NPC Generator?

[codetyro]

I'm a gamer.  I'm a programmer.  I'm a GM.

I looked for an NPC Generator to help me create/organize/store my NPCs for my Dresden Files games, but found none.  Maybe I suck at googlesearches.  /shrug

I threw together an NPC Generator to help ME.  Figured maybe others could help me too.  It's straight out of my mind and that's not the easiest place to navigate.  Hopefully this app will be semi-easy for others.

I dunno the rules on this (I don't even know if it's allowed!), but I'm uploading the debug folder.  It requires .net 4, if you have Windows 7, you probably already have it.

I'm looking for feedback and to contribute to the community.  "This sucks" is not feedback.  "What you did on screen X is confusing" is feedback.  If you're gonna criticize something, that's fine - but you better have a suggestion.  I'm a coder, not a designer.  It looks plain because pretty is for the designers.


INSTRUCTIONS
There's no installer yet.  Double click on the DfGen.exe file.

Create a new game. (Program menu or Ctrl+n)

Add factions by typing into the grid

Add toons (characters, npcs, whatever you wanna call 'em) by typing into the other grid

Double-click on a toon to edit the toon

Drag skills to the boxes (top one is +8, bottom one is +1).  Drag back to other window to remove.

Drag refresh items to the other window.  Delete button to remove the item.  Where you drag the item is important.  You'll figure it out.


REQUESTS
Metadata is the collection of skills, stress, powers, stunts, etc.  It's a lot of tedious work that anyone can do.  I added an editor to make the process easier.  If you're going to repost the Metadata.dfd file (an xml file storing the metadata) then please specify if it's a pure file containing only stuff from the book or if it has homebrew stuff in it.

If someone could finish the metadata, i'd be very greatful! >:D

Also, metadata stunts have a special "effects" section.  The only thing that is calculated, aside from displayed "power level", is the number of hit boxes and the number of specific minor consequences.  I don't know how everyone does it, but I only allow NPCs to use consequences that they get from stunts, powers, or high skill levels of the skill that determines stress.  Since they are all minor, I just have one value, the number of minor consequences (herpe-derp).  As those are the only calculated values, the only effects that are "required" are those that affect ^those^ values.  Maybe more will be added later.  /shrug


Closing my eyes, hitting "Post".  May God have mercy on my soul.  (No, really.  He hates me.  Just a *little* mercy would be nice.)

[codetyro]

Well that's inconvenient.  He didn't have mercy.  File size was 104kb.  In my effort to slim it down, I accidentally nuked my metadata file.  /sigh.  Game in 7 hours.  Gonna reconstruct the metadata file and upload it separately.

[codetyro]

And then i can only upload pictures.  Lame.

So... I'm not really sure how to get this potential gem into the hands of the public at large aside from constructing a site (not a designer, remember?) meaning it'll just be a file floating out there without any attached info.  *Totally* trustworthy.  Might as well hand out free candy in a windowless van behind an elementary school.  /wrists

*IS* there a place on this site i can upload this app?

[UmbraLux]

*IS* there a place on this site i can upload this app?

SpiderOak, Drop Box, Google Docs, or almost any online file storing / sharing service.  There's also grabbing your own site or even putting it in various shareware (I think they're still around) sites.

[Sanctaphrax]

We do have a few things along these lines. I doubt they make your work redundant, but perhaps they'll be interesting to you.

Link 1.
Link 2.
Link 3,

[codetyro]

Google sites.  Google is win.  Site took 15 seconds to make (give or take 10 minutes).  Link at bottom under "attachments".

I looked at the proposed items by Sanctaphrax, some were kinda close, but they were mostly tools for creating characters rather than for GM's and NPCs.  Perl script was kinda cool, but would take a while.  I don't want a java app, I'm a... languagist (?  language snob...)

Again, the Metadata isn't finished.  Needs a lot of work.  Gonna work on that before the next game in a week.  If no one beats me to the punch.  The goal of this app was to create a bunch of NPCs and print 'em off.  Don't have printing yet, but Word or Notepad2 work just fine.  Perhaps different versions of formatting... something less tall'n'skinny and more fat'n'short.

It's free.  It will always be free.  It's still alpha, anyone willing to give it a try would have my appreciation and my ear.  Figuratively.  I'm using it myself; hopefully I can find all the bugs, but if I could, I'd be in QA and not R&D as a career choice.  And if I knew sentence structure I'd be a tech writer.  Don't hate.  Grammar sucks.  Butters rules.


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Polka will never die!