I've created an iPhone/iPod Touch app that takes the place of a 4th edition character sheet that allows you to hold all of your characters in one convenient place.
Not a Lawyer-
Looking at your application, I would be surprised if you didn't get sued doing this. Specifically because of the full text power descriptions and especially if its not free.
It looked like it works real well too, which is a shame.
Question, why did you decide to use the spinning dials from 1-infinity to represent damage taken or healed over top of a simple type in number system? a type your own number system seems like a lot less of a hassle for players who take 4, and then 23 damage.
This App is exactly what I've been wanting for a while now.
That said, I tend to agree when thinking that having full text-blocks could cause a problem for you, legal-wise. I do hope however, that it doesn't.
A possible solution: Being able to input your own attack names and bonuses, as opposed to choosing from a list. Less convenient... but opens more options for customizing, as well as avoiding legal issues, since full stat blocks/ rules text would no longer be included in the app.
And I don't think it'd make me want to not use paper, but in a pinch, having an iPod Touch version of my character sheet would be fantastic.
Interface looks really smooth, but for a later version (again, already said) a manual input for damage and healing might be more desirable than the wheel that's currently used. Just a thought.
Not a Lawyer-
Looking at your application, I would be surprised if you didn't get sued doing this. Specifically because of the full text power descriptions and especially if its not free.
Power text isn't included in the app by default, the user is responsible for adding that from the books or as a link to the page number. I should update that screenshot to reflect that.
I'm going to post a movie soon showing how this is done but basically its up to the user to add the content. The only exceptions at this point are Basic Melee Attack, Basic Ranged Attack and Second Wind which I added since every character has those. I'll be more than happy to work on altering content if its stepping on someones toes though.
This App is exactly what I've been wanting for a while now.
Thank you, this is very good to hear.
That said, I tend to agree when thinking that having full text-blocks could cause a problem for you, legal-wise. I do hope however, that it doesn't.
A possible solution: Being able to input your own attack names and bonuses, as opposed to choosing from a list. Less convenient... but opens more options for customizing, as well as avoiding legal issues, since full stat blocks/ rules text would no longer be included in the app.
This is exactly how it works currently 
And I don't think it'd make me want to not use paper, but in a pinch, having an iPod Touch version of my character sheet would be fantastic.
Interface looks really smooth, but for a later version (again, already said) a manual input for damage and healing might be more desirable than the wheel that's currently used. Just a thought.
For healing especially it defaults to your healing surge value. It seems to work very well in the testing that I've done and feedback I've heard from the people I've had testing it.
I'll add a note though to consider having an alternate interface for this in the future.
- Mike
Well then, if the user is responsible for their own power inputs, consider my concerns alleviated on that front, and healing being default-set to the Healing Surge value would work wonderfully actually. But yes, having an alternate input in a future version would be awesome.
Now I'm really REALLY excited to get my hands on this app. I hope it gets approved, and soon!
I added another screenshot to the site showing just a reference to a PHB page number. Hope that helps to clear it up until I can get the video completed.
- Mike
I've created an iPhone/iPod Touch app that takes the place of a 4th edition character sheet that allows you to hold all of your characters in one convenient place.
incomplete list of features
It's possible that it might show up on other platforms but not likely I would say. There is a small chance I might have to port some things for work to blackberry and android, if that happens the odds go up dramatically.
Since all I have available to myself at the moment is the iPhone thats probably where its stuck for the foreseeable future.
Sorry.
- Mike
Very cool if the powers are just a blank slate and you put in relevant text. Now you don't have to update it every time they release some stuff, and you should be covered on the legal front. Makes me almost consider buying an iphone/touch.
*any chance of support for the Zune HD? I haven't gotten one yet, but I hear it can run games/apps, and id snag this in an instant if that is true.
I'm not sure what is involved in developing for the new Zune, but its less likely than Android or Blackberry since it probably requires a windows machine and .net to develop on.
If you haven't purchased one yet, why would you buy a zune HD over a iPod Touch? I'm not that familiar with what the zune offers though.
Get this available already! I was planning on getting my Iphone this weekend. =P
Curse you Apple and your app approval process!
I want it now! Game Saturday night...
If there average time to review is correct it should be another week or so. It's been in the process for a week so far.
I'm surprised nobody has any additional questions.
If you haven't purchased one yet, why would you buy a zune HD over a iPod Touch? I'm not that familiar with what the zune offers though.
The Itouch is pretty cool. It is the first apple product I have liked.
Buying a zune comes from a long standing refusal to buy apple products due to how they conduct their buisness, the mandated use of restrictive software IE Itunes, and the love of my Original Zune which still works 100% after purchase on release date (unlike every single Ipod all of my friends have bought 3 days after the warranty runs out).
(This is all 100% way off topic so i wont go into it more)
No worries, I asked. I only had a problem with my first ipod, the HD went out on it, the one I bought after that still works 4 years later so thats good. I guess I don't think about itunes much because I tend to just load it and then not sync often. But if you're using itunes on windows its a far cry from itunes on the mac as far as stability and speed. So much for putting your best foot forward on foreign (windows) soil.
Anyone have any questions about the app itself? I'm going to try and get the movies going this weekend.
i4e is now on the iTunes app store Get it here
If any of you have purchased the app I'd love to hear any comments or feedback about it. You can reply here or email i4e_support@cordax.net.
- Mike
Got this and input my character. Took about 5 minutes for the skills/stats/weapon etc.. and about another 1-2 minutes per feat (but i put in the full text...).
IT'S AWESOME. Calculates all of the little things you forget... the skill use makes combat/resting easy. Short rest? it resets your encounter powers, extended? all of them and your healing surges.
