Orc: Version 1.01 is available

Orc Version 1.01 is now available. Features include a new Database structure, more critical and attack logic added, multiple attacks now supported, Active Spell Pane and now the ability to change player properties during combat, for example a spell that increases hit points, or they pick up a weapon.

This release is still in beta. It seems pretty stable. I ran through a combat test run and didn't have any issues. I'll will try more combat runs during the week.

Download Orc 1:01b

Testing for 1.01 Underway

I have completed development for version 1.0 and all that is needed to be done now is some database entry for final testing. Here are the new features for 1.01

• Main: Completely refurbished database in order to support the idea of ICE acquiring it. The reason for this was to format for an already created database by someone else who had already made the XML database work under an XSL template. These templates are just fantastic and are very close to looking like an actual page from the book. There is also an index.htm which lists all of the XML files which when clicked will render an attack table or critical table. These databases are 100% customizable however I do not recommend changing the node names or attribute names as a lot of them are used by Orc. Again the XML database submitted in the program will be empty save for the template itself. However I do not plan to change the format in the near future or ever as this is a format that works well and in my mind is pretty solid.
  
• Secondary: New fields and logic for AddPlayer so that a player can create characters that cannot stun or bleed.
  
• Logic for armor bonuses and other bonuses for defense.
• Can now link an attack to another attack. This allows a player to define two attack weapons such as the skill Two Weapon fighting or if you created a Martial Artist whose style allows for a second attack. Also a field to link this attack only if a critical happen which helps with creatures who attack with one natural weapon and if they crit can attack with another.
  
• Added a Spell Pane which now lists all active spells. To make a spell active, go into the spell dialog window, select a spell from the list and click cast. If the spell casts normally it will appear in the Active Spell Pane.
  
• Also this version links large creatures and super large creatures to the large and super large critical table.
  
• Also this version allows a player to mark their weapon as magical, mithril, holy or slaying.

There is also some new logic for attacks:

• The ability to define more than one critical for a result. For example an F crit shown in the book can be defined as an E crit with a table and a C crit on another table for example.
  
• Also if a condition is a part of the critical, for example if the critical asks if the target has arm greeves you can select this condition over the regular critical and apply it. This works with bracketing criticals as well.
  
• Also criticals keep track of more information such as initiatives, parry penalties, death and death in rounds, knocked out, knocked down and prone.
  

That's all I can think of for now. I'm looking forward to having this version finished and done so I can move on to bigger things like the Character Generator.

Also: again, for anyone interested in helping to develop Orc, want to add new things, fix things, make it work under Linux or a Mac (everything is coded using wxWidgets and C++ and XML so integration into these Operating Systems should be easy and standard) or if you are interested in being a beta tester. Again source code will be available and if you setup Code::Blocks all you have to do is load the project file and you are all set.

New Database Design

For those who may have downloaded the program and have started their own database work, you might want to stop for now until I have loaded into Orc my new database design that I am working on with Vroomfogle who let me tinker with his rather incredible piece of database work. I have a draft finished and will start moving this draft into the code here. Hopefully I will have something by next week. It will be in version 1.01.

This database I've been working on though is just awesome. Imagine if you will having the ability to just click a link on your browser (unfortunately right now it's IE only) and have an exact replica of an attack sheet in front of you, or a critical table sheet. Not only does this database do that, but software developers will and should be able to utilize it as well as I plan to prove with Orc.

Once we have this database finalized then hopefully we can get ICE to acquire it. We shall see.

(the reason is it IE only right now is that Mozilla is not capable of reading a DOCTYPE ENTITY to load an XML file into another XML file. It's a limitation of Mozilla unless I can find a solution).

Beta is now available!

I have made Orc .10Beta available to the public. Things to note with this release.

1) This is not a stable version and therefore could be prone to a few bugs and crashes. If it does crash I would love to know when the crash happened and what you were doing at the time so I can address the issue.

2) The XML Database again are all templates with no data in them. Copyright issues prevent me from making full databases available to the public. Also please don't ask me to send you these files as an aside. If I can't make them available in this application then I can't send them via email as well.

3) If you think there is a bug in the program please send me an email on it and I will address the issue in time.

4) I also accept enhancement requests if you have ideas. I already have a few of my own which include the following (Active Spells pane on the main window listing all active spells, better functionality for creatures and beasts and help files). I'm aware there is no automation of phases in Orc. This is a feature I do plan to have in time, but I need to think about a design first. ;)

Enjoy!

Beta is almost up

I have completed the development phase of Orc and will now move into play testing. Hopefully the testing will go smoothly and I can have a beta ready for testing by next week. I will post more information on the beta when I am ready as there is legal-ise that needs to be mentioned as well. If you are interested in being a beta tester, please send me an email at brdavid@gmail.com.

Here are some screenshots of Orc as it stands for Version 1.0.

Main Window

Add Player

Attack Window

Maneuver Window

Spell Window