Cordax Software, LLC Blog

A few years are reporting that they’re having a crash during upgrade going to i4e 3.2. I’ve received crash reports from several users so far and it they haven’t been very helpful to identifying the issue.

First I would like to apologize for the inconvenience. I tried to work extra hard on the database upgrade during this upgrade cycle and apparently I didn’t work hard enough. There were a lot of changes to the database as I added a lot of additional details about defenses, equipment, weapons, and changed dramatically how powers and weapons interact. No issues came up during beta testing this time but apparently the testing wasn’t thorough enough. I’ll try to do better in the future.

Now that its screwed up what can you do? There are several factors that impact the recover from this step. Do you have a recent backup of your iDevice on your computer with i4e 3.1.x? Do you use the import site to backup your characters? Do you use the DDI Character Builder?

If the answer to all three of these questions is no then I”m afraid there isn’t much to do except bite the bullet and move forward. Again I apologize profusely for placing you in this state. Lets get you operational again and then we’ll talk about how we can avoid this in the future.

1. Delete the app from your device
2. Re-install it from the app store ( you won’t be charged for it a second time)
3. You can now create characters normally, however I would strongly suggest using the import site

If you use the DDI Character builder and have .dnd4e files of your characters I would strongly suggest following the above steps and then re-importing the .dnd4e files at the new import site http://import.cordax.net. The import site has been re-worked with regard to the parsing of .dnd4e files and picks up a lot more information than it did previously. You will end up with better characters that are more accurate in most cases than you had previously inside i4e when you are done with this.

1. Delete the app from your device
2. Re-install it from the app store ( you won’t be charged for it a second time)
3. go to http://import.cordax.net enter your email address
4. re-import your .dnd4e files
5. go to the settings app on your device into the i4e section and enter your email address
6. open i4e and import the characters

If you have the characters saved on the import site, the characters were transferred to the new import site when i4e 3.2 was released.

1. Delete the app from your device
2. Re-install it from the app store ( you won’t be charged for it a second time)
3. go to the settings app on your device into the i4e section and enter your email address
4. open i4e and import the characters

If you have a recent backup of your iDevice in iTunes, you can restore your device and access the characters through the old version, my recommendation then is to create the characters on the new import server at http://import.cordax.net so that you can import them into the app after moving forward again.

1. Restore your device back to i4e 3.1.x
2. Copy your characters to the new import server at http://import.cordax.net
3. Delete the app from your device
4. Re-install it from the app store ( you won’t be charged for it a second time)
5. go to the settings app on your device into the i4e section and enter your email address
6. open i4e and import the characters

Again I’m very sorry about this inconvenience. So far it seems that this has happened to a very small percentage of users, I’ve only heard about 5 cases so far of the few thousand upgrades. I’m sure there are a few more out there but it sounds rare. If you have issues please contact me at i4e_bugz@cordax.net and we’ll do our best to get you going.

It seems this releasing a new version of i4e never goes as smoothly as I’d like. i4e 3.2 cleared the review process yesterday and so far its run into a few bumps so far. One I was able to clear with a quick update to the import server but another one is going to prove to be a bit of a bruise I’m afraid.

One of the cool new features in i4e 3.2 is the ability to have more of the power numbers for attack and damage calculated for you in an intelligent manner. You can now setup your powers with the proper hit attribute of say STR and then a damage bonus of 1[W] + STR and then have it calculate the values based on your level, strength and the weapon you have equipped. This is a huge upgrade from i4e 3.1 where you would have to edit the values manually and in the event of getting a weapon upgrade or gaining a level would have to go and change every attack power you have to reflect that change. I’m really excited about this change and I even created a new UI for setting the values you use for hit and damage with a new custom keyboard interface that makes it quick and easy.

I made many changes to the import server to accommodate changes like this as well as re-writing a large portion of the parsing methods used for importing from DDI Character builder export files and this prompted moving to a separate import server so it wouldn’t immediately interrupt the use of i4e 3.1 for people who didn’t upgrade immediately. You can find details of this in the previous post. I transferred all of the data over to the new import server when the app was approved by Apple and released.

Unfortunately one a side effect of the weapon/power change that I made was that I had changed the way that the attack bonus worked. Previously it was just a set value, which was part of the problem that I was trying to fix. In the updated server it is now a calculated value and now takes input from several places to calculate what the actual attack bonus is. The problem with this is all of the characters that were transferred over effectively had their attack bonus set to nothing. So for all powers they now have no bonus.

