[TheAaron][Group-Init][Turnmarker] Hiding names on Combat Tracker as an option?

Pursuant to <a href="https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/4032/display-token-name-in-turn-tracker-only-if-you-are-allowed-to-see-it" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/4032/display-token-name-in-turn-tracker-only-if-you-are-allowed-to-see-it</a> Would it be possible in either/ and/ or, Group Init &amp; Turnmarker, to have an option to hide, mask, or rename any token's name appearing in the Combat Tracker? I know the name that appears is directly under the show nameplate check box of the Name field on the basic tab.&nbsp; Clearing that helps eliminate the ability for the PCs to see what the name of the token is.&nbsp; However, it's also inconvenient.&nbsp; Would it be possible to not incorporate that field when group init draws the initiative for the tokens if the tokens are controlled by someone with GM access?&nbsp; In doing so, that would effectively leave their names blank in the Combat Tracker (In Theory). Problem is that I don't know if this would retain individual token tracking for Turn Marker, as this may break its ability to actually advance the turn if it is name dependent. That covers an option to hide it altogether, but other options would be to hide (if that's even possible in roll20) by somehow making the name of the monster invisible, while still knowing it's there.&nbsp; That's a uncharted territory for me to conceive, as I don't know how roll20's inner mechanisms work. The last option would be to provide it a standard name during Group Init supplying it to the tracker, such as "An Opponent".&nbsp; This way Every Monster or other character under GM control would just appear as "An Opponent" in the Combat Tracker and only their tokens would differentiate them (as in real life, appearance vs names they possibly wouldn't know). I know Roll20 has ignored or can't come up with this management, which could be functioned directly from the token itself by adding a check box to hide name from the combat tracker.&nbsp; But I was hoping we could scoot around this limitation via API, and thought of Group Init and Turn Marker as the best two candidates for this.

The absolute simplest method is to duplicate the token to the GM layer. Use the GM Layer token for initiative tracking, and the regular token on the token layer. Tokens on the GM layer show only to the GM.

Which turnmarker skips over for me, because I sometimes preroll initiative from the Gm layer to make it simpler to capture en masse.&nbsp; For me that isn't the simplest method.&nbsp; "A Method", certainly, but not simplest.&nbsp; It'd be easier if we can API around the issue or have Roll20 fix this behavior in the first place, as its very counter-intuitive.

Just to boil this down, you want to hide the names of tokens from players if they don’t control the token, yes? If they can’t see a token’s name below the token, the won’t see it in the TurnTracker. That’s built into Roll20. The API doesn’t control the presentation of names in the TurnTracker, it simply adds a token id and priority value.&nbsp; Is that other than the behavior you’re seeing?

The Aaron said: Just to boil this down, you want to hide the names of tokens from players if they don’t control the token, yes? If they can’t see a token’s name below the token, the won’t see it in the TurnTracker. That’s built into Roll20. The API doesn’t control the presentation of names in the TurnTracker, it simply adds a token id and priority value.&nbsp; Is that other than the behavior you’re seeing? Sentence 1: Yes.&nbsp; The fact that this is the way Roll20 handles that in that way offers too much opportunity for Metagaming by players.&nbsp; "A Zombie?&nbsp; Ok break out all the fire we can!&nbsp; A Strahd Zombie?&nbsp; Watch out for claws!"&nbsp; That kind of thing.&nbsp; The default behavior SHOULD BE to NOT show names, only showing names if a check box is checked in the 'on' mode.&nbsp; They do this for the token, but it doesn't transfer to the Combat Tracker.&nbsp; If they would have a checker on the token's "Name &gt; See" Box in the Player Permissions, they could automatically disable the name from being shown in combat. Sentence 2: Yeah - I wasn't sure how that worked.&nbsp; If it's Token ID and Priority, then there may be no true way to do this.&nbsp; I'm imagining if the scripts built into Roll20 pass a token ID and priority, then take the Token ID and get the Name from that for displaying it, then the only way to do this properly, currently, is to create a Fake Initiative object, vis-a-vis, "Add Custom Item".&nbsp; Turnmarker doesn't skip those (or it doesn't on my current campaign settings), it just doesn't declare them a turn in the chat or - for obvious reasons - doesn't ping. I guess - at this point, dejectedly - I wish there was a way to take the average of a group of like-named tokens and average all their initiative rolls, outputting an object in the Combat Tracker, untied to the actual tokens the way "Adding a Custom Item" can do, giving it the common token picture in the Combat Tracker, and have Turn Marker able to interpret that object by itself as a turn. Bah ... that sounds like a huge order to me.&nbsp; I have an idea of the results, but no idea the labor that would entail and it's probably more trouble than I can understand with my knowledge of coding and Roll20s code/ variables.&nbsp; Probably more trouble than anyone wants to take on, this problem has been around probably since Roll20 began.&nbsp; It seems more of an inherent Roll20 problem than a API should have to fix.

