Character Generator
Managing a live action roleplaying game (LARP) has traditionally been a labor-intensive process. The players must contact a staff person every time they have a simple question or change, and the staff, who are generally volunteers, must devote substantial time to logistical work and player queries. The Character Generator was designed to address these problems.
The system has been in use for six years. It is now in production at three local games and supports around 300 players. The system has greatly decreased the amount of management time that goes into the game and has improved player and staff satisfaction.
I am currently working on an open source PHP/MySQL version to make the system higher performance and more affordable. The new version will feature a number of interface improvements and make better use of new technologies, such as AJAX.
Responsibilities
- Developed entire system from concept to deployment
- Worked with game owners and players to develop specifications
- Performed all ColdFusion and database development
- Wrote extensive ColdFusion and JavaScript logic to aid users in creating characters that conform to complex game system
- Implemented settings that allow software to be easily customized for games using variations on the rules system
- Implemented login and authentication system supporting tiered access privileges
- Integrated Paypal support to allow players to easily register and pay for events
- Worked with team of players to perform extensive QA and user acceptance testing
- Provided ongoing support and maintenance
Tools
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe ImageReady
- Adobe ColdFusion
- Adobe Dreamweaver
- JavaScript
- Microsoft Access
- Microsoft Visio
- Paypal shopping cart API
- PHP/MySQL (currently in development)
Visit live site:
http://www.willowtree.net/madrigal
Questions?
