# DM's Toolkit Program--NOW AVAILABLE!



## Eldritch_Lord

EDIT: The toolkit is now available here.

Greetings, all.  I've been a long-time lurker and exceedingly infrequent poster, but I've been following the 4e news here since its first announcement.  In that vein, I've gotten together with a poster on the Wizards boards to put together a little program we're calling the DM's Toolkit.

The Toolkit is basically a simple and comprehensible creation-engine for all things 4e. Want to cook up a feat, power, magic item or something else?  Just input the necessary stuff into our engine and you will get a correctly-formatted version, either for personal storage (with bolded, italicized, and underlined parts as needed) or to post on a forum (with standard forum tags).

All in all, our program will, when finished, be able to help you create the following things:
•       Races
•       Classes
•       Paragon Paths
•       Epic Destinies
•       Powers
•       Feats
•       Magic Items
•       Rituals
•       Monsters

We plan on a first release on June 6th, when the core books are being officially shipped and in stores.  Meanwhile, for your viewing pleasure I've provided a bunch of screenshots.
One last thing: All screenshots taken are of fully functioning parts of the Toolkit– We started awhile back and are now in full gear to finish everything up by the release date.

[sblock=Power Creator]





[/sblock]

[sblock=Paragon Path Creator]




[/sblock]

[sblock=Epic Destiny Creator]




[/sblock]

[sblock=Class Creator]




[/sblock]

[sblock=Plain Text Output]




[/sblock]

[sblock=Forum Text Output]




[/sblock]

---------------------

I've posted this thread to get feedback and/or corrections before the Toolkit becomes available for download. Since neither of us was one of the lucky ones to get the 4e books early (Curse you, Barnes & Noble!), we've been working only from the preview materials, as you can probably guess from the screenshots above.

If you happen to have the books and notice a problem with the input or another mistake, please post or PM and let me know. For instance, a Wizards poster just let me know a few minutes ago that the Fighter has 4 abilities listed as Key Abilities, and so the 3 slots for Key Abilities in the Class Creator won't be sufficient, and I'll have to redo that.

We want to make this as accurate and user-friendly as possible, so any feedback and comments are greatly appreciated.


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## beverson

Wow.  Looks great!  Need anyone to bang on it for you to see what breaks?


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## Idabrius

This looks absolutely amazing. Shattered Lands officially endorses it!


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## Eldritch_Lord

beverson said:
			
		

> Wow.  Looks great!  Need anyone to bang on it for you to see what breaks?




I've had a few people beta test the Power, Path, and Destiny Creators, but the Class Creator was just finished.  If you'd like to beta that, you can.



			
				Idabrius said:
			
		

> This looks absolutely amazing. Shattered Lands officially endorses it!




Excellent! Tell Shattered Lands thank you from me.


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## Belorin

Looking forward to it Eldritch_Lord.

Bel


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## MadLetter

Heya!

I'm the poster from the wizards boards E_L spoke of! 
Hope you all like the programm!


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## MadLetter

Tiny Shameless Bump!


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## Andur

Just me, or is there no linky?  Beta or not.


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## MadLetter

Andur said:
			
		

> Just me, or is there no linky?  Beta or not.




Opening Post:


> I've posted this thread to get feedback and/or corrections before the Toolkit becomes available for download.




6th June is our first release, open for download. Anyone eager enough with the necessary time and interest can PM or mail us about getting into the beta we have running. Maybe you get lucky and we then need another few testers! 

Also after some time of working, we have found a solution to the "Always On Top"-Problem, so this is no longer a bug.
The "Important Ability-Scores" parts is also done to allow for more than 3 important abilities.


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## Andur

You mean I had to read the entire post?    

Suggestion:

Tie in the Power Creator to a "Power Card" printable format, if you've already done that, kudos.


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## MadLetter

We got the same suggestion on the wizards board, so we put it on the To-Do (will probably not be in first release, though).


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## Idabrius

From the images you've got up there, is it fair to say that this thing is Java and therefore cross-platform?


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## MadLetter

Idabrius said:
			
		

> From the images you've got up there, is it fair to say that this thing is Java and therefore cross-platform?




Aye. Although neither I nor Eldritch_Lord are in love with Java, it was the best choice from the languages we know (I know delphi, but am crappy at it and rusted like hell; E_L knows a few others but thought Java would be the best one for this project).


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## Eldritch_Lord

Andur said:
			
		

> You mean I had to read the entire post?
> 
> Suggestion:
> 
> Tie in the Power Creator to a "Power Card" printable format, if you've already done that, kudos.




Like MadLetter said, we've gotten that suggestion and are looking into it; it most likely won't be available at first release, but I'm pretty sure I can whip it up fairly quickly after everything else is finished.



			
				Idabrius said:
			
		

> From the images you've got up there, is it fair to say that this thing is Java and therefore cross-platform?




Our goal is to help _all_ homebrewers, regardless of OS.  (Though if you're using Linux, you get brownie points in my book. )  We plan to release it as an executable .jar file, so the only thing you'll need to use it is a fairly recent version of J2SE.


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## Idabrius

First I was excited. Then I was thrilled. Now, I don't know what to say; You guys keep getting better and better in my book.


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## MadLetter

Thanks 

We try to make this program as worthwhile as possible for all intents of home-brewing! 

We might also extend the functionality, adding new features (I have heared something about Alchemy coming up in some book, which draws heavily from Ritual functions) as they are released!


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## MadLetter

Shameless Self-Bump


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## DonAdam

Baller.


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## MadLetter

DonAdam said:
			
		

> Baller.




???


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## Agamon

MadLetter said:
			
		

> ???




Heh.  "Well done!" I think is what he's getting at.


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## MadLetter

Ah!  Well thanks then


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## SandS_James

Looks cool!

A quick add-on: Remember, the GSL is set to come out on June 6th.  You may want to watch how you brand this product, keeping in mind that the license contains as yet unknown terms... and prevents publishing anything under it until October 1st.  However, not a lawyer, so treat all of this with a grain of salt.


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## Eldritch_Lord

SandS_James said:
			
		

> Looks cool!
> 
> A quick add-on: Remember, the GSL is set to come out on June 6th.  You may want to watch how you brand this product, keeping in mind that the license contains as yet unknown terms... and prevents publishing anything under it until October 1st.  However, not a lawyer, so treat all of this with a grain of salt.




Well, this isn't going to have any "4th Edition D&D compatible!" on it, nor is it technically being _published_, as it's not for profit, so we should be okay...but I'll keep that in mind.


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## KKDragonLord

Awesome


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## MadLetter

Thanks Dragonlord! 

Look forward to the 6th, guys, maybe we have some more stuff done by that  depends on how many bugs/issues we find to deal with! 

Just now E_L is adding a few new things to the Class-Creator!


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## 12thlvlnrd

Color me impressed already.

Or, maybe color me *green* with envy because I so lack any talent or commitment to pull off such a project.

I'll be keeping an eye on this.


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## MadLetter

OKay hereby you are coloured green, 12thlvlnrd! 

Anyone for red? I'll take black myself!

In all honesty the talent of this project is E_L, I'm mostly the guy who had the idea to start it and does the art  I'm really happy E_L popped up in the Wizards forum and took over the programming (which initially was in Delphi, the only language I know  ).


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## Morrus

Eldritch_Lord said:
			
		

> Well, this isn't going to have any "4th Edition D&D compatible!" on it, nor is it technically being _published_, as it's not for profit, so we should be okay...but I'll keep that in mind.




Well, publishing isn't dependent on profit - you can publish free materials.

The GSL won't allow you to create any kind of interactive software for use with D&D; I'm imagining that you don't plan to use the GSL, though.  I'd make sure it doesn't say "Dungeons & Dragons" on it just to be extra-cautious, although WotC has always been pretty good about fan-created stuff.

I seem to recall they said they'd be publishing a fan-creations policy sometime soon anyway, which should basically describe their attitude towards such things.


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## MadLetter

Morrus said:
			
		

> Well, publishing isn't dependent on profit - you can publish free materials.
> 
> The GSL won't allow you to create any kind of interactive software for use with D&D; I'm imagining that you don't plan to use the GSL, though.  I'd make sure it doesn't say "Dungeons & Dragons" on it just to be extra-cautious, although WotC has always been pretty good about fan-created stuff.




Well I hope they stay good with fan-created stuff!  I mean the whole engine we are making is about making fan-created stuff, albeit not in the same sense that you meant probably! 



> I seem to recall they said they'd be publishing a fan-creations policy sometime soon anyway, which should basically describe their attitude towards such things.




That one would really be interesting!  I hope they don't jump on our heads, when we release our toolkit on the 6th. I will surely read the fan-creation policy ASAP 

Thanks for dropping in then, Morrus!