Oh, and the damage-healing interface is nice. Tracks temporary hps, uses healing surges etc.
When you second wind (power) it uses a surge and heals properly... you can even set up powers that use surges etc. The powers also will take your weapon damage and show it. 3w+d? shows as 3d10+6 for my bow...
Awesome app!
I'm glad you like it, if you have any questions let me know.
So I finally got my iPod Touch yesterday. First app I downloaded? This one.
And it's's everything I wanted. Just... awesome.
I do have a couple things I'd like to see in later versions though:
1. My Pally uses Valiant Strike, and as it is, there's no real way to say that he gets an additional +1 per each adjacent enemy in the current version.
Which actually brings me to my main point: Some of my powers add additional bonuses to attack rolls, which can't be expressed in the current version. (Dragon Breath for instance is Str+2, Dex+2, or Cha+2 vs. Ref). I can say the Str, Dex, or Cha parts of it. But I can't add the +2. The ability to add even a single number to the attack roll would be made of awesome and win.
2. Not having to delete the same text for powers over and over again. It keeps giving me Enfeebling Strike as the default text for my powers, and it's just not convenient to have to delete that text every time.
At this point... That's about all I can think of... Being in class, I can't really play with it at the moment.
Thanks so much for the awesomeness that is this App. Can't wait to use it at my game tonight! ^_^
I'm glad you like it. I'll look at adding a misc modifier on those settings. There probably isn't a good fix for valiant strike since its impossible to know the number of opponents in the app. I'll add it to the list though in case I think of something.
Clearing the power text is an issue I need to look further into. The way I do it is I tap and hold then let go and it asks me if I want to Select, select all or paste. I choose select all then backspace and it removes everything. I'll see if I can't get a better way to do that in the future.
I love feedback so keep it coming or email it to i4e_support@cordax.net.
Downloaded it. Enjoying it. I like the display and setup. Only complaint is having to put in powers, but that is understandable as it keeps from violating whatever licensing there is. Perhaps later on a way to import character builder files to it would be cool, but I'm not expecting it.
I've been looking at the character builder .dnd4e save files. It appears that the power information isn't fully stored within them. It looks like it requires a DDI account and then it gives links to the powers. I'm still looking at options but I haven't decided on a good answer yet.
The first minor update should be going up this week hopefully, it fixes the issue with more than 7 feats. As soon as that is accepted I'll be putting another version into review that has a lot of changes that people have been requesting.
If there's something you'd like to see in i4e please email i4e_support@cordax.net so I can add it to the list.
-Mike
I posted some video tutorials on my site for i4e. You can find them at cordax.net/i4e/media
- Mike
I'm trying to add the feature to import .dnd4e files. It would be very helpful if people could submit their character saves in .dnd4e format to i4e_support@cordax.net so I can use them for testing.
Hi, I'm trying to get the app, but it says that it's not available in the store. Is it because I'm outside of the US (specifically in Singapore), or is there some other way for me to try it out?
Thanks!
Shouldn't be because you're outside the US, I've sold copies to plenty of places outside. Maybe thats different for Singapore. As far as I know its available everywhere.
Quick question, but first..
I've sent an email to the support address with an offer to help make the i4e app not only a digital character sheet but also a portable character builder with all the info pre-built into the app so you would just have to choose your powers from a premade list. Now since sending that email it occured to me that creating such an app with that functionality might lead to some legal issues. However...
Is it possible to add the functionality to import the D&D Character Builder .xml export files into the app using some other API like the one used for the Air Sharing app, then have the i4e app read the info and auto create the character sheet using the info provided from the .xml export file?
I'm almost done adding the ability to import .dnd4e files to i4e. I signed up for a DDI account even though I can't use all aspects of it regularly from my mac, I used an old pc to create some characters for testing and also had some users submit some to test with. So far everything looks good except that not all the information to fill out a character is included in the .dnd4e file. Some of the information is links to the compendium that only returns pre-formatted html. I've imported as much information as I can from the .dnd4e file however and I hope to be submitting it for review in the next few days.
Hopefully within a few weeks you will all get to use this new functionality which I think really adds a nice touch to i4e. It gives you an excellent base to start from when entering a character. I'm looking for a better long term solution but this works well for the time being. Please keep any feedback of things you'd like to see or things that you don't like about i4e and send them to i4e_support@cordax.net. I love getting feedback and talking to users of i4e.
Mike
I'll keep my eyes out for it.
But if you're looking to improve it even further, there may be no other way around it then adding what can't be gotten from the .dnd4e file as a list of things to choose from within the app itself. But I'll see how things go once the functionality has been added, and see exactly how much info can be imported this way.
I think that would unfortunately be stepping on some intellectual property toes. Something I'm not willing to do.
Can't argue with that logic. No need for anyone to get sued for simply wanting to make a tool. I'll just wait and see how far that functionality can get me, and if I have any other suggestions after that point I'll let you know.
Please do, I love feedback.
Very nice app! I downloaded it, and it's vastly superior to having my character sheet on my netbook sitting on the spare chair next to me.
I did notice that a things were missing, however.
1) Non-weapon implements.
2) A section for item powers. Item dailies have different rules around them than regular dailies do, and it would be nice to see them represented in the powers section. Maybe a milestone button on the main screen along with the short/extended rest buttons to re-activate the Item Daily Section? This isn't as big of a deal as the implements, as (for me at least) it's easy enough to remember whether or not I can use my item dailies.
All in all, however, it's still an AMAZING app and the most useful character sheet I've seen yet.
Thank you for the kind words, I'm glad you're enjoying the app.
