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Hero Lab on Android

Homncruse, I agree 100% with you but I also know how complicated HL is. It's probably not going to happen. If we were talking about just a tablet character sheet, sure. But I'm actually impressed in the amount of data the iPad app is working with. Not only does it handle conditions, but all feats, spells, powers, equipment. That's a LOT of data.

I had a fleeting thought of, "heck, I can take the HTML sheet and port it to Android, someone has done most of the work for the XSL". But there's so much more than applying conditions. And to start handling turning feats on/off etc would require really diving into the data.

Honestly I think they are closer to implementing full HL on iPad than they are away from it. There's so much under the hood it's humbling. I wish they would table the full HL (I too have no "need" to level up at the table and want to use HL "differently" on a tablet than on the PC) but I'm guessing there's a lot more to it than JUST doing the full version and probably more like, "we have to do this for x anyways so might as well do y."

Although, I DO hope at least, that once they finish HL on iPad for Pathfinder, they start on Android Pathfinder before taking on, say Shadowrun for iPad or some such.
 
Jamz said:
Homncruse, I agree 100% with you but I also know how complicated HL is. It's probably not going to happen. If we were talking about just a tablet character sheet, sure. But I'm actually impressed in the amount of data the iPad app is working with. Not only does it handle conditions, but all feats, spells, powers, equipment. That's a LOT of data.
Click to expand...

I'm sure that's true, but if there's one thing I've learned in my software development career, it's that no software worth doing is "easy". It's always a lot of work. If it's a matter of insufficient resources or expertise, the wonderful nature of Android (and other "open" ecosystems) is that if you present all the tools and materials, someone will build you a house. I think it would be a fairly safe wager that if the Lone Wolf team open-sourced -- or at least gave thorough documentation on -- their data parsing, a few unofficial and independent projects would sprout up, at least one of which would be of sufficient quality to use as a stepping stone into the official code base (disregarding all legal and "personal" obstacles for now, like licensing and a potential uncooperative open-source author). I don't know with which languages Hero Lab is currently developed, but Android isn't necessarily limited to all Java code. If the data parsing is done in C, for example, it *may* be possible to use the NDK (disclaimer: I've never actually looked at the NDK, I just know what it kind-of is).

Jamz said:
I had a fleeting thought of, "heck, I can take the HTML sheet and port it to Android, someone has done most of the work for the XSL". But there's so much more than applying conditions. And to start handling turning feats on/off etc would require really diving into the data.
Click to expand...

I've considered that in the past too, actually. I have yet to dive into Android development specifically, but I gave serious consideration to making a Hero Lab "Lite" my first Android project. I have a lot of what I think are great visions for how the app could function, and if I wasn't already working full-time as a developer with a dozen other things taking up my free time, I'd probably research how to do it and possibly approach the Lone Wolf team (seeing as how I'm a Seattle-based developer as well) with my ideas after completing a proof of concept.

Jamz said:
Although, I DO hope at least, that once they finish HL on iPad for Pathfinder, they start on Android Pathfinder before taking on, say Shadowrun for iPad or some such.
Click to expand...

This. Yes. I'm hoping that just because the Lone Wolf team deems the work as "hard" doesn't mean that they'll never do it, and that they'll do it sooner rather than later. I'm sure the iOS version wasn't an easy port either.
 
So... back to the very first post I made... is there anything I CAN do with an android tablet that works? Or am I stuck to paper? What kinds of alternatives do you guys use to just pen and paper?
 
You can use your Android tablet to access Hero Lab on your Windows PC over Remote Desktop. That's what I've done in the past. It's not very elegant, but if you have a sufficiently fast internet connection, it works.
 
I also remote in to HL, SplashTop 2 and Jump both seem to work well but do require a decent interenet connection, works best on a LAN.

Another alternative I used for a few weeks was to use AncientOne's Sheet because 1, it's very nice, and 2, it outputs as HTML. I just then threw the HTML on my webserver and viewed it via android browser. It's not as dynamic as using HL but it saves on paper.

I thought about modifying it further to add in some simple "conditions" and track HP but started using RDP. Maybe throw in that suggestion to his thread and he can make the sheet more "dynamic".

Slight alternative would be to use the PDF sheet in a PDF viewer, easier to setup but not as dynamic.
 
I would also love to see it on Android.

I am not sure if this ever got brought up but if Hero Lab uses .net, which I am guessing it doesn't you can use monodevelop or numerous other environments to develop once and easily port to other platforms like OSX, Linux, iOS and Android. This may be an option. I also know that there are a couple to port form iOS to android. This would make it easier to keep them all up to date and use a centralized code base. It may be something to look into. Especially since the Nexus 7 is pretty cheap and sold a ton of units. I know me along with others would pay extra for an app.

Also I have seen this suggestion before, but why not kickstarter it. You could see if there was interest and fund it. Plus you have plenty of stuff to add as incentives. I think it would take off if done correctly. May even be able to get enough money to hire a team just to work on it or work on a system to make ports from platforms easy.
 
Remember, it's just not that you have to build HeroLab for another platform. There are certain things you can't get solved just with cross compiling. Different update mechanics, different ways how to work with possible in-app purchases etc. are in place. Sure, nothing you can't address.

Anyways, while I'm happy with my iPad i also vote for an android version so everyone in my group can play without paper.
 
Android-based Hero Lab would be so awesome. I'd love to be able to create, carry, and update my characters on my phone. I would pay good money for that.

