Battle Fleet Gothic

Acidburns · Post by **Acidburns** » 2006-07-19 08:02pm

I believe the big contenders are:

Using a graphics program, act out a battle using pictures to represent ships on a scale 2d battlefield. The files would be either exchange via email, or better, using desktop sharing. Desktop sharing is essentially when other people can see your desktop and control your computer remotely over the internet. In this case, one person would have the battlefield picture loaded in the graphics program, and all other players would take turns to move the icons around on his computer, in real time. The proposed programs to be used are either Adobe Photoshop (expensive) or GIMP (free), this is because these program support layered images, allow players to move the ships in a way similiar to say, a chess computer game. Also, GIMP supports the same format as photoshop. No calculations are needed, but it does require some computer skills. Makes for nice post battle reports also.

Using a spreadsheet with square boxes to create a grid, has been suggested. This would require movement to be rounded off slight, in say 1cm increments. The facing/heading of each ship would be recorded in a text file and be passed back and forth. Maybe images could be used and rotated, im not sure. This could also benifit from desktop sharing. Will require basic trig to caluclate ship movement.

OpenRPG, a free program that aids people playing pen n' paper RPGs online was suggested. This has the benifit of being in real time, and requires no file sharing or such. Built in dice roller. While it does allow players to move icons around a board, it does not support the rotating of icons. This would require ship headings to be recorded, and ships will have to snap to a grid as well. Will require basic trig to caluclate ship movement.

Thats the gist of it anyway. I support the using a graphics program personally.

Feil · Post by **Feil** » 2006-07-19 08:05pm

Acidburns wrote:
Feil wrote:GIMP can do just about everything we need. All you have to do is keep a record of which way each ship is facing.
Just rotate the ship icons dummy .

I suppose that would work. Then just use the divisions into quarters of the icons as a guide for firing arcs, in conjunction with the measure tool.

I'll write up a guide for interfacing GIMP in the movement and firing phase now.

Acidburns · Post by **Acidburns** » 2006-07-19 08:33pm

How's about something like this:

The shape represents that it's a chaos cruiser. Either the base, or the colour of the ship would indicate which player it belongs too. Just slap a name running up the middle and your good to go. Mind that you can identify a ship by it's layer too.

I'm sure a guide for GIMP will be helpfull. I doubt that anyone who has photoshop will need a guide, so that's one less thing to do.

Feil · Post by **Feil** » 2006-07-19 08:46pm

It's a matter of aesthetics. If you want to use mine, that's fine.

If you want to make your own, that's fine too, so long as there's a clearly-defined center for measuring from, divisions into quadrants, a place for name and class of ship, a means of pictographic identification of class, a clear front and back, and a way to easily teamcolor the icon.

30 pixils = 1cm.

---

Can anyone tell me what the Nova Canon template looks like -- its dimensions in particular?

Hotfoot · Post by **Hotfoot** » 2006-07-19 08:59pm

Maybe simple shapes should be used to represent escorts, cruisers, and capital ships?

For example, while this isn't ideal, this is something I whipped up years ago:

The simpler the shapes at the center of the icons, the easier it will be to tell each ship apart. You could use a Triangle on the big base for the cruisers, a rectangle for the heavy/grand cruisers, and an extended hexagon for the battleships. Light cruisers could be smaller triangles, destroyers would be squares, and frigates could be equilateral triangles, or circles.

Not that the current system couldn't work, mind you, but it's harder to tell the difference between the two lighter sets.

Nova cannon template is the reverse of the orientation marker, it's roughly 5cm in diameter, IIRC.

Acidburns · Post by **Acidburns** » 2006-07-19 09:15pm

Just measured my nova cannon template, it is indeed 5cm. 1cm hole in the middle. Also, each individual torpedo is 0.75cm breadth. A blast marker should be around 2.5cm by 3cm if we want to be authentic. Each attack craft squadron is a 2cm square.

Feil · Post by **Feil** » 2006-07-19 09:27pm

I'll agree that added clarity is a plus, but we need to make sure the attributes I listed above are all present. If you can come up with some diagrams that include those facets that are more easily-recognisable than mine (and that have the appropriate dimentions (90 px for cruisers/escorts, 180 px for battleships) t'would be useful.