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## Siberys

So... there will be a way to print with this? I didn't see one on the screen shots, hence why I ask.


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## MadLetter

On our ToDo list is the point of printing powers to power-cards...

In and of itself, we might also implement a print functiona altogether. If not, you have the Plain Text option, which you can copy into word or something alike and then print it as you desire.

In a first-release we probably won't have the print function... we first want to get all parts of the programm running!


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## Eldritch_Lord

Greetings once again; we could use a little help.

Right now we've added all the power sources in the PHB and are looking at what to name the powers of other sources. There were a few threads on what to name them a while back on the Wizards boards, so at the moment, we've included what we think are the best ones they came up with...but surely the esteemed EnWorld regulars can do better. 

As they stand now:

"Talents" for Psi
"Channelings" for Primal
"Mysteries" for Shadow
"Maneuvers" for Ki/Soul
"Invocations" for Elemental

I'm partial to Mysteries for Shadow, since that's the way they were in ToM, and Talents have been a psionic thing since 1e, but in regards to the other ones we're sort of at a loss.  If you guys have any better ideas (highly probably), post away!


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## Siberys

Personally, I'd say to leave 'em out 'till they're apparent. In fact, I'd make that field a text box, for those who make their own power sources. Else I'd have such a text-box available, by way of a radio button or something. Whatever flies your airship, though.

As for the options - I like all of the ones you've got there, 'cept that  'Talents' seems bland and 'Channelings' just doesn't sit right with me, for some reason. Don't really have any suggestions beyond that, though.

EDIT: Also, I'd make a 'Character Creator' screen, although it's a bit OT.


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## Eldritch_Lord

Siberys said:
			
		

> Personally, I'd say to leave 'em out 'till they're apparent. In fact, I'd make that field a text box, for those who make their own power sources. Else I'd have such a text-box available, by way of a radio button or something. Whatever flies your airship, though.
> 
> As for the options - I like all of the ones you've got there, 'cept that  'Talents' seems bland and 'Channelings' just doesn't sit right with me, for some reason. Don't really have any suggestions beyond that, though.




Good idea on the make-your-own-source thing.  Will do.  Thing is, we don't want to leave them out for right now because everyone wants to make the monk, or the barbarian, or the psion, or another Psi/Primal/Shadow/Ki class.



> EDIT: Also, I'd make a 'Character Creator' screen, although it's a bit OT.




Hmm...and what would that do?


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## Siberys

What everything else in your program does; You input the text, and it properly formats it into stat-block form, and/or a character sheet. 'Twould add a lot of functionality to it for people who don't houserule, but do make lots of NPCs , or Builds, etc.


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## DonAdam

Eldritch_Lord said:
			
		

> As they stand now:
> 
> "Talents" for Psi
> "Channelings" for Primal
> "Mysteries" for Shadow
> "Maneuvers" for Ki/Soul
> "Invocations" for Elemental
> 
> I'm partial to Mysteries for Shadow, since that's the way they were in ToM, and Talents have been a psionic thing since 1e, but in regards to the other ones we're sort of at a loss.  If you guys have any better ideas (highly probably), post away!




I won't say their better, but they might trigger other ideas:

"Manifestations" for psi

"Disciplines" for ki

Primal "Surges?" (yeah, I couldn't help myself, and it would probably be confusing with healing surges)

Primal Aspects? Spirits? Nothing I'm thinking of seems to work too well for druids and barbarians alike...

You guys appear to be doing stellar work. Bravo.


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## Eldritch_Lord

Siberys said:
			
		

> What everything else in your program does; You input the text, and it properly formats it into stat-block form, and/or a character sheet. 'Twould add a lot of functionality to it for people who don't houserule, but do make lots of NPCs , or Builds, etc.




Ah.  I thought you meant some sort of homebrewing thing related to character creation.  A character creator might come along later, but right now the other stuff is first priority.


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## Dormain1

Eldritch_Lord said:
			
		

> Greetings once again; we could use a little help.
> 
> Right now we've added all the power sources in the PHB and are looking at what to name the powers of other sources. There were a few threads on what to name them a while back on the Wizards boards, so at the moment, we've included what we think are the best ones they came up with...but surely the esteemed EnWorld regulars can do better.
> 
> As they stand now:
> 
> "Talents" for Psi
> "Channelings" for Primal
> "Mysteries" for Shadow
> "Maneuvers" for Ki/Soul
> "Invocations" for Elemental
> 
> I'm partial to Mysteries for Shadow, since that's the way they were in ToM, and Talents have been a psionic thing since 1e, but in regards to the other ones we're sort of at a loss.  If you guys have any better ideas (highly probably), post away!





Great work btw, sign me up if you need any more help crashing the code (I have even been able to crash the magic set editor, but don't ask me how  )

"PsP" for Psi (whenever i see Psi i think pound per square inch)
"Chaos" for Primal (you could also go tribal, feral or anything ending in al)
"Dark or Void" for Shadow (ie Dark magic or Void magic)
"Devotions" for Ki/Soul (also Foci)
"Captain Planet" for Elemental   

It's not these boys fault that DDI is not up to their standard  , worse case scenario just create the shell and have a seperate download for the rules when you get the ok, or it gets leaked at the publishers  

anyway good luck


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## MadLetter

Dormain1 said:
			
		

> Great work btw, sign me up if you need any more help crashing the code (I have even been able to crash the magic set editor, but don't ask me how  )





Hiya Dormain1 ! 

Friday you get your first chance to smash the code to bits, if you can!  We will eventually give users an adress to send Bugreports to, so we get a better overview 

Greets,
Christian


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## MadLetter

Update:
RaceCreation is complete.

I myself am working on a new look for the program, hoping to have it done by tomorrow.


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## Eldritch_Lord

Well guys, today's the first release!  It should be up in a few hours for you to download; just putting the finishing touches on the first release version right now.

Thanks to tornados and flooding, loss of power, and (of course) not having the books, we were only able to finish the Race, Power, Class, Path, and Destiny Creators for the first release.  However, as soon as school is over (next week!) I'll have plenty of time to finish the Toolkit, and since I'll have the books by then, the new Creators will be coming all the faster.

You can look forward to having the Item Creator (including artifacts), Ritual Creator, and Feat Creator (including a nice table of all the feats you've made) coming up next, with the Monster Creator coming a bit afterwards.

Included with the download are several sample files, one for each Creator, so you can see what it looks like to begin with and so you can have an example of what goes in each field.  Also included are a Readme file with credits, version history, etc. and a Preliminary Instructions file with a few tips that should tide you over until the comprehensive instructions are included.

If you have any comments, questions, feature suggestions, bugs to report, etc. (And praise!  We like praise! ), you can email us at dm.toolkit@gmail.com.


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## MadLetter

Update:

Sorry guys, I was recommended to wait until monday with release and take a look at the GSL.

I'm sorry for letting you guys wait, but cope with it until monday, please!


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## Eldritch_Lord

Well it is now Monday, with no GSL announcement yet.  (Surprise!)  Since Mr. Rouse..._kindly suggested_ that we wait for it to be out before making anything available for download, it looks like you'll have to wait a few more days.  Hang in there.


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## Idabrius

This saddens me. I don't suppose you could send me a beta link at kestar@gmail.com?


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## Eldritch_Lord

Idabrius said:
			
		

> This saddens me. I don't suppose you could send me a beta link at kestar@gmail.com?




An emailed version wouldn't fall under GSL, now would it?


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## Idabrius

Wily. Wily and delightful. Many thanks for this, and be assured that if I find any bugs I shall meekly and shamefacedly point them out to your munificence.


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## PrecociousApprentice

I was thinking about creating this same sorta thing, only with Excel (The only sorta programming language that I know), could you send me a beta as well so that I can make sure that I am not going to be duplicating work and that it would fit my concept.

Thanks.

notapc1@gmail.com


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## Siberys

If it wouldn't be an imposition, I'd love to be beta-ing too.

dragonabove@gmail.com


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## spanglemaker

I would love to help with the Beta-ing too, if it's not too much trouble.

spanglemaker371@yahoo.com


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## Knightvaliant

I would like to help with beta testing

zeathiel@gmail.com


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## doseyclwn

would love to help with beta testing as well. Dosey69@aol.com


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## Idabrius

And so have the floodgates... opened!


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## Ghaerdon Fain

re: BETA:

me too please  ghaerdon@gmail.com


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## Eldritch_Lord

Lots of people beta testing, I see.  As the GSL still has yet to show itself, I suppose it's about time for copies of the Toolkit to mysteriously appear in inboxes.


