thinking of switching to jumpgate and i have questions

what effects does changing to jumpgate have on maps? i dont use module maps or dynamic lighting as i havent played with those features. most of my maps are hand drawn. if i used jumpgate for new maps what can i expect as an experience how much coding do i need in order to get the game working correctly is there more details on the auto map making feature they talk about? i also really want the extra layer for flying,burrowing,climbing, or inside buildings. i have a massive amount of work i need to do on some of the new maps and if jumpgate works as advertised i should be able to expedite this

I would make a copy of your existing game(s) before converting it(them) to Jumpgate. Jumpgate has some nice features, and a lot of (but not all) MODs have been updated to work with it, but some people are still having issues. Also, look at this thread for an ongoing discussion of what people are experiencing with Jumpgate.

Test your game thoroughly with a copy of your Classic game and a Free test account, not just your Pro subscription account.  I usually have the Jumpgate game open in Firefox Private Browsing, and my Free account open in Chrome Incognito so I can do GM stuff in one window and Player stuff in the other window easily. 

im not going to ruin my game i already saw people saying to make a copy before trying jump gate. i was just hoping some one had actual details instead of the same generic advice.

all i can see is how it affects the 5th edition stuff not the 3.5 edition stuff

Hi techpriest35! Jumpgate shouldn't really give you any different experience based on what game you play; that's a function of the character sheet. Also, what we are suggesting is making a copy of your game, and telling the copy to be created using Jumpgate. This will leave your original game intact, as per any normal copying event. I would not use the internal function that converts your game to Jumpgate, but leaves a copy of the old one. There are anecdotal reports of issues with that approach. Everyone's experiences are going to be different of course, but I have been using Jumpgate for many months now with no appreciable problems. There have been many improvements to features that are only available through Jumpgate, but you don't seem to be interested in the major ones, with dynamic lighting upgrades or the foreground layer, so I won't detail any of those. I'm not sure from your last comment if you are playing 5e or 3.5, so mentioning being able to run multiple sheets in one game seems off the table as well. That is really the only way Jumpgate has any effect on 5e specifically. With that out of the way, there's much less to talk about.There are many, many small quality of life improvements, and most (but not all) players report improved performance, particularly with animations. The interface has a number of small tweaks. The map menu functions largely as it does in classic. You can find out more information on Dungeonscrawl (the live map-building feature) in the Help Center, and in this thread . Beyond that, we really need to know specific questions: what you play, which features do interest you. Looking for a laundry list of differences between Jumpgate and classic is probably going to yield generalized answers. The Help Center might provide some information that you need. EDIT: I spoke too soon. The Help Center does indeed have a detailed list of Jumpgate Quality of Life and Feature Improvements .

In addition to what everyone else has said, which I agreed with all of it 1. The Foreground layer might not be what you're thinking, it's purely a Graphics thing. It's not an Elevation feature (burrowing, flying, etc). You still have to track height or depth in whatever way you already were. Foreground layer just gives you a visual map effect that "can" be used to make treetops, or roofs, or clouds, or anything like that. It is NOT a full stack of elevation layers like being able to have 5 levels of burrowing tunnels on top of each other, or making a 3-story building with an attic on top of the tavern.  2. Dungeonscrawl is NOT an auto-mapping feature, and there is no Auto-Mapping feature in Roll20 whatsoever, except for the 1 feature where if you drag-drop a new Map JPG-PNG onto the Map Layer it can automatically SIZE the Page to perfectly fit the map diminsions. Over on the dungeonscrawl side it is not automated, but allows you to draw maps particularly-dungeon maps quickly with cool drawing tools.  techpriest35 said: is there more details on the auto map making feature they talk about? i also really want the extra layer for flying,burrowing,climbing, or inside buildings.

