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Layered PDF

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Mon, 2010-05-24 09:09

It that must no... It that must not be named's picture

Layered PDF

I got an email telling me there was a new layered version of the EP rulesbook recently, but am not sdure if I can get it from rpgnow. Is ity available there or at dtrpg (aren't they the same thing now?) and how do you use this "layers" thing? I've never needed it on a PDF before so never looked into it. Best wishes for EP!

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"I learned the hard way that if you take a stand on any issue, no matter how insignificant, people will line up around the block to kick your ass over it." -Jesse "the mind" Ventura.

Mon, 2010-05-24 18:40

Decivre

Re: Layered PDF

It that must not be named wrote:
I got an email telling me there was a new layered version of the EP rulesbook recently, but am not sdure if I can get it from rpgnow. Is ity available there or at dtrpg (aren't they the same thing now?) and how do you use this "layers" thing? I've never needed it on a PDF before so never looked into it. Best wishes for EP!

Layers are an awesome thing for reducing the load that a PDF document has on either your computer's speed or your printer's ink. It basically allows you to selectively discard parts of a file for the purpose of viewing, generally in layers. So, if you wish to print out a physical copy of a couple pages of your book, but don't want to burn out your blue ink to do it (that background is very color-intensive), you can disable the background layer and voila... all you have is the text. If you want an example and have Adobe Reader, download the character sheet PDF from the resources page. It is layered, and you can disable the background to see what it would look like without. Also, send me a copy of the layered version when you get it!

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Transhumans will one day be the Luddites of the posthuman age. [url=http://bit.ly/2p3wk7c]Help me get my gaming fix, if you want.[/url]

Mon, 2010-05-24 23:56

AdamJury

Re: Layered PDF

Decivre, if you've bought a PDF copy of EP from DriveThru/RPGNow, you can download the layered version now. If you bought the EP PDF at Catalyst's BattleShop, see the Amnesty thread to get a coupon for a free copy on DT/RPGNow.

Tue, 2010-05-25 00:06

Decivre

Re: Layered PDF

AdamJury wrote:
Decivre, if you've bought a PDF copy of EP from DriveThru/RPGNow, you can download the layered version now. If you bought the EP PDF at Catalyst's BattleShop, see the Amnesty thread to get a coupon for a free copy on DT/RPGNow.

Unfortunately, I didn't. I ended up buying the physical book from our game shop when they went out. I keep the digital books primarily for archive purposes, but also to copy and paste for when I talk on the forum. I might buy a digital copy later when I get a card again (me and my bank are having a lover's spat right now), but right now I was just thinking of exploiting the Creative Commons license. :P

—

Transhumans will one day be the Luddites of the posthuman age. [url=http://bit.ly/2p3wk7c]Help me get my gaming fix, if you want.[/url]

Tue, 2010-05-25 02:58

It that must no... It that must not be named's picture

Re: Layered PDF

How do I tell if I have the layered version?

—

"I learned the hard way that if you take a stand on any issue, no matter how insignificant, people will line up around the block to kick your ass over it." -Jesse "the mind" Ventura.

Tue, 2010-05-25 03:01

Decivre

Re: Layered PDF

It that must not be named wrote:
How do I tell if I have the layered version?

If you have Adobe Reader, the side panel (the one with the pages and bookmarks tab) should have an extra one for layers. If you open it, it should have each of the layer labels, along with checkboxes to enable and disable them.

—

Transhumans will one day be the Luddites of the posthuman age. [url=http://bit.ly/2p3wk7c]Help me get my gaming fix, if you want.[/url]

Tue, 2010-05-25 03:41

It that must no... It that must not be named's picture

Re: Layered PDF

Thanks.

—

"I learned the hard way that if you take a stand on any issue, no matter how insignificant, people will line up around the block to kick your ass over it." -Jesse "the mind" Ventura.

Tue, 2010-05-25 15:51

brainycat

Re: Layered PDF

I just d/l the new layered PDF from DTRPG. Very nicely done! Thanks for clearly naming the layers.

Tue, 2010-05-25 20:27

Decivre

Re: Layered PDF

I absolutely love the layers you guys set up. I can finally export a much lighter version of the PDF for mobile phone use, and now I have real incentive to buy the digital copy. Moreover, I can finally get a good copy of that symbol on page 82 (though I have yet to get confirmation on who's symbol that is). Damn you, Posthuman Studios!