You can kind of do implements in the current release but I've made a lot of changes to them in the release that should be going in for review today or tomorrow. A milestone button is a good idea, I'll add that to my future development list. I'm expecting to change the UI quite a bit between 1.1 and 1.2. 1.2 will probably be where you'll see a bit more information about the character, inventory and magic item usage.
Please keep the feedback coming preferably to the support email, i4e_support@cordax.net so I can log everything and try to keep the product moving in a positive direction.
Mike
Finished my testing and submitted 1.1.0 this morning. Hopefully it won't take too long to go through the review process. This release includes importing from the official Character Builder .dnd4e files. They don't contain everything but they get you most of the way to having your character in i4e.
You can find information about everything that was included in this release at cordax.net/i4e/help
I wanted to add some details about what can be imported from the .dnd4e file so I compiled a list of what gets added automatically for you from the Character Builder save file.
- Character details (name, class, level, xp, race, speed, armor penalty)
- Stats - Health details (hp, healing surges, healing surge value)
- Defenses (armor bonuses, stat bonuses, misc/class bonuses)
- Weapons (everything except range)
- Powers (everything except descriptions, range, base damage, keywords) (Adjusted damage, weapon choice are included)
- Feats
- Skills (including which skills are trained)
I wanted to add some details about what can be imported from the .dnd4e file so I compiled a list of what gets added automatically for you from the Character Builder save file.
- Character details (name, class, level, xp, race, speed, armor penalty)
- Stats - Health details (hp, healing surges, healing surge value)
- Defenses (armor bonuses, stat bonuses, misc/class bonuses)
- Weapons (everything except range)
- Powers (everything except descriptions, range, base damage, keywords) (Adjusted damage, weapon choice are included)
- Feats
- Skills (including which skills are trained)
Hey Mike,
Just thought I'd give you my thoughts on the upcoming changes. I think for the most part these are all great changes that will definately define this app's range of utility for gamers. It might even become a prefered substitute to paper printed character sheets. The ability to import info from a character builder file just makes this app that much more easy to use, and thus will appeal to a much larger user base. The price is quite cheap for everything that this app does, and I personally would have payed upwards of 10 or 15 dollars for this app... but to be a bit cheeky here I'm glad it was only 4 bucks when I bought it.
To address the info directly, by which I mean the info that can be imported from the .dnd4e file, everything you've listed is definately a step in the right direction. The range of info that doesn't have to be manually typed in via the iphones small on screen keyboard makes this not only easy to use but nearly a must have app for any D&D 4e player with an iPhone or iTouch. The only thing I would like to see now are descriptions for the powers, but to be fair most players play with printed out power cards so that info is still very easily accessible anyways.
All in all, with the upcoming changes, this app is an invaluable tool for D&D players and should be a massive success. I'm just waiting for the app store to tell me the update is in, I can't wait.
i'm glad you're enjoying the app so far. I'm still looking for a better solution to get everything into the app easier. I wish there was a better interface for DDI that would allow me to provide a passthrough for subscribers to the details. I'll figure something out eventually.
If the iplay4e site can do it (pull from compendium for DDI subscribers), then I don't see why your app wouldn't be allowed to.
Your app looks cool, but what can it do that iplay4e doesn't do for free? If I have to do *any* entering of the data myself (powers, etc) then it's not really worth it :/
Maybe I'm just not understanding what all your app does
Edit: Does it keep all the data on the device? ie: It works when offline? That would be extra great for iTouch users.
iplay4e.com just shows the information that is available in the save, they don't show range and the other missing items on their basic view of a power. If you go to the details of a power it just brings up the pre-rendered html from DDI that then shows the details. As far as I can tell though iplay4e.com isn't aware of these details.
i4e does work offline and doesn't require a connection for anything. With 1.1.0 which is in the review process now you'll be able to import .dnd4e files to get most of the character information pre-loaded.
I think it's true to say that at the moment they do nearly the same stuff, however, I like to think that the UI for i4e is a bit more user friendly as should be the case with any native app when compared to a web app. i4e is faster and more intuitive to use. It's also improving constantly as I receive feedback from users.
Ultimately it costs less than a latte at Starbucks and I don't think you'll be disappointed. Check out the videos at cordax.net/i4e/media and post questions here or email me at i4e_support@cordax.net. i4e is my first app that I've released to the public and I'm discovering that my favorite part is the interaction with the people that use it.
1.1.0 contains a lot of changes from user feedback and should be available soon.
I bought it and the only thing I think is missing is racial powers on the charactor sheet. I know it would be nice to see racial powers that effect combat( such as the half-orc abilty to gain temp hps when he is blooded)
Also the baribain howling strike has additial 1d6 damage that I can't seem to add in
Unfortunately there isn't a way to trigger temporary HP or add that extra 1d6 on the damage line of a power at the moment.
On the racial you could still list it and then you'd just have to go add the temp hp yourself. Doesn't accomplish much but it still lets you track the usage of the racial.
The extra 1d6 you could just mention in the description of the power.
I'm not sure if you've emailed i4e_support@cordax.net or not but I do have these things listed as potential areas to improve in upcoming releases.
I love this app and unfounrlty my iphone got stolen last night so I can't use it in the game. I don't want it the app auto put the hps at bloodied, but I want a place to put racial powers that are not encounter powers. I just want a place to list on the charactor without making a power card.
I already did what you suggested for the extra 1d6
Could you just add it in the feat section?
Thanks for the clarification. I'll probably check it out when your update for the .dnd4e file importing is approved
Actually, Mike, I think having a place to list racial and class features might be really nice to have in a future update. It'd probably require a UI revamp, but overall the look would be cleaner.
