Author Topic: Fantasy Grounds II - Do you use it?  (Read 9380 times)

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Offline Gunnar Greybeard

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Fantasy Grounds II - Do you use it?
« on: April 09, 2010, 01:45:58 PM »
Topic pretty much says it all. Just wondering if others are using it and how it is working out for them. I have had the RMC Ruleset for about 2 weeks now and things are going pretty good, at least as far as the character creation and campaign information processes. I have not started the actual campaign yet but am curious how it is working out for those already running their games using FGII.

Offline DavidKlecker

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Re: Fantasy Grounds II - Do you use it?
« Reply #1 on: April 16, 2010, 05:05:00 AM »
You know, when I first saw it I was excited, but the more I use it, the more unimpressed I get. The ruleset stuff is fantastic but in the end, FG is marred by a rather over done UI and it's not a very practical program when it comes to running a battle scenario. I much prefer Battlegrounds in that department regardless if that application has its own UI issues as well. My biggest gripe with FG is the lack of proper scrollbars. The way you move your maps and scroll in FG is horrendous. Why I can't use the mouse properly here almost ruins the whole experience for me. It's the one place where I literally cringe and almost throw my mouse across the room due to the frustratingly awkward controls. Also the menus on FG are confusing. Most of the time I find myself having to throw the mouse cursor over the image to remind myself what it does. Why not a standard menu? There are a LOT of things with FG I just don't understand why it was implemented the way it was. I find myself pointing at it as an example of how NOT to design a program. Its features are wickedly great through. But that doesn't save it. It's like having a car with just about everything in it, but trying to drive it is requires a manual and weeks of completely relearning a whole new way of driving a car.

lordmalachdrim

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Re: Fantasy Grounds II - Do you use it?
« Reply #2 on: April 16, 2010, 08:36:25 AM »
Picked it up to run a game of RMC online for a few friends, after 2 sessions we went back to GRIP (even with it's extreme age and instability under anything after windows 95 we feel it works better).

Offline markc

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Re: Fantasy Grounds II - Do you use it?
« Reply #3 on: April 16, 2010, 03:46:55 PM »
Picked it up to run a game of RMC online for a few friends, after 2 sessions we went back to GRIP (even with it's extreme age and instability under anything after windows 95 we feel it works better).


 You can try and launch programs in compatibility mode which essentially uses the old OS kernel. But you still will have problems with DLL's IIRC.
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Offline DavidKlecker

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Re: Fantasy Grounds II - Do you use it?
« Reply #4 on: April 17, 2010, 04:00:32 AM »
Never heard of Grip. You know those who are looking for alternatives to FG, Battlegrounds I do think is a better program. It doesn't have as many features, but what it lacks in that department it makes up for in the user experience. It's MUCH easier to pick up and use, although it still requires a manual for more advanced features, however, and here is where it shines... the map moves the way it is meant to move. 

lordmalachdrim

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Re: Fantasy Grounds II - Do you use it?
« Reply #5 on: October 25, 2010, 10:19:22 AM »
GRIP is an oldie it's game announcement system doesn't work (site it's linked to is dead and gone) and the voice chat program it was built to interface with is obscure (Rogerwilco) and near nearly as good as thing like skype (with video conference calls now).

The original create is working on a new version but it's coming alone so slowly that I have trouble staying excited about it. What I loved was it would allow FTPing any file during the game, playing sound effects, all the standard mapping and fog of war stuff, displaying standard (jpg and gif) images, and whispers to individual players/gm (private messaging built in for when one sees something that others don't. Very useful for games where all the players don't have the same goal). And considering this was all wrapped in a program that came out back in the days of windows 95 it impressed the pants off me.

FG is pretty but I get frustrated with the limited files it can open, lack of built in ftp, whispers, and sound effects (at least if these are possible I haven't figured out how to do them).


So anyone have any suggestions? I'd like to use FG since it cost enough, but I'm open to other choices as well.

Offline DavidKlecker

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Re: Fantasy Grounds II - Do you use it?
« Reply #6 on: December 02, 2010, 09:17:11 AM »
Maptools: http://rptools.net/

This beats them all! This is by far the best VTT program I have ever used.

Offline bennis1980

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Re: Fantasy Grounds II - Do you use it?
« Reply #7 on: June 14, 2012, 01:01:02 PM »
I think it's fair to say that with Extend RMC add on for the RMC ruleset, playing rolemaster in Fantasy Grounds is vastly improved. It makes looking up the correct table a breeze and speeds up combat fourfold. Hopefully ICE get behind it and show it more support.


