Time for a peak behind the curtain a little.

KDY started off as a way for me to develop my own cards for Armada. I felt like sharing, so I did. I'm plodding around with a few ideas about what to do with it next that isn't just iterative versions. I've gotten a handful of requests to start supporting other games, like X-wing and Firestorm Armada. I've also been kicking around a few ideas for game engines of my own.

To that end, KDY v2 is being worked on slowly, in my spare time. It's going to be a complete rewrite, with a lot more features and hopefully a better user experience (I'm not a fan of the current layout system). Chances are it will take quite a while, but I've got a few three-day weekends coming up and my life should be stabilizing soon. So far, I'm going endeavour to support SW: Armada, X-Wing, Rebellion, ST: Attack Wing, Firestorm Armada, Firefly the Boardgame, Twilight Imperium, and a few others, plus my own homebrew systems.

As I get closer to finishing this, I'll post more about what to expect, and if there are any changes that will affect content.

Oh my gods, guys, I'm really excited.

Work is progressing on KDY version 2.

I've been adding in a LOT of features. As I said before, SWA will not be the only game engine that the system can support (though it will be the first). I've been working on a lot of new features.

- for SWA, people will be able to make their own upgrade types, objective types, keywords, even defense tokens. As more engines get added more meta-content will be available for the common user to make.

- you can make your own genres - this will be cross-engine. For example, suppose you have your own universe that you want to make stuff fore for the SWA engine. You can make a genre. You have the option to have override the default card rendering for your genre. Don't want your Star Trek ship cards to look like the Star Wars ship cards? Add an override. You can also override the default icons for upgrade types, keywords, and defense tokens on a per-genre basis.

- you can make your own factions for your genre with custom logos, and colors for arcs and what not. These will be associated with your genre, and not to the SWA engine directly. This means that as more game engines are supported, you'll have access to your existing genre and factions in another game engine.

Oh my gods, guys, I'm really excited.

Work is progressing on KDY version 2.

I've been adding in a LOT of features. As I said before, SWA will not be the only game engine that the system can support (though it will be the first). I've been working on a lot of new features.

- for SWA, people will be able to make their own upgrade types, objective types, keywords, even defense tokens. As more engines get added more meta-content will be available for the common user to make.

- you can make your own genres - this will be cross-engine. For example, suppose you have your own universe that you want to make stuff fore for the SWA engine. You can make a genre. You have the option to have override the default card rendering for your genre. Don't want your Star Trek ship cards to look like the Star Wars ship cards? Add an override. You can also override the default icons for upgrade types, keywords, and defense tokens on a per-genre basis.

- you can make your own factions for your genre with custom logos, and colors for arcs and what not. These will be associated with your genre, and not to the SWA engine directly. This means that as more game engines are supported, you'll have access to your existing genre and factions in another game engine.

Can you add in functionality to make custom dice colors and dice icons?

Custom Dice colors are already in v2 (they're already in v1 for administrators). custom dice icons are a bit more problematic, but when you make custom dice you can choose each face to have any given icon. I support Blank, Hit, Crit, and Accuracy, and any combination of 2 or 3 of each of those icons (though, a lot of those combinations are redundant given the rules, but I've included them for completionist's sake)

Also - can someone get me a picture of the back of the station card? I want to see how it is handled.

I've spent a good chunk of this weekend working on the new site.

I've been hard at work on an Override system. Basically it works like this: Suppose you have an upgrade type, like "Title". Title has a default Icon, a default Card Backing and default Card Front.

Supposed you make a new Genre, like for the sake of argument "Star Trek" for all your Trekkie ship fun. Now, you can choose to override the default Upgrade Card Front for ALL upgrade cards that are of the "Star Trek" genre.

You can also choose to override the front card image for JUST title cards of the "Star Trek" genre, but leave the rest of the upgrade types to use the default backing. You can also make your "Star Trek" title cards have a different Icon if you so choose.

This applies to Objective Cards, Defense Tokens, Squadron Keywords, Upgrade Cards, Ship Cards, Squadron Cards, Damage Cards and Station Cards. There is a HUGE potential for customization and genre-styling going on here.

Excellent work. You could probably package some of those expansions. It's a shame shapeways is beyond expensive.

Chewing along on v2.

Seriously, folks, this is a lot more powerful and customizable than the last version of KDY.

With a little bit of meddling with some text fields, I can completely change the entire layout of a set of cards.

Quick question. I'm working on the v2 version of KDY and one thing I'm looking at is the new station cards.

In the past, when it comes to Squadron and Ship cards, KDY has generated both a card and a "Dial". I'm wondering how folks would prefer I handle this for stations?

I could assume that all station cards will use the station token in the core set and not provide a way to make a new token for a station.

Alternatively, I could make it so that you can pick the size and shape of the station token as you make it.

thoughts?

5 hours ago, FoaS said:

Quick question. I'm working on the v2 version of KDY and one thing I'm looking at is the new station cards.

