Am I missing something, or Ouflank doesn't exist in the feats database?
I swear this problem existed before and I fixed it. Or I'm just crazy.
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I have just installed the combat manager and it's brilliant. Now I just need to figure out how to use it - right after I learn how to GM PF :)
I'm in the process of converting from 4e. Combat Manager reminds me of the 4e equivalent I wonder if there is anything the two developers can learn from each other.
BTW Kyle, I hope that after 1150 posts and a zillion feature requests you haven't started to regret going public :)
I for one am very thankful to you for your generosity, and I haven't even used it yet.
I have just installed the combat manager and it's brilliant.
Sentiment echo'ed. I've been using it for the past 5 or so sessions and it's simply an awesome tool.
I encourage everyone who uses it religiously (or even, non-religiously) to go donate some cash to Kyle. It's so worth it, and the more he gets, the more incentive he'll have to keep at it.
ONE thing I will ask of the upcoming release (or if there is an option let me know) -- move the "Roll Initiative" button somewhere less likely to get clicked. I have hit this button numerous times during combat when I meant to hit some other key (usually "Next Turn" which is above the window list, but that's just me) -- unfortunately it can screw things up pretty badly. "Wait, I thought I was after Poindexter!"
Or, just have it prompt "Are you sure" if a round has already occurred or is past the first person in the init order. Or, basically -- protect me from my stupidness! Please!
Keep it coming. I'll donate more when I have it.
Bottom of the screen, there is a row of buttons:
OGL About Undo Settings
Click on Settings and check "Confirm Initiative Roll/Sort"
Done...
-- david
Papa.DRB
ONE thing I will ask of the upcoming release (or if there is an option let me know) -- move the "Roll Initiative" button somewhere less likely to get clicked. I have hit this button numerous times during combat when I meant to hit some other key (usually "Next Turn" which is above the window list, but that's just me) -- unfortunately it can screw things up pretty badly. "Wait, I thought I was after Poindexter!"
Or, just have it prompt "Are you sure" if a round has already occurred or is past the first person in the init order. Or, basically -- protect me from my stupidness! Please!
Bottom of the screen, there is a row of buttons:
OGL About Undo Settings
Click on Settings and check "Confirm Initiative Roll/Sort"
Done...
!!!!
Thanks david! As usual I missed something. No more "opps" moments for this.
I just started having an issue on one of my computers whereany drop down menus or alt text doesnt appear on top of the window but underneath... i figured this out by not maximizing it and seeing it stick out hte side when i hovered over a spell and the description pupped up underneath sticking out the side of the main window. How can i fix this? i assume it has more to do with some setting for windows than anything else...
I just started having an issue on one of my computers whereany drop down menus or alt text doesnt appear on top of the window but underneath... i figured this out by not maximizing it and seeing it stick out hte side when i hovered over a spell and the description pupped up underneath sticking out the side of the main window. How can i fix this? i assume it has more to do with some setting for windows than anything else...
Apparently i just had to update my .Net 4.0 Framework. Problem Solved.
I was wondering where I could get more info on setting up the Initiative Window on a separate display for my players. I'm not sure where to start.
Nothing to it really.
Plug a second display into your computer. (Hopefully your vid card has a second port).
That will give you two screens on the one computer and that will let you drag windows from one screen to the other.
Just open up the combat manager initiative display window and drag it to your second screen.
Done.
I was wondering where I could get more info on setting up the Initiative Window on a separate display for my players. I'm not sure where to start.Nothing to it really.
Plug a second display into your computer. (Hopefully your vid card has a second port).
That will give you two screens on the one computer and that will let you drag windows from one screen to the other.
Just open up the combat manager initiative display window and drag it to your second screen.
Done.
Yep. I've been doing it this way for the past few months (after I got another monitor to attach to my laptop) and it works wonderfully. My players especially love looking at all the little "?????????" lines.
Just a quick tip of what I'll be trying to do at some point:
If you have a smartphone (either Android or iPhone) there's an App out there called iDisplay. It's not free but it doesn't cost much. It allowes you to use your mobile (or pad) as an additional screen for your computer (the windows/mac software that goes with it is free).
I figured a mobile is big enough for showing the initiative list and since you can actually make the Text of the list bigger (thx kyle!) you can zoom in, since else it would be quite small on that mobile display.
Adittional, you can use it to show images and stuff. Since it works wireless, you can even give it around so everyone can take a closer look. Or you can use a dock station to have your mobile stand behind your GM screen (this has the advantage that the battery lasts long enough since it won't go to standby mode while using iDisplay.
y'know, I wish the Initiative window could be output to an auto-refreshing webpage.
I was working on something, but the performance was awful. You give me some ideas, though...
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y'know, I wish the Initiative window could be output to an auto-refreshing webpage.
