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mj12games.com/forum → Defiance → Beta Customizer (computerized)
This thread will be for constructive discussion and troubleshooting of the most recent excel spreadsheet version of the Defiance Army Customizer. If you are interested in using this program to try and build an army list and able to spend the time to post any concerns or comments here, please send me a private message with your e-mail address and I'll send you the file as an attachment.
-Demian
And please... be gentle... :cry:
Oh, yes -- first issue many will notice: combo weapons aren't working yet. I've been trying to find a way to set it up without using circular references, and it's been a [female dog] so far. It'll get there, though.
@jevelin98
On a quick peruse (don't have time for a thorough run now unfortunately), the tabs 1, 2a, 2c and 2d seem to work fairly well overall, although they lack some error checking (as you probably know). Info also transfers over to data cards correctly as far as I checked. So the work seems to be moving along nicely overall. I doubt I could've done half as good a job as this myself, given the time frame :wink:
The tab "2b - Grenade and CDW frame design" seems to be going in an odd direction tho. It appears to allow combining any effects from the listed ones freely, which is not allowed by the rules. Can't say if this is just a WIP feature obviously, but then the design of the tab is overtly complicated if it is.
For future development, I would recommend marking out the write-protected fields somehow, even if it is sort of obvious what they are. Also, it would be nice to have some way of clearing the contents of a column or even the entire tab to their default values. Furthermore, while the data card view is pretty, I would also strongly recommend adding a more concise "draft" print out tab for the information: this would make test driving the forces less of chore, printing-wise.
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On an entirely different note, I'm not 100% sure if this type of tool should be published freely this early into the new version's life. Although Army Parameters tab will largely remain a mystery to anyone who has not purchased the complete rules, a good part of the major selling point of DVG -- namely the Army Customizer -- will be entirely usable in this digital form to anyone who has downloaded the demo rules and is therefore familiar with the key concepts. I'm not sure putting something like 2/3 of the rules out for free is entirely fair to those who have purchased the full rules. Obviously Demian and Dan may have looked into this already and in any case this is one of those aspects of the hobby where the "mileages" vary greatly, but still...
On an entirely different note, I'm not 100% sure if this type of tool should be published freely this early into the new version's life.
I thought a bit about this, but decided to go with keeping the computerized version easily accessible - though I still keep an eye on who has received it, i.e. people need to e-mail me directly.
It would be possible to use just the demo and customizer to build armies using only the basic (no advanced) rules, but this would take a lot of work and intuiting on the part of the player. Plus, they'd be without any of the examples or the coolness that is Josh, James, Sam and Noel's artwork
In effect, I'm willing to risk that a half dozen people will have the wherewithall to use the army building system for "free" in order to ensure it is well play-tested.
-Demian
One more point that may not be obvious to people looking at the computerized Customizer is that the core mathematical formulae can *not* be back-tracked using it (though you could make some good guesses). In other words, its proprietary aspects remian in my own personal files.
The tab "2b - Grenade and CDW frame design" seems to be going in an odd direction tho. It appears to allow combining any effects from the listed ones freely, which is not allowed by the rules.
Hmmm... I must have missed those restrictions. Can you give me a page number so I can incorporate them properly?
For future development, I would recommend marking out the write-protected fields somehow, even if it is sort of obvious what they are. Also, it would be nice to have some way of clearing the contents of a column or even the entire tab to their default values.
The first one's doable. The second one... there are all sorts of hidden formulas and whatnot, which makes it best for a person to click-and-drag to highlight the cells to be cleared. Not a perfect system, but I had to do so much data manipulation in the areas surrounding the data-entry portions of the worksheets that highlighting a whole row or column would wipe out something floating around out in the wings (if it weren't write protected, that is).
Furthermore, while the data card view is pretty, I would also strongly recommend adding a more concise "draft" print out tab for the information: this would make test driving the forces less of chore, printing-wise.
That's a pretty easy fix. Although it would closely resemble the Step 2 worksheets, so you could always just print those out. Once I get the army list tab figured out, I'll build a more concise way of representing the data.
Thanks for your feedback!
Andreas/jav98
Can you give me a page number so I can incorporate them properly?
See tables on pages 82 & 83. The only effects you can combine with the others are the various smoke effects.
Huh. I read that section completely wrong, apparently. :oops: Still, it actually will make grenade design even easier than it is now, as I won't have to aggregate the various effects.
I'll have to go back and see if I screwed up the CDW design too.
I sent a PM to get this handy item. I never got an e-mail about it. Is there some reason why a person wouldn't get to test it out?