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## Nine Hands

Oh...me please...

j_sheridan@yahoo.com


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## JoshR

I'd love to beta test it

jraspberry at gmail


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## elpajero

An extra pair of eyes may spot even more bugs *nudge nudge*

franz DOT lutzenberger AT gmail DOT com


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## Entropi

I too would love to beta test.  I'll even report bugs and stuff.

markhatfield at columbus.rr.com


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## Eldritch_Lord

Guys, without the GSL out we just can't keep sending this out to anyone who puts their email address up.  I'm going to have to officially refuse any more requests.

Unofficially...if you put up the address and didn't get an email from us, let me know and we can keep emphatically refusing to send it until you get something.


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## RandomCitizenX

*sigh* just a little too late it seems to offer my services as a beta test with my email of randomcitizenx@hotmail.com .......


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## sidonunspa

Well seeing that Im already running a home game, working on changing my world over to 4e, and working on a possable 4e product I think I can help with the bata testing 

ya I know you closed bata, but I'm hoping my email may slip and you may send a copy my way 

CHawkwinter@aol.com


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## Eldritch_Lord

So that's two more that I adamantly refuse to provide with the beta version.  Anyone else?


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## Tomacticus

Please do not send it to me either.  Cause that would be just unheard of.

Make sure not to send it to tommyarnold at gmail

Despicable


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## infocynic

Well, I was going to wait for you to really publish it, so I suppose you really shouldn't send it to buREMOVETHISssemac AT gmail either. Wouldn't want you to break the rules.


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## Emryys

emryys [at] yahoo [dot] ca ,doesn't want you to break the rules either...


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## gofargogo

I gofargogo at gmail dot com, refuse to take part in beta testing. And I will happily refuse to accept any email from Eldritch Lord, and use the contents of said email in my home-games twice a week.


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## MadLetter

Ignoring all you would-be betatesters, I just gonna tease you all with new screenshots.

And the fact that Scott Rouse mentioned that it's likely for the GSL to appear soon.

[sblock]













































































[/sblock]


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## Ghaerdon Fain

LOL   

[2 cents for a Mac version ]


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## MadLetter

Ghaerdon Fain said:
			
		

> LOL
> 
> [2 cents for a Mac version ]




I don't exactly know what you want to express with this...

If it's a worry about a Mac version, there will be one. It's done in Java so it's mostly cross-platform viable... if you use a Mac, Linux or Windows... if you have JRE it should work.


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## Eldritch_Lord

If, hypothetically, several people here were to mysteriously discover a Toolkit lying around, they should hypothetically be testing it.  I would, entirely hypothetically, be upset that I have not (hypothetically) received any feedback from these people yet.

Hypothetically.


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## FoolishFrost

I forget, why are we using email addys instead of just dumping it on a webpage?

I'm dense that way, yanno?

ffmassmail@gmail.com

Thanks!


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## Kralin Thornberry

I definitely would NOT be interested in beta testing!


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## Eldritch_Lord

TheFool1972 said:
			
		

> I forget, why are we using email addys instead of just dumping it on a webpage?




Because Mr. Scott Rouse basically said that it shouldn't be made freely available until we can clear it with the GSL or there may be serious repercussions.  We have a site all ready to go the instant the GSL hits the intarwebs, so it'll be available as soon as we determine that we've done everything we need to and/or made any changes.


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## RandomCitizenX

If I was messing around with the class editor, which we know is impossible since I was so emphatically refused, I would comment on how accessible everything was as well as my only confusion being the level and numbers section under the powers tab. On the monk sample it says zero even though their is definitely powers entered.


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## mlooney

Eldritch_Lord said:
			
		

> So that's two more that I adamantly refuse to provide with the beta version.  Anyone else?




Right.  And I really don't want a copy at j.michael.looney at gmail.com either.

Nope, don't want it, not at all.  Not like even SOON or any thing.


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## Wurm1234

Eldritch_Lord said:
			
		

> If, hypothetically, several people here were to mysteriously discover a Toolkit lying around, they should hypothetically be testing it.  I would, entirely hypothetically, be upset that I have not (hypothetically) received any feedback from these people yet.
> 
> Hypothetically.




If, very hypothetically, one were messing around with such a program, one might mention that the program is very stable for a beta, but the user interface is a bit obtuse.  One might easily chalk that up to it being beta, of course.  By obtuse I mean that, for example, flavor text for a power or class or whatever is a single line of text that disappears when it is being typed as it gets longer than the box.  If I was playing with it, I really like to be able to resize the data entry screens.  Rollover tool tips about what type of information should be included in the various data entry boxes would be helpful.

Just a couple of quick bits of hypothetical feedback.


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## Idabrius

As far as hypothetical feedback goes, I would have to say that if such a program were ever to HAPPEN into my hands, I would explore it up and down.

Now, I can imagine that when saving individual files for use with said hypothetical program it might grow to be a bit bulky. Perhaps there would be a solution floating out there in the sea of possibility, like a packaging utility that would allow for output as a mass data file? Just a thought based on absolutely no observation.


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## Eldritch_Lord

RandomCitizenX said:
			
		

> If I was messing around with the class editor, which we know is impossible since I was so emphatically refused, I would comment on how accessible everything was as well as my only confusion being the level and numbers section under the powers tab. On the monk sample it says zero even though their is definitely powers entered.




Funny you should mention a powers tab with numbers on it; how did you know there was one of those in the program?  I'll definitely have to make sure the loading process is working correctly before we release this.



			
				Wurm1234 said:
			
		

> By obtuse I mean that, for example, flavor text for a power or class or whatever is a single line of text that disappears when it is being typed as it gets longer than the box. If I was playing with it, I really like to be able to resize the data entry screens. Rollover tool tips about what type of information should be included in the various data entry boxes would be helpful.




One might also mention that there is a button next to each field, and that if one _clicks_ the button next to each field, a pop-up box with a much bigger area for text appears for your text-entering convenience.

One might also note that a comprehensive set of instructions will be released when all of the Creators are done, but that at the moment final exams and such have prevented me from providing one.



			
				Idabrius said:
			
		

> Now, I can imagine that when saving individual files for use with said hypothetical program it might grow to be a bit bulky. Perhaps there would be a solution floating out there in the sea of possibility, like a packaging utility that would allow for output as a mass data file? Just a thought based on absolutely no observation.




I can imagine that files are only on the order of a few dozen KB with tons of stuff in them (classes with powers, for instance) and that saving them should not be an issue, but that I would consider that to be a feature request that may get worked on soon.


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## Idabrius

I did not imagine these mysterious files would be bulky SIZE wise, but rather unwieldy to locate and track. A single data-export data-load for, say, a setting or rules-group might facilitate in not having to hunt for "Dragonborn_feats_SettingName" or somesuch.


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## Halivar

Hey! I see you've written it in Java.  I'm a C# coder by day, but back in the days of yore I made a living as a Java developer.

I also spent a few years as software QA, and I'm told I'm pretty good at breaking things. I don't know how closed the beta is, but if I can help, I would love to.


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## Belorin

<bump>
Don't want this getting lost before the OGL comes out. 

Bel


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## Idabrius

Another note that I have noticed in my... er... contemplation of the program:

Some Paragon Paths have additional powers/abilities. For an example of this take a look at the Paladin paths. Is there any way to build in a "define extra" feature?


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## Eldritch_Lord

Idabrius said:
			
		

> I did not imagine these mysterious files would be bulky SIZE wise, but rather unwieldy to locate and track. A single data-export data-load for, say, a setting or rules-group might facilitate in not having to hunt for "Dragonborn_feats_SettingName" or somesuch.



When I saw this comment, I was inexplicably inspired to double-check the save and load methods.  Lo and behold, for some reason it doesn't want to load classes from outside that one folder, and the secondary save dialog to choose the location was not popping up.  It appears I didn't compensate for the differences between running a program directly and running one from a .jar.  Saving and loading to whatever location you want is now supported for the next version.



			
				Halivar said:
			
		

> Hey! I see you've written it in Java. I'm a C# coder by day, but back in the days of yore I made a living as a Java developer.
> 
> I also spent a few years as software QA, and I'm told I'm pretty good at breaking things. I don't know how closed the beta is, but if I can help, I would love to.



Another programmer!  Excellent!  You might also find something mysteriously appear in your inbox today, if I were somehow to mysteriously gain access to your email address.



			
				Idabrius said:
			
		

> Another note that I have noticed in my... er... contemplation of the program:
> 
> Some Paragon Paths have additional powers/abilities. For an example of this take a look at the Paladin paths. Is there any way to build in a "define extra" feature?



How perceptive of you to guess out of thin air that there are only 3 ability spaces!  Well, I just got my books today (I've been working off preview material thus far) so I'll take a look at the paladin and see what needs changing.


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

So.  Another 2 days without the GSL.  Surprise surprise.  Hang in there, guys; soon we won't have to have things most definitely not be appearing in inboxes.