I for one like having things under where they're supposed to be. Having to list my racial features as "feats" just... rubs me the wrong way. They're not feats. And most of them aren't powers either (except for the encounter power that every race gets, or the Dilletante power that half-elves get).
Eh, just my two cents. I think I mentioned something akin to this in my last e-mail... but I can send it again if you prefer.
As always, thank you for this App. It's definitely the greatest thing since sliced bread for my iPod.
I'm actually thinking about adding a category to the feats so that they can be sorted based on racial, class, normal, paragon and epic destiny.
I'm hoping to get 1.2.0 to be a UI re-work so I can include the other character information that currently isn't shown. The review process has been a bit of a pain though, it would be so nice to be able to release whenever I finish.
I'm actually thinking about adding a category to the feats so that they can be sorted based on racial, class, normal, paragon and epic destiny.
I'm hoping to get 1.2.0 to be a UI re-work so I can include the other character information that currently isn't shown. The review process has been a bit of a pain though, it would be so nice to be able to release whenever I finish.
and I thank you for the great work you have done I really like the app. I think having the racial features listed somewhere would be great
Thanks for putting this together and releasing it. It works nice, starts up really fast and is easy to use. I haven't used it in a game yet but am looking forward to trying it out, especially for tracking HPs, surges and uses of encounter and daily powers.
I'm looking forward to the update. When that comes through I'll definitly recommend the app to my friends who have an iphone or itouch.
I have some suggestions for future versions, but I'll wait till the new version comes out before giving them to you.
Nice work so far!
I hope WoTC sees what you are doing, buys your app and hires you to head their iphone app department!
I'm glad you're enjoying i4e please submit any issues or features that you'd like to see added to the app to i4e_support@cordax.net. I'm still trying to figure out who to contact at wizards to try and license some of the content.
Mike
i4e 1.1.0 is now available in the iTunes app store.
- Healing when at negative hit points applies healing from 0
- Added the ability to import from the DDI Character Builder
- Number of limited uses wasn't shown when going back into the power information view
- Skills list now indicates which skills are trained with check marks on the right hand side
- You can now recharge a limited use power when it has been used
- Trying to change the weapon name without setting a stat would crash the app
- Hit modifier in powers now has option for misc bonus
- Damage modifier now has option for misc bonus to damage
- Damage for powers can now be just a stat without weapon damage 0 [W]
- You can now heal and take damage up to 300 points at a time
- Added spirit keyword for powers
- Added opportunity action type for powers
- Made weapons and implements more distinct
- Corrected some range names in powers
- Resting now removes temporary HP
- Added 25/50 range to weapons
- Fixed issue with no keywords for a power
- Added Augmentable Keyword to powers for psionics
Great! I showed i4e to two friends last night and both said they were going to d/l it for our next game.
I have some suggestions for you, I'll email them to you soon. Congrats on getting it through the app police. 
Great! I showed i4e to two friends last night and both said they were going to d/l it for our next game.
I have some suggestions for you, I'll email them to you soon. Congrats on getting it through the app police.
I heard the APP police are run by former SS squad members. Any truth to that LP
What are your ideas post them here we would like to see them
I'd really love some feedback on how the import process was for everyone. You can either post here or email me at i4e_support@cordax.net. Surprisingly to me, I haven't received any support email for the new version. I'm assuming that is because things are going well for everyone, but you know what they say about assuming.
It went fine with no issues. Unfournlty I am the DM and really haven't gotten to use the app in a game..yet
I have had no problems with the update. Seems to be working fine. I'm one of those guys who can only play once a month, and I haven't had my monthly game yet, but am looking forward to using it.
What are your ideas post them here we would like to see them
OK, I was going to email this to the OP, but since you asked, here is one idea:
A way to track temporary bonuses and effects.
One of the most difficult things for our group to do is to keep track of all the bonuses (OK, bonii) that will come into play. A +2 here to hit, a +1 there to damage, it all gets very complicated and several times during the game one of us says, "Oh, wait, I forgot the Warlord's bonus, please add 5 more hit points to that damage I just reported." The DM is a player and knows how complicated it can be, so is understanding. But it's still a drag. Ideally (and I have no idea if this is possible) there would be a way to input it on the character page and then it would affect each of the related powers (i.e., a +2 to hit would show up on all the powers that are melee or ranged). It would not have to be calculated into the bonus, but just a reminder that it is there would be awesome. Failing that, just a note on the character page would be nice. This would go a long way to making your product unique, I think. My group and I always laugh because we thought that 4e was going to be simpler to play, but in this aspect it's much more complicated than older editions.
I would think that this would be difficult to implement, but you were saying that you were thinking about overhauling the whole gui, so something like this might be possible to fold in?
What do you think?
I have had no problems with the update. Seems to be working fine. I'm one of those guys who can only play once a month, and I haven't had my monthly game yet, but am looking forward to using it.
What are your ideas post them here we would like to see themOK, I was going to email this to the OP, but since you asked, here is one idea:
A way to track temporary bonuses and effects.
One of the most difficult things for our group to do is to keep track of all the bonuses (OK, bonii) that will come into play. A +2 here to hit, a +1 there to damage, it all gets very complicated and several times during the game one of us says, "Oh, wait, I forgot the Warlord's bonus, please add 5 more hit points to that damage I just reported." The DM is a player and knows how complicated it can be, so is understanding. But it's still a drag. Ideally (and I have no idea if this is possible) there would be a way to input it on the character page and then it would affect each of the related powers (i.e., a +2 to hit would show up on all the powers that are melee or ranged). It would not have to be calculated into the bonus, but just a reminder that it is there would be awesome. Failing that, just a note on the character page would be nice. This would go a long way to making your product unique, I think. My group and I always laugh because we thought that 4e was going to be simpler to play, but in this aspect it's much more complicated than older editions.I would think that this would be difficult to implement, but you were saying that you were thinking about overhauling the whole gui, so something like this might be possible to fold in?
