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[NecrosaroIII]

I use a tv laying flat on a table to display maps for DND. We place our minis on top of the tv. The TV is connected via HDMI to my laptop, so that I can control the maps via a VTT from my lap. The DM version of the map is on my laptop, the game view is on the flat TV.

The problem is that the players sit across from me. I want the maps / interface to be facing them. However, if I do that the mouse becomes inverted when it goes to their screen.

Anyway I can do it so that when I move the mouse "up" into their screen, it keeps going the direction I want it to go without having to calculate in my head that up is now down?

 

[John Bilbo]

Would it be enough if the game view version of the map was a static image? You could have the TV oriented to you but the static image flipped upside down.

Edit: Actually you can just flip your TV or put the TV on flipped mode in display settings and hold your mouse in reverse. It is more difficult to use the buttons of the mouse, but otherwise this fixes your problem.

 

[Valonquar]

Use mirror screen instead of extend display?

 

[Trilobit]

Good question. I couldn't find anything with google. ChatGPT offered some script with AutoHotkey, but I didn't get it to work with my subpar computer skills. Seems like a dedicated tabletop app with the right rotation/inversion settings is your best bet.

 

[NecrosaroIII]

Use mirror screen instead of extend display?

Wouldn't work. On my screen there are notes and hidden info I can't share with the players.

 

[kurisu_1974]

Found this after a quick Google

Polynomial's Mouse Inverter (freeware, under CC-BY-NC-SA license)

and here

SakasaMouse

Download SakasaMouse for Windows to reverse the direction of your mouse pointer.

download.cnet.com

 

[PaddyOCanager]

Wouldn't work. On my screen there are notes and hidden info I can't share with the players.

I asked our DM, he says he just extends his display.

He sits at the head of the table, and we circle the TV though. I guess he's just gotten good at orienting his mouse when perpendicular to the TV. Funny, I never even considered this issue haha.

 

[Haemi]

Do you have another small display? You could use it as a third screen for yourself that mirrors the TV.

 

[NecrosaroIII]

Do you have another small display? You could use it as a third screen for yourself that mirrors the TV.

I could probably hook up my phone, if that would work. Do you think it would? That would be kinda smart if so

 

[Haemi]

Maybe. Could be, that there is an app for that. But I have never used my phone this way. You would have to research yourself. Or maybe someone else here has done that before.

 

[NecrosaroIII]

I think I may have found a solution. It's a bit jank though. My VTT, Foundry, has a module where you can force the player's view to a tile the DM clicks on. I could use that on the DM screen, that way I don't really have to go over to the player side to do anything.

I can also show pictures and what not from the DM screen, and then close the pictures with another module.

I THINK this should work out. I'll let you guys know.

 

[ResurrectedContrarian]

I use a tv laying flat on a table to display maps for DND. We place our minis on top of the tv.

This is a pretty cool idea, I'd love to see a picture of your final setup with minis and all.

 

[I_D]

This should do it?
Edit: You may also need to set your displays in a vertical-orientation instead of horizontal, in Display Settings (Right-click on the desktop).

I'm sure AMD has a similar thing, though I wouldn't know where to look for it.

Or... could you just use an extension-cord and flip the table around?

 

[NecrosaroIII]

This is a pretty cool idea, I'd love to see a picture of your final setup with minis and all.

Oh, we've been doing this for a few years now. It's very cool.

That is from when we first started doing it. It's gotten more sophisticated since then. I have it rigged so that they can only see the parts of the room they'd have visibility in.

 

[ResurrectedContrarian]

Oh, we've been doing this for a few years now. It's very cool.

That is from when we first started doing it. It's gotten more sophisticated since then. I have it rigged so that they can only see the parts of the room they'd have visibility in.

Very nice.

 

[Tams]

This should do it?
Edit: You may also need to set your displays in a vertical-orientation instead of horizontal, in Display Settings (Right-click on the desktop).

I'm sure AMD has a similar thing, though I wouldn't know where to look for it.

Or... could you just use an extension-cord and flip the table around?

It's not rotating the display (which you can just do in Windows settings) that OP has an issue with; it's inverting the mouse movement.

 

[Tams]

I've had a look around and there doesn't seem to be any solution. It doesn't look good when even on StackExchange someone asking for a solution to changing mouse direction gets belittled and asked why they would want to do it.

There is one useful response, but you'd need to add code that makes it only happen with the second display.

How can I reverse mouse movement (X & Y axis) system-wide? (Win 7 x64)

Short Version I'm looking for a way to reverse the X and Y mouse axis movements. The computer is running Windows 7, x64 and Logitech SetPoint 6.32. I would like a system-level, permanent fix; su...

superuser.com

MouseInverter.zip (18.13KB) - SendSpace.com

Polynomial's Mouse Inverter - v1.0

www.sendspace.com

So the only advice I can give for now is either get used to it, or have separate devices running each display.