Offline chukoliang

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Re: Fantasy Grounds II - Do you use it?
« Reply #8 on: February 02, 2016, 12:58:27 PM »
I think it's fair to say that with Extend RMC add on for the RMC ruleset, playing rolemaster in Fantasy Grounds is vastly improved. It makes looking up the correct table a breeze and speeds up combat fourfold. Hopefully ICE get behind it and show it more support.


I agree with Bennis1980. As I really hope ICE will support it's products in these types of systems as it is probably what will grow the business.

FG doesn't seem to give much polish or love to any system that isn't the new D&D. It seems the GM's really have to do a ton of work to get even half the polish that system has in FG.

Recently I saw ICE is doing RMU and when I read the forums and saw RMU is an attempt to unify all RM systems.  At first I thought it was a bad idea. However, If they can do it and get it unified, it could stop the huge split we have in fans of each RM/HARP system.  Which could allow ICE to direct it's focus on growing the system and creating modules, and campaigns. Which should be great for all RM fans. Current RM GM's may love making their own campaigns, but there is a huge market out there for pre made modules for pre set levels and we would all benefit from a larger RM community.

If ICE really polishes and makes it easy to use FG I would really like to try that. A unified best of system would allow them to add things like a character generator, leveler, and automation that would allow many new players to try out the system. They probably need standard rules for XP, magical items etc. Apps that converted D20 (instead of just telling you how) would also allow easy conversion of d20 campaigns and modules. Sure Master GM's wont use it, but how many master GM's are there? D20 conversions and new campaign modules  for RM would even allow GM's to easily convert their worlds for RMU play. Which could grow the system very nicely. D&D might not be too happy, but I'm sure they wouldn't complain if everyone was buying new campaigns and modules, treasure, monster modules. And besides all the new D&D rulesets are just trying to make D&D more exciting, like RM already is ;D.

If ICE gets RMU done, puts out new modules that are set in the Shadow World/Cryadon settings and can actually make them quick and easy to make characters in FG, ICE could just reinvigorate the franchise.

Offline Majyk

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Fantasy Grounds with RM!
« Reply #9 on: February 09, 2016, 08:41:01 AM »
Totally agreed about the modules.
During our RM2/RMSS heydays, I would grab every old Dungeon Magazine and D&D Module out there for conversion to RM!
We were sucked into D&D 3(then 3.5) because everyone seemed to be back then, but D&D Minis also stole a lot of my cash because I could get these really nice pre-gridded maps of differing terrain, too.

No more plain battlemats for us, haha.


FG(Roll20) just does the same thing online and definitely captures the imagination to game with literally anyone around the world(like OpenRPG before it), especially with the buddies that have drifted apart.

Offline ardem

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Re: Fantasy Grounds II - Do you use it?
« Reply #10 on: March 07, 2016, 09:23:17 PM »
I use it for well over 4 years now. It improved vastly from the first time I have used it. I would not consider using anything else. For me it truly works and we had so many fun sessions with it.

Offline lordmalachdrim

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Re: Fantasy Grounds II - Do you use it?
« Reply #11 on: March 10, 2016, 05:18:03 AM »
Since this thread has been brought back from the dead and I was pretty against Fantasy Grounds when the thread started (I can't believe it's been 6 years already).

FG has been vastly improved and has become the only VTT that my group uses.

Offline Warl

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Re: Fantasy Grounds II - Do you use it?
« Reply #12 on: March 10, 2016, 12:48:55 PM »
I had a GM license years ago.. Just the Individual License, Not the "Host everyone you want" license. If I Could afford to spend that Kind of money on 1 program, I likely would get it, Upgrade (I don't even know if I can get my old License recovered...

But as it is, there are decent free programs available that makes Paying for the FUll GM license of FG a Bit of a "nope" with my current budget.

I use Maptools and it works Awesome for me even if I don't have a "rule set" add on for it. 
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Offline lordmalachdrim

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Re: Fantasy Grounds II - Do you use it?
« Reply #13 on: March 16, 2016, 04:57:24 AM »
It should be pretty easy to recover. Go to the forums (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/) and log in. Then go to your order history (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/store/orders.xcp) and click on the order that was your purchase.

Offline Warl

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Re: Fantasy Grounds II - Do you use it?
« Reply #14 on: March 16, 2016, 11:07:19 PM »
rightttt.... Remembering which E-mail (if I even have that e-mail from 10 years ago) still might be the problem lol
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