The 4e Combat Manager does that. If the players have their own laptops/smartphones/tablets they can view it that way, or on an additional GM monitor.
However, I'd prefer them not to see the initiative list, so they lose track of who is about to hit them :)
The only thing I think I would like to see is some way of marking who is attacking who. This is a great tool, but I still use pen & paper to make sure I keep track of the who vs who.
Just throwing my hat in. This is an amazing program and will be using this for my Carrion Crown group which is the first AP/Group game I have ran in years.
Thank you so much and look forward to watching this continue to grow. Oh and expect a donation as soon as my wallet stops smoking from the Christmas holiday lol!
Sooooo.... anything on that new version? ;-) I can't wait to see it!
I think I'll get a new donation on its way in the new year when that new version has arrived :)
Sooooo.... anything on that new version? ;-) I can't wait to see it!
I think I'll get a new donation on its way in the new year when that new version has arrived :)
I've been pretty sick over the past few days but I'm working on it. I was concerned with the saving/loading speed in the calendar feature so I'm redoing the DB.
Oh, don't worry, take all the time you need. I was just curious :)
So better get well first and don't get stressed over this thing! Especially if performance is a reason, since I'm very interested in performance. I'm still running this thing on a weak netbook! :)
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The only thing I think I would like to see is some way of marking who is attacking who. This is a great tool, but I still use pen & paper to make sure I keep track of the who vs who.
There is a simple way of doing that which is nothing more than rearranging your window tabs. I like a one window model which allows for me to have the current monster and selected monster tabs right next to eachother so that I can view both at the same time, this way I have whose turn it is and I can click on whoever he's attacking for all my relevant information. I autohide the monster database cuz its unnecesary for it to always be visible, and my party and monsters are tabbed together in the same pane to allow for large groups, and because you really only need to perform actions in one of these tabs at a time.) I then size everything proportionatly. Step by step follows:
1. Click on the "Combat Manager" Menu button in top left, click "Restore Combat Manager Tab Layout."
2. On the Monster Database tab, or "Monster DB" in the top right corner is a button shaped like a pushpin. Click it to autohide the tab.
3. Click and drag the "Party" tab. This will create a new popout window for it.
4. On you new "Party" popout, right click on the windows title bar, (the part that holds the X to close it and such,) and there should be an option to "Dock as Tabbed Document." Click it to layer it in the same window section as the "Monsters" tab. (Note: I prefer to list party first but these could be reversed by simply substituting which tab you select in steps 3 and 4, or afterwards by click and dragging to the left and right within the boundaries of the tabs, as you would rearrange tabs in IE, Firefox, and the like.)
5. Right click on the "Current Monster" tab at the bottom of the panel and select "Dock as Tabbed Document" again.
6. Right click on the new "Current Monster" tab and select "New Vertical Group" This will ungroup it from the "Party" and "Monsters" tabs to its own section. And again, this can be done alternatively with selected monster depending on what arrangement you want to have.
7. Resize appropriately. I like to keep my "Current Monster" and "Selected Monster" tabs rather wide to display as much material as I can while still leaving the "Party/Monsters" and "Combat Sequence/Dice Roller" tabs thin enough to still read names and number notations without scrolling horizontally, but depending on how large a group or screen you use, you may still require to scroll vertically in some panes. I also generally stretch the "Combat Sequence" large and leave the "Dice Roller" just large enough to see the last roll.
So that's it, pretty simple to do, and you can play around with other settings or layouts like the "New Horizontal Tab Group" which will place two tabs in the same vertical tab group into splitscreen, as with the "Combat Sequence" and "Dice Roller" tabs. I find with most screens being widescreen now its best to avoid this with anyhting you will do a lot of vertical scrolling on, (which most of it is,) due to the nature of lists and monster entries.
I was wondering if there was a way to streamline the rolling process, it sems if I want to do anyhting i have to go through 3 dropdown menus first... In my previous post I showed how to display current and selected monsters entries at the same time, and i wondered if its possible to link the skills, attack rolls, saves, and anyhting else that CM can compute to automatically roll by clicking on it in the entry, much like the spells will link you to the entry for the spell. I think this would make a seemless environment to work within and is really my most wanted feature (out of a list of many I wish I had the skills to help you with) to add.
Again,
such an excellent program. I have found it to massively improve gameplay at my table, it is indispensable to my GMing.
A few suggestions, with deepest respect:
I would very much love to see the creatures and templates from bestiary 3 added to the large monster database on the program.
Also, if the NPC database was searchable by class and level, that would be highly useful.
I have donated before, and again heartily request that all of us who use the program donate. I will certainly donate again, especially if those two features appear in the next addition ;).
