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State of Foundry VTT - 2020 Q3
🕑 Added 2020-08-26 21:06:06 +0000 UTCHello dear community - I have decided to write the first of what I hope will be a quarterly note that shares my perspective on Foundry Virtual Tabletop growth, development, challenges, and opportunities.
State of Foundry Virtual Tabletop
It's been 3 months since the official software release in May - in that time I've been overwhelmed by the growth of the software. I'm very privileged to share that many more of you have purchased Foundry Virtual Tabletop licenses than I had expected (please forgive me for not getting into exact numbers), it's humbling and very gratifying to see how the community continues to grow.
Since the initial release there have been 8 software updates: 2 alpha, 3 beta, and 3 release channel. We have celebrated the release of 11 exclusive content packs ranging from the beautiful Miska's Maps to the thrilling Cycle of Cerberus. I am so thrilled to have been able to collaborate with the fantastic artists, musicians, and storytellers in the tabletop RPG space and I hope I will be able to continue offering content packs like these to Foundry owners over time.
Foundry VTT now boasts support for over 50 (51 at the moment) game systems which is truly incredible and is a strong endorsement that many of you have found the Foundry ecosystem and API to be a great place to create tabletop roleplaying games.
The modules browser on the official website now features 384 installable modules which is a really mind-blowing number that also speaks to how incredibly flexible the environment is for creating exactly the experiences you want to have for your group. The idea that there might be this many modules (especially so soon) has really taken me by surprise - and continuing to figure out the best way to support modules and module developers remains a top priority for the software.
Lastly, the presence of Foundry VTT in social channels has been booming, it brings me so much pride to see the YouTube videos, Twitch streams, Reddit threads, and blog articles which showcase Foundry Virtual Tabletop. Thank you to everyone who has helped to spread the word with your friends and communities - your positive word of mouth about the software is my most prized asset!
A Note of Thanks
I would like to express a deeply sincere thanks to all of you who are supporting this project on Patreon. As you can understand from this post - my effort is almost 100% focused on driving big and meaningful improvements to the Foundry VTT software. This leaves me with limited time to do "special bonuses" for Patreon supporters. I hope that you are not dissatisfied with knowing that your financial support is meaningful and going directly into continued improvement of the core software. Does this feel rewarding enough for those of you currently supporting me? Would you like for me to reserve some more of my development time in order to do some more Patreon-exclusive projects? If I were to do that, what type of content would you most want to see? These are questions where I would be interested to learn your perspective and preferences, so please share your thoughts in the comment section or on Discord.
Current State of 0.7.x Development
One of my goals for this post is to update and share with you all some work that is underway to give you all a bit of perspective into the version 0.7.x development progress and expectations.
This has ended up being a really big series of updates - much larger than I originally anticipated. I'm thrilled with the value that continues to be developed under the 0.7 and I can't wait for it to be release-ready for all of you to use. That being said, I'm a bit disappointed with my own timelines and how big it looks that 0.7 is going to be by the time it actually makes it to release.
As the first post-release major update version, I knew there were going to be lots of themes to tackle, but the scope of 0.7 has increased beyond what I initially estimated. The initial plan for 0.7 was to focus on:
- Improved Dice API [completed]
- Phase 1 of the Active Effects System [in-progress]
- Improved Audio Tools [not yet started]
This on it's own would represent a great scope of changes, but in addition to these changes I've also ended up focusing on:
- A comprehensive overhaul to the dynamic lighting system [completed]
- Support for light source animation [ completed ]
- A redesign of the module installation and management process [ completed ]
- Chat log improvements [in progress]
- Combat tracker improvements [in progress]
Not to mention all this work is in addition to a huge number of general fixes, API improvements, and more. All of this work has been done in the last 3 months since the beginning of June.
All the new features are great - but my concern and frustration stems from taking so long to get this series of releases to a point where it can be used reliably on the release channel. The bad news there is that I think it's still going to be another 2-3 months before that happens.
The Plan from Here
In order to accelerate the 0.7.x development process, I am going to focus on the following items:
- Limit scope by avoiding taking on any additional major update themes.
- Focus on completion of Active Effects in 0.7.2 (ETA early September)
- Focus on renovation of the Audio system in 0.7.3 (ETA late September)
- Focus on a first Beta channel release 0.7.4 by mid October.
- Work towards a stable Release channel update 0.7.6 by mid-November.
By the time that 0.7.x hits release, it's going to be absolutely enormous, which is great, but I'm not happy with the timelines and that leads me to consider a different approach for next time.
