Alexa Control Map

Updates

A practical record of what has become easier, clearer, or safer at the table.

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Chronicle Archive

What's New For Your Table

Recent improvements to voice control, recording, and game-night visibility

Each entry explains what changed and what it means when you are running a session.

Night audio workflowNight audio and player invitations

Invite Players And Keep Every Recording Part

Runtime, Mobile Recorder and local audio processing
  • A Night Audio Guide In Runtime: A new panel beside the recording controls opens the existing upload and processing tools and explains the steps after a game.
  • Send The QR Session Link By Email: Mobile Recorder’s session setup offers a shared QR code, a copyable fallback link and Email player buttons for available roster contacts. The email hyperlink opens the same join page as the QR code, with the player and character to select, joining instructions and the link’s expiry.
  • Player Invitations Stay Under GM Control: The GM chooses which player to email through the configured recording host. Confirmed sends are marked per session and player, and uncertain sends can retry the saved request. Email acceptance does not mean the player has joined the recording.
  • Multiple Files For GMs And Players: Keep every original part and include recordings from all import sessions for the same night. Grandstream provides the timing reference so a restart keeps its real gap rather than joining the speech together.
  • Dae’s MP3 Recovery Is Recorded: The documented “Header missing” recovery preserves the MP3, checks all uploaded chunks and verifies a separate recovered WAV before archiving. The original and recovery warnings remain available.
  • Recover And Keep The End Goal: The local supervisor retains errors, resumes recognized interruptions and checks saved progress. Eligible older audio can move to the 4 TB backup drive after independent hash verification. Jono’s desktop takes another eligible block without the former 15-minute cooldown.
  • Follow Processing Through To Scribe: Ubuntu prepares and validates the audio, then distributes transcription to the Windows GPU workers. Local completion, verified backup, Scribe receipt, published transcript and generated notes are tracked separately.
Release10 October 2026

One Account and settings menu

Shared Forge profile
  • Your shared Forge profile and language preferences now live in Account and settings. The separate floating Your Forge details panel has been removed.
  • Edit your preferred name, personal details and languages from the same place as your account and app preferences.
  • Saved profile details are shared across the NPC Forge suite. Each app keeps its own preferences alongside them.
  • Profile editing stays inside the app, with mobile layouts, recoverable save errors and protection against conflicting edits.
Rollout PendingRecording handoff and Scribe review

Follow Each Recording From Ubuntu Into Scribe

Mobile Recorder, Ubuntu and Scribe Notes
  • Receipts And Processing Are Separate: Ubuntu keeps the original tracks, prepares separate WAV copies and checks Scribe's receipt for the exact Night of Play. A received bundle is not shown as completed notes.
  • Review Opens The Right Place: When Scribe needs speaker decisions, the coordinated GM dashboard links to that exact Night of Play and opens its Speakers tab. The dashboard refreshes its status while it is open.
  • Problems Are Easier To See: Required devices show when capture is not ready, reported faults are visible, and recovery controls are easier to reach. Upload and processing errors retain the original audio for retry.
  • Automatic Processing Was Rehearsed: An isolated four-track test reached Scribe's human review stage with verified upload parts and source-linked transcripts. The handoff and review-path audit fixed 20 code and interface issues; Mobile Recorder's full local suite passed 272 checks.
Earlier Update Mobile audio transfer

Samsung Phone Audio Can Be Sent To Ubuntu

Mobile Recorder, Ubuntu, Alexa status Live on Ubuntu · phone trial pending
  • Record On The Phone: Finish and save audio in Samsung Voice Recorder, then choose the finished file in the Mobile Recorder session page and send it to Ubuntu.
  • Wait For The Receipt: Mobile Recorder shows the received byte count, SHA-256 hash and receipt time after Ubuntu has archived the original and made a WAV copy. An interrupted transfer can resume with the same file.
  • Ask Alexa For Status: In mobile import mode, Alexa and the Control Map report whether Ubuntu has received a phone recording. The old recording controls and Scribe handoff do not process this phone file.
  • Try A Demo Game: Choose Test Samsung upload in the Control Map, create the demo game, then open its GM phone link and choose a saved audio file. Demo audio is kept out of Scribe Notes.
  • Review Upload Logs: Choose Review upload logs in the Control Map to inspect Ubuntu's part acknowledgements, phone-reported pauses, archive result and receipt. Download a JSON copy for later review.
Earlier Update · Rollout PendingShared recording start

One Countdown For Phones, Cameras And Grandstream

Alaric, Mobile Recorder and the VTT recorder
  • Players Get Ready First: Each participant joins on their phone, allows the microphone and taps Ready — save lead-in audio. The phone starts saving audio and confirms readiness after its first audio part is saved. Keep the page open and the screen unlocked.
  • The GM Starts The Group: Start all recorders checks the joined phones, both cameras and the Grandstream microphone. Once the required recorders are ready, Alaric proposes a shared start time 15 seconds ahead and waits for every phone to acknowledge the countdown.
  • Recordings Share A Session Start: Device clock differences are measured, and each recorder saves the same session-zero marker alongside its timing evidence. Recordings retain their lead-in audio so device startup delays do not cut off the opening of play.
  • Missing Or Late Devices Are Visible: The Control Map shows acknowledgements and start confirmations. A phone that is not ready prevents the countdown from being confirmed; late or missing start markers are flagged for attention.
  • Cancellation Keeps Your Audio: Cancel countdown cancels the shared start while lead-in recording continues. Use the VTT stop control and each phone's Stop game audio control to finish their recordings.
ReleaseSeptember 2026 maintenance

