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Malifaux App: Wyrd should keep an eye on Privateer Press's War Room app.


Cadilon

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I just saw the demo video of Privateer Press's forthcoming ios/android app War Room for use with Warmachine/Hordes. It looks really nice. It contains army creation, stat cards, and damage tracking all in one app. Add in rules and errata/rulings and you have what I think would be a really nice template for a Malifaux app.

The main thing that intrigues me is the ability to have your opponents stat cards. It'd be nice to double check what they are doing without asking for their cards every turn. In War Room the cards appear just as they do in the hand, which makes sense and is a nice touch. It would also be nice to track effects and tokens on a model to avoid those pesky multiple slow discussions, for example. Finally, we all know Malifaux is going to version 2 someday. I can't imagine how card updates and their distribution is going to work. PP was able to pull it off by selling faction packs, but for reasons discussed on the forum previously, that would be difficult for Malifaux. I think such an app providing an alternative to paper card updates would really take some of the pressure off Wyrd during such a transition.

All in all, I'd suggest Wyrd add such a digital component to Malifaux to their long range planning. Just something to consider.

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A lot goes into designing a program, as well as writing one. There's also markets to be concerned with: as I discussed in another thread today, going web-based for wide spread or using a dedicated application to target a platform and possibly charge a nominal fee for its purchase. Plus, if you go for a mobile app, you have a code base that doesn't translate easily to another. This is why a lot of companies will work on iOS devices first: far less work to target an iPhone and/or an iPad instead of Android where you have to be prepared for dozens of different screen sizes and resolutions and hardware specifications. Not that this is impossible, but it does increase the amount of effort required to test and troubleshoot.

At the very least, Wyrd would have to either hire and pay for a developer and designer, or license the properties to an outside company to do the work. I'd love for an app for my Android tablet, believe me, but as a professional developer I know what goes into this stuff. ;)

(To say nothing of managing end-user expectations and ongoing support costs.)

Edited by DeusInnomen
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... so you are the guy we need to make one!

heh! I'm not against doing the work, but I'd need to talk to a Wyrd staffer to know what I'd be allowed to do without violating their copyrights or Acceptable Usage Policy if they have one. At the least I'm sure I couldn't charge for it without an agreement in place, and I don't know how they'd feel about me or anyone else doing it for even free though.

If someone's willing to get that answer to me, I can consider it.

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The more I hear about the Privateer one (most recently on the latest eisode of the "Lost Hemisphere Radio" podcast), the more I fear that it's going to end up hurting them.

They've already told the independent army list builder to stop updating, despite the fact that their tool doesn't do what his does without a very large financial outlay. The rest of the tool sounds like whistles and bells and a lot of stuff I thnk will slow the game down. I really do dread the thought that I could go to a tournament and have some guy lay down his tablet, or God forbid his phone, expecting to run the game - all damage tracking and everything - through that. They've already stated that that will be accepted in all official events.

I hope that if Wyrd DID make an app, they'd keep the damn thing simple as all heck.

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I'd have said that the crew builder, along with a way of tracking wounds, statuses and soulstones, would pretty much be all that's needed to run the game without slowing it down and making it difficult.

Faction decks would be nice too, but not necessary for playing.

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Like fishtank, after listening to the last Lost Hemisphere radio episode I'm not overly interested in Warroom. It would probably be okay for use on the table but when it comes down to it, iBodger does/did everything I wanted it to without getting bogged down in extra features.

So when it comes down to it, all I really want to see is iBodger for Malifaux. Specifically;

- Record your collection of Malifaux models as well as whether they're assembled/painted/based.

- Build and save crews, preferably in different folders

- Have an option to restrict your crew building to only models you have in your collection.

Also, I'm willing to pay money for such an App. ;)

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Like fishtank, after listening to the last Lost Hemisphere radio episode I'm not overly interested in Warroom. It would probably be okay for use on the table but when it comes down to it, iBodger does/did everything I wanted it to without getting bogged down in extra features.

So when it comes down to it, all I really want to see is iBodger for Malifaux. Specifically;

- Record your collection of Malifaux models as well as whether they're assembled/painted/based.

- Build and save crews, preferably in different folders

- Have an option to restrict your crew building to only models you have in your collection.

Also, I'm willing to pay money for such an App. ;)

I love all those features.

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I keep praying that Army Builder will do a mobile app. PP, GW, and some others have failed to learn the lesson of the late FASA: Gaming is a small market, in some areas cooperation is needed, not petulant tantrums.

I would like to use my tablet to replace the cards and piles of tokens on the gamescape.

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In all seriousness though, my buddy and I had a long talk about this a few months back. I would be stoked to have an app for a tablet/iphone/computer to keep around the game table. I'm not even sure if it would replace anything for me (I am notoriously set in my ways; even with laminated cards, I keep everything written on a piece of paper) but I would still shell out my hard earned cash for the app. If it included a copy of the rulebook, I can see easily paying $15 bucks and it would provide a platform for containing eratta withing the rulebook in a digital medium without the hassle of a re-print every few years.

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Like fishtank, after listening to the last Lost Hemisphere radio episode I'm not overly interested in Warroom. It would probably be okay for use on the table but when it comes down to it, iBodger does/did everything I wanted it to without getting bogged down in extra features.

So when it comes down to it, all I really want to see is iBodger for Malifaux. Specifically;

- Record your collection of Malifaux models as well as whether they're assembled/painted/based.

- Build and save crews, preferably in different folders

- Have an option to restrict your crew building to only models you have in your collection.

Also, I'm willing to pay money for such an App. ;)

I would buy that but ideally for me it would keep track of wounds/conditions and if they have activated yet this turn.

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Like fishtank, after listening to the last Lost Hemisphere radio episode I'm not overly interested in Warroom. It would probably be okay for use on the table but when it comes down to it, iBodger does/did everything I wanted it to without getting bogged down in extra features.

So when it comes down to it, all I really want to see is iBodger for Malifaux. Specifically;

- Record your collection of Malifaux models as well as whether they're assembled/painted/based.

- Build and save crews, preferably in different folders

- Have an option to restrict your crew building to only models you have in your collection.

Also, I'm willing to pay money for such an App. ;)

I would also add a section for errata as well

Ratty did make that crew creator, so I asumme a lot of it's done

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