----------



## jeixxon

Seeing as the GSL is taking forever to arrive I highly doubt I will see a copy of this, especially not in my inbox at ddrgamer AThotmail D0Tcom.


----------



## Siberys

Couple of things I noticed:

The output for races is wonky in that the power comes BEFORE the racial traits.

Abilities and other forms of input are a little restrictive. I was making 1/2-orcs in the program and couldn't get in '+2 to any other ability of your choice'. I suggest having text input available for as much stuff as possible.

There should be a way to format the text, overriding the default set-up. I wanted to italicize a power name when referencing it in a racial ability, for example, and could not.

Being able to save groups of rules, instead of individual rules-bits, would be great.


----------



## reaction

mastersofevil@gmail.com


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Siberys said:
			
		

> Couple of things I noticed:
> 
> The output for races is wonky in that the power comes BEFORE the racial traits.




I'll fix that.



> Abilities and other forms of input are a little restrictive. I was making 1/2-orcs in the program and couldn't get in '+2 to any other ability of your choice'. I suggest having text input available for as much stuff as possible.




One of the options in the ability box is "Any," which is what I think you wanted--"+2 Str, +2 Any" for example.



> There should be a way to format the text, overriding the default set-up. I wanted to italicize a power name when referencing it in a racial ability, for example, and could not.




I'll see what I can do.



> Being able to save groups of rules, instead of individual rules-bits, would be great.




What exactly do you mean by "individual rules-bits"?


----------



## ShadowyFigure

you know shadowy_figure@hotmail.com could really do with a sudden toolkit appearance ^^

GSL early next week my ass...


----------



## jonjorgensen

*Just a thought...*

If an email addresss (jonjorgensen@mac.com) suddenly appeared on this forum for no reason, I think the reciever would in no way hope for an email containing a beta version of some strange DND or something or other supposed creation engine.  Its not like the supposed email recipient has been waiting patiently for "They Who Dwell by the Sea" to do something similar and is getting irritated with their ineptitude.

Just a thought...


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Well, guys, MadLetter just got a PM from Mr. Rouse a short while ago.  I won't say what it said, but we might not be waiting _too_ much longer to release this.  Wink-wink, nudge-nudge.

That is all.


----------



## evildmguy

I would be interested in this as well, if it were to happen.  

evildmguy @ yahoo . com

Thanks!

edg


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Okay, guys, bad news.  Very bad news--the GSL thing fell through.  The GSL doesn't cover electronic material, and the fansite part isn't out yet.  So what does this mean?

For right now,

--beta testing is officially closed.  Do not, I repeat _do not_, post your email address here if you haven't already done so.

--Direct any questions/comments/etc. to dm.toolkit@googlemail.com.  _Any_ comment, questions, suggestions, etc. should go there, _not_ on a public forum.

There's still a contingency that might pan out, but in the interim, _do not_ ask for the program here; email dm.toolkit@googlemail.com if you have _any_ questions.

Sorry that this thing didn't work out as we'd hoped, but once again, there is still a good chance we can get it off the ground...just not here.


----------



## Siberys

Eldritch_Lord said:
			
		

> One of the options in the ability box is "Any," which is what I think you wanted--"+2 Str, +2 Any" for example.




That implies, though, that you could choose +2 to strength.

Also, If I just want one ability mod, another +2 is still listed, I think.



			
				Eldritch_Lord said:
			
		

> What exactly do you mean by "individual rules-bits"?




If I make a race, say, Ogres, I have to save that separately from the file I made of, say, Ogre racial feats. I'd rather save those as one file than two.

I still think everything should have a text-input option, instead of some things being only dropdowns. Beggars can't be choosers, though. *shrug*


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Siberys said:
			
		

> That implies, though, that you could choose +2 to strength.




True.  The second one now says "any _other_."



> Also, If I just want one ability mod, another +2 is still listed, I think.




It shouldn't do that if you only have one selected; I'll fix that.



> If I make a race, say, Ogres, I have to save that separately from the file I made of, say, Ogre racial feats. I'd rather save those as one file than two.




Well, of _course_ you can't save it with feats--the Feat Creator hasn't been made yet!  Once everything's done, there will be options to save things in groups, but right now we're keeping everything separate so we don't need to update the save functions with each new Creator added.



> I still think everything should have a text-input option, instead of some things being only dropdowns. Beggars can't be choosers, though.




I'll see if I can add something to that effect.


----------



## Siberys

Don't change it to say "any other"; Add "any other" and keep "any" such that you could have some race that _did_ have +2 to any stat.

I'm not tryin' to be grating, but I kinda feel like I might be comin' across that way. If I am, sorry - I'm just trying to make it so this is useful to the largest group of people. 

Edit: I'll be using e-mail to discuss this now, as per the directives.


----------



## WhatGravitas

Eldritch_Lord said:
			
		

> Okay, guys, bad news.  Very bad news--the GSL thing fell through.  The GSL doesn't cover electronic material, and the fansite part isn't out yet.



Too bad... 

Thanks for the work so far, though. Hopefully, something more fruitful will come out of this, once the fan site policy is up and running!

Cheers, LT.


----------



## ShadowyFigure

does  it really matter that electric isnt covered?

Surely if you arnt charging and have no material that isnt covered in the SRD. Then its fine. Im failing to see the problem...


----------



## Idabrius

Sadly, TSR had a sue-happy record and no one yet knows if WotC will follow suit. Just because it IS protected by Fair Use (not an IP lawyer or lawyer of any kind, though I'm about 85% sure that it is) that doesn't mean they WONT sue these folks into an early grave to defend their coveted copyright.


----------



## gstommylee

ShadowyFigure said:
			
		

> does  it really matter that electric isnt covered?
> 
> Surely if you arnt charging and have no material that isnt covered in the SRD. Then its fine. Im failing to see the problem...




Thats what i thought.


----------



## ShadowyFigure

If you check the news page (the home page of enworld) then it would actually seem fine to release this.


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Syberis said:
			
		

> Don't change it to say "any other"; Add "any other" and keep "any" such that you could have some race that did have +2 to any stat.
> 
> I'm not tryin' to be grating, but I kinda feel like I might be comin' across that way. If I am, sorry - I'm just trying to make it so this is useful to the largest group of people.




Not at all grating--that's the whole point of beta testing.  I can't know what most people will find helpful and useful, so you guys tell me that.



			
				Idabrius said:
			
		

> Sadly, TSR had a sue-happy record and no one yet knows if WotC will follow suit. Just because it IS protected by Fair Use (not an IP lawyer or lawyer of any kind, though I'm about 85% sure that it is) that doesn't mean they WONT sue these folks into an early grave to defend their coveted copyright.




That's exactly our philosophy--if we can't be _sure_ WotC won't sue our asses off, we're not going to release just yet...though like I said, we're exploring other options right now.  Hold tight and we might get something worked out.


----------



## Aloïsius

This reign of lawyer terror is somewhat sad...


----------



## Larac

Well my addy is lfseeney@comcast.net, not only would I <cough> Not <yes> like to see it, but would gladly work or not with some one or not, to trade or by sheer opps share input with.

Like 10-15 folks spliting up stuff and adding trhings <nothing to do with D&D at all of course> to a data shared file to increase our ability to read symbols of stuff of our on making.

Running a game now, this would be most helpfully.

Lee


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

So.  A small update on status:  The last we heard from Mr. Rouse was "We got your email and are discussing it."  That was about 2 weeks ago, and we haven't heard anything since.

That being the case...we'd really appreciate feedback from those of you who mysteriously obtained a beta version.  There have been a few people sending us bug reports, but since this whole release thing is dragging on I want the first version we _do _release to be as complete and error-free as possible.

Any feature suggestions or bug reports are appreciated, whether here or at dm.toolkit@googlemail.com.  At the moment I'm working on the Monster Creator, so I especially appreciate it if anyone who either made some sort of monster calculator tool or has made lots of 4e monsters would chime in with suggestions of what they'd want in the Creator.


----------



## Jan van Leyden

Technical writer looking for work, here. Possible tasks include writing documentation (paper or PDF), building/maintaining online help and - of course - extensive testing of not-yet released software products. 

Send inquiries to Dirk.Bock (at) muenster.de

Oops... how did this end up here? Wasn't it intended fo some other board? Of well, maybe I'll remove this post ... somtime.

Huldvoll

Jan van leyden


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Jan van Leyden said:


> Technical writer looking for work, here. Possible tasks include writing documentation (paper or PDF), building/maintaining online help and - of course - extensive testing of not-yet released software products.
> 
> Send inquiries to Dirk.Bock (at) muenster.de
> 
> Oops... how did this end up here? Wasn't it intended fo some other board? Of well, maybe I'll remove this post ... somtime.
> 
> Huldvoll
> 
> Jan van leyden




It's a shame that you posted to the wrong thread; I could really use someone to help with documentation, since I'm focused on the coding side.  At the moment I have two text files with some quick notes, but I'd intended to write a really comprehensive Help file and just couldn't find the time.  Oh, well; it would be nice if you could take a look at a program appearing in your inbox at, say, ~7pm Eastern, and write something about it, but I guess it's not going to happen.


