Email Update - 3/17/09

Firstly and foremost, I want to thank you for taking the time to check out CardGameForge.com. I certainly appreciate you taking the time to have a look at the site, or even to share your games.

I have decided to start this impromptu newsletter to keep everyone up-to-date with the latest features at CGF, and also call attention to those who have made notable additions to the site (i.e. cool new games). So, without any more rambling, here are a list of the latest features that I've been working on. Many of these features work together, so I'll try to cover them as I go.

Custom Game & Card Properties

You can now assign properties to your game & cards. Each game can have up to 20 different properties. You can give the properties names at the game level, and then assign values at the card level. Assigning specific property values to cards allow some of the other features to work, and will allow future features (like filtering by property).

CSV Card Import

You can now import your cards in bulk from a CSV file. The tool allows you to map columns in your CSV to different properties of your cards. This is a much faster way to import your cards.

Multiple Card Image Upload

You can now select multiple cards from your set, and use a tool to upload many images all at the same time. This is also a time saver over uploading images individually. Use this in combination with the CSV import tool to quickly add your cards with images to your game.

Card Maker Utility

The Card Maker tool allows you to make graphic images out of your text-based cards. This is particularly useful if you don't have images of your own, or if you just want to generate some images for playtesting (I know I enjoy having something tangible for playtesting). You can select from one of 7 basic card templates, and assign properties from your cards to different zones on the template. You can even assign the existing card image to a zone (so you can upload images to your cards, and then incorporate those images into the final product). For an example of a game that used this tool to generate cards, check out the World War CCG.

Site Search

The Site Search tool is now functional. You can search the entire site, or within a specific game. I use it all the time to find a game or blog entry.

Add Card Printing To Your Own Site

I added a feature that allows you to add the card printing tool to your own site, with a single line of simple HTML code. To see an example of this feature, check out the implementation at the Wuxia Pian Card GameŠ Site.

Private Messaging System

I recently added a very basic private messaging system to the site, to allow for easy communication between players & editors. You can send a message from any user's profile page, and you can read your own messages from your profile page. New messages will trigger an email to the recipient, with a link back to the site to read the message. It is very primitive, but functional.

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Well, that's it for this update. This one was longer than usual, being the first one and with a lot of ground to cover. Future emails should be much shorter, and will continue to keep you up-to-date with new features, and interesting games as they are added to the site.

Thanks,
Tyler Dishman