What do you think?
Well I know this app does keep track of your own tempory HPs.
I have another APP your DM may want to try. Its called DMs Tracker. It keeps track of intivitate, effects, hps, and whose turn in the intivitate it is.
I think what you want from this app is not what its intended. This is more of PC app and the DMs tracker is a DM app. Worth the buy I think its .99 cent
OK, I was going to email this to the OP, but since you asked, here is one idea:
A way to track temporary bonuses and effects.
One of the most difficult things for our group to do is to keep track of all the bonuses (OK, bonii) that will come into play. A +2 here to hit, a +1 there to damage, it all gets very complicated and several times during the game one of us says, "Oh, wait, I forgot the Warlord's bonus, please add 5 more hit points to that damage I just reported." The DM is a player and knows how complicated it can be, so is understanding. But it's still a drag. Ideally (and I have no idea if this is possible) there would be a way to input it on the character page and then it would affect each of the related powers (i.e., a +2 to hit would show up on all the powers that are melee or ranged). It would not have to be calculated into the bonus, but just a reminder that it is there would be awesome. Failing that, just a note on the character page would be nice. This would go a long way to making your product unique, I think. My group and I always laugh because we thought that 4e was going to be simpler to play, but in this aspect it's much more complicated than older editions.I would think that this would be difficult to implement, but you were saying that you were thinking about overhauling the whole gui, so something like this might be possible to fold in?
What do you think?
It's definitely something I'm looking into. I haven't decided if it will be part of the initial UI overhaul or not. I kind of want to make it more powerful than just a list. I'd like it to factor into the powers and such automatically as weapons and other stats do.
At a minimum 1.2 will have a notes list so you can track things there.
Sorry for the slow replies I was in Seattle all day yesterday at the iPhone Tech Talks Apple put on there.
Mike
I'm having a hard time getting the import function to work.
Can you walk me through step by step how it's done?
- Go to i4e.cordax.net and enter your email address
- If you have successfully uploaded any save files you should see them list here
- Click "Add New Character"
- Enter a name for your character (Must start with a letter, can contain numbers, and some special characters)
- Click "Choose File" and locate the .dnd4e save file you have from the DDI Character Builder
- Click "Create"
- On your iPhone/iPod Touch (iPhone from here on out for simplicity) open the settings section and scroll down the i4e section
- Inside the i4e section enter the same email you address you used in step 2.
- Load i4e and click import, it should return the list of characters that you have uploaded
- Tap the name of the character you wish to import, a few seconds later (depending on connection strength) your character should show up in the main character select screen.
If you're having a problem with any of these steps please email i4e_support@cordax.net and I'll do my best to get you going.
Hope that helps.
Mike
Awesome!
I'm kind of new to Iphoning and I didn't know there was settings section for individual apps in the phone's settings.
Thanks.
I'd like it to factor into the powers and such automatically as weapons and other stats do.
At a minimum 1.2 will have a notes list so you can track things there.
That sounds awesome! Thanks! This is already a great product, improving will only make it more amazing.
One other idea that might be easy to implement: a notes page where we can input whatever info we want. I always am forgetting the difference between dazed and stunned, slowed and immobilized. It would be nice if I could make some notes to myself to help with my stunted long term memory. 
The idea I have right now for the notes section is that it will have a title and a description. The title will show in the list and you'll see the description when you tap it. Similar to feats now.
Mike
Awesome!
I'm kind of new to Iphoning and I didn't know there was settings section for individual apps in the phone's settings.
Thanks.
Did that get you working then?
Here's a question: Is there currently a way to delete characters you don't want? I have a couple characters that I just cooked up for grins and giggles using i4e because I didn't want to waste paper. Now I don't need them, but can't seem to find a delete button.
Not a big deal at the moment, but might be nice in the future to have some way to remove unwanted/ unneeded characters.
Swipe the character name you don't want and the delete button comes up. I need to put this on the FAQ, it comes up a lot.
Mike
Ah ha. good to know. Thanks!
Submitted i4e 1.1.1 to apple Thursday night, You can find a list of what was included in this release at cordax.net/i4e/help
I'm working on 1.2 now which is a graphical update for the most part but will also be adding inventory, notes and a few other things. I'll post again when 1.1.1 is accepted and when I submit 1.2.0 although I think that might be a week or two. I'm hoping to have it ready to go as soon as 1.1.1 is accepted.
Mike
When I import it doesn't add the effcts of the powers, just the numbers and names. Is there anytime in the furture where this will be possible?
Unfortunately not at the moment. The information is not held within the .dnd4e file and there is not an easy way to get the information even from DDI.
I'm considering a few options but it won't happen until after the UI re-work, sorry.
Mike
Mike
Mike
Mike
If you like 1.1.1 just wait for 1.2.0...
I'll be posting some sneak peak videos in the coming weeks while its being reviewed. Back to working on it for now.
- New damage/healing/temporary HP UI
- New direct periodic damage input in 2 taps
- New items being tracked; milestones, action points, item uses, failed death saves, resistances, passive insight, passive perception, paragon path, epic destiny, height, weight, age, gender, size, alignment, deity, adventuring company, languages, and vision
- New Weapons section can now track extra critical damage
- New Equipment section to track wearable equipment
- New Items section to track consumables and general gear
- New Treasure section to track coins, gems and valuable art objects
- New Notes section to track anything you'd like
- Re-vamped Feats section will now handle class features, racial features, racial traits and any other feats you'd like
- Re-vamped skills editing for easier manipulation of skill information
- Improved import for .dnd4e files, fills in many of the new details being tracked by i4e. Due to the limitation of information contained in the .dnd4e file it is still only a starting point.