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Okay folks, status update time.

Bad news: One month after the scheduled release date, WotC _still_ has no idea whether they should let us release this officially and/or whether they should host this on the main site.

Good news: I'm about 96% finished with a power card maker integrated into the Power Creator that will make looks-straight-from-the-PHB cards when it's done, and Mr. Rouse said he should have a response soon.

Hang in there.


----------



## Mercutio01

Hell, at this point you should just skip the GSL license completely and just publish the damn thing.  You wouldn't be alone - Goodman, Green Ronin, and Kenzer are all doing it...


----------



## Crashy75

Double Post


----------



## Crashy75

How advanced is it at this point?  I "found" a copy that I have only recently tried.  I did have some issues with the viewer.  However, it is possible this issue has been solved (where does it say which version I have?).  I sent the feedback to my mysterious benefactor (NOT EL).  Should I post any issues here?


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Mercutio01 said:


> Hell, at this point you should just skip the GSL license completely and just publish the damn thing.  You wouldn't be alone - Goodman, Green Ronin, and Kenzer are all doing it...




Actually, at this point, we're not waiting on the GSL; I'm perfectly happy to put it out right now.  The reason we're still waiting is that Scott Rouse offered (actually saw the Wizards thread and came to us about it) to host the Toolkit on the main site.  MadLetter and I think that waiting for that opportunity (and having the Toolkit publicized and used worldwide (maybe; we can dream, can't we? (Yay for nested parentheses!))) is worth the agony of waiting.

It's been about a week since we last heard from The Rouse; too much longer and we'll just release, but that's what we're waiting for, not the GSL.



			
				Crashy75 said:
			
		

> How advanced is it at this point? I "found" a copy that I have only recently tried. I did have some issues with the viewer. However, it is possible this issue has been solved (where does it say which version I have?). I sent the feedback to my mysterious benefactor (NOT EL). Should I post any issues here?




Post any and all issues here; if they haven't been fixed yet (which they probably have), they will be as soon as we know of the issue.

I haven't started putting version numbers on it yet because (A) we haven't done the first release and it doesn't officially exist and (B) there's only one compatibility issue so far (power save format) and everything else is compatible with the very first version we sent out.  When WotC gives us the green light, that'll be 1.0.0 and we'll do versioning from there on out.


----------



## JasonZZ

<necromancy> Rise from your grave! </necromancy>

Pardon the necromancy, but I was wondering if there's any news on this front?  I was looking forward to checking this program out, and it sounds like the beta testing was completed.


----------



## JasonZZ

<necromancy> Rise from your grave! </necromancy>

Pardon the necromancy, but I was wondering if there's any news on this front?  I was looking forward to checking this program out, and it sounds like the beta testing was completed.


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

JasonZZ said:


> <necromancy> Rise from your grave! </necromancy>
> 
> Pardon the necromancy, but I was wondering if there's any news on this front?  I was looking forward to checking this program out, and it sounds like the beta testing was completed.




Well, the testing is done; I've finished the Race, Power, Class, Path, and Destiny Creators; I've even implemented a power card creator; but we're still waiting to hear back from the Rouse on whether we can release it or not.  And, surprise surprise, that is taking _forever_.

I'm sorely tempted to just release it and damn the consequences, but we don't want to screw with WotC.  Trust me--as soon as this is available for release, I'm going to change the thread name to "DM's Toolkit--NOW AVAILABLE!" and spread the news _everywhere_.  I'm just as anxious to release it as you are to get it.


----------



## JasonZZ

Thanks for the update.  I'm looking forward to this.


----------



## Crashy75

Eldritch_Lord said:


> Well, the testing is done; I've finished the Race, Power, Class, Path, and Destiny Creators; I've even implemented a power card creator; but we're still waiting to hear back from the Rouse on whether we can release it or not.  And, surprise surprise, that is taking _forever_.
> 
> I'm sorely tempted to just release it and damn the consequences, but we don't want to screw with WotC.  Trust me--as soon as this is available for release, I'm going to change the thread name to "DM's Toolkit--NOW AVAILABLE!" and spread the news _everywhere_.  I'm just as anxious to release it as you are to get it.




There's a saying:  'It's much easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for  permission.'  Or something like that.
EDIT:  
I'm still having trouble with the viewer (in the class section at least).  When I click on both the plain text and forum viewer, I get nothing.  I can export it and view it that way, but I distinctly remember being able to view the class in the class creator program in earlier versions.  That was very helpful and I miss it.


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Crashy75 said:


> There's a saying:  'It's much easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for  permission.'  Or something like that.




Not when there's a potential lawsuit involved, it isn't. 



> EDIT:
> I'm still having trouble with the viewer (in the class section at least).  When I click on both the plain text and forum viewer, I get nothing.  I can export it and view it that way, but I distinctly remember being able to view the class in the class creator program in earlier versions.  That was very helpful and I miss it.




That capability is still in there; I'm not sure why you'd be having that error, as unfortunately the standalone program doesn't have the stderr error messages I could ask you for.  The only thing I can think of is that you got one of the buggy versions that went out when I was doing a major overhaul of the Creators' data structures and they were incomplete, but none of those have display issues.

Rest assured that the final version I'm working with now has no errors whatsoever (at least for the moment).


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Update:

We just heard back from Mr. Rouse today; discussions were stalled for a bit but he wants to show the Toolkit to a few more people to see if they want WotC to endorse/host the Toolkit, and he'll get back to us in a few days.

Meanwhile, the Toolkit is zipping along.  It's now a fully-fleshed-out program, with an installer and splash screen and everything, and it's ready for release at the drop of a hat.


----------



## evildmguy

Eldritch_Lord said:


> Update:
> 
> We just heard back from Mr. Rouse today; discussions were stalled for a bit but he wants to show the Toolkit to a few more people to see if they want WotC to endorse/host the Toolkit, and he'll get back to us in a few days.
> 
> Meanwhile, the Toolkit is zipping along.  It's now a fully-fleshed-out program, with an installer and splash screen and everything, and it's ready for release at the drop of a hat.




That's awesome news!  I hope it comes out soon!

edg


----------



## FendenKrell

as do i, this toolkit looks kablamo!  cant wait to get my hands on it.  but i guess my lordfendenkrell at hotmail email inbox will remain empty until the fateful day that Rouse gives the go ahead.  i wish you luck mate!


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Well, everyone, I'm sure you've all forgotten this thread by now, but we haven't.  After months of reworking and working with Scott Rouse (exactly 3 months, in fact), we finally are able to release the Toolkit.

That's right, ladies and gentlemen...

3...

2...

1...

*THE DM'S TOOLKIT IS NOW AVAILABLE!*​


----------



## illathid

I just downloaded this, and it looks pretty sweet. I'll need to mess around with it more before I give a final oppion though.


----------



## Kzach

Make it for Mac and I will hug you, feed you, pet you and call you George.


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Kzach said:


> Make it for Mac and I will hug you, feed you, pet you and call you George.




The only reason it's not for a Mac yet is that I haven't been able to find an executable creator for the Mac that you can run on something other than a Mac.  If you know of something, let me know and I'll make a Mac version ASAP.


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Okay, guys, the version we have up now is a buggy one; the Monster Creator is supposed to be nonfunctional, but the current one lets you start up the Monster Creator and then dies.  The server may be down for 10-20 minutes while we put the new one up.  Don't panic; the downtime is intentional.


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Aaaand it's re-uploaded.  Download away!


----------



## Hodag

Eldritch_Lord said:


> The only reason it's not for a Mac yet is that I haven't been able to find an executable creator for the Mac that you can run on something other than a Mac.  If you know of something, let me know and I'll make a Mac version ASAP.




Just release the .jar. Mac's handle jar archives as a double-clickable application.


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Hodag said:


> Just release the .jar. Mac's handle jar archives as a double-clickable application.




So can Windows and Linux.  The point of the executable is (A) to add an installer, a splash screen, and an icon without me having to code them myself, and (B) to prevent the code from being decompiled, since decompiling Java is trivial and I'm paranoid about my code.


----------



## Hodag

Unless you're planning to sell it, why so paranoid? I've run the Windows .exe and it's a nice bit of work. I'd like to see how you did it, but it isn't a driving desire. If you're planning to sell it, check on some of the commercial Java apps that provide code security and multi-platform usage.

Also Icons and splash screens aren't necessary, and installers just mean things can get tucked in odd places.


