Vassal Modules

[JudgeDredd]

I was looking on the Vassal's web page for either a Hunt for Red October or Red Storm Rising module and couldn't find one.

First off, is there anywhere else that a module for these could be found and second, if not - how does one go about creating a module? I might consider doing one as project but I wouldn't know the first thing on how to start one or even if I could or would be allowed to.

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

What game system are you looking for?

I know there are RSR scenarios for the Harpoon miniatures game available on various forums.  Haven't seen anything for any other board games that I can think of though.

[Barthheart]

First, a good place to go looking is on the BGG page for each game. If it's not there then post a question asking there.

Second, making VASSAL modules is both easy and hard at the same time. Easy to start, hard to make good ones that work well. There are a couple of good guides out there, but I'm not at my PC so don't have my links, will post later.

How I got started was by using the VASSAL page's beginners guide and reverse engineering some modules that had some of the features I wanted in mine. Then just experiment.

You'll need to create the art work for the game somehow. Lots of people scan the counters and the game board. Sometimes you can get the art files from the company, that's how I prefer to make mine. Again look on BGG in the files section to see if anyone has scanned and posted what you need.

Last, you can make a module for any game you like.... as long as it's for your own use. Some companies forbid the public posting of modules of their games.

[Barthheart]

OK so here's some links:

VASSAL's own manuals:

http://www.vassalengine.org/wiki/Category:Documentation

Joel's excellent series on making modules:

[JudgeDredd]

Thanks Barth  O0

[JudgeDredd]

What game system are you looking for?

I know there are RSR scenarios for the Harpoon miniatures game available on various forums.  Haven't seen anything for any other board games that I can think of though.

TSR's Red Storm Rising and TSR's Hunt for Red October. Both decent games imo.

I have Hunt for Red October in my loft. I don't think I have RSR, but may do. regardless, playing Hunt for Red October has alot of fun removed due to knowing the counter values (no fow)...similar with RSR. So using a Vassal module against an opponent would be ideal.

[ArizonaTank]

Sometimes you can find "outlier" vassal modules at Limey Yank Games http://limeyyankgames.co.uk/

Also, Limey Yank is a good way to see if specific modules exist in zuntsu or cyberboard as well.

However, I checked on the TSR modules you are interested in, and Limey Yank doesn't have them either.

[JudgeDredd]

Thanks Arizona  O0

[JudgeDredd]

mmm...a search on Google found a Steam Workshop module for Tabletop Game Simulator.

What do people here think of that game (I know it's a digital game, but this is related to my module question really).

[Nefaro]

mmm...a search on Google found a Steam Workshop module for Tabletop Game Simulator.

What do people here think of that game (I know it's a digital game, but this is related to my module question really).

Tabletop Game Simulator is just a 3D tabletop game engine with physics.  Similar to Vassal, but you physically move the pieces around in the 3D environment. 

Nearly all the specific game plug-ins are user-created mods in the Workshop.  So quality & bugginess would probably vary a good deal.  There are some good titles done, or being done, for it though.

[JudgeDredd]

Thanks.

I was very surprised to see the demos for TTS showing the player throwing the board about. I was like "WTF is the point of that?"

I might stick with the idea of creating my own module. I have absolutely no idea how this will pan out. I have the game, so I can scan the images...but what are they going to look like? I have the board obviously, but how am I going to get that into the game (can't scan...it's big). Even if I do scan, how do you split it up into it's "useable areas"? So there's a lot to learn here...I've never done anything like this before so I best do some research now I know it's possible at least.

[Barthheart]

The scanned pieces should turn out all right. You could also just draw your own. They are very simple graphics , just silhouettes on coloured backgrounds with some text. You could do all that in MS Paint even.

The board you have to scan on sections and rebuild in a graphics program. OR you could use the user drawn on that's in the image section on BGG. Looks useable enough.

One the series the I linked to by Joel show you how to setup the area style map to play on. It not that hard once you get going.

Keep asking questions and I'll help as much as I can. I might even be able to help make the module, once I get out from behind my module backlog.

Would love to play a game with you too.  O0

[JudgeDredd]

Thanks Barth. I'll dig it out the loft and see what they turn out like

[GJK]

JD - I started creating VASSAL modules when I had some games that weren't represented in VASSAL at the time.  I browsed the scarce documentation that was available at the time (there's so much more and better documentation now) but what really helped me learn how to do it was to download a similar module that was readily available and then I opened it up in the editor.  I poked and around and started to get the basic ideas of how it worked.  I then changed/added/edited things within that module to see if I could do it while using the available documentation for reference.  The basics of doing it became apparent.  Some of the more challenging things I had to ask for assistance (which I received).  The VASSAL community is very helpful (the forums on the vassalengine.org website).


Also, look into ZunTzu.  It's all but forgotten now and we don't know if ZT2 will ever come out, but it still works and it's dirt easy to make a gamebox for it if you follow the step by step guidelines for building your xml files.  I think the graphics look much better in it as well and the controls are much more intuitive.  Downside (besides being nearly abandoned) is that it's Windows platform only and you can't pbem with it but if you're looking to just making something for yourself, ZT may be a good solution for you.

[avrotim]

Finding good Black and white images couldn't be simpler: just go to the Dafonts site.  Under "dingbats, Army" are two downloadable fonts that have everything you need.  Plus since they are fonts, they are vector so can be scaled as large as you want with no loss of detail, and can be added into  any program that uses fonts.

http://www.dafont.com/theme.php?cat=719