Control Map Maintenance And The Player Companion Release

Control service reliability and connected recording
  • Control service maintenance: Reviewed web-server and deployment-tool updates were merged together and checked with 190 tests and skill verification. Hosting now retains the patched dependency settings during its build and uses the tested Node and npm release lines.
  • Dependency fixes: Patched request-parsing dependencies. The production dependency audit reported no known findings at this release checkpoint.
  • Connected Mobile Recorder: Its newly released companion keeps one recording across microphone, movement and spell-targeting views. Ending a track requires typing END and confirming; casts remain subject to GM resolution.
  • Deployment status: The companion changes are published in the separate Mobile Recorder project. Its updated Ubuntu service has not yet been rolled out, so the existing Control Map entry does not by itself make those changes live.
Release Mobile phone recording update

Every Player And The GM Can Record A Clear Local Track

Eight player phones, one GM phone, QR joining, live recording feedback A simpler way to capture who said what and when
  • One QR Code Starts The Phone Session: The GM selects the scheduled game and roster, then creates a shared QR code without entering an internal Scribe destination ID.
  • Every Table Role Has A Visible Slot: The Alexa Control Map shows eight player recorders and a separate GM recorder. The verified GM's name appears on the GM slot before their phone joins.
  • Recording State Is Obvious: Waiting phones show a quiet flatline. A phone that is genuinely recording shows moving colour and its current duration.
  • The Phone Workflow Opens Separately: Start phone session opens Mobile Recorder in a new tab, leaving the Alexa Control Map available for camera, microphone, and recorder monitoring.
Release Ubuntu recorder update

Ubuntu Now Runs The Full Recorder Path On Its Own

Ubuntu, Vertual recorder, FFmpeg, RTSP cameras, GrandStream, Scribe The game-night recording path no longer depends on the Windows computer
  • The Native Recorder Lives On Ubuntu: The Linux Vertual recorder runs locally on the always-on host and keeps its control API protected on loopback port 5125.
  • The Recorder Bridge Is Wired Correctly: Alaric's Docker relay now forwards to the real Ubuntu recorder port instead of the obsolete port that caused bridge checks to fail.
  • The GrandStream Status Is Truthful: The public dashboard now carries the recorder's sanitized audio-input state, so the configured GMD1208 reports Ready instead of Not configured.
  • The Whole Media Path Is Visible: Ubuntu reports FFmpeg, both RTSP cameras, the table microphone, and Scribe readiness through one recorder check.
Release Game-night feedback update

Recording Feedback Is Clearer While You Run The Table

Live audio meters, action guidance, shared navigation Faster answers before, during, and after a recording
  • Audio Activity Moves While Recording: The recorder panel shows live source activity so you can see whether the expected tracks are receiving data.
  • Latest Action Explains What Happened: Recorder results now include a plain-language detail panel with concrete next steps when attention is required.
  • The Page Speaks Ubuntu: Dashboard guidance points to the Ubuntu host and its local recorder instead of sending you to the retired Windows workflow.
  • NPC Forge Navigation Is Shared: The canonical suite footer now links Alexa with the other NPC Forge apps, policies, Wiki, and community resources.
Release Recorder update

GrandStream Recording Is Visible From Check To Flow

Recorder, Bluetooth microphone, control map A truthful third-source view without changing the 2/2 camera count
  • The Microphone Has Its Own Check Card: GrandStream now appears beside the overhead and side cameras with its current readiness state.
  • The Real Device Name Is Visible: The page reports Headset Microphone (GMD1208-0C2EFA Hands-Free) and shows Bluetooth ready when the VTT recorder detects it.
  • The Audio Path Has A Place On The Map: A circular GrandStream node sits directly above the VTT Table and feeds the Recorder node while capture is active.
  • Camera Readiness Stays Honest: Audio sources are no longer counted as video cameras, so the verified result remains 2/2 instead of becoming 2/3.
Release Hosting update

Alexa Has A Branded Home And A Recognisable User

Firebase App Hosting, split routing, Google authentication A stable public page with local recorder control kept on the Ubuntu host
  • The Public Page Uses The NPC Forge Domain: Alexa is hosted through Firebase at alexa.npc-forge.com instead of relying on a temporary hosting address.
  • Split Routing Protects Local Controls: Static pages come from Firebase App Hosting while live bridge and recorder status routes continue to reach the Ubuntu-hosted Alexa service.
  • Google Identity Is Visible: A signed-in user sees their Google profile image, name, and Gmail address in the top-right account control.
  • VTT Lightbox Is One Click Away: The top navigation includes the local lightbox shortcut for game-night use.
Release Project foundation

Alexa Becomes A Real, Tested NPC Forge Project

GitHub, CI, service map A maintained source of truth for the Alexa control service
  • The Project Has A GitHub Home: jonathabean/alexa is now the source repository for the dashboard, bridge, tests, and deployment configuration.
  • Changes Are Checked Before Merge: GitHub Actions runs the Node test suite and Alexa skill-package verification on each pull request.
  • The Product Name Is Consistent: Public headings and hosting now use Alexa while Alaric remains the voice and local bridge identity inside the system.