Lavachild
Just guessing, but when it gets released (by Paizo or on d20pfsrd.com) then you'll see it in there since CM utilizes existing datafiles to add monsters.I would very much love to see the creatures and templates from bestiary 3 added to the large monster database on the program.
It will be in the next release. Chopswil has done the work to get me the data, I just need to do a little bit of translation.
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y'know, I wish the Initiative window could be output to an auto-refreshing webpage.
A friend of mine is currently working on a small app that allow me as a DM to capture a part of my screen and put the result in a (local) webpage.
then, with my tablet, I can show the capture to the players thank to the web browser.we are in the very early development. but it works fine.
This could do the job, I guess.
I'll keep you informed as soon as we have something "clean"
1. Click on the "Combat Manager" Menu button in top left, click "Restore Combat Manager Tab Layout."
Etc.
I'm going to admit a great deal of shame here. I've been using Combat Manager pretty much since inception and I had ZERO idea that you could do any of that. After playing around with your instructions I realized that Kyle has built in a really nice click and drag functionality. You click on a tab or header and drag and a box shows up with four arrows, essentially north, south, east, and west, and if you drag the shadowed window to correspond with one of the arrows, that's where it's going to place that information (above, below, right, or left of the window/tab where the magical arrows appeared). Resizing is a snap, and then you have the layout exactly as you need it.
Here's where the greatness comes in. This program is probably 1000 times more useful than I even know about. Obviously Kyle has built in so much user-friendliness that it takes some playing around to figure out just how awesomely useful this program is. I've said it before, and I'll go ahead and say it again. This program is indispensable. I could not run any of my groups without it. (Well I probably could, but the sessions would be slow, clunky, and full of mistakes on my part.)
As soon as that calendar function is released you can look for another donation from me to say thanks for this outstanding bit of FREE software.
Also wanted to say that I recently switched from using PCGen to using HeroLab. Man is that ever slick!! Combat Manager loads up an entire portfolio in a millisecond, and all my group's characters are up and running in the manager.
Thanks again for all your work on this program Kyle.
I'd be very interested to see how it turns out - I have a tablet that I use in conjunction with my laptop, but then they players use laptops as well.
But if I have a refreshing webpage created that I can share (and I can handle that part), then it's gold for me.
One thing I would really love to do is to have a way so that every player can see all the conditions on their player on a personal screen. Some kind of personal status. But I have to finish some other stuff first before I can get back to this.
1. When I try to create a new monster and press the "ok" button nothing happens. I do not get a table with the monsters information, neither is the monster saved.
Send an email to combatman@kyleolson.com and try to be specific about what steps you're running though (all of the buttons you press, what dialogs/pages you see), and I'll see what I can do.
Hey Kyle,
I just thought of 2 minor wishes, maybe even for the next release:
1. It would be great if the application would remember what I selected regarding the Monster DB filter (Monsters, NPCs, Custom, All).
2. It would be nice to be able to completly remove certain tabs from the main View. I don't really need the "current monster" tab, so I'd love to hide it. :-)
1. Click on the "Combat Manager" Menu button in top left, click "Restore Combat Manager Tab Layout."
Etc.I'm going to admit a great deal of shame here. I've been using Combat Manager pretty much since inception and I had ZERO idea that you could do any of that. After playing around with your instructions I realized that Kyle has built in a really nice click and drag functionality. You click on a tab or header and drag and a box shows up with four arrows, essentially north, south, east, and west, and if you drag the shadowed window to correspond with one of the arrows, that's where it's going to place that information (above, below, right, or left of the window/tab where the magical arrows appeared). Resizing is a snap, and then you have the layout exactly as you need it.
Wow thanks, i didnt even notice that, i figured it was an attempt at a cursor. Now i feel silly cuz htats like soooooo much easier than my tutorial...
Hi again,
I had some more thoughts about this app and how I think it become even more useful in my games (since I can't talk for anybody else here ;)). So I'll just post some random ideas here, ok? I definetly posted some of these ideas before and Iyou might even have considered some of these before or actually used them for the upcoming version, but I'll post then anyway ;)
I thought about how to make managing all those encounters and stuff easier. And here's what I came up with: What if Combat Manger stored almost everything in one single campaign file? A campaign would consist of stuff like the upcoming calendar data, a Party of PCs (basicly what you get if you save the Party-list to a file), and even Custom Monsters, Condition and Spells! Maybe you could even use this to have an easy way to give XP to Characters and have it save this information, this would make keeping track of XP much easier. Additionally the campaign (and thus the campaign file) could contain several "adventures" which themselfs would contain several encounters.
