Comments on: Where’s The D&D App?

By: gameplaywright.net // story, games, together

gameplaywright.net // story, games, together — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 17:50:08 +0000

[...] RSS feed for updates on this topic.Powered by WP Greet Box WordPress PluginA while back, I asked, “Where is the D&D App?” and a few of you answered. One of you being Mike Pattee, developer of the i4e app for iPhones and [...]

By: Ben McKenzie

Ben McKenzie — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:02:59 +0000

It’s not technically an app, but iplay4e at Google Apps (find it at iplay4e.com) is a free, web-based interface where you can upload Character Builder files and essentially have an electronic character sheet. The default interface is optimised for mobile browsers, and works especially well on the iPhone; it also works in a browser window, and there’s a fullscreen mode too. Either version can show you power cards – with numbers calculated – if you have a DDI subscription. I finally tried it a couple of weeks ago during a game, and it’s great! It does dice rolling, though I admit I prefer real dice too.

As for random numbers, check out random.org – it’s about as random as computers ever get.

By: Matt Colville

Matt Colville — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:55:18 +0000

Anyone GMing D&D needs to evaluate this program.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2955834/DnD4e%20Combat%20Manager/DnD4e%20Combat%20Manager%20v1.6.0.zip

I have for years been highly skeptical of laptops at the gaming table because I have never found them to be anything but a distraction. Not in terms of “I’m updating Facebook” but that GMs and players end up focusing on the laptop and trying to manage information on it rather than focusing on the game.

This is the first application that, I feel, does the opposite. It frees me up to get closer to the game.

You can copy entries from the WotC Monster Builder as Rich Text and paste them into your Combat Manager library (from which point they’re always in there) and then build and run encounters like crazy. It’s easy, and it’s smart. It does a LOT.

By: Will Hindmarch

Will Hindmarch — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:59:34 +0000

I got you, Mike. It’s not that there’s something wrong with the random generators, it’s that there are trust issues there when you don’t actually see dice roll. Weird but true.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:09:40 +0000

In the limited testing I’ve done over a fairly large sample size random number generators do a great job. I think the real issue is that users aren’t willing to accept a string of bad rolls from a program like they will from a die.

Once I get the remainder of character sheet things represented in i4e so that the paper is no longer necessary I plan on spending some time looking into ways to make a good random number generator for the app. I’ve got a few other app ideas that I’m excited about if I can get i4e to the point where I’m completely happy with it.

Bring on the feedback though, I recently started forums over at my main site http://cordax.net/forum to help users and collect ideas. Unfortunately with the way the app store is setup from iTunes you don’t get access to your users like you would a standalone product.

By: Will Hindmarch

Will Hindmarch — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:17:01 +0000

Thanks for writing, Mike. I hear you, regarding trusting computer dice rollers — I don’t know if we’re being rational, but I know what you’re talking about.

I hope the app does well for you. I’m glad somebody has gone into the breach on this, and I look forward to hearing about Jeff’s experience with it. I’m especially delighted that it reads Character Builder files!

By: Jeff Tidball

Jeff Tidball — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:09:48 +0000

Great to hear from you, Mike. Your comment about gamer satisfaction—of lack thereof—with computer-generated random numbers is timely. I did an interview with Scott Nesin for The Bones. He built a machine to physically roll six-siders for use in his play by-email games because his players complained, endlessly, about how the computer-generated random numbers were not random enough. It's an awe-inspiring device. I'm looking forward to trying out i4e for myself; expect an e-mail!

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:12:32 +0000

Hello, I’m the programmer behind i4e. I think it will do most of what you’re looking for outside of randomly generating values. I’m considering this for a future release but I’ve never been very happy with random number generators and tend to take bad streaks of rolling better from dice than from a computer application.

If you’d like a free copy of i4e to review for your site please send me an email to mike@cordax.net.

I’ve been steadily adding features to i4e since it was released at the end of September, I’ve been working on it since June.

It will track hp, powers, feats, skills. You can import from a .dnd4e file from the official character builder. And of course it supports multiple characters.

I’m currently working on a UI refresh that adds in a few missing pieces and I’m hoping to have it in the app store by the end of December. I’m always looking for feedback and ideas for what to do with it next.

Mike

By: Jeff Tidball

Jeff Tidball — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:30:28 +0000

@Will — Ah, the official version, gotcha.

@Brad — Thanks for that link. Pretty sure I’ll be checking that out. Do you have it? Is data entry a chore?

By: Kevin Matheny

Kevin Matheny — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 01:40:14 +0000

The big problem that Wizards may have (and I’m just guessing) is that they don’t have an API for the digital content in DDI. If they do, then creating an iPhone app should be fairly simple, and it would be killer. Of course, you’d need an active DDI subscription to get the content.

If Wizards had an open API for the content, with access secured with user-level authentication, that would be even better. Then they could let others create the apps and just rake in the subscription dollars.