The simple work around for this is to re-import your .dnd4e file if you’re using the DDI character builder and it will grab the information properly and set the powers and your weapons/implements properly. Then when you import from the import server you’ll be set properly as well as be ready to go forward with additional information you may not have had before. There are several areas that weren’t being parsed very well if at all before, namely rituals and items.

If you aren’t using the character builder then your best bet is to start using the new Weapon/Power system. The way this works is simply to set the powers to their properly formulas for attack and damage using the new interface, set the properties of your weapons and implements properly, and equip the appropriate weapon or implement.

I sincerely apologize for this mixup, I tried to test what I thought were all contingencies but I missed this one and I’m very sorry. I don’t’ foresee something like this happening again in the future because this release adds a lot of details, and its not likely that it will need to happen again.

If you encounter any problems please contact support at i4e_bugz@cordax.net.

i4e 3.2 was submitted last week and should be approved in the near future. When this happens the current import site’s data will be backed up and moved over to the new import site. I’ve decided to bring up a separate import site for i4e 3.2 for a short period of time in order to keep everyone that is still using i4e 3.1 operational while they upgrade to 3.2. The data transfer will happen once at the release of i4e 3.2 so you’ll want to move over as soon as you can. After a few weeks the old import server for i4e 3.1 will be shut down and the url will redirect to the new import site.

That being said the import process has been greatly improved and if you use the DDI character builder your best course of action is to import a fresh copy of your character on the new import server. While the import server looks more or less unchanged, most of the parsing used for the import process has been re-written and has resulted in a greatly improved import process. If you run into issues with something not importing properly please send a copy of the .dnd4e file and a description of what didn’t import properly to i4e_bugz@cordax.net and we’ll take a look at it.

There have been quite a few changes in i4e 3.2 so I’ll be trying to release some videos detailing some of the changes, keep an eye on the twitter feed and the i4e help page for videos detailing how the new version of i4e handles things.

Mike

I’ve been working on the next update for i4e and its mainly a lot of detail to equipment/weapons/defenses and how they interact with each other. The thought that keeps popping up in my head is “How am I going to bring users forward gracefully from 3.1.x to this version?”.  It can be a bit paralyzing sometimes when I stop to think about it instead of just continuing on with the project. The thought has come up more than once to make a break in the code base of i4e to go to a new version as to not force a lot of people to do an update. The obvious downside to this is that then these people would have to then repurchase the app and my goal isn’t to just gouge people for money, I’m trying to find ways to stop destroying people’s characters each update.

The one thing I’ve tried to make sure always works is the import site. As long as you have a valid character on the import site you’re good. This means that even if the upgrade of i4e fails on your device all you have to do is re-import from the import site at i4e.cordax.net and you’re set. Your character is back on the device. Unfortunately not everyone uses the import site in a way that always allows this to be a useful alternative. I’ll continue working to improve it, but I know the save mechanism isn’t working as well as it should be from i4e back to the import site. Some of the updates I’ve been doing have been with the aim of getting the app and the import site more in line with each other to hopefully make it work better as time goes on.

I hope that apple supplies some form of app upgrade path soon so that a reduced or free cost upgrade can be allowed to move between apps that would allow for a smoother transition between two apps. Until then please use the import site extensively and file any bugs you find. I’ll try not to destroy your characters but don’t update right before a game either.

Beta should be starting for the next release soon. I welcome all feedback here or on the forums.

Well after almost 8 months I’ve finally finished the next release of i4e. 3.1 brings a lot of small changes that I think will help to add a bit of polish to the overall app. I’ll try to detail most of the changes here as well as point out a small problem thats affecting some people upgrading to the new version.

First if you’re having a problem with the app crashing each time you launch it please delete the app and re-download it from the app store. This should get you up and running, if it doesn’t please send an email to i4e_bugz@cordax.net so that I can help you resolve the issue. I haven’t been able to find the reason behind this issue and for that I apologize. I’ll try harder in the future to make sure these things don’t get out to you. Its pretty much killed all the excitement I had about releasing the update at this point but ultimately I just hope that everyone that is having the problem will find the solution so they can use the app.

