ZunTzu

I've been asked for a list of all the changes I'm planning for ZunTzu, so here it is.
I'm afraid I'm not in a position to give target dates.


Available since 1.1

• Feature: New ergonomy for playing cards - done and delivered
• Feature: Disable/enable stacking - done and delivered
• Web site: Collaborative game box database - done and delivered

Available since 1.2

• Feature: Terrains, geomorphic boards - done and delivered
• Game box design: Image encryption - done and delivered
• Feature: Hints during the loading of graphics (how to scroll, zoom, rotate, flip) - done and delivered
• Feature: Spatial separation of voices - done and delivered
• Feature: Unlimited number of tabs - done and delivered
• Feature: Faster loading of game boxes (optimized texture compression) - done and delivered
• Feature: Enhanced quality for compressed textures - done and delivered
• Feature: Hide/reveal a board to other players (private off-map boards) - done and delivered
• Feature: Rotation through keyboard shortcut (when there's no mouse wheel) - done and delivered
• Feature: Keyboard shortcut to move stacks into hand - done and delivered
• Feature: Sound effects (dice rolls and cards shuffles) - done and delivered
• Game box design: Better error diagnostics - done and delivered
• Feature: Better assistance with firewall problems - done and delivered
• Feature: Support for more languages (Portuguese, Italian and Spanish) - done and delivered
• Feature: Reduced memory footprint when loading large maps - done and delivered
• Feature: Vista fallback mode (to be able to host) - done and delivered

High priority tasks

• Feature: Support for more languages - ongoing task
• Web site: Live service (list of games in progress, join from web site, instant messaging) - in progress (50%)
• Game box design: Design tool (ZunTzu Designer) - in progress (40%)
• Feature: Full Vista support (new voice communication engine) - in progress (20%)
• Web site: Documentation for playing cards
• Web site: Documentation for custom dice
• Web site: New scanning tutorial
• Game box design: Support for extensions (modules, errata, variants, translations, ...)
• Feature: Scenario editing, prototyping (import components at runtime from different game boxes : boards, counters, dice, ...)
• Feature: Configurable perspective for stacks (direction, offset)
• Feature: Choose a scenario before opening a game box (to speed up loading)

Other tasks

• Game box design: Shape masks (alternative method for counters definition)
• Feature: Sticky notes
• Feature: New measuring tape
• Feature: Groups of items (multiselection using the SHIFT key)
• Feature: Wooden blocks
• Feature: Game recording (complete with voice)
• Feature: Play-by-Email (with voice recording)

Features under investigation

• Feature: Cloneable markers
• Feature: New stack inspector
• Feature: Confidential chat
• Feature: Hand content on several rows
• Feature: Dockable dice (dice as counters)
• Feature: Spinners (alternative to dice)
• Feature: Blackboard features
• Feature: Time capsules (sealed order sheets)
• Feature: Disable/enable unfolding of stacks
• Feature: Timers
• Feature: Mouse cursor compliant with screen-recorders
• Feature: Viewports (display other boards in a side panel)
• Feature: Miniature figures (billboards with one image per orientation)
• Feature: In place shuffling
• Feature: Counters with more than two facets
• Feature: Possibility to choose a player's color
• Feature: Splash screen for game boxes
• Feature: Upside-down point of view
• Feature: Snap to adjacent piece
• Feature: Score chips (count is displayed)

Things to fix

• Fix: "Save on quit" prompt but nothing to save
• Fix: No "save" prompt on open scenario
• Fix: Error when quitting videoconferencing session
• Fix: Error when loading graphics
• Fix: No shortcut to remove boxes from the library

I'll be updating this post to report progress.

Jerome - those list of additions look great. I really appreciate your work on this (just hit your Paypal button for you ). I have been a big follower of VASSAL for years now, but ZunTzu is really starting to give it a run for its money - and with some of those additions, it just may eventually replace VASSAL for me (especially when pbem support is added).

Keep up the great work!

Thanks GJK!
Your enthousiasm and your willingness to invest a lot of time (and money! ) into a small unknown software means a lot to me.
It encourages me to make ZunTzu better.

Hi Jerome,

I'd like to reiterate the request to allow the width between stacked units either be adjustable by the gamebox creator, or adjustable by the players or hard-coded so that just a small edge of the counter below shows (so that you can at least tell that it's a stack). In games with large stacks of counters, the stack is so over-extended that it almost covers the hex to the northeast of its current hex. If the stacking width was narrower, this would be much less of a problem.

Thanks again for your hard work!

GJK wrote:I'd like to reiterate the request to allow the width between stacked units either be adjustable by the gamebox creator, or adjustable by the players or hard-coded so that just a small edge of the counter below shows (so that you can at least tell that it's a stack).

Don't worry, it's already there: "Configurable perspective for stacks (direction, offset)"

GJK wrote:In games with large stacks of counters, the stack is so over-extended that it almost covers the hex to the northeast of its current hex.