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Hodag said:


> Unless you're planning to sell it, why so paranoid?




Because I'm naturally paranoid.  In some of my computer science classes in school I've had classmates try to decompile my code and use it themselves, so I've become somewhat paranoid about letting my code get out even if it's something trivial.



> Also Icons and splash screens aren't necessary, and installers just mean things can get tucked in odd places.




Installers are also what a lot of not-quite-so-tech-savvy computer users are used to, and the splash screen and icons are in there because my co-developer is the artistic one and he insists that they're a good idea.


----------



## Kzach

I have to say, as a Mac user, this is very irritating.

To be prevented from utilising something merely because the developer encases the file in a proprietary format is very uncool.

But then it's free so I guess I have no real avenue of complaint.


----------



## Hodag

Kzach said:


> I have to say, as a Mac user, this is very irritating.
> 
> To be prevented from utilising something merely because the developer encases the file in a proprietary format is very uncool.
> 
> But then it's free so I guess I have no real avenue of complaint.




I use Macs, PCs, and Linux boxes and also dislike proprietary code, but as you said it is free. However, without open sourcing, this code could have not been developed, which is just a touch hypocritical...


----------



## Kzach

Interestingly enough, I'm now in Windows and I'm getting an error trying to open the file.

"Invalid or corrupt jar file..."


----------



## Hodag

Kzach said:


> Interestingly enough, I'm now in Windows and I'm getting an error trying to open the file.
> 
> "Invalid or corrupt jar file..."




I had that too and had to re-download it


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Regarding the "corrupt file" thing, we were re-uploading the files to ensure the right version was up; the version we had before had a buggy Monster Creator available when it was supposed to display a "Creator not implemented" message instead.  If you downloaded it then, it wasn't completely there, and re-downloading it will fix the problem.

Regarding the Mac issue:


> I have to say, as a Mac user, this is very irritating.
> 
> To be prevented from utilising something merely because the developer encases the file in a proprietary format is very uncool.
> 
> But then it's free so I guess I have no real avenue of complaint.





> I use Macs, PCs, and Linux boxes and also dislike proprietary code, but as you said it is free. However, without open sourcing, this code could have not been developed, which is just a touch hypocritical...



Hypocritical it may be, but there is a big difference between open-source code and code which is decompiled and reverse-engineered.  If and when I release it as open-source, I will be perfectly willing to let everyone use and modify it to their heart's content--but that will be when and where _I_ choose.

Until the Toolkit is in a more complete form (i.e., until all of the Creators are in at least a somewhat-functional form), I want to retain control over it.  I'm working on finding an executable creator for Macs; I have a few friends with Macs in my dorm, so I will probably be able to find something for that soon and then you'll have a Mac version.

If you really want to discuss my reasoning, we can do that, possibly over PM, but I would hope that you can respect my decision for now.


----------



## Kzach

On the download issue, it was actually a problem on my end. A download manager fixed it.

And just out of curiosity, if someone really wanted to steal your code, would an executable .jar file really stop them? I mean, we'd be talking people with the know-how to steal code in the first place so wouldn't they also have the resources to crack whatever protections you have in place?

If that's the case, then who are you really affecting by limiting access?


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Kzach said:


> And just out of curiosity, if someone really wanted to steal your code, would an executable .jar file really stop them? I mean, we'd be talking people with the know-how to steal code in the first place so wouldn't they also have the resources to crack whatever protections you have in place?
> 
> If that's the case, then who are you really affecting by limiting access?




It's not an executable .jar file, it's an executable.  As in, .exe in Windows and .bin in Linux.  Decompiling an executable gives you assembly code, and trying to mess with graphics in assembly code is a pain in the ass.


----------



## Crashy75

Glad to see this moving along.  I'd suggest editing the link into the OP.


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Crashy75 said:


> Glad to see this moving along.  I'd suggest editing the link into the OP.




Uh...right. *facepalm* Doing that now.


----------



## Crashy75

Eldritch_Lord said:


> Uh...right. *facepalm* Doing that now.




Heh.  That's why you have the testers!


----------



## Crashy75

I'm having more problems with the race creator.  The racial power and abilities don't save, or at least I think that's the problem.  When I load a race that I had saved previously, the racial power and racial abilities are gone.


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Crashy75 said:


> I'm having more problems with the race creator.  The racial power and abilities don't save, or at least I think that's the problem.  When I load a race that I had saved previously, the racial power and racial abilities are gone.




I found a bug in the loader, so all the information is there...it just isn't loaded.  That's fixed for the next release, scheduled for about two weeks from now.


----------



## demonking1

I'm on windows right now, and nothing will save.

Edit: And it's frozen.


----------



## 77IM

Eldritch_Lord said:


> So can Windows and Linux.  The point of the executable is (A) to add an installer, a splash screen, and an icon without me having to code them myself,



You should look into JNLP.  It streamlines the installation process _and_ allows you to push out updates automatically, and it's for every platform.



Eldritch_Lord said:


> and (B) to prevent the code from being decompiled, since decompiling Java is trivial and I'm paranoid about my code.



You could run it through a bytecode obfuscator.

 -- 77IM


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

demonking1 said:


> I'm on windows right now, and nothing will save.
> 
> Edit: And it's frozen.




What were you trying to save, and what were you doing when it froze?



			
				77IM said:
			
		

> You could run it through a bytecode obfuscator.




Those aren't very effective; it's better than source obfuscation, but not by much.  Since bytecode has to go through the class loader at some point, a competent Java programmer could reverse-engineer even that.


----------



## demonking1

Eldritch_Lord said:


> What were you trying to save, and what were you doing when it froze?
> 
> 
> 
> Those aren't very effective; it's better than source obfuscation, but not by much.  Since bytecode has to go through the class loader at some point, a competent Java programmer could reverse-engineer even that.




I was trying to save a class and it froze when I was on race creator.


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

demonking1 said:


> I was trying to save a class and it froze when I was on race creator.




So you had both the Class Creator and the Race Creator open at the same time, and you clicked "Save" in the Class Creator, correct?  I'll try to recreate the problem on my end and see what happens.


----------



## demonking1

Eldritch_Lord said:


> So you had both the Class Creator and the Race Creator open at the same time, and you clicked "Save" in the Class Creator, correct?  I'll try to recreate the problem on my end and see what happens.




It was two different instances. I was working on a class i loaded when it couldn't. I got out of the class creator to look at the race creator when it froze.


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

demonking1 said:


> It was two different instances. I was working on a class i loaded when it couldn't. I got out of the class creator to look at the race creator when it froze.




I see.  I'll try to find the bug and I'll let you know if I fix it.


----------



## Quemaqua

I only had a little bit to poke around in it, but this seems like a very cool resource.  Thanks very much for putting in all that effort!  I love seeing projects like this.


----------



## demonking1

Eldritch_Lord said:


> I see.  I'll try to find the bug and I'll let you know if I fix it.




Thank you.

have you found the bug yet.


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

demonking1 said:


> Thank you.
> 
> have you found the bug yet.




Not yet; I've been busy with classes and such.  I'll let you know as soon as I do.


----------



## Saorex

Hello. I'm sorry but it seems like I can't find the link to the program... And the link in the first post of the thread is dead.

Could anyone help please? Thanks a lot!


----------



## Ricochet

Saorex said:


> Hello. I'm sorry but it seems like I can't find the link to the program... And the link in the first post of the thread is dead.
> 
> Could anyone help please? Thanks a lot!




Same problem here.


----------



## Fast Learner

It seems likely that the server bandwidth was exceeded yesterday.


----------



## Lizard

The correct link is:
DM's Toolkit Home Page

However, the download seems to be broken.


----------



## Scurvy_Platypus

Lizard said:


> The correct link is:
> DM's Toolkit Home Page
> 
> However, the download seems to be broken.




You need to remove the ~.

The main address is http://www.aeyrie.net/dmtools/Toolkit_Main.html you'll notice the ~ has been removed from in front of "dmtools". Copy/Paste the link into your address window and remove the tilde and you're fine. Do the same with the download and it will download.

The windows version clocks in at 19.64 MB.


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Sorry about the mix-up, guys--it seems our host decided to change the names of some folders on the server without telling us.  After class today I'll go in and change the internal links so everything works.


----------



## Saorex

Thanks for your answer. If you need hosting, I'd be happy to host your file and probably present it on ADnD Downloads (Dungeons and Dragons Downloads - ADnD Downloads). Let me know if you're interested. If not, I'll just wait for the link be "fixed". Thanks!


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

I'm updating the links as I type this; you should be able to download everything just fine now.

EDIT: Done.  New link is this one.


----------



## Melfast

*Problem With Link?*

I have tried the old and new links, but neither works for me.

If it is working for everyone else, then it may just be my AV/firewall.