keithcurtis said: Hi techpriest35! Jumpgate shouldn't really give you any different experience based on what game you play; that's a function of the character sheet. Also, what we are suggesting is making a copy of your game, and telling the copy to be created using Jumpgate. This will leave your original game intact, as per any normal copying event. I would not use the internal function that converts your game to Jumpgate, but leaves a copy of the old one. There are anecdotal reports of issues with that approach. Everyone's experiences are going to be different of course, but I have been using Jumpgate for many months now with no appreciable problems. There have been many improvements to features that are only available through Jumpgate, but you don't seem to be interested in the major ones, with dynamic lighting upgrades or the foreground layer, so I won't detail any of those. I'm not sure from your last comment if you are playing 5e or 3.5, so mentioning being able to run multiple sheets in one game seems off the table as well. That is really the only way Jumpgate has any effect on 5e specifically. With that out of the way, there's much less to talk about.There are many, many small quality of life improvements, and most (but not all) players report improved performance, particularly with animations. The interface has a number of small tweaks. The map menu functions largely as it does in classic. You can find out more information on Dungeonscrawl (the live map-building feature) in the Help Center, and in this thread . Beyond that, we really need to know specific questions: what you play, which features do interest you. Looking for a laundry list of differences between Jumpgate and classic is probably going to yield generalized answers. The Help Center might provide some information that you need. EDIT: I spoke too soon. The Help Center does indeed have a detailed list of Jumpgate Quality of Life and Feature Improvements . so i have questions i run 3.5e. all the issues i have seen have only been people playing 5e. i read all the forums that seemed relavant to my questions as per roll20 forum rules about creating a post thats why i already know about everyone saying to make a copy im trying to skip past the same advice i have already seen and get better advice. mostly i care about how its going to affect the maps and hope it does not change my character sheets or change edition of my content. i don't use module maps as all modules are in 5th edition i dont play 5th. i don't use dynamic lighting as that is too much for a first time use i'd have to watch videos and do this inbetween adventures. i wanted to know if the map  making feature would need high levels of skill like dynamic lighting or if its simple like the tools on the side. i wanted to know if the foreground which sounds cool is high skill like dynamic lighting or if its just like the other layers in the game.

Gold said: In addition to what everyone else has said, which I agreed with all of it 1. The Foreground layer might not be what you're thinking, it's purely a Graphics thing. It's not an Elevation feature (burrowing, flying, etc). You still have to track height or depth in whatever way you already were. Foreground layer just gives you a visual map effect that "can" be used to make treetops, or roofs, or clouds, or anything like that. It is NOT a full stack of elevation layers like being able to have 5 levels of burrowing tunnels on top of each other, or making a 3-story building with an attic on top of the tavern.  2. Dungeonscrawl is NOT an auto-mapping feature, and there is no Auto-Mapping feature in Roll20 whatsoever, except for the 1 feature where if you drag-drop a new Map JPG-PNG onto the Map Layer it can automatically SIZE the Page to perfectly fit the map diminsions. Over on the dungeonscrawl side it is not automated, but allows you to draw maps particularly-dungeon maps quickly with cool drawing tools.  techpriest35 said: is there more details on the auto map making feature they talk about? i also really want the extra layer for flying,burrowing,climbing, or inside buildings. it may be designed as a way to show the over hangs but i figured i could use it to say a character is under/above the other character in the same space. but if its just an update to the dynamic maps then i feel there is no point in jumpgate at all and its a waste of the time from the devs.

I'll take these one at a time: so i have questions i run 3.5e. all the issues i have seen have only been people playing 5e. This is because that is the game that is most played, not because it has anything to do with Jumpgate mostly i care about how its going to affect the maps and hope it does not change my character sheets or change edition of my content. It should not affect the nature of the maps at all. There are better tools and interface tweaks for Jumpgate, and Jumpgate is designed to be more performant, but anecdotally a few people have had worse performance. Make a copy and test for yourself to be sure. Same advice for character sheets. I can't think of anything Jumpgate related that would change how your character sheets work. The edition of your content is likewise an independent system, though there are some interface differences with the display of compendium data. I have never played 3.5 on Roll20, so I don't know the state of the Compendium for that edition. i don't use dynamic lighting as that is too much for a first time use i'd have to watch videos and do this inbetween adventures. If you don't use dynamic lighting, then performance is even less of a question and I would recommend even more giving it a try. i wanted to know if the map  making feature would need high levels of skill like dynamic lighting or if its simple like the tools on the side. To answer that fully, I would need to know your level of facility with a computer. I am assuming by " map  making feature ", you mean the integration of DungeonScrawl? If so, I found the feature fairly straightforward. i wanted to know if the foreground which sounds cool is high skill like dynamic lighting or if its just like the other layers in the game. There are far fewer parts to the foreground layer. I would say that it would take a great deal less time to learn than dynamic lighting. To sum up, a lot of your questions are difficult to answer because they are judgment calls. I can't know what is easy or difficult for you, or what specific bits of Jumpgate you may like or find uninteresting. I have endeavored to answer the best I can under those circumstances. The only real way for you to get these answers is to try it out. It costs you nothing but the time of exploration and testing, and in doing so, you may come up with more specific questions that are more easily answered. My personal experience with Jumpgate have been very positive. The huge number of improvements I linked above make the game much more usable. You may find this is not so for you, but nothing will be damaged or lost by giving it a try. 

