AjaxVTT is a web-based software that enables multiple users to participate in battle mapping, making it an ideal Virtual Table Top utility.
AjaxVTT is a web-based utility that serves as a "Virtual Table Top" for multi-user battle mapping. As an avid fan of old-school, table-top, books-and-dice roll playing games, I have been on the lookout for an online platform that could accommodate this interest. However, the available packages in the market didn't hit the mark. This challenge inspired me to create my own platform, AjaxVTT.
AjaxVTT is a result of several years of prototyping various VTT systems, albeit never finishing any of them. It also involves examining several open-source VTT packages without contributing to any of them entirely. As a graphical web-based battle map, AjaxVTT boasts of solid, minimalistic functionality that effectively delivers a real 'table top' experience. It includes a few other features, such as a chat system with voice, video, and macros for rolling dice.
I developed this software when "Web 2.0" was just starting while ajax technology was gaining mainstream acceptance. The question that informed my concept was: "What if I integrated d-n-d (drag and drop) and ajax functionality with a web-app?" AjaxVTT is my second program to use this combination, with the first being a wiki-like platform that allowed users to drag elements around a page.
While some might argue that a web page is not an ideal environment for creating such an interactive mutli-user application, I concur that web technology is buggy, bloated, and unreliable. Nevertheless, the fact that it powers as much as it does is impressive, and as much as PHP and Javascript are lousy choices for writing functional thin client applications, the end result works. Furthermore, the convenience of simply telling users to go to a URL without any installations or downloads outweighs the cons.
AjaxVTT is under the GPL and is yet to be fully completed. Although I don't game much anymore, the project has kept me motivated to learn and create something unique. Despite there being few ajax apps that function like AjaxVTT, I'm happy with the software's current state, and users can expect more features in the future.
AjaxVTT is a result of several years of prototyping various VTT systems, albeit never finishing any of them. It also involves examining several open-source VTT packages without contributing to any of them entirely. As a graphical web-based battle map, AjaxVTT boasts of solid, minimalistic functionality that effectively delivers a real 'table top' experience. It includes a few other features, such as a chat system with voice, video, and macros for rolling dice.
I developed this software when "Web 2.0" was just starting while ajax technology was gaining mainstream acceptance. The question that informed my concept was: "What if I integrated d-n-d (drag and drop) and ajax functionality with a web-app?" AjaxVTT is my second program to use this combination, with the first being a wiki-like platform that allowed users to drag elements around a page.
While some might argue that a web page is not an ideal environment for creating such an interactive mutli-user application, I concur that web technology is buggy, bloated, and unreliable. Nevertheless, the fact that it powers as much as it does is impressive, and as much as PHP and Javascript are lousy choices for writing functional thin client applications, the end result works. Furthermore, the convenience of simply telling users to go to a URL without any installations or downloads outweighs the cons.
AjaxVTT is under the GPL and is yet to be fully completed. Although I don't game much anymore, the project has kept me motivated to learn and create something unique. Despite there being few ajax apps that function like AjaxVTT, I'm happy with the software's current state, and users can expect more features in the future.
What's New
Version a1: N/A