Another Character Generator

By OggDude, in Star Wars: Edge of the Empire RPG

After searching around for a forum site that supports file uploads and downloads, I created a group for the software on this site:

OggDude's SW Character Generator and GM Tools

I figure since you guys have brought up, more than once, having a place to share your characters, adversaries, new equipment and attachments, vehicles, pictures, and whatever else you might want to share concerning the software, that I'd set up this site. I looked into Google Groups, but... well, it sucks :)

Anyway, join this group if you want to, discuss anything about the software that you don't feel like discussing here, and share your generator-related files. I think I'll need to approve your membership, or something, but honestly, I just found this site and created the group, so who knows what I have to do :) I think I gave all group members free reign to post or upload/download whatever they want, but I could be wrong. Just let me know if you have problems with it.

Edit: I should probably add that if somebody is interested in maintaining this group, just ask :)

Edited by OggDude

I was just going to store my custom data on Github but that's how I roll.

Well, interesting development on the ClickOnce front. It appears that when you get a new version, it creates a brand new install directory, so your DataCustom directory, as well as characters, adversaries, etc., are no longer available. Grr...

So, I'm going to have to change the way I store data and keep it out of the installation directory. Of course, that's recommended anyway :D

Anyway, I'm going to shortly ZIP up the new release the old fashioned way and make it available. If you're testing the ClickOnce install, go ahead and update just to see how long it takes (it's a lot shorter), but just keep in mind all of your custom data and characters will be elsewhere...

Edited by OggDude

OK, here's the new release. Some interesting changes, some spurred on by ClickOnce. I still have some work to do before ClickOnce will be ready for prime time, so for your real install, just use the standard ZIP file installation and ignore the documentation when it talks about the web install.

Release 1.1.0.10

New Data:

  • Added Piddock's Geonosian weapons from "Long Arm of the Hutt".

New Features and Enhancements:

  • Added data sets to the data editor. You can now have your custom edits belong to a named data set, instead of always being part of the main DataCustom directory. These data sets are stored in their own directory under DataCustom. You can create new data sets, remove existing data sets, or export and import data sets using ZIP files. This will make it easier to share specific data with friends, so it won't interfere with data that they've already created.
  • Added Backup and Restore to the data editor. Instead of having to manually back up each of your data folders (Characters, Adversaries, DataCustom, etc), the data editor will now do it for you. Like data sets, the backups will be stored in ZIP files that you can save off wherever you like. If you mess up your data, remove a character accidentally, or just install the software on another machine, you can restore all of your data from these back up ZIP files.
  • The software now has a launcher app. From this launcher, you can run the character generator, GM Tools, and the data editor. You can also launch the documentation and FAQ PDFs, and it will even open the installation folder for you.
  • The software now supports ClickOnce installation over the web. This is still in the testing phase, but the link is active and you can try it out if you like. The link to the Setup.exe program to perform the ClickOnce installation is:

https://db.tt/R9lkkh9V

  • The ClickOnce install has a few benefits over the ZIP file installation. When you run the setup program, it'll automatically install all the software for you over the web. You'll get a short cut for the new launcher application, so it's easier to access the software. It'll also automatically check for updates each time you run the application and give you the option of downloading and installing the updates automatically. It also supports incremental updating, which means you'll only download the files that are required to bring you up to the latest version. Finally, you can use the Programs and Features control panel to remove the software if you don't want it installed anymore.
  • Added alternate text to all HTML rendering of dice and symbol images. If you copy HTML out of one of the web browser controls to paste into an HTML-enabled app, instead of having blank spaces or broken images where the dice and symbols should be, it should now display text-alternatives.
  • Changed the organization of the install directory. The two PDFs and version file are now in a directory called Documents. All images are in a directory called Sample Graphics.

Bug Fixes:

  • The new ordnance grid on the vehicle sheet was not printing in B&W when simplified sheets were selected. It will now display in the proper color.
  • The fix I made for the character-not-reverting issue used a clone feature that I hadn't updated in awhile. Unfortunately, it caused white space characters, such as new line characters, to be removed from text, such as character stories or notes. This has been fixed.
  • Cortosis and Deflection qualities were not showing up for custom adversary weapons. They'll now show up properly.
  • There was a problem in printing characters with vehicles enabled where the generator would crash. This feature now works properly.
  • In the armor editor, the encumbrance was being saved with the soak value. It will now properly save encumbrance.
  • Added innate weapons for species/sub-species would use both the crit and crit-add values and set crit value to 1 if it was 1 or less. This was incorrect. It no longer uses crit-add (which is for "all weapons using skill" innate weapons, such as Trandoshan claws, and not actual innate weapons) and the check will now cap at 0 if it is less than that.
  • If you tried importing something other than what you were supposed to in adversaries and encounters, the GM Tools would crash. This is because I wasn't checking for a returned null before trying a relink, and if incorrect XML is given to load, it'll return a null. It will now just tell you that it couldn't load instead of crashing.

