LotR-TCG Card Generator using nanDECK

[TelTura]

Excel should be able to do what you need, it just requires a slightly different workflow from what you might be used to:

1- save an *.xlsx file that is your "true" working file, which has column widths set and formatting and whatever else makes it easier to work with.

2- regularly File -> Save this file to avoid losing work.

3- when you're ready to export to the card generator, go to File -> Save A Copy, and then at the bottom of the save dialog, change the file extension from *.xlsx to *.csv. You may need to experiment to find the "right" csv; IIRC excel has three different csv options, you want the vanilla comma-delimited no-frills version.

4- if it asks you for options when saving the file, you want it to use commas to delimit, and " as the string indicator, and to use quotes on all columns if possible.

By using Save A Copy instead of save as, what is open in excel will always be the xlsx file, and you're just exporting a snapshot to csv at regular intervals.

It takes some adjustments to get used to, but since all spreadsheet programs are a giant piece of #$&*@!, this is the best workflow I've found yet.

[JamesCB]

This is a subtitle on a companion, but it's supposed to read Jam Jam. The J's get cut off. I don't know if there are any examples of this on real cards, so I can't say if this is normal or an issue with the font or what...

[TelTura]

You know what, I'm not sure that I've ever tested capital Js on that line. As a quick fix you can adjust the subtitle_font_size to try and make it smaller, but I'll see if I can address the issue permanently in the next release.

[TelTura]

Card Generator v1.8.0 Update

Addressed the above J cutoff issue.  It turns out that capital J is the only capital letter which dips below the font baseline.  The issue with subtitles only shows up on two official cards: Pippin, Just A Nuisance; and Frodo, Weary From The Journey.  As you can see, those Js are skirting the line as well!

I've also added the ability to output the card back, which is only really relevant if using the output of this script to produce a PDF or something.  To do so, create a row in the spreadsheet, give it an ID, and set the template column to Back; everything else can remain blank.




Github download: https://github.com/ketura/LotR-TCG card generator/releases/tag/v1.8.0

Documentation in a PDF with the release, or here on Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cNroWUOQIsaYW1oCn4Mb5EtAfMQXgrekxR5INhLkkYc/edit?usp=sharing

If you have a previous version installed then close nanDECK, make sure to back up your cards.csv and card_portraits / card_output folders, then copy-paste the contents of the zip into your existing installation folder.

Change Log:

• Fixed an issue where capital Js would get cut off in subtitles
• Fixed an issue where single-card CSVs would cause titles and subtitles with spaces to get rendered with quotes around them
• Added new template type Back, which only needs ID and Template set and renders the LotR-TCG card back.

[TelTura]

Card Generator v1.9.0 Update

This release adds a thin_space tag that can be added to cards to use the same space width used in later-era official Decipher cards (as that was one of the tricks they pulled to squeeze more words into the game text area).  I have also altered the margins of the game text area to be somewhat smaller, which should grant by default more space for game text in general.  This does mean that creating 1:1 card recreations of movie-block cards is less perfect than it used to be, but that whole endeavor was always a tug-of-war considering that Decipher never settled on a single set of widths/margins/sizes.

nanDECK has had its version updated, and as a result autoformatting has been overhauled.  Keyword bolding will now only affect game text (and helper text); lore and promo text will not get autobolded at all.  The rules for the Corsair, Southron, and Easterling keywords have been tweaked to only auto-bold if they show up as the very first keyword on the card; since those keywords are (usually) always capitalized, it's impossible to detect if they are being used as proper nouns or as keywords in the text otherwise.  Any other instance of the keyword that should be bolded will need to manually use the <b></b> tags.

A bug was also fixed that probably only affected Gollum: any card type that had a single section (i.e. just card type and no race) used to output garbage, and now displays the proper card type.


Github download: https://github.com/ketura/LotR-TCG card generator/releases/tag/v1.9.0

Documentation in a PDF with the release, or here on Google Docs: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cNroWUOQIsaYW1oCn4Mb5EtAfMQXgrekxR5INhLkkYc/edit?usp=sharing

If you have a previous version installed then close nanDECK, make sure to back up your cards.csv and card_portraits / card_output folders, then copy-paste the contents of the zip into your existing installation folder.

Make sure that includes the nanDECK folder, as it has been updated.

Change Log:

• Updated included nanDECK version to 1.25.3_b17
• Fixed single-section card type panels rendering an error
• Narrowed the margins of all game text to the top and left, bringing it more in line with later-era cards
• Overhauled the autoformatting to no longer affect lore or promo text
• Added thin_space as a tag that replaces spaces in the game text (not lore or promo text) with the unicode thin space character

[JamesCB]

When I enter "Ring-bearer (resistance 10)." into the game_text column, nanDECK freaks out. There's a ton more, it just doesn't fit in the text window.

[TelTura]

Could you attach the cards.csv you're using?

There appear to be a few issues with the new auto formatter. I'll get on it asap.

[JamesCB]

It's actually a xlsx (cause the online excel kept on converting it and I got tired of using free online file converters), but here you go.
I don't think being an xlsx or being called "millDeck" is the problem because I edited the settings.txt and everything was working fine until I tried entering the ring-bearer keyword.

[TelTura]

Try the version attached to this post and tell me if you see a difference.  You're not the only one with issues, so I haven't made a full release yet since I want to make sure all the bases are covered.

