purchase their product at all.

I'm right there on the threshold with that very idea for this software. using Shadowrun as an example...
To use your software, I have to buy the license ($30) and then buy "additional" data packs/licenses, to use books that I've likely already purchased (otherwise those data packs would be unnecessary, and pointless to purchase because I won't have the rules from the books to distribute amongst my players) so, I'm looking at a total of $95 in add ons, to fully utilize this software, which is another $30, so, I'm going to spend $125 to use this software to manage characters after having spent the following to have the PDF versions of the books:
SR4A: $20
Arsenal: $12
Augmentation: $12
Street Magic: $12
Runner's Companion: $12
Unwired: $12
Running Wild: $20
Attitude: $20
War!: $18
Spy Games: $18
State of the Art 2073: $8
Hazard Pay: $25
Digital Grimoire: $4
MilSpec Tech: $8
Parazoology: $8
This Old Drone: $8
Way of the Adept: $5
Deadly Waves: $8
Gun Haven: $8
Parabotany: $8
Safehouses: $5
Unfriendly Skies: $8
Euro War Antiques: $12
Gun Heaven 2: $12
Magical Societies: $5
MilSpec Tech 2: $8
Runner's Black Book 2074: $25 (hard copy only)
Used Car Lot: $8
for a total of $329 in buying the actual sourcebooks...so, on top of the say $650-750 I've paid for my collection (most are hardcopy AND PDF), I'm supposed to pony up another $125 to have a program that keeps my characters organized, and then it doesn't let me copy and paste my stuff anywhere I want, because I might be trying to pirate the content that I already own? c'mon now, be logical.

Originally Posted by cndblank

I also want to be able to share my shadowrun user content with other Hero Lab users.

A large searchable user created content data base of well written NPCs (and spirits, critters, and gear) in Hero Lab format that I could then customize for my own use would be a very good reason to have Hero Lab. By customize I mean both filing off the number to create a new NPC and putting the NPC in to the format I normally use to run the game.

as a GM, I can see how handy the NPC's could be...shoot, could even use em as starter characters or idea points for new players...pick the one that sounds cool to you then go flesh it out type of deal...


in the end, to any of you whom are affiliated with LoneWolf Development, please, convince me that your product is worth paying a large sum of money to have access to about 50-60% of the books on my shelf, as a character generation/maintenance/organization tool... please, please tell me that I can output characters direct to HTML format so that I can set my output folder as a directory that's localhost served for quick access to everyone/anyone's data as the GM...(and yes, I mean I don't want to have to go through your software to look up something about a character)

as for a requested feature for upcoming 5th ed: how about making it reasonably cheap, i.e. "you pay $30 or $40 for all of the stuff that may release for this system" as well as implementation of a tool that converts SR4 to SR5....

[ahglock]

Originally Posted by Annadeus

I agree with others that the black background with white text is way too hard on the eyes. Would be awesome if we could just choose between two or three themes instead of it being dependant on which game data file we're using. I've been building my first Shadowrun character for a few hours now and have a serious headache and eye strain from the black/white colour scheme.

I'm on the other side of this, the shadowrun background text is one of the few I can easily read. Too many of the texts blend into the backgrounds with the other licenses. I'd rather have a smidgen of eye strain from black and white but have it easy to read especially given how complex Shadowrun characters get. Though yes, multiple options is the best solution.