One of the Biggest Updates Ever is Now on its Way to You

A new version of 3D Virtual Tabletop that includes scenario saving and miniature naming has been submitted to the iOS App Store and is awaiting review.   When it is approved I can release the same update on Google Play.  It also contains numerous other little tweaks here and there to make the experience smoother.  One of which is a new feature to lock miniatures to the tabletop, so that they will be the only ones that stay around when a scenario is loaded or the map is changed. This is great for having a party of player characters visiting different areas with different maps, or prepared encounters saved as scenarios.  The group will stay together as the environment around them changes, with other enemy miniatures in the previous scene automatically removed.

Most of my time since the last update has been focused on finding a workaround for what was apparently a bug in Unity for 64-bit iOS devices, so I haven’t been able to make much progress on the web version.  Now that I have been able to get the iOS version to work, the web version will be getting some love again.  I’ll also be paying some attention to the Android variant for the Amazon Appstore too, hoping to get that out in the near future as well.

Here’s a screenshot of the new miniature naming and locking in Castle Ravenstein.

iOS Update Delayed, Web Version in Progress

I mentioned last time that the iOS update was undergoing final testing before release.  During that process I discovered a problem that occurred when testing on an iPad Mini 3, but worked fine on an iPad 2, and also works OK on my Android Nexus tablet.  I’m still trying to work out how to fix it.  There is a possibility that it has something to do with Unity’s new system for 64-bit iOS apps (the iPad Mini 3 is 64-bit, as are all recent devices, the older iPad 2 is 32-bit), I’m going to cover all possibilities.  I’ll let you know when I’ve made some progress on that. I want to get this new version out as soon as possible because it really is the best one yet, with lots of little improvements everywhere.

In the mean time, I’ve been working on the web version of 3D Virtual Tabletop, and I’m going to catch it up with the mobile versions.

Miniature Naming Update for 3D Virtual Tabletop Undergoing Final Testing

I’ve now got Miniature Naming fully working in 3D Virtual Tabletop.  Before releasing the new version I’m running through to the app to make sure everything works as it should, tweaking things here and there, to smooth over any rough edges.  That should all be done in a day or two.

Using miniature names is new for the multiplayer connection, so I need to release the Android and iOS updates at the same time, so that they can talk to each other properly.  This means it’ll be another week or so before Miniature Naming is available. I’ll let you know when I’ve submitted it to Apple so you can count down the days.

The Scenarios iOS update has been approved by Apple. I’m reluctant to release it though, as in the mean time I have discovered certain situations around fog of war and multiplayer games where it doesn’t quite work as it should.  Those issues have been fixed in the new Miniature Naming version and since I’ll be uploading it soon, I’ll use that one as the next public release for iOS.  You’ll get Scenarios and Miniature Naming at the same time.

Scenarios on iOS Now Awaiting Approval

Good news for iPad and iPhone users. The update for 3D Virtual Tabletop that has loading and saving of scenarios, is now waiting for approval by Apple for the App Store.  In the past it has taken them somewhere between 7 and 10 days to let it through.

A Look at the New Scenarios Screen

Here’s a preview of the new Scenarios screen that I’m working on.  From here you can take a snapshot of the tabletop and load it again later.  It saves the position and facing of the minis, and the fog of war.  It’s great if you’re in more than one regular game, or if you just want to play around with 3D Virtual Tabletop in between sessions, and be able to pick up right where you left off.  It also lets you prepare encounters ahead of time, so you can bring them in instantly when you’re in the middle of a gaming session.

A significant bunch of my time since the last update has been spent on making fog of war work better with really large maps. It seems that every time I update the app to handle bigger maps, at least one of you wants to you use one even greater in size. The latest version which went out a week ago on Android (and is still waiting for approval for the Apple App Store) has been tested with maps up to 250x250 squares.  It’s a struggle for me to find maps that are that big, and that’s also about 10x bigger than the flipmat I use at the in-person game I play, so I hope that works for just about everybody.  That update also fixes a few other things, including saving of the tabletop when you leave the app, which should now work all the time.

There is one more thing needed for Scenarios, and that is an icon for the button to get to the Scenarios screen.  I really appreciated your help last time with your ideas for the fog of war buttons.  Have you got any suggestions for what I could put on the Scenarios button?

Snap to Grid on 3D Virtual Tabletop

You can freely place your miniatures anywhere in 3D Virtual Tabletop, or you can have them automatically snap to the square grid to get them lined up just right.  Turning snap to grid off is great for playing on hex maps.