 

[ResurrectedContrarian]

I'd be very tempted to just hold the mouse upside down at this point.

 

[NecrosaroIII]

I'd be very tempted to just hold the mouse upside down at this point.

I tried that. It's uncomfortable, but you naturally adjust to what problem I'm having...so it's kinda an option?

I"m going to test my VTT-solution tonight. I'm optimistic. I did a bunch of functionality tests yesterday and it seemed to work okay

 

[ReBurn]

Can you sit on the other side of the tv so your laptop screen is the same orientation as the TV and in your monitor settings place the TV above your laptop?

 

[NecrosaroIII]

Yeah but I don't want to sit in the same side of the table as my players. Don't want them to see mah notes

 

[ReBurn]

Put your players on the other side of the table.

Alternatively, open the map image in an image editor, rotate the image 180 degrees so it is upside down, and save it. Then use the upside down map image. Then the screen will be in the same orientation as your laptop and mouse but the image will be rotated.

 

[Vestal]

Hypothetically you could run a VM within your computer.. Rotate the display inside the VM.

 

[ResurrectedContrarian]

Alternatively, open the map image in an image editor, rotate the image 180 degrees so it is upside down, and save it. Then use the upside down map image. Then the screen will be in the same orientation as your laptop and mouse but the image will be rotated.

I'm guessing that there are elements within the Foundry VTT which would make that sub-optimal. Everything is integrated, and there can be on-screen text etc as well. The maps aren't necessarily just static images in a VTT but can be associated with everything else in your game tools, so flipping just the map image may not work well (haven't used Foundry, but I'm guessing based on software I've seen in the past).

 

[Impotaku]

Wonder if using a pen with a drawing tablet to control the pointer would get past the weirdness of holding a mouse upside down?

 

[ReBurn]

I'm guessing that there are elements within the Foundry VTT which would make that sub-optimal. Everything is integrated, and there can be on-screen text etc as well. The maps aren't necessarily just static images in a VTT but can be associated with everything else in your game tools, so flipping just the map image may not work well (haven't used Foundry, but I'm guessing based on software I've seen in the past).

Ah, ok. I wasn't sure how it works. I just took a look at the Foundry VTT GitHub to get a better understanding of the process.

I wonder if installing the VTT on something like a raspberry pi and using a separate mouse and keyboard to run it could be an option. That could be clunky, too I suppose. Unless maybe the pi could use a VNC remote session initiated from the laptop that OP could click into and drive it. That way the screen is right side up for them and the table orientation wouldn't matter.

I might be overthinking this.

 

[I_D]

It's not rotating the display (which you can just do in Windows settings) that OP has an issue with; it's inverting the mouse movement.

Doesn't my solution already fix that? I feel like I'm missing something, since this seems like an easy problem to solve.
If you just turn your monitor around, the mouse will automatically mirror your movements.


OP,
You're saying that you're facing the players, yes? You're on one side of the room, and they're on the other?
You have your display in front of you, standing vertically like a normal monitor, so that other players cannot see what you see, yes?
The players also have a display, which is also a table and laying horizontally, oriented so that the bottom of the table/display is closet to them, yes?

You want to be able to drag a window from your display onto their display, while also having the navigation (up, down, left, right) be intuitive for you, yes?
In other words, what is left for you will equate to right for them; and what is up for you will equate to down for them, yes?

If so, just set your displays to "extend."
Then set their display to be above/below yours (I feel like above would be more intuitive).

Then just flip your map.png 180-degrees so that the top is now the bottom, and you can just drag it onto their screen without any hassle.
It should work perfectly from there, other than you might need to flip all of your icons.

And, if you truly don't want to flip the assets, you can just flip their display 180-degrees, then use the 'inverted' feature that I mentioned earlier to maintain proper mouse movements.

 

[NecrosaroIII]

I think I may have found a solution. It's a bit jank though. My VTT, Foundry, has a module where you can force the player's view to a tile the DM clicks on. I could use that on the DM screen, that way I don't really have to go over to the player side to do anything.

I can also show pictures and what not from the DM screen, and then close the pictures with another module.

I THINK this should work out. I'll let you guys know.

Tried out this last night. It worked okay for the most part, but still some lingering issues. I had to go into the player's screen more often than I realized I would have to. But we were able to make it work. Still not perfect though.

There was a curve ball. We had an unexpected guest play with us last night, so I couldn't take my seat in my usual spot. Instead of having the tv flipped reverse of me, it was at a 90 degree angle. That kinda threw me off too.