What I'm thinkg of is the following: I have one campaign file. I can take this to any computer that has Combat Manager installed and just open it up. It would contain the majority of data that I need for running a session in that campaign, I wouldn't need to transfer any other files. It might even contain some configuration data for Combat Manager. After opening Combat Manager I can select the current "adventure" (which it should remember for the next startup). So there should be a screen to create, delete, rename and select "adventures". For starters I think it would be enough to be able to create encounters and save them just like we can do now, but instead of a single new file it will just ask for a name for that encounter and then save it within this "adventure" in the same campaign file. And then we could have a list of encounters somewhere - without having to navigate my harddrive and search through dozens of files - to select from. After defeating that encounter it would be cool to have a button next to the XP-number of that encounter that allows us to give a certain amount of XP (default: the amount that the current encounter would grant) to the whole party or just certain characters of the party. It would then calclulate the individual xp for everyone and would add those to the existing XP. Then there could be a new field in the Monster Editor "current XP" and maybe even a small bar under each character in the playerlist that shows how may XP that character as gained and how much is needed for the next level.
This idea is just a very rough one and might be far to complicated regarding the current way how combat manager works with data (many different files and the combination of both SQL and XML... maybe you should resort to one or the other?). But nevertheless I think this would speed up the selection of encounters, it would make managing XP easier, make it easier to exchange the campaign between two or more Computers without having to exchange all those custom content too and it could be greatly improved in the future (random encounters anyone?). maybe you're thinking about some sort of campaign file for the calendar function anyway?
Additionally I'm still hoping for ways to free up screen space. I'd still love to see the tabs in the titlebar next to "Combat Manager", just like Firefox does it. And maybe a way to reduce the tabs to just the icons, in case the tabbar gets to bloated with new stuff ;) I'd also like to see the OGL, About, Undo, Settings and Sources Buttons repositioned (maybe even to the "Combat Manager" menu, so that we get a few pixels there, at least as an option itself.
Also the problem with the taskbar that won't reappera still stands. Or have you corrected this in the new version?
I just noticed that I can zoom text via the "search" bar by pressing Ctrl+F. This is cool, especially since I can zoom out a bit to reduce the text size and again get more info on my small screen. Could you change it so that this setting is actually saved for later sessions? Or even an settin in the options dialog to change the default size?
I think some of my idead may be easy to accomplish while others might be far to much work to consider, but I don't really know since I don't know your code or your future plans for this software. Anyway, as soon as the next release is due I'll get another donation on its way, regardless if my wishes will be fulfilled or not ;) Keep up the great work, I hope the new release will come soon and I hope you'll keep adding to this awsome programme for a long time :)
I have come across something strange, I don't think it is a Cm issue but not sure. One of my players is sending me his hero lab POR file but the ac and hp do not show up. CM does not even pick up the plus to ac from his dex modifier. He has tried several times but no joy, but I have received other players HL POR files and they work fine. So pretty sure it is a HL issue but I am stumped and maybe someone came across this before?
For all those that love Kyle's CM engine, a little donation goes a long way to really saying THANKS!.
This program looks amazing! However, I do wish there was a Linux version. If you can't port it yourself, would you be willing to put it on sourceforge.net for others to do so?
Disclaimer: I'm a fan of the Free Software Foundation. (Free as in speech, not beer.)
Hey Kyle,
it's been a while now. Any news on that new version yet? It's been a while since we had our last Combatmanager shot ;) I'm getting nervous here ;)
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y'know, I wish the Initiative window could be output to an auto-refreshing webpage.A friend of mine is currently working on a small app that allow me as a DM to capture a part of my screen and put the result in a (local) webpage.
then, with my tablet, I can show the capture to the players thank to the web browser.
we are in the very early development. but it works fine.This could do the job, I guess.
I'll keep you informed as soon as we have something "clean"
here is the post about the small app
http://paizo.com/forums/dmtz55zy?DDshare-a-small-software-to-share-pictures
Hey Kyle,
it's been a while now. Any news on that new version yet? It's been a while since we had our last Combatmanager shot ;) I'm getting nervous here ;)
Sorry, I've been a little sick this past month and it's been keeping me from making much progress. Still working, hopefully I have something I can push out soon.
Glad to see that you're still alive :)
Ok, I'll be patiently waiting for that new version.
Though, a version that just has some bugfixes (like that taskbar thing and the external initiative window) would be great too (if some of those new features take to long to finish up without too many bugs...) :)
I'm assuming that's a no to my question.
I'm assuming that's a no to my question.
I'm in no hurry to do a Linux version, not because I have anything against Linux, just because I don't have the bandwidth.
I'm assuming that's a no to my question.I'm in no hurry to do a Linux version, not because I have anything against Linux, just because I don't have the bandwidth.
Ah, I see. What about my proposition above? If you find that you don't have time for it, why not put it up on sourceforge and recruit others to do the job for you? That way, you're not devoting significant time or energy in producing the Linux version yourself, and it gets done for those of us who don't use Windows. =)