Anyone else having problems?

r/
    Melfast


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Melfast said:


> I have tried the old and new links, but neither works for me.
> 
> If it is working for everyone else, then it may just be my AV/firewall.
> 
> Anyone else having problems?
> 
> r/
> Melfast




Are you getting a "server not found" error?  'Cause our host might have taken it down for maintenance.  We _really_ need to get another host.  One of these days....


----------



## Melfast

*Error Message When Using Link*

Following up -- Here is what IE is telling me:

   "Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage 

      Most likely causes:
   You are not connected to the Internet. 
   The website is encountering problems. 
   There might be a typing error in the address."

I have tried using the link and copying/pasting the link posted earlier.

Thanks for your quick response.

  Melfast


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Yeah, it's a server thing, then.  I've tried contacting our host but haven't gotten a response.  I'll let you know if and when it's fixed.


----------



## Melfast

*Linking Problem*

Thanks! 

Looks like a cool resource.


----------



## Crashy75

Melfast said:


> Following up -- Here is what IE is telling me:
> 
> "Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage
> 
> Most likely causes:
> You are not connected to the Internet.
> The website is encountering problems.
> There might be a typing error in the address."
> 
> I have tried using the link and copying/pasting the link posted earlier.
> 
> Thanks for your quick response.
> 
> Melfast




I'm getting the same thing.


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Okay, our host said the server might be down for a while, so MadLetter's brother has set up a server for us.  Version 1.0.1 of the Toolkit is scheduled to be up tomorrow, so sometime before close of business Saturday we should have that server up and running and I'll give you the new (and hopefully _final_) link.


----------



## EvilGM

Any word on when this will be available again?  I have space to host.


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Actually, we just finished switching servers a few hours ago; it's now up and running at the new site (here) with Version 1.0.1 of the Toolkit.  I'd have put up an announcement earlier, but I was DMing at the time (coincidentally enough).  Anyway, this should hopefully not have the downtime problems as the last one, since MadLetter has physical access to this server, so this should be up all the time.


----------



## demonking1

It's really great that my Race creator saves but my Class creator won't. also, do you have the monster creator up?

Edit: I'm using a Pc and my classes won't save after i adjust them after i load them.


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

demonking1 said:


> It's really great that my Race creator saves but my Class creator won't. also, do you have the monster creator up?
> 
> Edit: I'm using a Pc and my classes won't save after i adjust them after i load them.




When you say your classes won't save, do you mean that the save dialog doesn't come up; they save incorrectly; you can't load them; they save but don't appear in the load dialog; or something else?  And are you using 1.0.0 or 1.0.1?

No, I haven't finished the Monster Creator; when I do, I'll let everyone know.


----------



## r-kelleg

the link still don't work!
DM Tools
is the last good one


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Okay, new and hopefully final link: dmtools


----------



## demonking1

Eldritch_Lord said:


> When you say your classes won't save, do you mean that the save dialog doesn't come up; they save incorrectly; you can't load them; they save but don't appear in the load dialog; or something else?  And are you using 1.0.0 or 1.0.1?
> 
> No, I haven't finished the Monster Creator; when I do, I'll let everyone know.




they save incorrectly.


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

demonking1 said:


> they save incorrectly.




What exactly is saving incorrectly, and do you have 1.0.0 or 1.0.1?


----------



## demonking1

Eldritch_Lord said:


> What exactly is saving incorrectly, and do you have 1.0.0 or 1.0.1?




actual, after uninstalling Dm toolkit, erasing my old class files; the ones that were saved before this catastrophe I made a new class file. When i tried to save it, i got a message saying it could not save. I tried doing the same thing on the race creator, and it could not save either.


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

demonking1 said:


> actual, after uninstalling Dm toolkit, erasing my old class files; the ones that were saved before this catastrophe I made a new class file. When i tried to save it, i got a message saying it could not save. I tried doing the same thing on the race creator, and it could not save either.




Strange; the only time you should get that message is if you're trying to save over another file and there's an error replacing it; just saving to begin with shouldn't cause that.

Once again, are you using 1.0.0 (downloaded from the first day it was available to 2 weeks after that) or 1.0.1 (downloaded more recently than 2 weeks from release)?


----------



## demonking1

Eldritch_Lord said:


> Strange; the only time you should get that message is if you're trying to save over another file and there's an error replacing it; just saving to begin with shouldn't cause that.
> 
> Once again, are you using 1.0.0 (downloaded from the first day it was available to 2 weeks after that) or 1.0.1 (downloaded more recently than 2 weeks from release)?




I did a bit of saving over other files a while back, thats when the problem started.

i'm using 1.0.1


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

demonking1 said:


> I did a bit of saving over other files a while back, thats when the problem started.
> 
> i'm using 1.0.1




That's most likely the problem, then; that's a file IO issue in general, not a Toolkit implementation problem.  If you go into the folder where everything is saved and backup any Toolkit files there.  Delete any in that folder and try it then.


----------



## demonking1

Eldritch_Lord said:


> That's most likely the problem, then; that's a file IO issue in general, not a Toolkit implementation problem.  If you go into the folder where everything is saved and backup any Toolkit files there.  Delete any in that folder and try it then.




wow.... it worked. 
Thank You!


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

demonking1 said:


> wow.... it worked.
> Thank You!




Any time.  That's what this thread is for.


----------



## EP

Any word on when the Mac version will be ready?


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

EP said:


> Any word on when the Mac version will be ready?




I have a "Mac person" friend of mine looking into it; he's found a couple good leads but nothing that quite achieves my objectives.  Right now my major priority is the Monster Creator (which should hopefully be done between Saturday and next Wednesday, thanks to a 3 day weekend), but once that's done I'll focus on the Mac issue a bit more.


----------



## EP

Cool.  Thanks.


----------



## GMforPowergamers

how gos the feat and monster makers???


----------



## GMforPowergamers

also how do I give plate and scale prof to classes????


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

GMforPowergamers said:


> how gos the feat and monster makers???




The Monster Maker is almost done; I just need to finish up the display methods and debug some things and it'll be ready.  I don't know if it'll be ready for tomorrow, since I've been a bit sick and haven't been able to devote a lot of time to this, but it should be out soon.



> also how do I give plate and scale prof to classes????




I...don't know.  I made that part of the Class Creator from the previews, before I knew about scale and plate, and didn't fix it afterwards.  That'll be fixed for the next release as well.


----------



## GMforPowergamers

Eldritch_Lord said:


> I...don't know.  I made that part of the Class Creator from the previews, before I knew about scale and plate, and didn't fix it afterwards.  That'll be fixed for the next release as well.




Nice answer...I understand things fall through the cracks...for the most part I love it though...so 
thumbs up


----------



## Paper_Bard

Hey, from some strange reason my filter blocks this (I don't control it so i can't change it.) 

Could somebody perhaps send it to me via e-mail if its not to big or upload it to mediafire or something?

Please, I really want to use this program.

monkeylordyoho@gmail.com


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Paper_Bard said:
			
		

> Hey, from some strange reason my filter blocks this (I don't control it so i can't change it.)
> 
> Could somebody perhaps send it to me via e-mail if its not to big or upload it to mediafire or something?
> 
> Please, I really want to use this program.
> 
> monkeylordyoho@gmail.com




Unfortunately, the file is just a bit too large for Gmail to let me send it; someone else whose email provider doesn't limit the attachment size too much would have to get it to you.

Do you know why it's being blocked at all, or does it not give you a reason?


----------



## shinobi_guyver

For those who can't download the Windows installer from Eldritch_Lord's site, here is a Megaupload link:

MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service


----------



## malcolm_n

I have the program downloaded and installed fine.  My problem is the class creator.  It works fine until you create an ability, then the Plain text button doesn't refresh anything and the view class tab is empty.  Reloading the program after a save doesn't solve this either.  The class continues to load fine, but it won't update or print.


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

malcolm_n said:
			
		

> I have the program downloaded and installed fine.  My problem is the class creator.  It works fine until you create an ability, then the Plain text button doesn't refresh anything and the view class tab is empty.  Reloading the program after a save doesn't solve this either.  The class continues to load fine, but it won't update or print.




I haven't been able to recreate this problem on my end.  Would you mind giving me some more details?  What was the text of the ability, exactly what buttons you pressed, etc.


----------



## malcolm_n

I'll get back on this when I'm home from work tonight.  I'll also try it again and make sure it wasn't just user error.


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Update!  The Monster Creator is 90% done; the only thing I have left to do is the monster card maker, which should be simple now that regular printing is done.  Hopefully, I should be able to put up version 1.2.0 sometime this weekend, assuming all homework gets finished.


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Guess what, guys?

*1.2.0 is up!  The Monster Creator is done!​*
And just in case there's more screwy link stuff going on, go here to get it.


