Maps, layers and characters.

[Ken L]

I've not played with FG much yet as I didn't want to pull the trigger on another monthly sub to play with the map creation tools.

I don't think anyone has mentioned that FG has 0 map creation tools. The drawing tool is more of a joke. FG is more designed for loading in your pre-created maps from say GIMP or Photoshop or an export from Dungeon Fog or other map editor.

[Ken L]

1. Unless you use the extension, there is only one layer for tokens on the image. To be honest, the extension is great when you really need it but it is a pain the rest of the time. For example, if you set up an encounter ahead of time and then hit the button to drop the npcs into the tracker, it will put their tokens on the bottom layer when you want them on the top layer (so that your players can interact with them.) It is a function that needs to be built into the base program, and probably will be, but isn't yet.

IIRC, both Enhanced Layers and AK which integrates it have backward compatibility for the encounters tool. If the 'battle' as FG calls it internally is added to the CT with tokens on the lowest background/image layer, it instead adds them to the top play layer. AK does this and so did the version of Enhanced Layers that was integrated, it was an add on by Trenloe from Zeus' base extension.

[damned]

I don't think anyone has mentioned that FG has 0 map creation tools. The drawing tool is more of a joke. FG is more designed for loading in your pre-created maps from say GIMP or Photoshop or an export from Dungeon Fog or other map editor.

This is important - if you are looking for a map editor this is not your product.
Hopefully by Christmas this might be different... but until then...

[epithet]

This should not happen with the CoreRPG based layers extension. There’s been code in the extension for a number of years that place pre-placed tokens in an encounter on the top (play) layer, even if they were from an encounter created without the extension. If this is not working, then please provide further details (ruleset, versions, etc.) so I can track down the issue and fix it if necessary. Thanks.

My experience was using the "Enhanced Images CoreRPG+" extension, the version was current as of 4/20/18 (which was also the time frame when I was using it.) I prepared maps and encounters in Campaign1, exported them to a module, then opened the module in Campaign2. When opening the map and hitting the button on the bottom of the encounter to add it to the combat tracker and place the tokens as assigned on the map, the tokens were added to the bottom layer. I corrected this by dragging them back to the map (on the top layer) from the combat tracker.

I cannot remember now whether I used the extension in campaign1 while creating the module. Both campaigns were D&D 5e.

Edit: Hahahaha. I just went to update the extension (because when you need it, it is indispensable) and saw this:

v2.1.1a April 21st, 2018. Update for encounter token placement on bottom layer.

So, yeah... if I had waited a day (or checked back, I dunno... ever) I would have had the issue sorted.

[robert4818]

Maps can be linked to content in various ways (notes, story entries, pins on other maps, minimized to the desktop, etc..). By default there is only one layer per-se. So selecting tokens can be an interesting affair by default if you have a lot and there is overlap. Yet, there is an extension (Advanced Kombat) that has 3 layers that can be used like you describe. I've been using it in my campaign with no issues so far. I'll put spell area effects on a layer, it does blood splatters (which the group likes because it shows their path through the dungeon), and so forth. FG has what is called a combat tracker along with encounter grouping/management - you have a number of staging options for creatures (even more with the Advanced Kombat extension). Yes, player character sheets are highly automated as long as you have access to the PHB in FG. If you don't, content has to be manually entered to create the same automation. For example, with the PHB you can just drag and drop a class onto a character sheet and it leads you through the options, sets skills, adds feats and abilities, etc..

That's a shame.

I've just started playing with FG, and it would be really cool to have a "layer" for each player. By default most things exist on multiple layers, but you can choose to selectively place things on one player's layer only. This would work well for special senses, hallucinations, etc.

Imagine replacing all the character tokens on a player's sheet with "goblin" tokens, because a wizard hit them with a spell...

[Trenloe]

My experience was using the "Enhanced Images CoreRPG+" extension, the version was current as of 4/20/18 (which was also the time frame when I was using it.) I prepared maps and encounters in Campaign1, exported them to a module, then opened the module in Campaign2. When opening the map and hitting the button on the bottom of the encounter to add it to the combat tracker and place the tokens as assigned on the map, the tokens were added to the bottom layer. I corrected this by dragging them back to the map (on the top layer) from the combat tracker.

I cannot remember now whether I used the extension in campaign1 while creating the module. Both campaigns were D&D 5e.

From the extension thread, post #1: "v2.1.1a April 21st, 2018. Update for encounter token placement on bottom layer." - this was something that was fixed very quickly. Seems like you were very unlucky to be using it on the one day in 3 years when this didn't work.

As you can see from this post: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forum...l=1#post386489 This particular issue was fixed within 25 minutes of being reported.

I'd really recommend that you give feedback to the extension developer if there are any issues with community developed extensions, rather than publicly letting everyone know that something isn't very good because a certain piece of functionality doesn't work. Give the developer a chance to address the issue or, as in this case, get some feedback that your issue has already been reported and fixed. Thanks.

[Patou]

Hi all,

I am looking at how I can best use the layers ext and was wondering if it was possible to have the npcs, characters on the middle layer, and the fog of war on the top layer? Was that something that was looked at? Just curious..

Thanks

[Zacchaeus]

The masking is done on the bottom layer, player and NPC tokens go on the top layer. So it does that now - just not on the layers you specified.

[LordEntrails]

My understanding is that the mask must be on the bottom layer. It's not accessible to the extension.

[Patou]

Awesome! Thanks guys. I also just noticed that it has been updated since. The version I had still worked but the layers weren't set-up the same.. original

For droping damage upon a creature I presume you must be on the bottom layer before you drop damage dice on the npc... correct?