Which VTT software is best for my purposes? Shmup RPG, etc.
I'm intending to run a custom system that will kind of replicate the experience of a classic shoot 'em up(Shmup) video game, for an in-person game using a tv-in-a-box tabletop platform(Unfortunately the way my gaming table is built there is no way to build it in without ruining existing features/integrity). I just assembled this recently and have no experience actually using it to display anything like a battle map or anything.
My groups are solely in-person and generally don't use digital support. I have a projector, but we usually just project stuff like level-up instructions, rough maps via MS paint. Visual-novel-esque environment backgrounds, or character/monster illustrations.
So I don't need to host, just present.
I don't need support for existing systems, but the ability to show tokens with like +1, -1, or status effects and general rpg stuff would be helpful.
What I do need is the ability to have a background, preferably animated, the ability to scroll it behind the grid while the grid remains static, and maybe even better if there can also be a "foreground" for a parallax effect.
I need multiple player tokens and enemy tokens, and the ability to overlay additional UI. Such as shared assets, a progress meter, stuff you may see in a video game UI. One thing I'm doing is projecting the "flight path" of enemies for positioning, so it would be useful to either lay out flight path objects, or if the software can actually perform them on a turn-by-turn basis, even better. I heard some of these have some cool automation and macro features, so in my mind it sounds like something that can be done - but the visual indicator would be most important to me.
It would be easier to be able to lock to grid, but having the option to move items unlocked from grid would be nice. So optimally both, an even more optimally being able to lock small objects to 9 points in a grid(center, edges, vertices).
I've run a variant of this system as a mini-game in other campaigns to solid success, so I'm trying to expand on that - it's not a question if this works in practice. I did said variant with all physical objects, so I feel this method could prove to be exactly what we are looking for - I just need to find the "right" VTT software, because I can't afford to buy them all, nor the time to test them all. I've tried watching videos on youtube about the recommendations, but so many are focused on specifically what I don't need - accessibility each player, and integration of other systems, rather than the capabilities. So here I am hoping reaching out to people with direct experience may prove helpful.
To be fair I do intend to use this display for other combat-heavy or tactical-combat based RPGs, and hope to maybe even get some unique use out of it for more social or abstract rpgs. I play pretty much everything but d20-based systems these days(I have over 100+ physical core rulebooks)So any suggestions for how to use it in other unique ways would be helpful too.
I have provided pictures of said newly built platform, and a quick-and-dirty example of what I'm looking to display.
Thank you for you input in advance.
Currently just displaying a animated background via youtube for demo purposes.