I was just going to store my custom data on Github but that's how I roll.

This isn't for personal, individual storage, it's more of a community thing. If you want to share your creations, you can do it there.

This is just a thought to reduce typing if its a pain to code don't worry about it though.

Could instead of typing(or copy pasting) each individual die symbol's code, for instance a difficulty check were you need 3 difficulty dice, could you maybe code it so [3,DIFFICULTY] would do the same thing as typing [DIFFICULTY][DIFFICULTY][DIFFICULTY]?

Just discovered this.

Unbelievably outstanding!

How do the data sets work with existing custom data? Does it auto sort them into the right category? Or is this a function forward idea? Just curious as I've added descriptions to almost *everything* in the builder.

How do the data sets work with existing custom data? Does it auto sort them into the right category? Or is this a function forward idea? Just curious as I've added descriptions to almost *everything* in the builder.

The existing "default" data set (DataCustom) remains unchanged. It just lets you add new data sets if you want them. You can add your DataCustom changes to a new data set by checking the Show All check box, then modifying an item that belongs to DataCustom. When you do that, it'll save it to your new data set. The change to DataCustom will still be there, however, so after you have your data set the way you want it, go back through DataCustom and just remove the changes. You'll still see them because they now belong to the new data set.

I just published an update to 1.1.0.10 for the web only. This update takes care of two problems:

  • The user data is no longer stored in the same directory as the application. Updates from ClickOnce would install new versions in different directories, so this was no longer possible. Instead, user data, including characters, custom data, etc., is stored in the application data directory for the current Windows user. This location never changes, plus it allows you to have different sets of data for different logins on your computer. That means that you can have one set of data, and your wife, or husband, or sibling, or room mate, or whomever, can have another.
  • Obviously, since the data location has been changed, there needs to be a way to transfer your old data to the new location. This is done from the launcher application by clicking the "Transfer" button. All you need to do is choose the directory where your original installation was stored (where your old DataCustom, Characters, etc., directories are) and the data there will be copied to the new location. It'll also ZIP up both your old location and your new location (just in case you did some work on it) to save as archives. These can be used by the Backup and Restore feature of the Data Editor.

Anyway, again, let me know how this works, and for now, this is a web-only update.

Edited by OggDude

Thanks for the New Installer Oggy. Works well. No issues. Update over web was quick and the Transfer routine worked.

Excellent.

Thanks for all the work, OggDude!

I guess I am wondering how I will adapt our personal style of using the installer with my group.

What I've done is install it in a Dropbox folder which is shared between several members of our party.

This way when updates are made to the PCs, those changes are updated on Dropbox and every member's copy is synced. So if I add 10 XP to their character sheet after a session, the player can go in and make that change on their own computer, and I get the updated copy synced through Dropbox.

I'll have to see how it works in practice and if there's a way we can maintain a process something like this, if all the data is in another location.

Thanks for all the work, OggDude!

I guess I am wondering how I will adapt our personal style of using the installer with my group.

What I've done is install it in a Dropbox folder which is shared between several members of our party.

This way when updates are made to the PCs, those changes are updated on Dropbox and every member's copy is synced. So if I add 10 XP to their character sheet after a session, the player can go in and make that change on their own computer, and I get the updated copy synced through Dropbox.

I'll have to see how it works in practice and if there's a way we can maintain a process something like this, if all the data is in another location.

I'm assuming you all have the DropBox program running on your computers so you can access it through a local drive? This is actually what I've been doing to update the deployment. What I could do is store the data location in the registry (using the default I'm using now), which would allow you to go in and edit the location. Then you could point the location to wherever your data directory is on DropBox, using the local mapping. Everyone uses the web install, you change the registry, and it all works. Your users get automatic updates and one-click access and you can still use DropBox. Would that work for you?

I found a bug in Engineer: Saboteur Talent Tree. Second wind (10) talent is not activated when we choose rapid recovery (5).

added the shell Cracker Vehicle from shell game to big tent. it is the only new item from the adventure.

As always Ogg, you are the man. The community greatly appreciates your hard work!

Typo on your Talent list.

