Using a second display for maps

[adzling]

Hi all, new to Realmworks and just starting to get to grips with it.
One thing I can't understand very well is how to get a player-view map up onto a secondary display (like a tv or projector).

I can see how to share maps and use fog of war to reveal them to players and am able to preview this with the player preview button.

I don't see an option for a GM to hook up a second monitor to his PC and display the player view map however.

It seems like it would just display the entire GM facing realmworks interface, not good.

Does this mean we need to hook the secondary display to a player side PC?

Does this mean the player will need a subscription?

thanks

 

[Parody]

It's fairly simple. Before launching Realm Works, set up the second monitor in Windows on your (the GM's) machine. Make sure it's being used as an additional monitor, not a mirror/clone/duplicate of your main monitor. (Settings for enabling a second monitor and whether the desktop is extended or mirrored vary based on OS and video drivers, but most of the time it's not that hard to figure out.)

When you start Player View, Realm Works defaults to putting the Player View window on a monitor that isn't showing the main window. There's also a dropdown menu in the upper-right corner of the Player View Preview tab to pick which monitor should show Player View, if you want to pick a different one.

Note that Player View is designed for being in the same room with your players. Realm Works currently isn't built for updating things in real time over the Internet. Possible workarounds include sharing the Player View window with conferencing software or, if your players have the Player Version of Realm Works, going back to the Launcher to sync changes and then having your players similarly exit and sync to pick up the changes.

 

[adzling]

got it

thanks for this, figured it out right after i posted (of course).

going to run our first Shadowrun 5e session using it this weekend.

 

[Pollution]

^This.

I'll add a few things to it as well.

1. You will be tempted to increase all your font sizes, as they will seem too small to read on your player view. This is FALSE. What you need to do is to lower the resolution by one recommended value. So if you have a 1080P TV as your second monitor, drop it to 720p in your graphics settings of windows. This is THE best advice I can offer you.

2. If you decide that, "Hey, I can use the TV as a smart map!" I say this to you, yes you can. Lay the TV flat on the table (if you are using a flat screen LCD or something) and put a protective piece of Plexiglas on the screen. This will prevent scratches and marks from ruining your TV.

3. In addition to the maps, have fun putting pictures and text on the screen too. It looks great when you have a scene's text, the villian's profile pic, and the map of the location all on the screen at once. My players love it.

I do this, and it's amazing. I haven't pulled out my battlemat since I got RW. It's awesome. You just have to find the right zoom level for one square = 1", and you're good to go.

 

[Dark Lord Galen]

Pollution is spot on target! I do EXACTLY what's covered in post above as it relates to using LCD type TV
(see my post here> http://forums.wolflair.com/showpost.php?p=188512&postcount=14)
And like Pollution, my players enjoy it greatly.

IMO
I would add Realm Works is less than capable for the "smart map" application as a BATTLE MAP, though in LWD defense (and I do so sparingly lately) it was not ever intended to be used as a VTT, but as an information sharing & DM (GM for you newbs) management platform (certainly a work still in evolution).
Personally pairing D20 Pro with Realm Works is a good complementary set of tools especially since Hero Lab also can be imported into D20 Pro.

my 2cp
DLG

 

[adzling]

Here's a photos of a session with our 46" LCD battlemap being driven by Realmworks.
Imagelink option seems to not work with dropbox so heres the link instead.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/gh1idrsqvdfbc4b/desktop1.jpg?dl=0

 

[ShadowChemosh]

Here's a photos of a session with our 46" LCD battlemap being driven by Realmworks.
Imagelink option seems to not work with dropbox so heres the link instead.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/gh1idrsqvdfbc4b/desktop1.jpg?dl=0

How is the "heat" with that setup? Also could you share the exact model number?

I have really been thinking of setup like this once I saw DLG as I got jealous that I was not keeping up with the cool kids.

 

[adzling]

This is a Samsung PCW-ME46C-R.
I picked it up from Newegg as a refurb a couple of weeks ago.

Heat is almost non-existent.

This TV is super thin (about 1" thick) as it is an older model that uses edge-firing LED backlights.

The newer models are considerably thicker (@3"+) as the manufacturers have changed from edge-firing LED backlights to an array of LEDS behind the screen.

It makes for a better picture but a much thicker TV.

For these purposes thinness is more important than a great picture (I previously tried an el cheapo @$200 40" LCD but it was so thick (about 4") that you had to stand up at the tablet to see the map properly.
With the thinner TV you can sit down and see the image fine.
For some reason the offset from the protective plastic and the LCD is also very minimal on this screen so there is absolutely no parallax offset, a common problem with older (and newer) TVs used in this manner.

 

[ShadowChemosh]

This is a Samsung PCW-ME46C-R.
I picked it up from Newegg as a refurb a couple of weeks ago.

Heat is almost non-existent.

This TV is super thin (about 1" thick) as it is an older model that uses edge-firing LED backlights.

The newer models are considerably thicker (@3"+) as the manufacturers have changed from edge-firing LED backlights to an array of LEDS behind the screen.

It makes for a better picture but a much thicker TV.

For these purposes thinness is more important than a great picture (I previously tried an el cheapo @$200 40" LCD but it was so thick (about 4") that you had to stand up at the tablet to see the map properly.
With the thinner TV you can sit down and see the image fine.
For some reason the offset from the protective plastic and the LCD is also very minimal on this screen so there is absolutely no parallax offset, a common problem with older (and newer) TVs used in this manner.

Thanks! Yea newegg is all sold out. But thickness was something I had been worried about.