Fog of War Update Finally Released

It’s finally here, available now on Google Play and the Apple App Store.  There are still a couple of rough edges around fog of war that I need to smooth off, but I hope you’re pleased with how it’s working at the moment.  Unfortunately the one on the Apple App Store does have some significant bugs still as it’s a few weeks behind due to their long approval process. There is, however, a new update for iOS waiting in the wings, so feel free to wait 2 weeks before trying it out, you’ll be happier with it then.  I’m also trying to get a video made to explain how to use fog of war, it’ll likely be a week or so before that’s available. I have, though, tried to make it simple enough to work out by just playing around.

Fog of War With Miniatures Update Submitted

The good news is that the fog of war update has been approved for the Apple App Store.  The bad news is that while extending the fog of war to work with miniatures, I discovered a problem with large maps, so I won’t be releasing that update.  The good news is that I finished adding miniatures to the fog of war, and fixed the problem I found, so have submitted it for approval once gain.  The bad news is that last time it took nearly 2 weeks to be approved, so it looks like we’re in for a bit of a wait.  The good news is that it’s really cool, making it much more fun to use with the bad guys disappearing an reappearing as they go in and out of view.

Fog of War Sneak Peek

Since I know many of you are eagerly anticipating the introduction of Fog of War, here is a screenshot of it in action.  In the GM’s view the unexplored areas are partially visible, while in the Player’s view they are completely hidden.

I’m hoping to submit the new version to the app stores by the end of the week.  Since this update with Fog of War doesn’t work in multiplayer games with earlier versions, the Android release on Google Play will have to wait until the Apple App Store one has been approved.

The map used in the screenshots is “The Cellar” from Lord Zsezse Works.

New Update with “Show Grid” Now Available

The iPad/iPhone update that contains the “Show Grid” option has been approved, so I’ve released both it and the Android one to the stores.  I’m not sure how long it will take to propagate to your local app store, but it should be there within a few hours, probably by the time you read this message.

A reminder, you won’t be able to join games set up by older versions of the app, and they won’t be able to join yours.

With my work on Fog of War, the next version will differentiate between GMs and Players.  This opens up the options for a whole host of other features too.  One that I‘ve had requested a few times is requiring GM approval for miniature movement, as unlike a real table, players can move things around with the GM noticing.  Anyway, the fog of war addition is going well, and I’m looking forward to getting it out to you

Update for Showing Grid is Awaiting Release

I’ve completed the work to allow you to show a grid on top of the maps that you import.  It means you can grab a map from anywhere, even just a quick photo, and have your minis moving around on it as a battlemat in seconds.  You can turn the grid overlay on and off via the Settings screen, just like the “Snap to Grid” option.  At this stage the grid is square, hex grid support will be coming soon.

I need to wait until the Apple App Store has approved the latest version before I can update the Android one on Google Play.  This is because they don’t work with older versions in a multiplayer game that don’t know about the grid.  If you try to join a game created by an older version of the software that can’t show the grid, it won’t see the game. By releasing both versions at the same time I hope to avoid any confusion or frustration that this may cause.  Lately the Apple approval process has only taken 4 or 5 days and the last few updates have gone straight through without a hitch so it won’t be long.

Now it’s time for me to start on… duh duh daaa! Fog of war!

Keeping you Logged In

I’ve just finished another update to the app that keeps you logged in between sessions.  It makes 3D Virtual Tabletop a lot more convenient to use.  Hopefully you now only have to log in once, and it will keep you connected to your account whenever you open the app back up.  If you close the app or turn your device off, the next time you open it, it will log you back in and look for the last game you were playing and reconnect you if it is still going.  I’ve also added some status indicators to let you know when it’s syncing your maps and miniatures, and also when it’s downloading images from another player in a multiplayer game, so you know that the blank miniature or map you’re looking at won’t be blank for long.

The app on Google Play was updated yesterday, and I’ve submitted it to the Apple App Store, so it will be available to iPad and iPhone users within a week.

Now that I’ve got some of the convenience features out of the way, I can move on to more exciting things like showing the grid and the highly anticipated fog of war!

Network Play Coming to 3D Virtual Tabletop via Kickstarter

3D Virtual Tabletop is now set to become a real virtual tabletop, letting you share the map with others in real-time, whether they’re over the other side of the table, or over the other side of the world.  That’s what I’ve been spending spent most of my time on since the last update, but there are a few things I need to spend money on to make it happen, so I’ll be launching a Kickstarter campaign next week to help finish off the final stage.  You’ll be pleased to know that the networking is cross-platform, so it doesn’t matter if you’re on an iPad, iPhone or Android, you can play with the rest of the group regardless of what device they have.  My Pathfinder group has mostly iPads or iPhones, but we have one guy with an Android phone, so I can’t get away without including him too.

