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  1. #1

    Multiple Player Instances from Same Machine Problems

    I've been trying to move from Roll20 to FG for my campaign in our gaming group. We've used Roll20 for a number of years and the transition has been met with mixed feelings. Unfortunately, one of the biggest opponents so far is also the one who's encountered the most issues. We have a custom gaming table with a TV built in. This player typically runs the table in addition to his own character. For Fantasy Grounds that means he's trying to run one instance on the TV that doesn't have a character associated to basically just show the combat map and any images I push. He runs a second instance on his laptop screen where he actually manages his character and combat tracker.

    While I know you can run multiple instances with one as GM and the other as player, I think multiple instances as player isn't working right because this player has received numerous error dialogs and in our last session ended up having to close completely and reload to get a map to load. I suspect what is happening is when I as GM share a map or other image, both instances are trying to download that image and store it in the same local data folder so they end up stomping on each other due to file locks.

    Can a dev confirm this theory and suggest another way we might get around this problem?

  2. #2
    LordEntrails's Avatar
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    That's exactly what's happening. Both instances are using the same cache and are then conflicting with each other. I don't know if their is a work around for somehow having two player instances on the same computer.

    I do know most groups that use a similar setup have two instances om the GM/host computer, one for the public map (connected using 'localhost' as the address) and the other as the GM server. This works well for most groups. Is it possible that you could change your approach to the GM computer running two instances?

    One of the community devs will probably be along shortly to let us know if their is another possible solution for you. That's the only one I know of.

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  3. #3
    Zacchaeus's Avatar
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    Hi valdacil welcome to the community.

    Since you are the GM you should be the one controlling the player instance which is showing up on the tv screen. As LE says above connect to the host using localhost and project that instance onto (into?) the tv.
    If there is something that you would like to see in Fantasy Grounds that isn't currently part of the software or if there is something you think would improve a ruleset then add your idea here https://www.fantasygrounds.com/featu...rerequests.php

  4. #4
    Thanks LE for confirming. From a technical perspective I understand why this is the case, however, due to numerous factors it is not feasible for me to run the table. The three main reasons being that my computer doesn't have an output for the TV (without a dongle), the cable is run to the player's location and isn't long enough to reach my location at the table, and most importantly, with everything else I'm doing as GM during a session (managing the campaign, combats, descriptions, gathering input from players, etc) adding the extra burden of flipping back and forth between a GM instance and player instance while aligning and scaling the map display and constantly moving it as the player move... I'm doing a bunch already; adding this would interrupt the flow of the group and play additional stress on the GM. That's why we've had a player control the table view for years.

    So it sounds like the only way to make that work would be to have a dedicated system attached to the table and the player control both his own laptop and that dedicate system. Or have a VM on his laptop so that he can run 2 instances; one on his laptop directly, the second in the VM? No other ideas?

  5. #5
    Zacchaeus's Avatar
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    I've never used FG face to dace so I'm not up with the mechanics of it. You could try this extension which scales the map to the table view. This may or may not help with your problem.

    You can right click on the map in DM view and select share and then resync client view to force the map to redraw for the clients, but I'm not sure that helps either since I assume the projected map is displayed much bigger than it would be on the DM client. I'm not sure about a VM client if you are using a PC. I know that this can be done on a mac. Having a dummy client might be an answer but You would need a dummy PC I think in order for everything to work as expected (You won't be able to share anything without a PC on the dummy client).
    If there is something that you would like to see in Fantasy Grounds that isn't currently part of the software or if there is something you think would improve a ruleset then add your idea here https://www.fantasygrounds.com/featu...rerequests.php

  6. #6
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    Ok the best way to do this in your situation will be to extend the players monitor so that one instance of FG is across both screens.
    Maps on the TV and everything else on the laptop.

    Otherwise have another player do that...

  7. #7
    Trenloe's Avatar
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    Welcome to the forums Valdacil

    You basically have the options already mentioned, as you ca't run two player instances on the same computer - due to the problems you've encountered.
    1) Run one player instance and stretch FG across two monitors as Damned mentioned.
    2) Run a VM and run the second player instance there. Assuming the GM has an ultimate license, this will work fine with 2 demo/free clients. If the GM has a standard license, you will need a standard license for each player instance.
    Private Messages: My inbox is forever filling up with PMs. Please don't send me PMs unless they are actually private/personal messages. General FG questions should be asked in the forums - don't be afraid, the FG community don't bite and you're giving everyone the chance to respond and learn!

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