Easier 3D Terrain in 3D Virtual Tabletop

Using 3D terrain in 3D Virtual Tabletop is now much easier.  You can do things in less clicks and Modify button is gone, since you don’t need it any more.  Check out the video to see the refined experience.

The latest online version also allows Kickstarter backers to claim their subscription rewards by entering a promo code.  Instructions on how to do that are in the latest Kickstarter update. If you supported the campaign with a late pledge, email me at support@3dvirtualtabletop.com and I’ll tell you how to claim yours.

Try it out now at 3DVTT Online.

3D Virtual Tabletop Comes to the Web with 3D Terrain

3D Virtual Tabletop Comes to the Web with 3D Terrain

An awesome new version of 3D Virtual Tabletop is available online right now at 3dvtt.com/game.  You can play in your web browser on your Mac or PC, and it even works great in Safari on iPad.  Lots of fun to be had with some cool new stuff:
•    3D Terrain
•    Dynamic miniature resizing
•    Buttons for rotating miniatures
•    Locking your view of the tabletop into 1 of 3 angles – low, high, or top-down
•    Marketplace
•    Text chat and dice rolling

This new online version is not compatible with the existing mobile versions.  My short term plan for this is to make the web version work really well in mobile browsers. So far it runs really well on iPad, with some more work for me to do to make it feel just as good on iPhone and Android.

Subscriptions have also been simplified, no longer do you need everyone in your group to pay. You can try it out for free, and when you want to take things further, only one person in the group needs to pay $4.99 / month, rather than everyone having to chip in $0.99 / month.  This changes things slightly for some Kickstarter backers.  My current plan to handle this is to increase the rewards at some levels, such as by extending the term of the reward subscription, to ensure people feel like they are getting more than backing at a lower level.

The addition of the marketplace also means I have an avenue to deliver many of the other rewards from the Kickstarter. Those will be included as I fill out the shop. Rewards for iOS and Android will be transferable to this new web version.  Claiming your rewards is something I’m still working on and will be introduced in the coming weeks. In the mean time, you can try it out for free to get familiar with it, and run a game or two.

We’re also at Gen Con, with some great deals for people that can make it there in person. Come and see us at booth #2927

3D Virtual Tabletop Coming to the Desktop with 3D Miniatures

3D Virtual Tabletop is slimming down and shaping up for the New Year.  I’m making some changes so that it can be available on all major platforms in a jiffy.  My quest to make everything available to everyone has encountered some issues that are problematic or time consuming to get working on all operating systems and devices.  As a consequence, I’m splintering off all of the functionality that I can get running well cross-platform, into a new parallel version of 3D Virtual Tabletop.  Check out the screenshot for some of the exciting new features that will also be added.  Once the alternative version is available to everyone to play games with, I’ll then resume work on updating it to do the things that didn’t make the cut the first time around.

3D miniatures & a hand drawn map in the next version of 3D Virtual Tabletop

The splinter version won’t be compatible with the current one, but the versions on iOS and Android will remain available so you can keep using them.  Later on, you’ll be able to move to the new one as it gets filled in with the things you are using.  It is still 3D Virtual Tabletop, so anything you are entitled to in the current version, you will also be entitled to in the splinter version.

Initially you’ll need to stay with the original version to use:

• Synchronized accounts
• Importing your own maps and minis
• Scenarios

The alternative version will be available on the Desktop first, before going to mobile. At this stage it looks like it will be beginning with Windows.

Some cool new stuff will be in the splinter version at release:

• 3D minis
• Drawing on the map
• Marketplace for maps and minis
• Changing the size of minis on the tabletop
• Cloning miniatures on the tabletop
• Buttons for rotating miniatures
• Labelling that lets you see more of what’s underneath it

Shortly after release:

• Text chat
• Dice rolling
• Map tiles

“Remove All Miniatures” Button Now in 3D Virtual Tabletop

When you tap on a miniature, there is now a new button.  It allows you to delete all the miniatures on the map at once.  It’s a convenience feature that should make your game sessions go just a little bit smoother.  The update for the iOS App Store has been waiting for review for a couple of days already, so it should only be a few more days away.  The Google Play update has just finished uploading so that should be available in a few hours.

I’ve also been working on subscriptions so that when the Kindle Fire and web versions come out, everything will transfer across seamlessly.

Scenarios & Miniature Naming Released!

Apple have approved the Scenario and Miniature naming update, so I have released both it and its Android counterpart on Google Play. It can take several hours to become available in your local app store.  A reminder: The multiplayer games in this latest version are not compatible with earlier versions, so you won’t be able to connect to or from older versions of 3D Virtual Tabletop.  Make sure everyone you’re playing with has updated to the latest version, anything V2.1.42 or later.

Come and See us at Gen Con

We’re at Gen Con this year and would be happy to see you at booth #3039 in the Exhibitor’s Hall.  There’ll be lots going on, including some games from AAWGames / AdventureAWeek.com and Mike Myler being run on 3D Virtual Tabletop.

You can tell us about how you’ve been using 3DVTT in your own games and what you’d like to see in the future.  We’re constantly amazed at the creativity of you all.

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.

Miniature Naming is Coming to 3D Virtual Tabletop

Here’s a screenshot of the new Miniature Naming that I’m working on for 3D Virtual Tabletop.  It’ll be great for keeping track of different monsters and make it easier for players to say which enemy they are attacking.  I could have really used this in a past encounter where I ambushed the party with 28 orc-like creatures.  It would have made it much easier to identify each adversary.

The names are saved with scenarios so you can set them up beforehand.  I like to do this to give monsters descriptive names like “Bugbear with Torn Left Ear” rather than just a number.  Everyone in the game can see the name, so you can’t use it for private info, but if you’re making notes, you can use it as an identifier. Names can also be changed on the fly to reflect conditions, which is especially helpful if you end a session halfway through a combat.

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.

Scenarios Released on Android

Great news! I’ve just finished uploading the latest update for 3D Virtual Tabletop to Google Play. The big new thing is loading and saving of scenarios.  There’s a new button on the right for it.  Saving a scenario stores the map with fog of war, and the locations of all the minis, along with the “Show Grid” and “Snap to Grid” settings that you’re using on the tabletop. This makes it really easy to pick up where you left off last session. At the moment, the scenarios are just stored locally on the device. A future update will sync them with your account so that you can access them anywhere. As with all updates, it may be a few hours before it appears on Google Play for you.

I still have a little work to do to get Scenarios working on iOS. Hopefully it’ll only be another day or so, but I’ll let you all know when that’s out too.

Scenarios

I’ve got scenario loading and saving working well.  Before I release it though, I need to take care of handling the GM permissions correctly with the scenarios.  Whatever your GM wants hidden, should stay hidden. Also, what’s the right thing to do when you’re a GM in a multiplayer game and you load a scenario where you were a player? There are a few things like that to sort out.  I’ve also been doing some tidying up around fog of war, so that will work better than before.

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.