[4e] Combat Tracker Utility

[Mortaneus]

(cross-posted from RPG.net)

I've been running a 4e game for a while now, and I use my laptop as my GM screen.

As such, I've spent a decent amount of time examining the various digital assistant offerings out there. I've mainly been using Virtual Combat Cards, MasterPlan, and OneNote to do what I want to do.

All are excellent offerings. However, none of them have exactly the feature set I want while running a fight. Since I prefer to fix rather than complain, I went about writing my own (being a programmer myself).

The first version is done, and I'm putting it up here for the world to examine, use, curse at, and lampoon.


DnD4e Combat Manager Page


The specifics:

• Windows XP and later only
• Requires .NET Framework 3.5 installed (if you have the Character Builder or Monster Builder installed, you have this)
• Can paste 'Copy to Rich Text' data from the Monster Builder on DnDi (button above the list on Compendium window, also button on individual detail screen).
• Full initiative tracking.
• Allows common HP/XP House Rules options to modify monsters (Dropdown titled 'Mod': Demi = 1/2hp+2/3xp, Semi = 1/4hp+1/3xp, Minion = 1hp+1/4xp)
• Displays full statblock on the main window. No need to bounce around looking for information (main reason I wrote this).
• Text-entry field for notes on each combatant (will be adding custom status/ongoing tracking later...for now, this suffices)

It is still a work-in-progress, but I figured I'd throw this version out into the wild for perusal.

Please let me know what you like, hate, or want. I'll be monitoring this thread.

Thanks!

 

[Mortaneus]

More updates from the RPG.net thread here:

I can open it, but... nothing happens. I mean, I get the window and I see what it looks like, and I can access the dropdown menus and everything, but it's all grayed out. Selecting "New Encounter" doesn't actually let me do anything.

Sorry, needs documentation. Haven't had time yet.

You add entries to the battle from the Compendium window. Not the DnDi compendium, the Compendium->Open Compendium option on the menu bar of the utility (probably should have picked a better name). There is an 'Add to Battle' button on there.

You simply select an entry, and hit 'Add to Battle'. The dropdown on the 'Add' button shows a queue of what you're adding. You can click on the dropdown to remove an entry from the queue before it gets to the main screen, if you change your mind. When you exit the compendium, everything in the queue added to the current roster.

You can't start the fight until there are entries.

Sorry for the confusion.

Adding to the 'To Do' list: Freaking documentation.

---------

A bit more info for the technically minded:

Everything drives off the Compendium window. It contains a list of all monsters/PCs that the program knows about, and it is what you use to assemble a battle.

When you load the program, it looks for a file called 'Compendium.dnd4' in the same directory as the EXE. If it finds it, it loads it. It's simply an XML file with a different file-type, so it isn't listed when loading an encounter.

When you quit the program, it saves the updated compendium to the file I mention above.


The easiest method for adding new entries to the Compendium (and the method I use) is to paste them from the Monster Builder. I'll eventually get around to adding 'Import from DnDi compendium' functionality, but haven't done so yet.


Also note that all stat data is ALSO saved in the .XML files created when you Save an encounter. When the encounter file is loaded, it checks the current compendium for entries with the same name/level as what is in in the encounter file. If it finds a compendium entry, it uses that in preference to the encounter entry. If it doesn't find it, it adds the entry to the compendium.

Basically, this means that even if the current compendium you're using doesn't have the stats for the stuff in an encounter file, it'll just get it from the encounter instead.

It still tries to use the compendium first, though.


Finally, you may notice that Skill data goes missing when you paste from the Monster Builder. There's nothing I can do about that right now, as it's a bug in the 'Copy to Rich Text' option in the monster builder. It simply doesn't pull Skills. For proof, copy an entry from the monster builder and paste it in to Word/Wordpad. The skills won't be there either.

 

[Erywin]

Oh wow, I would love to use this. Anychance of a Mac version? Guessing not with having to use the Monster Builder as a base. Guess I can try it out on my VMWare. Anychance of screenshots?

Cheers,
E

 

[2WS-Steve]

The import feature from the monster builder is really sweet! Nice job.

 

[Mortaneus]

Oh wow, I would love to use this. Anychance of a Mac version? Guessing not with having to use the Monster Builder as a base. Guess I can try it out on my VMWare. Anychance of screenshots?

Cheers,
E

Unfortunately, I'm not a Mac person anymore. Don't have the tools, and without Monster Builder, this project loses some of its appeal.

As far as screenshots, sure. HERE, HERE, and HERE.

The import feature from the monster builder is really sweet! Nice job.

Thanks! Actually, being able to import like that was one of the two main reasons for writing this...the other was having the full statblock displayed on the screen with the initiative.

 

[Mortaneus]

I've updated the link above. I just created version 1.1, which fixes a few things, and adds a bunch more functionality on the Library screen (no longer called compendium....too much confusion there).

You can find it here:

DnD4 Combat Tracker v1.1

 

[evildmguy]

Looks interesting so far. Thanks!

If you need any help with the programming, let me know. More than willing to help!

edg

 

[Mortaneus]

New version is up!

Find it here:

Combat Tracker v1.2


Version 1.2 Feature List

Main Screen

• Rewrote Initiative List logic for greater consistency
• Modified XP display on Initiative list to show XP/Lvl for 5 PCs if no PCs present in list
• Added 'Inactive' section to initiative list
• Added popup-tooltips to many items
• Made 'Load Encounter' clear current encounter first, and added 'Import Encounter' to load without clearing
• Modified Reserve group to sort PCs above NPCs
• Modified HP display to show HP even on inactive targets

Library Screen

• Added new filter to Library Window for Role
• Added edit message to prevent overwrite of other entries when changing names
• Moved PCs to top of list by adding *'s before their names
• Fixed multiselect problem between main list and add list
• Placed 'Add to Battle' buttons on top of both lists for ease of use

Statblock Screen

• Added PC checkbox linked to 'Hero' option on Role dropdown

 

[Mortaneus]

Looks interesting so far. Thanks!

If you need any help with the programming, let me know. More than willing to help!

Thanks for the offer.

At the moment, I'm keeping it to myself, but I'll probably drop the source out there at some point (after a few revisions and refactorings, so I won't die of embarrassment from someone trying to read the mess that currently exists).

 

[Erywin]

Looks awesome! I will download it and try it out for my next session, going to be a few weeks though as RL is getting in the way of regular play sessions.

Cheers,
E