Thanks,
Jonathan
I sent a PM to get this handy item. I never got an e-mail about it. Is there some reason why a person wouldn't get to test it out?
Hmm, I sent it off a few days ago. I'll try again.
Something I noticed. There seems to be no option to set Impact Rating to 0. The only option is 1-4. So my 11 point weapon because 15 because I have to set it to IR 4. Is there something there I need to set?
Thanks,.
Jonathan
Something I noticed. There seems to be no option to set Impact Rating to 0. The only option is 1-4. So my 11 point weapon because 15 because I have to set it to IR 4. Is there something there I need to set?
You can press backspace to delete the field, but I agree: it would be more clear if IR 0 was made an explicit option.
Anyone have any army lists they want to post?
None so far that's been done with the calculator, if that's what you are looking for.
I might have time run my Mishima list through on the calculator sometime this week tho. That, or one of the mini-lists from Cobalt-1.
Sorry I've been out of the loop, everyone! My job went to hell in a handbasket a few weeks ago and hasn't gotten much better. While I'm still pretty snowed in by what's going on at work, I think I can finally start peeling some time away to pay attention to the USS spreadsheet again.
I'll start with the issues at the top of the thread -- the combo weapons. I haven't yet been able to figure out a way to make that work. The problem comes in where the point costing is concerned, and a few other under-the-hood issues. Right now, to make a combo weapon, someone will need to create the first weapon frame independently, and then make the second weapon as a combo with the first. I'm sure there must be a better way to handle it, but I'm not sure how (maybe a separate worksheet for combo weapons?).
I'm open to suggestions on that one.
Something I noticed. There seems to be no option to set Impact Rating to 0. The only option is 1-4. So my 11 point weapon because 15 because I have to set it to IR 4. Is there something there I need to set?
Thanks,.
Jonathan
I can fix that easily, but from the the way I read the text originally I wasn't sure if you *could* have an IR of 0. I see now on Page 29 that IR-0 seems to be the case for "standard" weapons; I'll adjust accordingly.
Right now, to make a combo weapon, someone will need to create the first weapon frame independently, and then make the second weapon as a combo with the first. I'm sure there must be a better way to handle it, but I'm not sure how (maybe a separate worksheet for combo weapons?)
It might be simplest to "force" people to define all weapon frames, including those that'll end up as subframes in a combo weapon, first. There would have to be some way of "tagging" those weapon frames that don't count towards the total number of frames. These wouldn't be allowed to be attached to any other frames apart from combo weapon frames. Then provide a way (perhaps a separate sheet might indeed be simplest, although I'm not sure what that'll do to attaching weapon frames to infantry/vehicle frames) where combo weapon frames are defined as a collection of otherwise existing frames.
Where do we go to get the update army customizer?
The computerized Army Customizer was last updated on 5/4/05. PM me if you don't have the latest version, and I'll get it to you.
-Demian
Hey,
I have been working with the weapon customizer and I wanted to ask why some of the cells for things like Vehicle piercing and similar things are grayed out and you are not able to give some of those columns those features.
If you put Yes in the column then it removes the weapon cost.
Why does it do that?
Thanks,
Jonathan
Hey,
I have been working with the weapon customizer and I wanted to ask why some of the cells for things like Vehicle piercing and similar things are grayed out and you are not able to give some of those columns those features.
If you put Yes in the column then it removes the weapon cost.
Why does it do that?
Never mind... I am a doofus... I figured out what was going on. Sadly enough I figured it out in my sleep.. literally, I had a dream about it.
But I did notice that on the grenade design section of the customizer, that smoke grenades don't seem to buyable by theselves. Is this an error or a standard thing in the rules.?
But I did notice that on the grenade design section of the customizer, that smoke grenades don't seem to buyable by theselves. Is this an error or a standard thing in the rules.?
Per the rules, smoke grenades should be purchasable by themselves, as well as add-on effects for other grenades.
-Demian
But I did notice that on the grenade design section of the customizer, that smoke grenades don't seem to buyable by theselves. Is this an error or a standard thing in the rules.?
Per the rules, smoke grenades should be purchasable by themselves, as well as add-on effects for other grenades.
I figured as much. The current incarnation of the customizer prices smoke grenades in any form at 0 points.
Thought you might need to know.
Something else it could use is more weapon slots. 16 just isn't covering it for me. 
Thanks,
Jonathan
Yeah, it won't allow more than 15 frames, regardless of tactical rating and frame variety rating. Quite frustrating, that.
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