In the past, when it comes to Squadron and Ship cards, KDY has generated both a card and a "Dial". I'm wondering how folks would prefer I handle this for stations?

I could assume that all station cards will use the station token in the core set and not provide a way to make a new token for a station.

Alternatively, I could make it so that you can pick the size and shape of the station token as you make it.

thoughts?

How much effort on your end is required for the alternative? That flexibility could be used by people developing their own campaigns, though I would not expect dozens of uses

creating some alternates to what is official is easy - creating the same style as the official token is slightly harder.

Edit: I should clarify that because I don't know that that made sense.

let's posit a scenario. I'm building a station card. While I'm doing so I have the option to upload an image that will appear on the token. I can also determine the shape of that token: A circle, a square, or the standard (core-set shape). Allowing the circle and square is easy. Making the core-set shape is a little more challenging. I feel like it should be an all or nothing, though. I feel like I can't include the non-standard options without including the standard one.

14 hours ago, FoaS said:

creating some alternates to what is official is easy - creating the same style as the official token is slightly harder.

Edit: I should clarify that because I don't know that that made sense.

let's posit a scenario. I'm building a station card. While I'm doing so I have the option to upload an image that will appear on the token. I can also determine the shape of that token: A circle, a square, or the standard (core-set shape). Allowing the circle and square is easy. Making the core-set shape is a little more challenging. I feel like it should be an all or nothing, though. I feel like I can't include the non-standard options without including the standard one.

I would agree that doing all three is the best way to go, though i do not pity you attempting to create the standard core-set shape or figure out how to apply images to that thing. At the end of the day though, this is your work, so whatever you do is a gift to us and I don't think we'll have a leg to stand on to complain.

Since I'm on a kick about making stuff...

Another straw poll.

We don't have a great number of special rules when it comes to stations, but I've already gotten requests for the ability to add Squadron Keywords to stations. A lot of them are going to be pointless on stations (Bomber, Grit, Escort, Rogue), but imagine some of the home brew ones will be handy on stations.

I've also pondered adding Upgrade Slots to stations, for all sorts of fun with Station Service-type upgrades.

I'm also curious, how do people feel about giving the ability to add Defense Tokens to stations? Obviously, some house-ruling would be necessary (Stations can use defense tokens despite being at speed zero).

Thoughts?

The option for greater flexibility is rarely a bad thing. If you can do it easily, go for it.

Can do.

At this point, I'm really not considering "easily done" (though, this is) - The more time I take to do it "right" the less time that (A) folks will need to hammer at the system in an unintended way to get something to work the way they want to and (B) less time that I will need to revamp things.

Contemplating doing a teaser video some time this week to show off a little.

Related to the above - While I'm working on v2 I am thinking of as many things as I can to make the system more powerful, more useful, and more intuitive. That being said, I am but one person and I am working in a bit of a vacuum when it comes to features. I've taken notes of what I think should be added, and what people have been requesting, but I always feel like I'm missing something that should've been a "well, duh" moment for me.

With that in mind, if you've requested a feature, or have an idea of something you want added - let me know. Mention it here so that I have something searchable. What do you want v2 to do that KDY cannot do currently. A fleet builder is definitely in the works, by the way.

EDIT: Oh the woes of having to revamp your database schema...

I found a major flaw in the way I was proceeding with my "parameter override" system. Some of it has to do with my naming convention, and some of it has to do with how I should handle efficiency of card back images.

This might be quite a refactoring. *sigh* such is the struggle of making and remaking, well, anything.

My request, ready to be printed cards. As in uploaded to a professional, small run, printer, such as those in the article Wes wrote.

I have no idea if I can do that, but I can certainly look into it. I'll see if they have any sort of exposed API that I can hook into.

Sweet!

I understand if it is not in the cards... So to speak, but it would be great just to be able to order up a professional quality print run of an entire expansion I have created, without needing to sit and reformat each card front and back.

To date I have only printed the "printer friendly" versions so I can playtest each card, but I have a cool set of DA's Armada Shipyards cards, and honestly hope to order up additional sets from KDYs expansions.

Added a new defense token:

Counterstrike: After the attack against you is resolved, you may immediately fire upon your attacker as though it was your activation.

4 hours ago, FoaS said:

Added a new defense token:

Counterstrike: After the attack against you is resolved, you may immediately fire upon your attacker as though it was your activation.

What sort of ships do you see armed with this token?

19 minutes ago, GiledPallaeon said:

What sort of ships do you see armed with this token?

Any? I'm thinking smaller ships and fighters. Maybe anti-fighter ships in particular?

So ... what is the 3-letter acronym I have to type in?

2 hours ago, Voloch said:

So ... what is the 3-letter acronym I have to type in?

If you're asking for the URL, which I think you are, it's kdyards.com. Otherwise you're going to need to be a little less cryptic.