I think mike has a excellent point. Dont get bogged down with feature
creep.

This is an excellent idea and should be executed. I would suggest collating
a basic feature set from the common needs and use a scalable format (such as
xml) for any "pages" and keep the current approach of having the program
extendable with scripts. This provides a working tool quickly but allows
people the freedom to extend it to suit their needs.

As for basic features, my list, in order, would be:
1) Ability to link all notes and documents to specific FM8 map locations.
2) Documents with flexible data structure (so I can create traveller
character, harnmaster, GURPS, whatever character sheers).
3) Calendar keeping (I know that customisable calendars are a head fsck, but
its a bloody good idea).
4) Ability to flag items as Player info or not
5) Output to PDF or some other neutral easy to distribute/print format
linked with 4
6) Exportable to screenmonkey
7) built in automation (dice rollers, encounter generators, npc generators,
character generators)
8) Cross platform support (*IF* FM8 and screenmonkey were available too).

Personally, I already have character generators, npc generators, encounter
generators (mostly good old brain mk1.0) etc... What I *dont* have is
somewhere to bring all these together (currently I basically use MS OneNote
on my tablet PC to construct games). Currently if I need to run the stuff
on linux or my mac; I just use wine, hence cross platform is a less urgent
need for me.

I badly *want* that somewhere to bring them all together.

In any case, if you are really keen to start on this project; once you
publish a fixed feature list for the first release, then Id be more than
willing to "pre order" to support development (assuming a planned release
date within my lifetime). If it approximated my first 6 items on the
feature wishlish, Id be willing to pay in the ballpark of $40USD.

Cheers!
D.

On Tue, Mar 18, 2008 at 9:58 PM, Mike Oliver <mike-oliver-at-blueyonder.co.uk>
wrote:

> I am anxious not to put a damper on this project - I could use something
> like it myself, as I've already said. However, I "served" on a committee
> of like-minded Campaign Cartographer users who got together on-line to
> design and write such a facility.
>
> We circulated the CC2 user list and invited wish lists, advertised for
> people to write the software and even appointed a project manager to
> ensure everything was corralled, objectives set and work properly
> directed.
>
> We never got past the stage of what programming language to use.
>
> If this is an NBOS project, as I gather is planned, that should overcome
> this particular pitfall but trying to be all things to all men should be
> avoided at all costs.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Mike
> www.cartography-services.co.uk
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nbossoftware-bounces-at-nbos.com
> [mailto:nbossoftware-bounces-at-nbos.com] On Behalf Of Mark Oliva
> Sent: 15 March 2008 05:00
> To: nbossoftware-at-nbos.com
> Subject: Re: [nbos] [NBOS] Campaign Manager
>
> <<
> Some of you old timers on the list may remember the prototype of a
> campaign manager I released a few years ago called "The Keep". Basically
> it kept track of game notes, fractal mapper maps, character sheets, etc,
> all in a hierarchical structure. It also had a built in dice roller, was
> integrated with inspiration pad pro, and could import/export so you
> could share content.
> >>
>
> After reading all the comments this posting has drawn, I see yet another
> dream in the making of the invention of what we here in Bavaria call the
> egg-laying wooly milk pig (eierlegende Wollmilchsau).
>
> <<
> hypothetically ;-) ... lets say I was in the midst of rebuilding that
> into an actual product.
> >>
>
> If - hypothetically - you were to do that, I wouldn't become envious.
>
> <<
> If you were looking for such an application, what sort of functionality
> would you need?
> >>
>
> We obviously are looking for the egg-laying wooly milk pig and more!
> The postings of the last few days make that clear.
>
> At the very start, before we can discuss this better we need to have
> some basic definitions. Without them, the discussion already is moving
> from a trivial thing like the egg-laying wooly milk pig to something
> bigger, perhaps a piggy egg-laying wooly milk reindeer that also can
> pull Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve.
>
> Some things that would be nice to know:
>
> 1. What rules system(s) would this wonder support?* (If it's going to
> keep "track ... of character sheets" that questions becomes both
> unavoidable and critical.)
>
> 2. Is this for sci-fi RPGs and people who use AS, or for fantasy RPGs
> and those of us apparently in the list's minority who use FM8, or for
> both of us?
>
> * If the idea is to tie this with d20, an idea some posters have
> mentioned in passing, you probably should spend your time on something
> better. d20 will cease to be this summer after D&D 4E appears,
> according to Wizards of the Coast. That would be akin to developing a
> program for Windows 98. If it's going to be tied to WotC's new GSL for
> D&D 4E compatibilty, then a number of us can put this in the "topic for
> other people" category. For this option, you also will have to pay WotC
> US$5,000 up front for an advance GSL right or wait another year for the
> free GSL. If, on my third hand, you plan to make a product that will do
> all that it describes with all RPG systems, let me reserve advance
> tickets now for the first demo. That should be an event of biblical
> proportion that makes multiplying loaves and walking on water look like
> child's play. Cecil B. DeMille might even ascend from his grave to
> direct the thing, which would suit us fantasy RPGers just fine, because,
> what's an RPG after all without the undead?
>
> Only a churl would mention that this posting lacks a single positive
> contribution. Therefore, I've mentioned it on my own. Naturally, I
> like the concept a lot. To make a positive contribution to the process,
> or to even know whether I would be in its target user base, I really
> need to know more about its parameters.
>
> Happy weekend,
>
> Mark Oliva
> Webmaster, the Vintyri Project (TM)
> Internet-Vintyri: http://www.vintyri.com <http://www.vintyri.com>
> Internet-Dungeons Daring: http://www.dungeons-daring.org
> <http://www.dungeons-daring.org>
> E-Mail-Vintyri: info-at-vintyri.com <mailto:info-at-vintyri.com>
> E-Mail-Dungeons Daring: info-at-dungeons-daring.org
> <mailto:info-at-dungeons-daring.org>
>
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>
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>
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>
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