- Improved editing flow for powers
- More consistent editing throughout the application
• When typing out the description of a power, I noticed that I couldn't see the text after the 5th line. It would be nice if that field were scrollable so I could see what I'm typing.
• A dice function would be nice, if it automatically adds up all the appropriate modifiers and uses the appropriate dice.
• There appears to be a math error in the attack bonus calculation. Weapon powers don't seem to be adding the weapon proficiency bonus. I've double-checked that the power does have the weapon keyword, and that I have selected the character's weapon in the list. It recognizes the appropriate damage die, but just doesn't add the proficiency bonus to attack. Is this a known bug?
• There is no entry for a shield bonus to AC and Reflex. Sure, I could just put it in Misc, but it'd be nice to have a dedicated field for it, to help keep bonuses separate.
• Overall a very smooth-feeling app. I like the comprehensiveness of the inputs.
8/10
I'll look at it some more over the course of the day and come back this afternoon/evening if I find anything else of interest to say.
Well I couldn't go to bed with a new toy in my hands, so here are my initial comments:
• When typing out the description of a power, I noticed that I couldn't see the text after the 5th line. It would be nice if that field were scrollable so I could see what I'm typing.
I guess it shows how seldom people actually type in their power descriptions but I was unaware of this. I have fixed it this morning and re-submitted 1.2 to apple. Shouldn't push me back any in the queue really so hopefully it still gets approved quickly. Sorry for the inconvenience.
• A dice function would be nice, if it automatically adds up all the appropriate modifiers and uses the appropriate dice.
Dice rolling would be nice, but I have to figure out a way to do it that people will trust. Its funny how if people rolled 3 physical 6-side dice and got 3 - 1 results they would call BS on a program but you can't dispute the physical dice.
• There appears to be a math error in the attack bonus calculation. Weapon powers don't seem to be adding the weapon proficiency bonus. I've double-checked that the power does have the weapon keyword, and that I have selected the character's weapon in the list. It recognizes the appropriate damage die, but just doesn't add the proficiency bonus to attack. Is this a known bug?
I've done quite a bit of cleanup around weapons and calculating their hit and damage bonuses so its possible that its a bug in 1.1.1. If you could email some more details about what power it is and the other details to i4e_support@cordax.net I can try to figure out the issue for you. Regardless I would fully expect it to work properly in 1.2.
• There is no entry for a shield bonus to AC and Reflex. Sure, I could just put it in Misc, but it'd be nice to have a dedicated field for it, to help keep bonuses separate.
• Overall a very smooth-feeling app. I like the comprehensiveness of the inputs.
8/10
I'll look at it some more over the course of the day and come back this afternoon/evening if I find anything else of interest to say.
I'm glad you liked it, there is a lot more detail coming in 1.2. Including armor bonus for AC and Reflex being pulled in from the equipped armor and/or shield and not input specifically anymore.
Mike
• The math error I mentioned earlier was (as usual) user error. I hadn't noticed that I need to manually input the proficiency bonus of the weapon, so the default (zero) was in that field. Disregard my previous bug report.
• Feature Request: I decided that I wanted the same character at different levels on this thing. However, that would mean that I have to retype and reconfigure everything each time, which is tedious. It would be nice if I could copy a character, or better yet, have integrated support for having a single character with multiple versions.
• Feature Request: When customizing attack powers, support for a secondary attack would be nice.
• Overall, still the best D&D support app I've seen.
I'll look into adding something that will let you clone a character. It sounds like an interesting idea and I can see a purpose for it as you mentioned.
1.3 will most likely contain some new functionality around backup/import and editing. Hopefully all goes well with it. But I think this could easily be rolled into it.
I know its not nearly as good but you can import the same .dnd4e file multiple times and then edit each independently. Might help you out with some things.
If you have any bugs or features that you'd like to have considered just email them to i4e_bugz@cordax.net and it will be automatically entered into my bug tracking database.
I know its not nearly as good but you can import the same .dnd4e file multiple times and then edit each independently. Might help you out with some things.
In my case, that doesn't help much, because I'm not a DDI subscriber. I don't use the Character Builder.
Mike
I just got this app the other day, and love it. The only thing I would like to see is a place for Class Features. Unless I'm missing something there doesn't seem to be anywhere to keep track of the class features, but otherwise, this app rules. Oh, and a dice roller would be nice too.
thanks figured it out. ANy thoughts though on making utilites blue and not red like the character generator does
I'll think about it. I'm not sure its that big of a deal and ultimately they're still encounters and dailies. It just describes the type of power a bit more. I'll add it to the list of requested features. Or if you'd like to track the status of it, you can email the request to i4e_bugz@cordax.net.
Mike
I just got this app the other day, and love it. The only thing I would like to see is a place for Class Features. Unless I'm missing something there doesn't seem to be anywhere to keep track of the class features, but otherwise, this app rules. Oh, and a dice roller would be nice too.
The improved feats section in i4e 1.2 includes class features, racial traits and feats. On top of that you can include any classification of feat you'd like with how the new ones work. I'm looking at dice rolling in some manner, not sure if/when it will get included.
Mike
Just tried the newest version, and all I can say is, "thankyou!" My ipod street cred with the local nerds just went up a little.
Keep up the good work!
Mike
I noticed a math bug while entering in powers, however. A power with the Weapon keyword that doesn't roll damage (such as the Warlord's At-Will, Furious Smash) is getting the weapon's enhancement bonus added to the total, when enhancement bonuses should only add to damage rolls.
