| From: | Shawn McCollum Shawn_McCollum@*********.com |
|---|---|
| Subject: | XML and Character Sheets |
| Date: | Thu, 06 May 1999 13:49:38 -0400 |
All the people in my group now have computers and are able to get on the
internet. After we play I keep all the character sheets, for two reasons.
First, a player that we once ran with would make some changes to his sheet,
once I noticed it I made the declaration that I would hold on to the
character sheets, and if a player wanted it they would have to make a copy.
Second, sometimes the players are coming from work and would forget their
character sheet. Everybody is pretty happy with it, basically means that
all they have to show upwith is their brain and dice if they want to use
their own dice.
Lately, we haven't been getting together enough, and people forget what
there characters can do or have. I suggested that they should take their
character sheets with them, since the we don't see the cheater anymore.
Everybody has gotten used to me holding on to them, so that didn't work.
After looking at the available character programs, none really worked for
me. So I figured I would write my own, but first, what should the should
the save format be? How to get it on the internet as a web page?
What I want to do:
My answer to both of the above questions is XML. I would have one save
format that with XSL could be easily displayed differently depending on what
character type you were working with. Also with some of the forth coming
visual XSL products, anyone could make there own sheets easily, and anyone
else could see their character with it by linking the two together. I am
still pretty new to XML, and a newbie at XSL.
So I am thinking about making it open for others to help out. My plan is to
have someone handle different aspects of the sheet. I have just finished my
first attempt and built a schema and style for the attribute box on the
sheet. I will make a page soon on geocities or somewhere soon and post it
there. So I am looking for volenteers to help out, send me an offlist
message that you are willing to help, and what area of the character you
would like to handle.
I know some of you also play other games so we could also make projects to
design mark-ups for other games too.
Shawn McCollum
INET Technologies Group
Compuware Corporation
31440 Northwestern Highway
Farmington Hills, MI 48334
Phone: (248) 737-7300 Ext. 8198
Fax: (248) 737-7629
Email: shawn_mccollum@*********.com
