What is Softrope?
Softrope is an audio application for Dungeon Masters, a kind of RPG sound mixer.
Softrope brings customisable organic soundscapes like rainstorms, battles and creepy dungeons as well as spot effects such as growls, screams and explosions to your tabletop RPG. Music tracks can also be added to any scene.
Softrope allows you to build a collection of sound-based scenes. You build each scene with simple single sound-effects, layered up to create a more complex soundscape.
How about an example?
Picture the scene, your players’ character’s are tramping through a lush green tropical rainforest, in a storm. Let’s build a soundscape for this.
1st Sound Effect: A short rain loop. Set in Softrope to loop continuously.
2nd Sound Effect: Another continuous loop, this time some chirping jungle birds.
3rd Sound Effect: A thunderclap set to loop with a random ten to thirty second gap.
Now the thunderclap sound effect might get a bit repetitive, so Softrope allows you to choose multiple samples for each sound effect, and randomly chooses one for each repeat. The randomness of the actual thunder sample used and the random gap between thunderclaps keeps the whole scene sounding more organic.
How does it work during play?
While you are running a game, be it Dungeons and Dragons, GURPS, or whatever, you need things kept simple and out of the way. During play you are presented with a single window full of scene buttons, click one and that scene plays with the settings you've setup in the Scene Editor. It's as simple as that.
Requirements
Softrope needs the Microsoft .Net Framework 3.5SP1. If you are running Wizards' Character Builder then you can run Softrope.
Lot's of people have been asking about Softrope for Mac OS X. I've been considering an Adobe AIR port that would run on multiple platforms. The downside of AIR would be that is would restrict the sound format to mp3 only.
Another future possible is an iPhone version. Both of these would be dependent on how many people ask for either. So email info@softrope.net if you're interested.
Why the name Softrope?
I wanted a word that would be fairly unique yet still RPG/DnD related. Surely I’m not the only DM to have a this happen in a situation where rope was required.
Player: “I’ve got some soft rope, will that do.”
DM: “WTF? Soft rope?”
Player: “Here on my equipment I’ve written, ‘Rope (S0ft)’.”
DM: *Looks closely*.
DM: *Slaps player*.
At the end of the day it was a choice between Softrope or 50ft Boots.
Download latest beta release now, it's free
Download Softrope Beta V0.2.64
Previous releases
Download Softrope Beta V0.2.52
Download Softrope Beta V0.2.46
Download Softrope Beta V0.2.32
You'll need Windows and the .Net Framework 3.5 SP1. Which if you're running Character Build you already have.