(this file only has four files in it, just copy them into your install folder and overwrite the old ones).

[JamesCB]

Unfortunately, no. Although, the long string of (seemingly) random text is different. Now it's more like this:

Code: [Select]

<textsymbol>&#9830;</textsymbol>I(rohan)<textsymbol>&#9827;</textsymbol>I(gondor)<textsymbol>&#9824;</textsymbol>I(gollum)<textsymbol>&#9688;</textsymbol>I(dunland)<textsymbol>&#9794;</textsymbol>I(raider)<textsymbol>&#9792;</textsymbol>I(isengard)<textsymbol>&#9834;</textsymbol>I(uruk)<textsymbol>&#9835;</textsymbol>I(urukhai)<textsymbol>&#9835;</textsymbol>I(uruk-hai)<textsymbol>&#9835;</textsymbol>I(moria)<textsymbol>&#9788;</textsymbol>I(orc)<textsymbol>&#9658;</textsymbol>I(sauron)<textsymbol>&#9668;</textsymbol>I(mordor)<textsymbol>&#9668;</textsymbol>I(ringwraith)<textsymbol>&#8597;</textsymbol>I(wraith)<textsymbol>&#8597;</textsymbol>I(men)<textsymbol>&#8252;</textsymbol>I(evil men)<textsymbol>&#8252;</textsymbol>I(evilmen)<textsymbol>&#8252;</textsymbol>I\91\dwarf\93\<textsymbol>&#9786;</textsymbol>I\91\dwarven\93\<textsymbol>&#9786;</textsymbol>I\91\elf\93\<textsymbol>&#9787;</textsymbol>I\91\elven\93\<textsymbol>&#9787;</textsymbol>I\91\gandalf\93\<textsymbol>&#9829;</textsymbol>I\91\shire\93\<textsymbol>&#9830;</textsymbol>I\91\rohan\93\<textsymbol>&#9827;</textsymbol>I\91\gondor\93\<textsymbol>&#9824;</textsymbol>I\91\gollum\93\<textsymbol>&#9688;</textsymbol>I\91\dunland\93\<textsymbol>&#9794;</textsymbol>I\91\raider\93\<textsymbol>&#9792;</textsymbol>I\91\isengard\93\<textsymbol>&#9834;</textsymbol>I\91\uruk\93\<textsymbol>&#9835;</textsymbol>I\91\urukhai\93\<textsymbol>&#9835;</textsymbol>I\91\uruk-hai\93\<textsymbol>&#9835;</textsymbol>I\91\moria\93\<textsymbol>&#9788;</textsymbol>I\91\orc\93\<textsymbol>&#9658;</textsymbol>I\91\sauron\93\<textsymbol>&#9668;</textsymbol>I\91\mordor\93\<textsymbol>&#9668;</textsymbol>I\91\ringwraith\93\<textsymbol>&#8597;</textsymbol>I\91\wraith\93\<textsymbol>&#8597;</textsymbol>I\91\men\93\<textsymbol>&#8252;</textsymbol>I\91\evil men\93\<textsymbol>&#8252;</textsymbol>I\91\evilmen\93\<textsymbol>&#8252;</textsymbol>I(1)<textsymbol>!</textsymbol>I(2)<textsymbol>@</textsymbol>I(3)<textsymbol>#</textsymbol>I(4)<textsymbol>$</textsymbol>I(5)<textsymbol>%</textsymbol>I(6)<textsymbol>^</textsymbol>I(7)<textsymbol>&</textsymbol>I(8)<textsymbol>*</textsymbol>I(9)<textsymbol>_</textsymbol>I(X)<textsymbol>=</textsymbol>I\91\1\93\<textsymbol>!</textsymbol>I\91\2\93\<textsymbol>@</textsymbol>I\91\3\93\<textsymbol>#</textsymbol>I\91\4\93\<textsymbol>$</textsymbol>I\91\5\93\<textsymbol>%</textsymbol>I\91\6\93\<textsymbol>^</textsymbol>I\91\7\93\<textsymbol>&</textsymbol>I\91\8\93\<textsymbol>*</textsymbol>I\91\9\93\<textsymbol>_</textsymbol>I\91\X\93\<textsymbol>=</textsymbol>I(T)<textsymbol>`</textsymbol>I\91\T\93\<textsymbol>`</textsymbol>I(K)<textsymbol>~</textsymbol>I","\91\K\93\","<textsymbol>~</textsymbol>",

[TelTura]

Fixed the issue the other guy was having, try the fix attached to this post.  I suspect they are the same issue (and I hope so), but I guess we'll see.

[JamesCB]

At first, that didn't work. but then I used a different nanDECK.exe (I don't know if I installed it wrong, but for me there is a folder called nanDECK and then inside of that there is a folder called 1.25.3 and in that folder there is another nanDECK.) When I used that nanDECK, it worked fine!

[TelTura]

Ah, yes. It's intended you use the specific version that comes with the generatator; this Is presumably why you had font issues at first as well. I'll get a formal release out later today.

[JamesCB]

Wait, so this entire time I've been using the wrong nanDECK!?

[TelTura]

If you followed the "Packaged Installation" instructions in the documentation, there was no need to follow the "Manual Installation" instructions, as those are there for troubleshooting purposes (and do all the same work I already did in creating the zip file, only manually). I'll update the documentation to be more clear on this point.