Hello Techpriest35, 3.5 DM here.  When Jumpgate was first released it was, in my opinion, unusable (I use quite a few API Scripts). So I was rather critical and hesitant to dabble in it again. What I've done was just as Keith and others are saying to do. I copied and then migrated one of my games to Jumpgate about a month ago. So far I've had no player complaints and no major issues. I should say no issues as the few minor things that came up were so minor I forgot what they were. Probably just a few differences in where buttons are located, etc. So far I have found the new Jumpgate to be faster and more responsive with no issues with my maps. I'm also a heavy user of dynamic lighting and use a custom character sheet that has, so far, worked perfectly in the new UI. The new Foreground layer is great in my opinion. One simple example would be a hut. When the players are outside the hut  you can have the contents of the hut covered by a roof. Once a player character token enters the hut they will see the contents of the hut.  That is very simplistic and there are many other uses for the new layer. That being said to use it properly means creating maps that take advantage of it: at least for me rebuilding maps to use it effectively. But as mentioned already you can always ignore it for the most part. If you want to look at my game or discuss further feel free to drop me a line. Going to go look at the list of features and quality of life updates and see what I may have missed.

I agree with what everyone said, keithcurtis and Erich. The best way is to Copy your game, and try Jumpgate on the copy.&nbsp; techpriest35 said: i don't use module maps as all modules are in 5th edition i dont play 5th. That's not right. Many modules in Roll20 Marketplace are made for other Editions of D&amp;D, many modules are made for other game systems entirely (non D&amp;D), and some modules are made to be flexible for any edition. Also anyone can repurpose a 5th edition map for other games.&nbsp; Here is an example of a Module that is made for 3.5 in the Roll20 Marketplace and this particular publisher-author has a whole series of them for sale, <a href="https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/module/62/the-chosen-one-3-dot-5e-vol-1" rel="nofollow">https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/module/62/the-chosen-one-3-dot-5e-vol-1</a>

keithcurtis said: I'll take these one at a time: so i have questions i run 3.5e. all the issues i have seen have only been people playing 5e. This is because that is the game that is most played, not because it has anything to do with Jumpgate ok i just noticed a dm of 5th said there was an issue with character sheets deleting but only when using the 2024 5th edition when using the 5th edition 2014 they found no issues of character sheets or maps being deleted or altered. i wasnt sure how this might affect the different map types. example if i use the drawing tools from roll20 in the very early days when the drawing tools were kind of garbage how will that affect the maps? what if i use module maps that i dragged and dropped. those module maps are highly coded for things like dynamic lighting. i had a friend walk around on a dynamic module map while he recorded cause i wanted to see the difference between player and dm view. it looks pretty cool but its also graphic heavy and requires knowledge of how dynamic lighting works. &nbsp;for the most part you answered most of my questions mostly i care about how its going to affect the maps and hope it does not change my character sheets or change edition of my content. It should not affect the nature of the maps at all. There are better tools and interface tweaks for Jumpgate, and Jumpgate is designed to be more performant, but anecdotally a few people have had worse performance. Make a copy and test for yourself to be sure. Same advice for character sheets. I can't think of anything Jumpgate related that would change how your character sheets work. The edition of your content is likewise an independent system, though there are some interface differences with the display of compendium data. I have never played 3.5 on Roll20, so I don't know the state of the Compendium for that edition. i noticed that in the forums some were saying it was not as good on performance with token heavy dynamic lighting speciall effect heavy music playing maps this isn't really an issue for me. i do have token heavy maps and lots of drawings on my maps but i don't use the special effects as much as i should i don't have music or video i don't use dynamic lighting so as long as im not having a lag spike i can run my games usually pretty smoothly. i don't use dynamic lighting as that is too much for a first time use i'd have to watch videos and do this inbetween adventures. If you don't use dynamic lighting, then performance is even less of a question and I would recommend even more giving it a try. its not that i can't use dynamic lighting its just that i have never had the time to learn the system. i wanted to know if the map&nbsp; making feature would need high levels of skill like dynamic lighting or if its simple like the tools on the side. To answer that fully, I would need to know your level of facility with a computer. I am assuming by " map&nbsp; making feature ", you mean the integration of DungeonScrawl? If so, I found the feature fairly straightforward. do i have to write api scripts?what about spell macros? dynamic lighting has all kinds of settings that make it look difficult to learn but easy to use once you get used to how the system works. the dungeonscrawl feature is one of the two main reasons im interested in jumpgate at all. the other is the foreground layer it sounds from the video like i can place tokens/objects on that layer and have that represent when something is over or under something. i would still have to track the elevation which is fine just makes map placement a little easier for certain specific fights. only kind of interested in the new tools as this is a double edged sword. yes the tools can be cool but if they are too different from the normal tools you basically have to relearn everything. i wanted to know if the foreground which sounds cool is high skill like dynamic lighting or if its just like the other layers in the game. There are far fewer parts to the foreground layer. I would say that it would take a great deal less time to learn than dynamic lighting. that's good fewer parts means less things to break. To sum up, a lot of your questions are difficult to answer because they are judgment calls. I can't know what is easy or difficult for you, or what specific bits of Jumpgate you may like or find uninteresting. I have endeavored to answer the best I can under those circumstances. The only real way for you to get these answers is to try it out. It costs you nothing but the time of exploration and testing, and in doing so, you may come up with more specific questions that are more easily answered. My personal experience with Jumpgate have been very positive. The huge number of improvements I linked above make the game much more usable. You may find this is not so for you, but nothing will be damaged or lost by giving it a try.&nbsp;