—

Transhumans will one day be the Luddites of the posthuman age. [url=http://bit.ly/2p3wk7c]Help me get my gaming fix, if you want.[/url]

Tue, 2010-05-25 20:39

#10

AdamJury

Re: Layered PDF

The ultimates!

Tue, 2010-05-25 20:50

#11

Decivre

Re: Layered PDF

AdamJury wrote:
The ultimates!

FINALLY!!! Alright, now that I know it's for who I think it is, its time for me to schedule a trip to the tattoo parlor!

—

Transhumans will one day be the Luddites of the posthuman age. [url=http://bit.ly/2p3wk7c]Help me get my gaming fix, if you want.[/url]

Tue, 2010-05-25 22:19

#12

RobBoyle

Re: Layered PDF

If you do, we demand photos!

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Rob Boyle :: Posthuman Studios

Wed, 2010-05-26 03:27

#13

It that must no... It that must not be named's picture

Re: Layered PDF

AHA! Now I see how that works, and bedamned if I haven't wanted something exactly like that for, well, a long damn time. Excellent works, guys! Now i can print the corrected pages without suffering intense physical pain from the cost of ink refills and the difficulty of injecting the ink into the cartridges and hoping it works and not just makes a hellish mess.

—

"I learned the hard way that if you take a stand on any issue, no matter how insignificant, people will line up around the block to kick your ass over it." -Jesse "the mind" Ventura.

Wed, 2010-05-26 04:26

#14

Decivre

Re: Layered PDF

It that must not be named wrote:
AHA! Now I see how that works, and bedamned if I haven't wanted something exactly like that for, well, a long damn time. Excellent works, guys! Now i can print the corrected pages without suffering intense physical pain from the cost of ink refills and the difficulty of injecting the ink into the cartridges and hoping it works and not just makes a hellish mess.

Up to date versions of the Glory adventure for the GM screen are also apparently layered. I'm guessing that all future book releases will be layered as well. As far as I'm concerned, it's [i]about damn time[/i] that we saw game companies really use this. This should be a standard for PDF publishing, especially if the company involved is okay with players printing out select pages for reference/errata use.

—

Transhumans will one day be the Luddites of the posthuman age. [url=http://bit.ly/2p3wk7c]Help me get my gaming fix, if you want.[/url]

Thu, 2010-05-27 15:31

#15

PhishStyx

Re: Layered PDF

In fact, layers are cited as one of the biggest factors that slow rendering on e-ink readers such as the Kindle DX and DR 1000s.

Thu, 2010-05-27 15:38

#16

Decivre

Re: Layered PDF

PhishStyx wrote:
In fact, layers are cited as one of the biggest factors that slow rendering on e-ink readers such as the Kindle DX and DR 1000s.

If they become too much of a chore, you can always flatten a copy so as to save memory. I did that with my "mobile version", which cuts out all background and art, then flattens down to a single layer. I can upload it if you want. In fact, maybe I should create an entire thread dedicated to all the alternate versions of the book I've made.

—

Transhumans will one day be the Luddites of the posthuman age. [url=http://bit.ly/2p3wk7c]Help me get my gaming fix, if you want.[/url]

Thu, 2010-05-27 15:50

#17

AdamJury

Re: Layered PDF

PhishStyx wrote:
In fact, layers are cited as one of the biggest factors that slow rendering on e-ink readers such as the Kindle DX and DR 1000s.

What many people call "layers" is actually "live transparency" ... which saves a wonkton of file-size. There are always tradeoffs, and we don't consider e-ink readers to be a primary target for our PDFs. Here's a cool hack: in Windows, install CuteFTP. Open up Eclipse Phase. Hide the layers you don't want to see. Print to a new PDF file. Throw that file on your ebook reader, print it, whatever.

Thu, 2010-05-27 19:36

#18

PhishStyx

Re: Layered PDF

I've tried that, but apparently I'm doing something wrong because the file comes out as unreadable

Thu, 2010-05-27 19:37

#19

PhishStyx

Re: Layered PDF

I understand that I'm not your primary audience, btw. I never thought I was.

Thu, 2010-05-27 19:41

#20

AdamJury

Re: Layered PDF

We're working on stuff that will be more friendly on e-ink readers ... but those won't be PDFs, and doing the core rules in some sort of re-flowable format is tricky and we're not yet sure if there is a big market for it. Time and experiments will tell. :-) What issues did you get with using CutePDF to output a new PDF? I haven't tested this extensively, but it seemed to work without a hitch in my Windows VM...