I think the only way tokens do not show a name in the Turn Tracker is if the token name is blank. Sounds like a job for TokenMod to clear token names? EDIT: Pay no attention to me; see below.

ok, but then I'd be using Token Mod to roll initiative, can it even do that?&nbsp; I think Group Init would be better suited, unless ur saying to remove the names first before rolling initiative.&nbsp; I suppose that is doable also, just makes it strange that I can't see the names on the tokens then either, but a shift double click will link up to what I need to run combat.&nbsp; I use Group Init for all Initiatives (PC and NPC alike), but I can switch my macro to an add in that clears names prior to rolling.&nbsp; May not be the worst plan....

NPC Initiative Macro, as an example: !token-mod --set name| !group-init Sound about right?&nbsp; Imma go try it, see what happens ... After Test: That works, as a workaround to be able to do this on the fly.&nbsp; This is the better macro to use, in case you have a named NPC and they know the name (I tested it and it's fully functional).&nbsp; Again, this seems to be a reasonable workaround, but not actually the most ideal solution; all in all. ?{Clear NPC Names?|YES,!token-mod --set name&amp;#124;|NO,/w gm Names Preserved} !group-init

Are you absolutely certain this isn’t a configuration issue in your game? I’m my games I set tokens to not show names to players and they don’t see them in the turn tracker.&nbsp;

I can confirm what Aaron is saying. Here are some screen shots. The first is the GM view, showing the two tokens on the Turn Order, and the Settings of Ronat (Players cannot see name): This is the player view. (The Turn Order palette looks different because I load it in a Private Browsing window without CSS alteration by Stylus) The icon of the token shows, but not the name.

Don't listen to me above. I have tested this as well and confirm that The Aaron and Keith are right.

Hmmmmm may be a default shaped setting that I have set wrong then .... I'll have to check.&nbsp; sometimes the default configuration options confuse me what they actually do.&nbsp; I'll have to experiment and check with my test account character.&nbsp; Ty folks ... will get back when I see what I've done wrong

Make sure that you are not just toggling the "show nameplate" setting. You have to toggle the See and Edit features on the advanced tab.

Do you know the specific area in shaped default settings (Config) to make it show the PCs Names only, not the mobs?&nbsp; I think it's a token setting somewhere but I'm not sure which one, sometimes there are a few settings that sound very similar.&nbsp; And additionally, I'm not sure what actually happens when the pcOnly option is selected in most things, as that checkbox only has 'see' or 'hide' as it's operation.&nbsp; I'd like the default to be to show their token names to each other, their names on the combat tracker, but not mob names at all either way.&nbsp; For NPCs, I'd rather turn them on individually - after they've said their names/ introduced themselves or their renown carried their name far and wide.&nbsp; For Example, everyone will know Strahd right away.&nbsp; As a charismatic leader and someone who is not hiding what he is, everyone will know Strahd on site.&nbsp; Madame Eva you may have to be introduced, as she may just look like any other Vistani to an outsider.&nbsp; And Rahadin is memorable, but only a dusk elf would know the name of the traitor of their people instantly.&nbsp; So these named NPCs should look and feel like window dressing unless the PCs take the time to introduce themselves and/ or the NPCs choose to introduce themselves, generally speaking.