gazebo-devel — For those willing to build a small Gazebo

[Mike U. <mi...@ja...>]

Jeremy,

     What has been accomplished thus far has been mostly in the realm of 
ideas.  As I mentioned before, I'm trying to draft the XML file formats, 
and implement them through libxml.     As for the organizational plan, 
that is where I have been focusing my efforts.  I'll make some diagrams 
later this week, but here is what I can tell you off hand.

1:  The file formats will be in XML, the files will be read through it's 
SAX parser, and edited and written through the core libxml methods.
2:  The D20 objects will be implemented through the GObject system, that 
will take care of the object boiler-plate code.
3:  We have to remain compliant with the OGL, so we will not have a 
character generator.
4:  But...  There is nothing agnist a character maintainer.  The Goal of 
Gazebo is to maintain functionality and ease of use.  When people are 
confronted with a thousand text entry windows, and numers they get a 
little timid.  We must communicte to the user through imagery and 
dialogue.  The gods have images, so must the spells, feats, alignments, 
weapons, and items.  This in addition to the short bursts of text top 
convey the most critical meanings, and longer descriptions if the user 
so selects, will give Gazebo the ability to conform to each user.  Why 
make them read and read and read if they can, after a time, simply 
associate meaning with a simple image.  In accordance with the OGL, we 
can give them no guidence as to how they will create their characters.
5:  A map editor.  Not just a map maker, they can use Photoshop for 
that, but a map maker that merges Meta data.  This is a tool mostly for 
on-line play, but it can be used on the table as well.  Ex.  you make a 
map through the standard hex-tile layout, if there is a trap in a 
certain hex, right click the hex and add a trap, and configure it's 
properties.  When the players come along, you mouse over the hex, and 
you remember there is a trap, it's properties are displayed to you 
through a mouse over text box.
6:  An Adventure designer, no not like the one in Roleplaying Master.  A 
component that will allower DM's to quickly construct adventures, and 
display them in a format very similar to that of WOTC adventures, or 
those found in Dungeon.  Also, as with all other aspects of Gazebo, the 
data will be stored in XML, and the Adventure component will nicely 
integrate with the on-line desktop area, making DM'ing on-line even easier.
7:  The On-Line Desktop, programmed in GnomeCanvas, we'll talk more 
about this later.
8:  Die roller, pretty obvious, but we will strive to make it easy to 
use and very pretty.
9:  A Skill/Class/PRClass/Spell/Monster/just about every thing 
viewer/editor.  This will be one of the most useful parts of Gazebo. How 
many time have you wasted time flipping through pages of material, "Does 
that spell have a Verbal component?", "What exactly is the effects of 
that saving throw?", well, with this component, you will be able to 
search, sort, and possibly edit materials to easily create and/or 
implement new Spells, Fetas, etc...  And serach existing ones. 
   Gazebo has a long way to go, as just about nothing is done, but I 
feel it is a sound concept, that has not yet been executed correctly. 
The first step is to draft the XML, and create the type system, after 
that the pieces will fall into place.

~MCU

P.S.  Some links...

http://www.gnome.org
http://www.libxml.org
http://developer.gnome.org
http://www.opengamingfoundation.org/srd.html

P.P.S.    
    One more thing, Gazebo is not going to be designed to play the game 
for you.  Rather, to allow easy digital access to the information 
provided.  Hence, an easy transition to on-line gaming, as well as 
advancing the traditional table top gaming experience.  In the end, you 
need to know how to play D&D to run a Gazebo game, or create a character 
using Gazebo.  But, that is all you should need to know to use Gazebo.