That's a funky power. I'm not sure how to really handle that outside of probably just recommending mentioning a correction in the description. Although based on how I read the weapons keyword it seems that the weapon would apply to both hit and damage.
Yes, a magical weapon or implement adds to both attack rolls and damage rolls, but some powers don't roll damage, and so wouldn't benefit from an enhancement bonus in the damage total. There are a handful of powers (mostly at-will) that don't roll for damage, and this applies to all of them.
Mike
Data entry aside, I am very satisfied with how the app handles the data once entered. It is, truly, a character sheet replacement. While I would still need to have the books on me, I would not feel the need to have a paper character sheet so long as I have my character in this app.
However, I know that I am not willing to input another character above 1st level without a copy-character feature, which I must request once again.
Another feature request is the addition of multiple movement modes and speed. The character I am inputing is a Scion of Arkhosia, and if he were one level higher, he would have an Overland Flight speed. Higher level characters will have more options for gaining another movement mode. Currently, the only way to enter this data is to make it a Paragon Path Feature, that will be grouped up with the Feats and easily missed.
Finally, I request that the Description text that is entered by default for every new power either be removed, or removable at a single button-press. After entering nine attack powers for this 15th level character, removing the default text manually has become monotonous and annoying. I recall the previous version having a "Clear Description" button that made it very easy. Why did that go away in this version?
So I've just finished entering a 15th level Dragonborn Warlord into i4e entirely by hand, and it took me nearly 5 hours. I'm not complaining about the time it took, because I recognize that there's no way around that on your end without running into copyright issues, and no way on my end without subscribing to DDI and changing my operating system. To be fair, I was also generating the character at the same time, so decision-making was part of the time taken.
Data entry aside, I am very satisfied with how the app handles the data once entered. It is, truly, a character sheet replacement. While I would still need to have the books on me, I would not feel the need to have a paper character sheet so long as I have my character in this app.
However, I know that I am not willing to input another character above 1st level without a copy-character feature, which I must request once again.
Another feature request is the addition of multiple movement modes and speed. The character I am inputing is a Scion of Arkhosia, and if he were one level higher, he would have an Overland Flight speed. Higher level characters will have more options for gaining another movement mode. Currently, the only way to enter this data is to make it a Paragon Path Feature, that will be grouped up with the Feats and easily missed.
Finally, I request that the Description text that is entered by default for every new power either be removed, or removable at a single button-press. After entering nine attack powers for this 15th level character, removing the default text manually has become monotonous and annoying. I recall the previous version having a "Clear Description" button that made it very easy. Why did that go away in this version?
Unfourntly your right. This app seems to be designed with have the character generator in mind. Could you subscribe one month just to get the character generator.
So I've just finished entering a 15th level Dragonborn Warlord into i4e entirely by hand, and it took me nearly 5 hours. I'm not complaining about the time it took, because I recognize that there's no way around that on your end without running into copyright issues, and no way on my end without subscribing to DDI and changing my operating system. To be fair, I was also generating the character at the same time, so decision-making was part of the time taken.
Data entry aside, I am very satisfied with how the app handles the data once entered. It is, truly, a character sheet replacement. While I would still need to have the books on me, I would not feel the need to have a paper character sheet so long as I have my character in this app.
The main feature that is being worked on for 1.3 is online data entry. This would at least free you up to use a full sized keyboard to make changes
However, I know that I am not willing to input another character above 1st level without a copy-character feature, which I must request once again.
Send an email requesting this feature to i4e_bugz@cordax.net and you'll be able to track its progress.
Another feature request is the addition of multiple movement modes and speed. The character I am inputing is a Scion of Arkhosia, and if he were one level higher, he would have an Overland Flight speed. Higher level characters will have more options for gaining another movement mode. Currently, the only way to enter this data is to make it a Paragon Path Feature, that will be grouped up with the Feats and easily missed.
Submit a bug for this and we can brainstorm a fix and see if I can't get it in fairly soon for you
Finally, I request that the Description text that is entered by default for every new power either be removed, or removable at a single button-press. After entering nine attack powers for this 15th level character, removing the default text manually has become monotonous and annoying. I recall the previous version having a "Clear Description" button that made it very easy. Why did that go away in this version?
It was removed because it didn't work properly with the landscape typing option. You can now enter powers descriptions in landscape mode. Hopefully you were clearing it the easier way which is to tap and hold, tap select-all, then backspace. I'll keep looking for a solution here. Unfortunately the control that its in doesn't let you just select all of the text programatically. That was the solution I was aiming for, to have the text selected automatically when you came in to edit. Then you could just backspace to clear it. I'll keep looking for a way to improve this. Online editing should also help.
Mike
So I've just finished entering a 15th level Dragonborn Warlord into i4e entirely by hand, and it took me nearly 5 hours. I'm not complaining about the time it took, because I recognize that there's no way around that on your end without running into copyright issues, and no way on my end without subscribing to DDI and changing my operating system. To be fair, I was also generating the character at the same time, so decision-making was part of the time taken.
Data entry aside, I am very satisfied with how the app handles the data once entered. It is, truly, a character sheet replacement. While I would still need to have the books on me, I would not feel the need to have a paper character sheet so long as I have my character in this app.
However, I know that I am not willing to input another character above 1st level without a copy-character feature, which I must request once again.
Another feature request is the addition of multiple movement modes and speed. The character I am inputing is a Scion of Arkhosia, and if he were one level higher, he would have an Overland Flight speed. Higher level characters will have more options for gaining another movement mode. Currently, the only way to enter this data is to make it a Paragon Path Feature, that will be grouped up with the Feats and easily missed.