Learning for Next Time
A learning from this process is that I want to focus on (somewhat) smaller update scope in the future so that I can get large sets of changes like these through the alpha/beta/release process more regularly. I would ideally like to have a new release version of Foundry VTT every 3 months, rather than what currently looks like it will be about 6 months.
In order to condense the dev cycle for 0.8.x I will plan to only commit to two major system features instead of three - with the expectation that I will pursue other opportunities that emerge during the course of development. Once we get closer to 0.8.x, I will be polling the Patreon community to help me choose one of these two major features from a curated set of high-impact options, I will choose the other feature based on my own assessment of what is most critical for Foundry VTT to continue growing.
Interest in Live Streamed Content?
I hope most of you have been able to watch the periodic Development Q&A live streams that I have offered to discuss ongoing development work and showcase new features. In addition to that type of development update - I am thrilled by how successful our GenCon panel and live stream was. If you have not watched it I encourage you to check it out. https://youtu.be/6RX2Mz-8hFo
Part of that GenCon stream was a live one-shot of one of the Cycle of Cerberus adventures. Myself and the other panelists got nice feedback that the one-shot was enjoyable - and I'd like to learn from the community whether that type of content is something you would enjoy seeing more of?
Organizing and streaming a live campaign played in Foundry VTT would take some time away from other development, but it could be a great opportunity to showcase the latest Foundry features in a high production-value (hopefully) context with a entertaining cast of roleplayers and storytellers. Is a weekly or bi-weekly (every 2 weeks) live game on the Foundry VTT Twitch channel something that you would be interested in? Share your thoughts in the comments.
In Conclusion
I realize this has been a hefty wall-of-text, so thanks for sticking with me. I hope the communication about ongoing work is clear and that you all find it valuable to read about what is on my plate, as well as what is in my mind for upcoming initiatives.
Thank you all for your support for Foundry Virtual Tabletop and I hope it continues to be a vital tool in creating memorable storytelling experiences for yourself and your friends.
Happy gaming!
Comments
Foundry Virtual Tabletop
Thanks so much Dillon, really appreciate your kind words!
Dillon Brice
In a bit over a month of running games with Foundry I would say it has totally revolutionised our game table from the previous Roll20 experience. It's giving me a lot more time to develop adventures, which I then lose playing around with things like audio and animation effects and messing around with all the modules out there. Outstanding job mate.
John Hodson
Really appreciate the open communication you've maintained boss. Also part of the as the are crowd: you've made incredible progress, but it still feels like there are enough big updates in mind to warrant sticking with that before considering dialing down to more select patreon orientated bumps. Foundry is in great shape already, but I'd love the main program to be as feature rich as can be for anyone - patreon backer or no.
Foundry Virtual Tabletop
That's a reasonable request, Martin - I will definitely put more thought into the 0.8.x series before I start working on it about what I want the release sequence to look like.
Foundry Virtual Tabletop
Nice suggestions Greg - I'm sure at some point in the next update cycles the Journal system will become due for a revamp. There are some great options out there for better note-taking and organization that I would love to begin exploring.
Foundry Virtual Tabletop
Hey Wynterpaladin, thank you for sharing your thoughts! More tutorial/instructional content like that would be great to produce - and I agree with your suggestion of maybe trying to hire someone who has some specialization in producing that type of material. That's an idea I can explore.
Foundry Virtual Tabletop
Thanks Norc, that means a lot. I'll definitely think about when the right time to do audio is, it's an idea worth considering.
Foundry Virtual Tabletop
Thank you very much Richard!
John Fisher
Ben speaks truth.
Foundry Virtual Tabletop
With that I think you've described my intended purpose of the "Beta" stage! Advancing changes to beta is what I envision as the signal to developers that the set of accumulated changes will be going to release. I understand the spirit of what you're suggesting though and I will hopefully make it clear to the dev community when a set of changes will be moving to release soon.
Martin Karlsson
It's difficult to NOT update beyond the stable release, considering all the awesomeness going into the alphas (speaking as someone who has #gitlab-notifications as their favorite discord channel 😉). I personally would welcome more betas, that's a release channel i feel comfortable with. What about (kinda like the pre-release versioning): 0.8.1 Major new feature #1 alpha 0.8.2 Major new feature #1 beta 0.8.3 Major new feature #2 alpha + bugfixes 0.8.4 Major new feature #2 beta + bugfixes 0.8.5-0.8.x Beta until stable
Greg
I'd also add that I'm absolutely thrilled and satisfied with the progress made thus far. I'd encourage you not to be so hard on yourself. I think everyone in the community is pleased with what foundry has become and what it continues to evolve into over time.