----------



## Crashy75

Eldritch_Lord said:


> Guess what, guys?
> 
> *1.2.0 is up!  The Monster Creator is done!​*
> And just in case there's more screwy link stuff going on, go here to get it.



Cool.  Thanks!


----------



## Guyanthalas

*Sugs and Bugs*

Couple of bugs i've found with the monster creater.

HP Field: Doesn't appear that adjusting the HP will change them on the monster card preview. I just made a test level 1 skirmisher monster and its hp is 17/8. I tried changing it to 20/10, but it does not update.

Autocalculate: If you select all the boxes and autocalculate the fields, it will add points to the default stat field instead of adjusting it. 

Suggestions:
Monster lore is tied with origin isn't it? shouldn't this be automatically linked, or was it done like this for user customizability?

Possibly incorporate the font that is used by the Monster Manual in association with the abilities (I think the icons are sexy). 

I saw another monster creator program that after you saved a monster, you could "import" powers from it from then on out. So instead of typing "Goblin tactics" over and over and over again, you could just do it once, and import it to all the new goblins you've created.

Batch print to PDF would be another option that I think would be highly useful.

And, as per usual, you have done some amazing work and I look forward to seeing more from you in the future!


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Guyanthalas said:
			
		

> Couple of bugs i've found with the monster creater.
> 
> HP Field: Doesn't appear that adjusting the HP will change them on the monster card preview. I just made a test level 1 skirmisher monster and its hp is 17/8. I tried changing it to 20/10, but it does not update.




Some folks on the Wizards boards already pointed this out; it appears that there's a problem with the HP variable not grabbing the value in the text field when displaying.  I've fixed it for the next release.



> Autocalculate: If you select all the boxes and autocalculate the fields, it will add points to the default stat field instead of adjusting it.




Yeah, it was just adding 3 to the current value instead of setting it to calculated value +3. Also fixed for the next release.



> Suggestions:
> Monster lore is tied with origin isn't it? shouldn't this be automatically linked, or was it done like this for user customizability?




It was done for customizability; you'll notice that you can type in a skill instead of just selecting, so those still using Knowledge: Arcana instead of Arcana (for example) or using a homebrewed knowledge skill can input their own.  It should auto-select the appropriate one when selecting the origin, though; good catch.



> Possibly incorporate the font that is used by the Monster Manual in association with the abilities (I think the icons are sexy).




That's on the to-do list.  I'm working on how to incorporate the font with the Toolkit so it can use that font regardless of whether the user has it installed; as soon as I figure that out, that feature will be added.



> I saw another monster creator program that after you saved a monster, you could "import" powers from it from then on out. So instead of typing "Goblin tactics" over and over and over again, you could just do it once, and import it to all the new goblins you've created.




Interesting.  I already do something like that for the Power Creator, so you can make power cards for races/classes/etc., so it shouldn't be too hard to adapt that.  Good idea!



> Batch print to PDF would be another option that I think would be highly useful.




Yeah...Java and PDFs don't go too well together; the PDF writer modules I've found are still a bit buggy.  I'll definitely incorporate that at some point; it's just a question of when I can get it working.



> And, as per usual, you have done some amazing work and I look forward to seeing more from you in the future!




I try.


----------



## Guyanthalas

Eldritch_Lord said:


> Yeah...Java and PDFs don't go too well together; the PDF writer modules I've found are still a bit buggy. I'll definitely incorporate that at some point; it's just a question of when I can get it working.




This isn't such a big deal because most of us (should) have a PDF creator print driver installed. The concept behind the suggestion is if I can print 4 different monsters to a single PDF file, I can then snapshot cut/paste the monster directly from acrobat into word when i'm typing up my campaign. As it stands I can still do this individually, but I see it as a time saving device to do it in bulk if possible.

Also, as far as the font thing goes, can't you just install the font into the font directory during installation of program? Then you know they have the font.


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

Guyanthalas said:


> This isn't such a big deal because most of us (should) have a PDF creator print driver installed. The concept behind the suggestion is if I can print 4 different monsters to a single PDF file, I can then snapshot cut/paste the monster directly from acrobat into word when i'm typing up my campaign. As it stands I can still do this individually, but I see it as a time saving device to do it in bulk if possible.




The problem isn't the print driver itself, it's getting Java to _communicate_ with the PDF drivers.  Most of the Java documentation on those say they work just like printing to file, but with a PDF driver as the destination...but based on my testing, I'd say most of the documentation is lying. 



> Also, as far as the font thing goes, can't you just install the font into the font directory during installation of program? Then you know they have the font.




The icons font I can just install, but Mentor Sans (the text font for the power and monster cards) is not free, so I'd have to keep that inside the executable somehow.  I can just install the icons font, but I wanted to see if I could do both the same way to save some coding effort.


----------



## illathid

I'm having trouble accessing the website/download for version 1.2 . Could some one who has it maybe be host it somewhere else?


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

To all DM's Toolkit users--

Well, everyone, it's been a while since you've heard from us regarding the Toolkit, and we have an announcement to make.

4e came out at kind of a bad time for Mad Letter and myself, in terms of Toolkit timing; both of us have just entered college, and are taking mostly higher-level courses, so we're swamped with work and haven't spoken more than a few times since school began.  Since November-ish, the amount of progress I've made on coding new stuff couldn't be closer to “nothing” unless I actually deleted all of the code, and Mad Letter hasn't touched the website in months.

So, at this point, you're probably saying “So what does this mean for us?”  The answer is: quite a bit, actually.  Effective immediately, we're going open-source with the Toolkit.  I was really hoping that he and I would be able to keep this closed-source until we had version of all the Creators up and running, and then release it for whatever tweaking people would want to do once we had something to be proud of, but unfortunately it looks like we're not going to be able to work on it for the foreseeable future, and we'd rather have someone out there besides us work on it than to have it languish entirely.

There are a few things that won't change—due to the agreement we have with Excelsior, if you want the Toolkit packed up in a fancy installer, you'll have to send it to us to distribute it.  Also, bug reports will still go to dm.toolkit@gmail.com, and we'll try to keep the website updated with bugs found. We will be hosting any versions for download that people are willing to send us; we'll take any tweaked versions and integrate them into a whole so any improvements made are shared among all Toolkit users; we have time for that much, at least, and we owe it to the community to do so.

What is changing?  First off, the Mac people should be happy; since we're releasing the source, I now have no problem with just putting up a .jar so Mac, Windows, and Linux users can use it equally.  The source code will be available for download on our site as soon as we can put it up (which may not be for a few days).  If you want assistance with deciphering the code—since it was in the middle of a re-coding when I had to stop work on it—you can PM or email us all you want and we'd be happy to help.  We're not abandoning the project by any means, just opening it up to other coders and artists so they can make progress where we cannot.

The code will be released under the GNU Public License, which means in a nutshell that (A) this is still the DM's Toolkit, so you can't change that or try to take credit for the whole thing; (B) you can't change the code a bit and charge for it, so this is going to remain free no matter what; and (C) you have to keep the license if you make any changes.

Thanks to everyone for all the support we've received since the very first suggestions of an idea were made three months before 4e went live.  Thanks to Scott Rouse, who got our project the green light when many other electronic projects stalled and died.  Thanks to everyone who hung on and cheered us on when we kept saying “We can't work on it.”

So break out your residuum, everybody; we're casting a _raise dead_ on this project, and you're invited.

--Eldritch Lord, chief programmer, with Mad Letter, head artist


----------



## EP

Just tried to use the Mac version, but get constant error messages with the Jar Launcher.  When I went looking up the details on how to fix it, I came up with this page...

http://developer.apple.com/DOCUMENTATION/Java/Conceptual/Java14Development/03-JavaDeployment/JavaDeployment.html

Looks like something that has to be done from the source and it's WAY over my head.  Looking forward to seeing and using this sucker.


----------



## Eldritch_Lord

EP said:


> Just tried to use the Mac version, but get constant error messages with the Jar Launcher.  When I went looking up the details on how to fix it, I came up with this page...
> 
> Java Development Guide for Mac OS X: Java Deployment Options for Mac OS X
> 
> Looks like something that has to be done from the source and it's WAY over my head.  Looking forward to seeing and using this sucker.




So a Mac can't just run a .jar file without all the application stuff attached, huh?  Interesting.  I'll get a friend of mine with a Mac to take a look and see if I can figure out how to make it work.


----------



## amadeus-darkened

I'm currently hoping for the Mac version to be fixed as well. But I've got it and Windows on my computer so I'll be using your program.

I just love the concept of this tool so much I want it available to me all the time.


----------



## Lizard

Last update was in October; is this program still being maintained?


----------



## Fragsie

Details about what the project is doing are here link


----------



## Synge

Anyword on the Mac version?

I would love to give this a run....

Synge


----------