Sound Investiments

s/be

Sound Investments

Edited by bsycamore

So, I think I found a slight issue with some of the Dangerous Convenants gear, specifically the Weapon Attachments for spaceships.The Mini-Missile Tube, Mini-Missile Pack, and the Grappler 213 Tactical Tractor Beam are all listed as weapons and not attachments as they should be.

Unless there is a reason for this?

I found a bug in Engineer: Saboteur Talent Tree. Second wind (10) talent is not activated when we choose rapid recovery (5).

Fixed it. Thanks.

Typo on your Talent list.

Sound Investiments

s/be

Sound Investments

Fixed. Keep 'em coming! :)

So, I think I found a slight issue with some of the Dangerous Convenants gear, specifically the Weapon Attachments for spaceships.The Mini-Missile Tube, Mini-Missile Pack, and the Grappler 213 Tactical Tractor Beam are all listed as weapons and not attachments as they should be.

Unless there is a reason for this?

It's by design. The reason I made them vehicle weapons instead of attachments is because... well... they are vehicle weapons :) I have no idea why FFG defined them as attachments, and even gave them a new category ("weapon attachments") when they could have just added them to the pool of available weapons and followed the existing weapon upgrade rules. It's like defining a blaster as a "blaster attachment" for a character. It's a weapon, not an attachment!

About the only thing they added was that mounting the missile tubes on a turret, rather than having them fixed forward, costs an additional 1000 credits and a Mechanic's roll. The only problem with this is that they didn't say whether or not this is a universal rule. It would have been actually useful if they had given rules and costs on turret mounts, retractable mounts, and generally how you affect firing arcs and mount locations. Those are questions that I've had since I first implemented vehicles and just had to have you pick which option you want without it costing anything differently.

Our campaign started back up last night and I started using your generator again (thanks!).

I created my character using the generator tonight, and then added XP to it. My character is a Bothan Politico (if that matters). When I added "Deception" as a specialization in "Career", it charged me 5xp.

I can check and uncheck each of the specializations that I took, and only "Deception" has this quirk. The other specializations I took where: "Charm", "Leadership", and "Negotiation". Again, not sure if that matters (doesn't seem to).

Again, thanks for making this. At least 2 people in the group are using it. We've suggested it to 2 other people, but they're not the techy geeks that the other 2 of us are. :)

Our campaign started back up last night and I started using your generator again (thanks!).

I created my character using the generator tonight, and then added XP to it. My character is a Bothan Politico (if that matters). When I added "Deception" as a specialization in "Career", it charged me 5xp.

I can check and uncheck each of the specializations that I took, and only "Deception" has this quirk. The other specializations I took where: "Charm", "Leadership", and "Negotiation". Again, not sure if that matters (doesn't seem to).

Again, thanks for making this. At least 2 people in the group are using it. We've suggested it to 2 other people, but they're not the techy geeks that the other 2 of us are. :)

I re-created the character like you said, but checking Deception on the Career pane doesn't use any xp that I can see. Maybe if you send me the character, I can see what it's doing.

As an incentive to use the SWCharGen File Sharing Group , I created an import archive for the adventure The Enemy of My Enemy that's listed in the Compiled Resources List . It includes a data set import for the cargo airspeeder, all adversaries and encounters, a stock vehicle, and 6 pregen characters that came with the adventure, all ready to be imported into the software. This will only be available on the group site and won't be included in the release, since it's not an official FFG adventure. But this is the sort of thing I set the group up for; sharing your own creations and your own custom data.

And as a bonus incentive, I happened to have gone to see STAR WARS: The Exhibition today at The Tech Museum in San Jose. They had actual models and costumes on display that were used in the movies. I took pictures of a bunch of them and I'm going to be slowly uploading them to the group site. So if you want to get 8 megapixels worth of a CR90, X-Wing, or Y-Wing close up and personal, join the group site :)

I was going to post an actual HTML example, but the FFG editor doesn't support alt text for some reason (it's been part of the standard since the beginning, but oh well). Anyway, I took a screenshot of what it looks like in the Roll20 journal editor. Of course, DropBox seems to be in and out of a coma this morning, so it might not show up:

SymbolTest.jpg

When it does, you'll see the symbols I used. They all show up on web pages, and I'm using straight-up Firefox without any weird settings or fonts. So I'm hoping this will be universally what people will see and not generic "I don't know what this is" symbols.

And yes, I know I have light and dark mixed up :)

Hi OggDude,

I just tested the latest manual install, but it doesn't seem the alt text works in Roll20. Is there something I need to check or do for it to work? I just created a custom nemesis using a pirate captain profile as a start, but when copy/pasting into Roll20, the skill pool does not show.

Thanks

Edited by Ceodryn