Finally, I request that the Description text that is entered by default for every new power either be removed, or removable at a single button-press. After entering nine attack powers for this 15th level character, removing the default text manually has become monotonous and annoying. I recall the previous version having a "Clear Description" button that made it very easy. Why did that go away in this version?
Unfourntly your right. This app seems to be designed with have the character generator in mind. Could you subscribe one month just to get the character generator.
I think a more accurate statement is that the game was designed with the Character Builder in mind. The first two versions of i4e didn't even have import.
Mike
Yeah, with an interface as small as the iPhone though adding a few more buttons isn't always an easy solution. At this point its staying a bit more true to being a character sheet replacement. I'm going to try and make these conditions obvious to the point that they won't be missed, but at this point I don't have any plans to add round awareness to the app. Maybe i4e 2.0
Mike
Unfortunately not yet, I'm hoping to have a solution to this in 1.3. You could re-import from the .dnd4e file and then just make the updates manually to your fully filled out character in i4e after you level. Having the other imported character to refer to.
I'm glad you're enjoying the app. I'm not sure if/when dice rolling will make it in. I'm currently working on i4e 1.3 and it will include a conditions list. The big piece of 1.3 though is the new online editing, you will be able to import a .dnd4e file like you can now but then you can flesh out the rest of the information through the web site and then import a more complete character.
There will never be a way to push a button and level up. When it comes down to it i4e doesn't know much about the overall D&D rules. There's nothing stopping a user from changing their hp, and adding a feat or power to represent what was is gained from the leveling.
Mike
i4e 1.3.0 is going into beta testing this week and will be submitted to the app store in the beginning of March. It includes some major updates that will resolve a lot of the outstanding issues with the app today.
- Online editing after import of .dnd4e files. Once you've imported a .dnd4e file you can edit it through the web browser instead of being forced to use the small keyboard on the iPhone. Also if you have a subscription to D&D Insider a sub window will be shown for powers and such that can be looked up on the compendium for easy reference.
- Condition tracking to help you to remember all those things that happen to your character throughout a session.
- New power layout that sorts powers by action type and displays first line of description.
- Item based powers that are limited by your item uses per day and show up in the powers section.
- New Critical damage section on powers, shows calculated maximum damage.
- Ritual section to track information on rituals.
- Additive experience button so you can simply tap the button, enter how much experience you gained for the session and it will do the math for you.
Mike
Other than that, an automatic recognition and entry of keyterms if working with a subscription would be cool, but I dunno if thats even possible.
Other than THAT, good work. Can't wait for the update to the app to go live.
It's using the web services to try and find the power names and the search just isn't very good on some of them. Like lvl 7 fighter encounter power "Come and get it" you can't find it unless you filter down to it. I wish they would improve their web services, I really think that third party apps could help them sell a lot more DDI accounts.
Mike
Would you mind sending me an email to i4e_bugz@cordax.net detailing what it was doing when it was failing to import?
It's using the web services to try and find the power names and the search just isn't very good on some of them. Like lvl 7 fighter encounter power "Come and get it" you can't find it unless you filter down to it. I wish they would improve their web services, I really think that third party apps could help them sell a lot more DDI accounts.
Mike
No need really, the site was just really slow. No error messages or anything. It apparently even uploaded everything (got 3 copies of my char on the Acc), just was slow switching. That's not happening anymore so I'm chalking it up to being an odd occurence.
Mike
when I try to import on to my phone the program shuts down and there is a problem when I try to view my pc on the website
Mike
i4e 2.2 is in development and should be submitted soon and includes iPad support. If you'd like to see screenshots of the iPad app in progress check out the Cordax forums.
Mike
- Improved support for importing from DDI Character Builder
- Augmented power tracking and power points
- Easier power editing, multiple attack types
- Completely re-designed iPad interface- Custom keyboards to help speed entry
- Updated import site to allow you to edit everything using a full sized keyboard
- Import site also has links to DDI entries so that you can easily copy/paste information
...but then realized that the biggest problem was probably me not reading your help page. Didn't realize you could type everything in on the page, until after I had added three powers. But after that I loved your app.
A few thoughts though - I understand if you can't have a tool for leveling up, but it would be nice if you'd still make leveling up easier in some way. I'm not talking about a way to just click "level up" on the app, but more something so that when I've added my character at level 1, then change it in the character builder to level 2 and add it again, that all the things I've written in for the powers and so on didn't get lost so I have to type it again.
And I watched the tutorial on youtube - probably from some really early version - and saw that you could change powers quite a lot. Why has this been changed? I have a warden with Weight of Earth and Crippling Crush (one is an at-will that slows, the other a feat that adds your constitution modifier to damage when you slow or immobilize) and would like this extra +4 to be shown in the damage window so I'll remember it more easily, but couldn't find a way to do this.
That's a lesser consern though. I feel I'll get really annoyed when I level up, unless there's some easier way to level up that I have missed. But other than that, I'm really glad about this app. So don't get me wrong just because I'm complaining a lot. I love this app. ;)
I do want to figure out a way to ease the pain of entering information when leveling, I'm not sure what it is yet, but I'm looking into it. The changes to powers were done to speed up setup of the app. Previously you would have to setup all the details about your weapon or implement, make sure that all of the data was correct on each power, enter the range, keywords, target and description for every power. Now you only have to do the latter part because the app is accurately pulling in the information about combat numbers so you only have to worry about the stuff that isn't in the .dnd4e save file. I'll keep working on making it better. Its hard to do without stepping on anyones toes.You can edit the attacks either on the app or online and make the damage be 1d8 +7 +4 or whatever you want if you want to make it more clear that you're getting an extra stat worth of damage.
Mike