Thu, 2010-05-27 20:00

#21

AdamJury

Re: Layered PDF

And to be perfectly clear: I didn't say a thing about _you_ not being our target audience, but that our PDFs (and most hobby gaming PDFs) are simply not that well-aimed for e-ink readers.

Thu, 2010-05-27 22:00

#22

Decivre

Re: Layered PDF

Hey PhishStyx, [url=http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?mhyyxmxndiy]try this out[/url]. This is my mobile version of the core book. I removed the art and background layers, flattened the layers afterwards, then inverted coloring on writing I found to be poor for its new background (chapter intro text was white against a white background, and it was brutal to fix). Tell me if this was what you want, or if there was something different you had in mind.

—

Transhumans will one day be the Luddites of the posthuman age. [url=http://bit.ly/2p3wk7c]Help me get my gaming fix, if you want.[/url]

Thu, 2010-06-10 16:33

#23

PhishStyx

Re: Layered PDF

@Decivre - I tried your mobile version, and it works really well! It's very fast loading. I'm making it my primary e-reader version. Thanks for offering it up!

Thu, 2010-06-10 16:35

#24

PhishStyx

Re: Layered PDF

AdamJury wrote:
And to be perfectly clear: I didn't say a thing about _you_ not being our target audience, but that our PDFs (and most hobby gaming PDFs) are simply not that well-aimed for e-ink readers.

@Adam - I didn't mean that nearly as harshly as it came out, sorry. I think I was just annoyed with the idea that all my toys aren't working perfectly in sync out of the box.

Thu, 2010-06-10 16:39

#25

PhishStyx

Re: Layered PDF

AdamJury wrote:
We're working on stuff that will be more friendly on e-ink readers ... but those won't be PDFs, and doing the core rules in some sort of re-flowable format is tricky and we're not yet sure if there is a big market for it. Time and experiments will tell. :-) What issues did you get with using CutePDF to output a new PDF? I haven't tested this extensively, but it seemed to work without a hitch in my Windows VM...

@Adam (again) - I didn't change any settings or anything from when I outputted my Conspiracy X book (had the same issue, and it worked out very well). I simply loaded the book and told it to print to CutePDF like I would anything else I want to print through it. When I went to check out the new file, it gave me an error message (which I don't have handy, sorry) and refused to open.

Sat, 2010-08-14 20:56

#26

Doc Solomon Doc Solomon's picture

Re: Layered PDF

Maybe it's just me, but is anyone else's copy of Sunward or the NPC file, does the layering for the text area only work for the first couple of pages of each chapter? I love layered PDFs (it's great for sneaking reads of EP when I should be working)

Sat, 2010-08-14 21:11

#27

AdamJury

Re: Layered PDF

Doc Solomon wrote:
Maybe it's just me, but is anyone else's copy of Sunward or the NPC file, does the layering for the text area only work for the first couple of pages of each chapter?

What reader are you using for the PDF, Doc? I haven't seen this reported before ...

Sun, 2010-08-15 09:49

#28

CodeBreaker CodeBreaker's picture

Re: Layered PDF

AdamJury wrote:
Doc Solomon wrote:
Maybe it's just me, but is anyone else's copy of Sunward or the NPC file, does the layering for the text area only work for the first couple of pages of each chapter?
What reader are you using for the PDF, Doc? I haven't seen this reported before ...

Yes you have Adam, I told you about it the day after release. You responded to the post in fact!

AdamJury wrote:
CodeBreaker wrote:
I was messing about with the Layers, and was wondering if it wasnt quite working properly or not. On some pages, when I disable the Text Area checkbox the background images disappear. Specifically this seems to work for the first three or four pages of a chapter. But after that the layer seems to merge the Text Area and the Text Boxes layer. *edit It seems to be every other page... or something. Its fairly easy to notice if you mess with the layers.
Yup, this is goofed, but I didn't think it was vital to fix before releasing -- and I simply didn't have time to debug it properly, as it's not a simple fix. It SHOULD be a simple fix, but it's not. It will get fixed in a future update.

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Sun, 2010-08-15 16:14

#29

AdamJury

Re: Layered PDF

CodeBreaker wrote:
Yes you have Adam, I told you about it the day after release. You responded to the post in fact!

I didn't remember/take in that you specifically said it "seemed fine for the first few pages of the chapter" -- so Doc's report gave me what I thought was a new spin on the issue.