New Features / Tweaks

• Updated graphics for iPhone, the iPhone looks like it belongs in the same place as the iPad now. Updated flow and layout make it a much more enjoyable version of the app.
• Added resistances to iPad, this is a feature that existed on iPhone but wasn’t on iPad, its now on both.
• New scrollable section for languages on iPad, now you can have more than 2 languages and be able to see them all
• New failed death saves interaction on both iPhone and iPad. This now shows up when you’re actually going to need it. Hopefully none of you will need this.
• Deity listing on iPad
• Globally switch between attacks for all powers. If you have multiple attacks on your powers and you want to change them all you can do this from the equipment view for the weapon or implement you wish to use.
• Moved skills to be more up front on the iPhone
• Added saving throw bonus for iPad UI
• Cleaned up many sub-views to make them more consistent
• Added the export feature back in, its exporting your rituals and notes as well but I still need to update the import site to handle this information, which I can do without needed to release a new i4e update.
• Removed item uses

The reason for the long amount of time between updates was really how much stuff got touched behind the scenes, even in places where there weren’t obvious visual changes to the app I ended up re-writing large portions of the app. Lets just say that I’ve improved a little bit in the field of iOS development since the initial release of i4e, some of that code was downright embarrassing, no I won’t say which .

If you have any issues please don’t hesitate to contact me at i4e_bugz@cordax.net. One thing I’ve tried to do over the years now is to respond as quickly as I can to support issues. I believe I’ve built up a solid track record in this area. In addition if theres something you’d like to see added or changed in i4e I’m always open to input and sending an email to the same address will get you added to the database for possible feature tweaks in the future.

Now that I’ve got this beast off my back at least for the short term I’m going to look at whats next. I haven’t decided between something for the DM or an updated, more pro version of Compendium. If you have an opinion on this feel free to shoot me a tweet on twitter, my username is @cordaxmike.

Thanks for the support and I hope you enjoy the new update. It took a lot of time and effort to get out as well as the time and effort of 25+ beta testers who made this a much better release.

Mike

i4e 3.0 was approved today and with it i4e is now a universal app supporting both iPhone/iPod Touch and now iPad. It took quite a bit of work to get it all working how I wanted but its better. I doubt I’ll ever be completely satisfied with the app but thats not the point.

The import site has changed a bit and also how you handle powers with damage. I’ve tried to make the import from the DDI Character Builder a bit more useful and will continue to make changes to improve the app.

I hope everyone enjoys the new version.

If you’re having an issue importing since the upgrade to i4e 2.0 its probably because you’re trying to access the old import site. Right now both sites are up and reachable from i4e.cordax.net There is a link at the bottom that is for the 2.0 import site. If you have upgraded to 2.0 please use that link.

The 2.0 import site is completely separate from the 1.1/1.2 import site. If you haven’t uploaded your character there you can’t edit the character or import them into i4e 2.0.

if you are still having an issue please send an email to i4e_bugz@cordax.net so I can help you.

You can find it here. Quite a few big changes under the covers, please report any issues you find to i4e_bugz@cordax.net.

Mike

You will soon be able to find i4e 2.0 (formerly 1.3 but I kept putting stuff in) on the iTunes app store. It includes quite a few updates and new features but the coolest is by far the online editing.

In i4e 1.0 you couldn’t import anything and you had to type everything in on the iPhone keyboard, seems like so long ago.

Soon after that i4e 1.1 came out and allowed you to import a .dnd4e file from the official Character Builder app and give you a decent starting point but you still had to type everything in on the tiny keyboard.

Now with i4e 2.0 you can start with the .dnd4e file from Character Builder or create a new empty character on the device and save them to the import site. Where you can then edit all the information using your computer and web browser and thankfully a full sized keyboard. Along with being able to update information from the device and save it to the import site you can also view DDI compendium information alongside the editing screens online if you have a valid DDI account.

I still wish that Wizards would provide a decent set of web services so I could just remove all typing for character updates. I’m pretty sure it would get people to buy a few more copies of DDI and i4e as well. Maybe someday.

Other notable updates include the following:

• Condition tracking
• Ritual tracking
• Item powers
• refined UI
• Improved power views with calculated critical hit damage and better use of weapon/implements

I hope everyone will enjoy the new update. An iPad version of i4e is in the early planning stages but will probably follow our new application that will be for the iPad and likely to come out in the next few months (hopefully)

While you’re waiting for the update for your iPhone OS device feel free to create an account on the new import site and get started updating your characters, Or you can just wait and update and then save it to the site from your iPhone.  Go to i4e.cordax.net and follow the link to 2.0 import. I’ll be updating the main import site to go straight to the new import site after a week or two of the update being released.

If you run into any issues please let me know so I can address them by sending me an email at i4e_bugz@cordax.net.

Mike

I picked up my iPad this morning and i really can’t wait to start working on some dedicated iPad apps. The larger interface is definitely intriguing in how much can be done with it. Testing on i4e 1.3 is coming along well and I hope it will come out soon. Then i can turn my attention back to the iPad.

I hope that people enjoy the changes that are in it. I think that the online editing will be a huge upgrade in usability.

Mike