More details to come over the next week.

Preview of the Next Update for iPhone, iPad & Android

The next update for 3D Virtual Tabletop for iPhone, iPad & Android is coming soon, so I thought I’d give you a little taste of what’s to come.  It feels like everyone has been asking me when they are going to be able to put miniatures of different sizes on the map, and the answer is in this next version!  Check out the screenshot.  You can have bigger minis too, the dragons that are included with the app are now available in gargantuan size, which is 4x4 squares, they look great on the map, much more frightening.  I can’t wait to put one of those big guys down in front of my group. This is good timing because the Pathfinder party that I am running has just got to 5th level so they’re going to be facing some tougher opponents, some of which are at least going to be large.

Another very popular suggestion that I’ve had is for putting down flat tokens.  A lot of you like the top-down view, I know my group is a big fan of it for figuring out distance and area of effect.  You can also use the flat tokens for things like throwing out a coin with a light spell on it, which isn’t appropriate for a stand-up pawn.  Something I hadn’t expected, but which is really cool, is a message from a guy wanting to do starship battles, simulating a tactical display.  It’s also necessary in this scenario to have the minis stay pointing in a particular direction, and not to face the camera.  That’s what they now do, you can place them facing the way you want, and they will keep that heading.  This goes for stand-up minis as well, you can see in the top screenshot that the elf that is facing away from the camera, towards to the ogre, is shown in greyscale, this lets you know that you’re looking at the back of the figure, but still gives you the detail to know who it is.

Hopefully this update will be out in a week or so, I’ll let you know when it hits.

The map in these screenshots is from DramaScape.

3D Virtual Tabletop for iPad & iPhone Walkthrough Video

Now that 3D Virtual Tabletop on iPad and iPhone has been out for a few weeks, I have put together a short video that shows you what you can do with it.  There are 5 main improvements, which make it a more practical tool that is an asset at the table.  More miniatures have been added to the collection that comes with the app and you can now add your own from pictures stored locally.  Lighting has been improved in 2 ways; you can set the ambient light level, and when bright lights come together, the intense light no longer washes out the map.  Finally, the greatest change is that the app is now much more responsive and familiar to use because it was created especially for the iPad & iPhone, which also paves the way for a more spectacular tabletop in future updates.

The total number of miniatures available is now over 150, in line with 3D Virtual Tabletop on other platforms.  This covers the most common monsters in the 3.5 d20 System Reference Document.  Of course you are no longer limited to selecting from just those miniatures, you can now add new minis to the collection from the Photo Library on the iPad or iPhone, or with a new photo taken with the camera.  This also means you can now easily use it for role-playing games other than Pathfinder and Dungeons & Dragons.

One of the first requests that I received was for having control over the light level, because some maps are better lit than others.  You now have complete control over how much ambient light there is, with a simple slider that lets you set it to any value between light and dark, which I’ve found handy for twilight encounters.  In those situations, the characters can still see, but have wanted to light a torch or cast a light spell on the right person so that they can get a better idea of what is going on around them.  Seeing that on the virtual table really helps set the mood.  Having multiple light sources in use, especially when it’s not completely dark presented some issues in the past because their combined light was so bright in places that the details on the map would just be all white.  This has been fixed, so that now even when miniatures are in bright sunlight and have a light on them, you can still see full detail on both the map and the miniatures.

Getting the lighting right was only possible because I tailored this app specifically for the iPad and iPhone.  Doing that also improved the frame rate to make the tabletop more responsive, to glide underneath your fingers.  Another benefit is that even with lots of lights on the map, it still reacts well to your touch.  My players had a situation where they were expecting an attack at night and they set up 8 torches in a perimeter around the campsite, to supplement their own torches and light spells, as well as the campfire in the middle.  With all that going on, I’m please to report that 3D Virtual Tabletop handled it well.  Targeting the iPad and iPhone specifically means that the all of the screens are fast and fluid too, and let me directly access the Photo Library and Camera to make it easy and convenient to add new miniatures.

I’m currently working on bringing these improvements to the other platforms.  If you’re keen to see them on your device sooner, let me know what you’re using and I’ll take that as another vote to make it happen earlier on that platform.