Out of curiosity, what game are you referring to? Most game designs avoid large stacks.

Jerome wrote:Out of curiosity, what game are you referring to? Most game designs avoid large stacks.

I can't speak for GJK, but in Europa it isn't uncommon to have large stacks.

Jerome wrote: Don't worry, it's already there: "Configurable perspective for stacks (direction, offset)"

And I just sung your praises on a BGG.com message forum (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/article/1736166#1736166) - this is excellent, thanks Jerome!

Jerome wrote: Out of curiosity, what game are you referring to? Most game designs avoid large stacks.

I've just made a gamebox for "The Schlieffen Plan" (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/8717) which can have some unGODly amount of corps in one hex.

GJK wrote:And I just sung your praises on a BGG.com message forum

Thanks. I can use the publicity.

I don't know if this is possible in future but a really nice option would be to have the ability for a piece to have multiple "faces" or "directions" other than the typical front and back image that is there now. So instead of right clicking on a counter and it flipping over, having it to where it can cycle between any number of "faces" by double right clicking. Maybe in the code it could be something like "face1-image-file=" "face2-image-file=" "face3-image-file=" etc. Instead of the "front-image-file=" and "back-image-file=". I don't claim to know anything about how this code works it was just something that popped into my head

I don't know if that makes sense or not, but it would open up a whole new area of games that aren't quite possible now or are difficult to implement. Just like in the CC:A module I am making or the Battlelore module. When you go from 3 unit strength to 2 unit strength you are required to delete the 3 unit block and go to the counter sheet and get the 2 unit strength block to replace it. I would be great to just have a cycle of 4 or more faces.

Like I said I have no idea if that is even possible but there are several games I can think of that would be great for ZunTzu if this were possible.

Keep up the great work Jerome!! I just sent a little somthing your way via PayPal as well. It is from Brandon, I know it isn't much but I hope to be able to help out more in the future, I think you have a great thing going here and I want to be able to help out any way I can.

TGov

Brandon

TGov wrote:Keep up the great work Jerome!! I just sent a little somthing your way via PayPal as well. It is from Brandon, I know it isn't much but I hope to be able to help out more in the future, I think you have a great thing going here and I want to be able to help out any way I can.

Thanks a lot, Brandon!
I've added the feature you're suggesting to the roadmap.

Is a splash screen possible? When you open a gamebox, it shows comver art for the game, rather than gameplay hints? Given how quickly most gameboxes load, the loss of the hits wouldn't be that big a deal, and it'd be cool to see some box art.

Also, how about support for cubes? These would have six images, and rotate either horizontally or vertically, like setting a die to a new face manually. I design a lot of game, lately, that use cube mechanics.

Also, I'm sure this has been suggested somewhere, but a dice tray, from which you manually pick dice for a roll, would be nice. Also, the ability to have dice just sit there, or be moved on the table, and keep their result (and orientation).

Overall, no program is as fast to learn and flexible to use as Zun Tzu. Not Cyberboard, and certainly not Vassal. Incredible work, so far!

Hedge-o-Matic wrote:Is a splash screen possible? When you open a gamebox, it shows comver art for the game, rather than gameplay hints? Given how quickly most gameboxes load, the loss of the hits wouldn't be that big a deal, and it'd be cool to see some box art.

Great idea!

Hedge-o-Matic wrote:Also, how about support for cubes? These would have six images, and rotate either horizontally or vertically, like setting a die to a new face manually. I design a lot of game, lately, that use cube mechanics.

I think that feature is already listed, either as "dockable dice" or "counters with more than two facets".

Hedge-o-Matic wrote:Also, I'm sure this has been suggested somewhere, but a dice tray, from which you manually pick dice for a roll, would be nice. Also, the ability to have dice just sit there, or be moved on the table, and keep their result (and orientation).

Definitely "dockable dice".

Hedge-o-Matic wrote:Overall, no program is as fast to learn and flexible to use as Zun Tzu. Not Cyberboard, and certainly not Vassal. Incredible work, so far!

Great! Thanks!

Hi,

I'm just wondering about the status of: 'Web site: Live service (list of games in progress, join from web site, instant messaging) - in progress (50%)'

I still haven't been able to try zuntzu because most of my gaming friends live in a different timezone. I think this feature would really help the platform to blossom.

Fantastic job thusfar!

Thanks!

s

sleevan wrote:Hi,

I'm just wondering about the status of: 'Web site: Live service (list of games in progress, join from web site, instant messaging) - in progress (50%)'

I still haven't been able to try zuntzu because most of my gaming friends live in a different timezone. I think this feature would really help the platform to blossom.

Fantastic job thusfar!

Thanks!

s

???

sleevan wrote:I'm just wondering about the status of: 'Web site: Live service

Hi sleevan,
In May I had a problem with my laptop which made me take a temporary break from ZunTzu. Sometimes it's good to take a break.
At the moment I'm dedicating all my ZunTzu time to the Vista port. That's a lot of work. That's why the other features seem on hold.