EDIT: You know, I really don't think there's going to be an issue, and I'm rather tired of messing around with this thing. The markers I have work, and I'm going to go ahead and build my fleet out of them, mostly because I'm feeling impatient and want to get the job done. If other people want to use other markers, go for it.

Arujei · Post by **Arujei** » 2006-07-19 09:35pm

*Phew* Ok, after about an hour of trial-and-error, I've built my fleet icons with the templates Feil put up. They work pretty well. I think if we all agree on a template to use, it will be so much easier during the game it's not funny. As for team colors, I call cyan.

And thanks for the explanation, Acid. The desktop sharing, using GIMP, sounds to me like the best idea.

Hotfoot · Post by **Hotfoot** » 2006-07-19 09:47pm

Also, when it comes to colors, it would probably help for each player to pick two colors, a primary and a secondary, as there will likely be too many players for single colors to be all that distinctive.

Feil · Post by **Feil** » 2006-07-19 11:05pm

I've made a nova cannon template and posted it to the resources thread, width 150px, center hole 30px, in keeping with the 30px=1cm scale.

I'll use the same color scheme I've been using for the icons: black and pink.

Dark Hellion · Post by **Dark Hellion** » 2006-07-20 06:39am

We should post what times work for us so it is easier to schedule games (or Necron needs to spring for a lot of airfaire).

The Jester · Post by **The Jester** » 2006-07-20 02:45pm

Do we have a roster of who's playing what now?

StarshipTitanic · Post by **StarshipTitanic** » 2006-07-22 12:52am

I have little time constraints because I'm on school vacation.

Prozac the Robert · Post by **Prozac the Robert** » 2006-07-22 10:57am

OK, thought I'd just confirm that I would like to play and that I shall give the Orks a go. I'm not about for much of next week, so I thought I'd just make sure I don't get left out. After thursday I'm generally about most of the time (except for a week at the end of august) since I'm in between uni terms.

Is it worth using a normal force and attemt to capture territory (i.e. are there a few people playing as Orks?), or should I just go for raiders?

Dark Hellion · Post by **Dark Hellion** » 2006-07-24 04:41am

Am this happening or not?

InnocentBystander · Post by **InnocentBystander** » 2006-07-24 01:11pm

It is, it'll just take some time for things to... rev up. I don't think anyone expects to honestly begin the 'campaign' for a couple more weeks.

Feil · Post by **Feil** » 2006-07-24 03:13pm

If Dark Hellion or anyone else is up for a non-campaign game today, shoot me a PM. I should be available for the next eight hours or so (it is currently 1515 EST / 2015 GMT, Monday).

Post by **NecronLord** » 2006-07-24 06:04pm

Dark Hellion wrote:Am this happening or not?

Apparently so. Tomorrow, I shall produce campaign briefings...

The Dude · Post by **The Dude** » 2006-08-17 12:52am

This seems to have died in the crib, but if anyone's still interested in it, I've been mucking around with a BFG board in Photoshop. So far I've modelled two sizes of capships, escorts, assault craft, torpedoes, blast markers and a couple bits of 'scenery' (planet and asteroids). Each element is a layer in the file; things like attack craft waves can be made from grouped copies of the appropriate craft.

The scale is 1px = 1mm; the total size is 2000x1500 px.

I've got a JPG of the board (with a Chaos fleet in there) at image shack; the Photoshop file is ~7MB. I can email it if anyone would like to mess around with it (or try playing a game with it). I can also email all the individual .psd files for each of the fleet-specific marker types I've made (battleship, cruiser, escort, torpedo, assault boat, fighter, bomber) if anyone wants to change the colours or designs for their own use.

I'm also open to suggestions on how to improve the ship ID scheme; the ship names on there now look pretty but may confuse matters if a bunch of ships end up in close quarters (although they are easily enough hidden in Photoshop).

If anyone wants to try to play a trial game with me using this (keeping in mind that I'm a complete noob to BFG), but doesn't have Photoshop or know how to use it, I could translate written movement and firing orders and results into a new JPG once for each player's turn.

2000AD · Post by **2000AD** » 2006-08-17 07:08am

IIRC we were going to use GIMP for the table.

Also i'm going on holiday on Sunday so hopefully we'll be up and running by the time i get back.

StarshipTitanic · Post by **StarshipTitanic** » 2006-08-18 01:23am

Now that I'm about to start school, I don't have time to do this as it hasn't even started to start.