Greg
Responding to the State of Foundry release requesting comment for what we'd like to see as supporters, I want to add my voice to say as an early and continuing Patreon as well as a licensed purchaser I would like to see an overhaul of the journal system or introduction of a dialogue system to allow for branching dialogue rather than simply using linked journals for every conversational choice. A system like Chap Mapper would be ideal.
Wynterpaladin
I don't care so much about "exclusive maps" since making them more inclusive for others drives value, brings more people to the platform that I have chosen, and builds features sets for my players. I will second/third/fourth the idea that has been said before. Training videos. Line-item listings of everything that can be done. Favorite modules, and their reactions. Use some of the money you're pulling in from Patreon to hire someone as a "technical writer" and have them go through all of it and make easy to search, easy to view videos, and post them freely on YouTube, for us and others. I see other people's Foundry pages with motion video loading screens, active maps, changing lighting, and I'm just totally overwhelmed trying to figure out how they did it. Make it easy, and in the process, the technical writer can bring to you places where it's clunky, and the UI can improve, and the product gets better! That's my suggestion. Only 'cause you asked. :)
Norc
We are on your Patreon to support you and your work on Foundry, not to get stuff for us. It's pretty awesome, because that's what Patreon was originally designed for and very rarely happens any more. Personally, I would watch the hell out of a live stream, and that's not usually my thing. I would recommend bi-weekly (or even monthly!) so that it is a fun thing and not a burden. Also, not to talk crazy, but... have you considered just pushing the Audio stuff to the next release?
Richard McEwen
I really like FoundryVTT. I think you have created an excellent product. I mention it very often in my gaming circles. I have paid for multiple license's and spun them up on my host for GM's/players in these communities to use for their regular games. This has been a very good way to introduce people to the product. Your openess and communication with the community is admirable. I share the same sentiment as the other Patreon folks. I support you here so that hopefully you can continue to develop even if license purchases slow. As for streaming, I stop and watch as much as I can but most are during my work hours. So, do them if you enjoy them. Try to announce them earlier. I do not feel a regular schedule is needed. Keep up the great work, man.
Craig Smith
Outstanding! Please also let us know how we can best help you!
Gaëtan Perrault
The challenge is that you're asking unpaid mod developers to keep up to date with Alpha. They may not have time for that. They may only want to test and change when they know they are working against release. My point isn't that you should hide Alpha. My point is that when you're ready to Release, you should have a formal note + lead time to Module Devs. "Hey devs, I'm going to release this thing next Monday. This week is the ideal time to update your modules because I'm not going to change anything else." You spend 60+ hours a week on this stuff, but Moerill may go a full week or month without touching the code base on some project. But their code is everywhere. So it's important to make check points with people and ensure their modules are moving forward (or are flagged for deprecation).
Foundry Virtual Tabletop
Thank you Winks, really appreciate the input!
Winks
As a patreon supporter and someone that wrote a system for foundry, awesome job! It's always inspiring to hop into the discord in the evening to work on a system or module and see all the amazing work by the community being done as well as have that much help and support at your fingertips. As for future work, I'm very much in the favor of "continue working on core features and improvements" instead of niche patreon exclusives.
Foundry Virtual Tabletop
Thank you, sir!
Foundry Virtual Tabletop
Hey Gaëtan, thanks for sharing your suggestion. I agree with the spirit of what you're saying. My perspective (which you may not agree with) is that this is almost exactly the purpose that the Alpha channel serves. Alpha is not recommended for use in actual games, but it's provided so that developers and players can test new features early before they are ready for prime-time. I want everyone to be able to participate in the testing and feedback process, so I feel that it's best to make alpha available to everyone and not only to developers.
Foundry Virtual Tabletop
Thanks for sharing your 2c, Ben!
Foundry Virtual Tabletop
Thanks for sharing your ideas. I agree doing a more occasional one-shot might have advantages, but it also (in some ways) could end up being more work for me than simply having a regular weekly game that is played. Preparing for a one shot (finding players, scheduling, preparing one-off content) can in some ways be more effort than simply prepping for your next episode in an ongoing campaign. I'll have to think about this.
Foundry Virtual Tabletop
Thank you dyoung418, I appreciate you sharing your thoughts and encouragement.
Foundry Virtual Tabletop
Thanks so much SecretFire, keep up the awesome modding work!
Foundry Virtual Tabletop
Nice idea, that would be a cool side effect of having a live game, if it also allowed for a sort of "behind the screen" episode.
Foundry Virtual Tabletop
I'm glad to hear that comes through Craig, I definitely feel how important the community is for me and that I want to do the best I can to deliver new things and to be transparent about what I'm working on.
