BSG management tool

[Falc]

So, seeing the slightly awkward situation of the BSG management tools, I've started tinkering writing one myself.

A rather core element which I need to decide on quite early is how modular to make it.

Now, okay, different destinations need to be accounted for, that's inevitable. But for example, there's the base set of skill cards, and then each expansion added some.

So, should I spend time and effort on allowing for the possibility of, say, using the base deck and the Exodus cards but not the Pegasus or Daybreak cards (or any other combination)?

 

[Eternaly_Lost]

You should make it as modular as you can to make it easier to extend if there is ever a new expansion.

Here is what you need to take into account.

Options like Cylon Fleet board remove all crisis cards of a certain type. As the CAG is in the game only with that option, CAG crisis are removed unless you use the Cylon fleet option.

Entire skill decks might be replaced (If playing Daybreak you use a completely different TRE Deck).

So however you are going to do that, you should leave options open when possible.

 

[Trinitrotoluen]

You should make it as modular as you can to make it easier to extend if there is ever a new expansion.

If it isn't too much work, that would be best.

Also, I would strongly recommend that the savegame files remain editable by a text-editor as sometimes the GM needs to be able to fix things.

 

[Falc]

Well, to use this as a bit of a developer diary...

I started thinking I could hardcode one option and have everyone happy.

It became clear that wouldn't be possible, so I was pondering the large amount of work needed to hardcode all possible options.

And then I realised that if I make it truly completely modular... Well then *I* end up with about as much work as option #1 but anyone who uses it can have dozens of different options, without much work.

Also, I would strongly recommend that the savegame files remain editable by a text-editor as sometimes the GM needs to be able to fix things.

Hmmm. I see where you're coming from, but... I'm not going to save the games as text. I've got a library which does exactly what is needed for the program and I'm not going to increase my workload by writing my own save and load routines.

However, that doesn't mean the game won't be editable.

There miiiiiiight be an alpha release later tonight. More will become clear then.

 

[Falc]

Dev diary update: no release yet.

However, here's what's in the current build so far:

Core Functionality:
- Select mode

Game Functionality:
- Start a new game
- Save a game
- Load a game

Player Functionality:
- Add a player
- Select a player
- Sub a player

Skill Card Functionality:
- Set up initial decks
- Rebuild deck when empty
- Draw a card into a player's hand
- Print a player's hand
- Play/discard a card from the player's hand*


I'm working on the last one, which I can implement in half a dozen different ways. But each of those basically represents a different design principle, which would have to be implemented all throughout the software in order to not end up with horrible hacks. Choosing that guiding principle is not trivial...

 

[Trinitrotoluen]

A couple of things that you will also have to think about:

transferring cards between players
forcing a shuffle of the crisis deck even if it is not empty
shuffling TRE into the DD
looking at the top card of a deck (there is also the rare case where you have to be able to look at the bottom card of a deck)

 

[Falc]

(there is also the rare case where you have to be able to look at the bottom card of a deck)

Got an example of that?

 

[Trinitrotoluen]

The following Quorum card:

CONSULT THE ORACLE

Action: Look at the bottom card of any 1 deck. Then look at all the cards in the Destiny Deck and discard 2 of them. Then shuffle the Destiny Deck and discard this card.