Erich S. said: Hello Techpriest35, 3.5 DM here.&nbsp; When Jumpgate was first released it was, in my opinion, unusable (I use quite a few API Scripts). So I was rather critical and hesitant to dabble in it again. What I've done was just as Keith and others are saying to do. I copied and then migrated one of my games to Jumpgate about a month ago. So far I've had no player complaints and no major issues. I should say no issues as the few minor things that came up were so minor I forgot what they were. Probably just a few differences in where buttons are located, etc. So far I have found the new Jumpgate to be faster and more responsive with no issues with my maps. I'm also a heavy user of dynamic lighting and use a custom character sheet that has, so far, worked perfectly in the new UI. The new Foreground layer is great in my opinion. One simple example would be a hut. When the players are outside the hut&nbsp; you can have the contents of the hut covered by a roof. Once a player character token enters the hut they will see the contents of the hut.&nbsp; That is very simplistic and there are many other uses for the new layer. That being said to use it properly means creating maps that take advantage of it: at least for me rebuilding maps to use it effectively. But as mentioned already you can always ignore it for the most part. If you want to look at my game or discuss further feel free to drop me a line. Going to go look at the list of features and quality of life updates and see what I may have missed. so i have other questions as i have a pro account but have never attempted to make a custom character sheet. i did work with the guy who made the current 3.5 sheet im using but its still missing a few nice things and the spell macros are still a bit messed up. how much effort is making a custom sheet. can i just import a pdf sheet and then make the fields fillable/drop down boxes and have it auto math the sheet? if so that would be awesome. if not im just going to use my normal sheet. i would like to drop in and look at your game for a bit but currently i do not have the time. too busy prepping the next adventure as we are getting to the close on my main adventure.

Gold said: I agree with what everyone said, keithcurtis and Erich. The best way is to Copy your game, and try Jumpgate on the copy.&nbsp; techpriest35 said: i don't use module maps as all modules are in 5th edition i dont play 5th. That's not right. Many modules in Roll20 Marketplace are made for other Editions of D&amp;D, many modules are made for other game systems entirely (non D&amp;D), and some modules are made to be flexible for any edition. Also anyone can repurpose a 5th edition map for other games.&nbsp; Here is an example of a Module that is made for 3.5 in the Roll20 Marketplace and this particular publisher-author has a whole series of them for sale, <a href="https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/module/62/the-chosen-one-3-dot-5e-vol-1" rel="nofollow">https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/module/62/the-chosen-one-3-dot-5e-vol-1</a> that's cool but i was meaning for published modules such as the sunless citadel. it came out in 3.0 and has had updates all the way to 5th but the only version of the published modules i can find are in 5th. there are a few for earlier editions but every one focuses too much on the newest new thing.