Foundry Virtual Tabletop
Yeah, that's a good way to think about it!
Foundry Virtual Tabletop
Thank you, Framistan!
Alex Hitchen
Happy to be along for thre ride; fantastic product, fantastic community
Gaëtan Perrault
One request. You're building a lot of features that coincide with modules that people have. Or that affect them. Most games I've seen now have a dozen or more modules installed. For the best user experience, you probably need like "modules devs pre-release". Some time at aside so that module devs have a week to update code as required. Especially as we move major versions, module devs probably need reminders on how to publish different versions of a module for different versions of Foundry. So many people rely heavily on modules. But they don't know the difference between "Foundry broke" and "this module is out of date". With a 6-month release window that transition could be a major support nightmare unless we have devs on board.
Aaron Cammarata
+1. Please do NOT take time to support Patreon-specific features. I donate here exactly _because_ I want you to improve the core product. I'm hoping enough of us back your Patreon that you can make enough of a living to improve the base product, and I expect nothing more.
JP80
agreed, i would even go so far and say this exact behaviour is the reason why i am still a Patreon. I have a Patreon Subscription because i want - not because i have to !! I WANT to support a real one time Purchase Software ! (and not a software that gatekeeps features behind a "Patreon subscription") :)
Joseph Donley
Agreed, on both counts.
Ben Kimball
I'd prefer to see you spending time on regular features and tech debt, rather than niche features for limited audiences like Patreon supporters. And I say that as a Patreon supporter 😊
Drunemeton
Thank you for the update! I'd suggest that you continue to focus on the development work. That's uniquely something that only you can do. That said, all work and no play isn't great, so… I'd recommend that you have two scheduled Twitch streams a month: 1) A Dev Update, that doesn't necessarily have to coincide with a release. They're a lot of fun, and the Q&A aspect is awesome! 2) A one-shot game session with guest players of your choice. I say scheduled because it allows you to plan ahead on what's going to happen, and it allows the rest of us to also plan on attending. (Imagine the word of mouth advertising you'd get if all the various online communities had weeks to plan on attending instead of an hour or two notice.)
dyoung418
Thank you for the update! That kind of communication and community involvement is awesome. For me, work on development would be more valuable than additional premium content or live streams. However, I agree with a previous comment that you should choose the mix that feels good and energizing for you. Thanks again. The product is amazing!
SecretFire
Atropos, courage for the future, you will make it! Foundry is a wonder and will become a reference in its domain.
Other Games
Seconded that some small youtube videos of post-game developer commentary would probably be a big hit.
Austin Dozier
I'd be interested in seeing how to effectively use new (or even old) features and addons in the context of an actual game if some time is set aside to discuss them to some extent. During the game (See what just happened? I used XYZ feature there.) might screw up the pacing, but something before or after the game, going over the technical bits might be interesting. Partly to avoid the "take some time away from other development" issue, but also to get a broader range of GM "styles" using Foundry in their own way, I wonder if guest GMs actually running those would be feasible.
Craig Smith
love the product and that you feel connected to the user base to the extent that you feel you need to share this information with us. thank you!
Other Games
Marching ever onward! I'm constantly amazed by the amount of progress you manage to achieve on a weekly basis (even when we're overwhelmed). On the streaming thing: I think this would be both enjoyable for you and for the general FVTT audience, and that it would be a great way to show off the FVTT aspects a lot of people don't get to see.
Framistan
I bought Foundry one week ago, and I have already set up a full set of notes, rules, and characters, and created three scenarios for my group. This software (and community) is so amazing that I just joined the Patreon, to continue to support the project. I'm not worried about how long 0.7 will take, because I know it will be worth it!
Krish Mero
I love what you do. That being said, it would be nice to see you hire some support staff or an outsource company. I know getting more developers isn't going to happen, but there are other things that could be handled for you that isn't development. Someone who can negotiate license contracts with companies such as WOTC, Piazo and other vendors. A person who can handle the marketplace for that new premium content section in the module installer. Or can handle things such as doing advertisement on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc...
Online Tabletop
I hear nothing but good things about you and The Foundry. I think the greatest thing about the Foundry project, is that the users feel involved and heared. Keep up the good work!
Forien
You asked to share our thoughts in the comments and all I can say is "Keep up the awesome work, care for yourself and just do what you feel is right" :) I mean, that's what you did so far and we (or at least I) came here because of exactly that.
Blanca
I'm actually watching your gen con panel video whilst working on a world to help introduce new players to tabletop games in a uni society. I've loved the work you've put into this and can't wait to see more!
