Initial Thoughts

[Phaedrus4242]

As a user of Cyberboard and VASSAL, I was excited to see a new option for gamebox creation. I chose to create a relatively simple gamebox for the old SPI quad game - Blue & Gray I Cemetery Hill because I own it, I found a scan of its counters online (front only, my counters are punched), and to my knowledge there isn't a gamebox available for it in either CB or VASSAL.

I had a VERY hard time figuring out how to make the counters show up in the game!!! Finally, in a head slapping moment of clarity, I downloaded the sample game and looked, but it SHOULD have been in the tutorial!

We need a list of the various XML commands that are usable and their syntax.

Is there any way to have multiple "boards" open at once? In setting up the scenario, it was open the counters "board", grab 1 counter (can you grab more than 1 at a time?), open the map, place the counter, open the counters, etc. It would have been nice to have both open at once.

I scanned the Combat Results Table and Terrain Effects Chart as separate boards and added them, but again, not being able to open more than one at a time is clumsy.

If your game is punched, good luck trying to add the counters to the gamebox!!! The same problem would exist for adding cards to a game. YIKES!

The error messages (or lack thereof) are awful! Really made debugging it a challenge.

The Browse Library command seems to randomly add additional lines of the gamebox to the library.

I LOVE the animated dice!

The mouse commands for manipulating counters on the map are terrific! VERY intuitive! Well done!

Where do we post gameboxes?

Are other gameboxes out there somewhere?

I like where you're going with this, but it desperately needs some more documentation and a bit more debugging. I'd be willing to help with the debugging. Contact me at intp136@yahoo.com

[Jerome]

Hello Phaedrus4242,

Thanks for trying ZunTzu and putting so much effort into it. I hope you'll enjoy it.
See my answers below.

I had a VERY hard time figuring out how to make the counters show up in the game!!! Finally, in a head slapping moment of clarity, I downloaded the sample game and looked, but it SHOULD have been in the tutorial!

Good point. I agree: the simplest way to create a game box is to start from the Jena 1806 game box.

We need a list of the various XML commands that are usable and their syntax.

Good idea. I'll write a formal description of the XML format for the computer geeks. The article in the support section is not very formal but is quite comprehensive. I think no command is left behind.

Is there any way to have multiple "boards" open at once? In setting up the scenario, it was open the counters "board", grab 1 counter (can you grab more than 1 at a time?), open the map, place the counter, open the counters, etc. It would have been nice to have both open at once.

No, only one board visible at a time. But there are several ways to move counters from board to board very efficiently:
method 1: go to the counter sheet; build up a stack of counters; move the stack to the board (by dragging and dropping to the tab, or by using Ctrl+Tab)
method 2: go to the counter sheet; build up a stack of counters; double-click the stack to pop up the stack inspector; go to the board; move counters from the stack inspector to the board
method 3 (my favorite one): go to the counter sheet; move counters from the sheet to your private hand (hand icon at the right bottom corner); go to the board; move the counters from your hand to the board.

I scanned the Combat Results Table and Terrain Effects Chart as separate boards and added them, but again, not being able to open more than one at a time is clumsy.

I understand you would like to have the tables visible at all time for reference.
As far as I'm concerned I don't think it's a show stopper: I recommand players keep a paper copy of the rules and tables. It's a lot more comfortable, and then all the screen real estate can be used to display the board.
The Jena 1806 game box for instance has no Combat Result Table, because players are required to own the VaeVictis magazine containing the rules and tables.
I have made game boxes for my private use in which I have added tables. But I don't see them as references. I included them only to help players solve possible arguments about the rules : "You see? There's a +2 modifier".

If your game is punched, good luck trying to add the counters to the gamebox!!! The same problem would exist for adding cards to a game. YIKES!

Correct. But I suppose it's still a better situation than with the other systems, in which you have no option to scan the whole unpunched counter sheet (correct me if I'm wrong, I've never used them).

The error messages (or lack thereof) are awful! Really made debugging it a challenge.

The error messages will likely improve in the next upgrades. In the meantime, don't hesitate to ask for help on this message board.

The Browse Library command seems to randomly add additional lines of the gamebox to the library.

Not random: it's meant to annoy game box designers!
There's an explanation: every time you modify your game box, you actually create a new game box from ZunTzu's point of view. You just have to remove the lines for the obsolete game boxes in your library.

I LOVE the animated dice! The mouse commands for manipulating counters on the map are terrific! VERY intuitive! Well done!

Great, thanks!

Where do we post gameboxes? Are other gameboxes out there somewhere?

ZunTzu has been public for three months now, which is a short time. And until this week it has only been exposed to the small French speaking wargaming community.
Some French users have already created a few game boxes. They share them between fellow players. This forum is probably the best place to meet those guys.
If you have made a game box for which you have received a formal approval from the copyright owners, I will be happy to make it available for download on this site.