Uploads
Building your deck
To build your deck you must first download the CSV Template using the download button. This will be pre-populated with the columns from your layout along with the first row of your test data. Fill it out, and then upload it to the processor. The processor will crunch through the rows, and generate a zip file full of cards for download.
2021-03-17 - Holy carp! Documentation!
I, like many developers, hate creating and maintaining documentation. So instead, I added a little help section at the bottom of each part of the builder. It includes instructions on what needs to be done in each section.
Also, I've added user uploads for both images and fonts. Uploaded images will automatically appear in the Shortcuts section as well as the shortcut dropdown. Fonts will automatically be added to the font family dropdowns.
2021-02-16 - Minor tweaks
Thanks to Rafferty some beta-testing, the following new features added/bugs have been fixed.
In no particular order:
- Fixed a weirdness with scaling and rotation.
- Fixed the problem with rotating an image around its center.
- Added session saves. The system now saves your data to a cookie.
- Added dropdowns for target data.
It has been a productive day.
2021-02-15 - First Round of Feedback
Thanks to Tailsteak and Darkmoon for their feedback, a number of new features have been added to the tool.
In no particular order:
- Added a slider for scaling layers.
- Added a slider for rotating layers.
- Fixed an issue with text layout and positioning.
- Added the ability to set relative positioning.
- Renamed tabs for clarity.
- Fixed a bug where pressing the enter key would delete a card item.
- Added horizontal and vertical mirroring
- Added trim and guide layers
- Made the card redraw more responsive when typing
- Fixed a bug where the card would not redraw when the test data was changed.
As you can see, it's been a productive week.
2021-02-08 - Beta Launch
Hello everyone. This is my DeckBuilder Beta. It's made to replace a lot of fiddly work in creating custom card sets for games by hand with creating custom cards via templates and spreadsheet data.
Right now options for things like fonts and card shapes are limited, tho that will be expanded in the next release.
So, what can you do here?
- Create a new card template, and copy/paste that json file.
- Download the custom csv file for card assembly
- Create cards. Cards will will be generated can be downloaded in a convenient zip file.
And you can't?
- Save your work to the server. If you want to save your work, you'll have to copy the json to a text file on your computer.
- Download cards after you've left the page. The download link will only be available when you create the cards. Card sets will be destroyed after 1 hour. (Don't worry you can create them again.)
- Upload images to the server. Not happening at this point in time. Maybe later.
More to come as I work on things,
If you find bugs, or have ideas that you'd like me to add to this, drop me an email at: matt@rcsipublishing.com
--Matt
Documentation
Hello! Deckbuilder is a tool for game designers to help shortcut some of the tedious work of creating card decks for games.
This tool allows you to lay out a card, position each piece exactly where you need it, then use a spreadsheet to generate an entire deck.
Layout
Create layers of shapes, images or text, add in placeholders and generally lay out your card design. Most decks have a layout that's standard within the deck. Using this piece, generate that layout.
Later, in the build section, you'll be able to upload a spreadsheet and build the actual deck.
Each deck starts with a base, which determines the size and background color of the card. After that it's up to you to add the various layers that will make up your card.
Okay, got it? Let's get building.
Shortcuts
So, a lot of what we do is repetitive, and creating shortcuts here will let you simplify your data later.
Basically a shortcut is a way for us to put in an easy to remember placeholder for a piece of text or an image and just use that placeholder instead of the full long path.
To create a shortcut, simply click the Add Shortcut button, and then put in the name and value.
These shortcuts will then be available in the Layout section and when filling out your spreadsheet.
Data
This section allows you to manipulate the structure of the card directly with JSON. Or, you can copy and save it to your own computer for later use.
Saving your JSON data locally lets you save your card layouts. You can bring an old layout back by pasting the JSON data into the text field and clicking the Load JSON button
Uploads
So, because I have pity on my fellow game designers, the uploads section gives you an easy way to get card pieces and custom fonts into the build tool.
Just drag and drop your images (pngs/jpgs) or your font files (ttf only) to the dropzone, and they will be loaded into a private directory.
Additionally, your images will be automatically added to your shortcut list, and your fonts added to the font family dropdowns on the layout page.
Build
So here is where everything ties together.
Clicking on the Download button will generate a custom CSV file (spreadsheet) for you.
This file will have all of the pieces you set up in the Layout section.
It also includes the test data you supplied when building your layout.
Fill out the spreadsheet for your cards, one per line.
When you are done, save it as a CSV, then click on the Choose File field.
Select your completed csv file, and click the Upload CSV button.
The system will take it from there. Depending on the size of your deck, it may take a few minutes to complete.
Once complete, a download button will appear. Click it to retrieve a zip file of all of your cards.
Info
Developers need to keep notes somewhere.