That said, Lone Wolf could just do a Mobile Site and offer a web-version of the app. The development would be half the cost of developing either an iOS or Android app separately, and a fraction of the cost of of trying to put out both. Not saying I don't want a native app, but done right, a mobile-focused web site app would shut us Android and iOS people up for quite a while. :)

To make it easy to work with, allow people to download a PDF version of their character for offline use. The create/update functions could just require a connection.

If you did a web version, and stored characters centrally under user accounts, then you are a small step from allowing collaborative play. I mean, wouldn't it be cool to say as a GM "Group these 5 heroes as one party" and then whenever the group gets together, the GM would see the latest version of each character and have them loaded into his GM panel for combat tracking, etc.... Even more cool if he saw combat updates in real time on his panel. Player takes a wound and the hero the GM sees shows it. There are benefits to centralizing hero management and offering a web interface. Just saying.
 
+1 for Android Tablet support
+1 for Kickstarter

I understand and agree with what the LoneWolf devs have stated in this thread about the challenges of a lean shop, a large project, the cost of on-boarding a new dev, and the uncertainty of both the iPad and the Android Tablet addressable market for HL.

One thing I would like to suggest as a possibility for consideration in the future though is that developing / porting HL to Android might not have the same cost as on-boarding a new general dev or porting from scratch such as was done with the iPad. The mobile market is huge. There are many developers and companies that have decided to specialize in it, and some specifically in the realm of porting from one mobile platform to the next.

If your iPad app does well with your users and turns out to be a worthwhile investment for you, then you have already done the lion's share of the hard work. You've ported your domain knowledge onto a new platform. If the app in its new platform is still able to provide the UI and UX to enable RPG users to get stuff done, then when it comes time to explore an Android platform, you don't necessarily have to bring on an Android expert who is also an RPG expert and so forth. You could potentially hire a company or individual who has specific experience porting from iOS to Android. Most of the UI/UX can be re-implemented by that dev without having to know a lot about your domain or stack, just about how to take ObjectiveC and translate it to Java and the Android SDK.

Of course there will be problems that will require special consideration. There will also be things that might have been easy on iOS that will be hard on Android as well as the inverse. But I think it is reasonable to expect that the ramp up time for such a project would not be months before positive results can be seen.

Obviously this is just my opinion based on my own software development experience. It is very possible it may not apply well to your specific situation or even that I might just be flat out wrong. :)

Regardless, I will continue to be a happy HL user on both Windows and Mac and hope for the day I can also take my Android tablet to a pnp game and use HL there.
 
If we can't have Android, then yes... I could really see a cloud subscription where I use Android to connect to wolflair.com's cloud, save my character there, Wolflair already knows my licensed products, and I could just use online web through my tablet to handle it. I'd rather have the software *on* the Tablet, but ... (shrugs) I really want to ditch paper, one way or another. Getting an iPad just for Hero Lab isn't on my list. I'm not thrilled at the prospect of a Windows tablet either.
 
I finally have a reason to get and Android tablet but looks like its not going to happen. Unlike others I WOULD rather use a Windows tablet. I guess I will just go with Plan B, use a laptop. It might be heavier and more clunky but at least its not and Ipad. :P
 
Another +1

I realize it might not mean much, but I also have no intention of getting an iPad and would love to see this on Android. I just purchased the PC version and would kind of hope an Android version is available that Lone Wolf might make a secondary license like that (if already bought PC version) stupidly cheap.
 
Since we're talking hypothetically, Apple products are absolutely not on my radar, but I would almost definitely pay extra to make my HL license portable to Android (or purchase another secondary license to apply to my Android device), were such a thing possible. No gamer in my group uses Apple mobile devices, but all of us have either an Android phone, tablet or both.

[edit]Non-hypothetically, I would absolutely back a Kickstarter for this.[/edit]
 
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Androids For All?

I too have an android tablet. Was kind of bummed I can't use Hero Lab on it yet, but I can wait. I love how Hero Lab calculates changes in your stats/capabilities with just a click of a button. I've got a really complex 3rd edition M&M character I play. She can use one of five different super devices, each one drastically changing her capabilities in some way. Then throw in penelties from injuries, fatigue, or other miscellaneous stuff and it's a nightmare to keep track of everything using pen and paper. Especially when weight, carrying capacity, and jumping distance get changed. Without HL I'd almost have to have three full character sheets to track all the changes.
 
if your using hero lab on a computer where your gaming this app should help to bridge the gap until wolflair gets something done up... only issue is the android keyboard dont work. but will with a Bluetooth keyboard or your PC computer. basically what it does is make your droid into another monitor on the side of your desktop monitor and you can drag a running program (herolab) on to it. and see it on your tablet/phone ect.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.avatron.airdisplay&hl=en

hope this helps.
 
drakahn99 said:
if your using hero lab on a computer where your gaming this app should help to bridge the gap until wolflair gets something done up... only issue is the android keyboard dont work. but will with a Bluetooth keyboard or your PC computer. basically what it does is make your droid into another monitor on the side of your desktop monitor and you can drag a running program (herolab) on to it. and see it on your tablet/phone ect.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.avatron.airdisplay&hl=en

hope this helps.
Click to expand...
You may wish to try "SplashTop" instead. It works awesome on droids and iOS devices. Its what my brother uses on his droid phone to get to stuff on his main computer. It works really well actually...
 
I guess this is rather like beating a dead horse... But add my name to the "Please make Hero Lab for the Android platform" list.

I got an Android tablet for Christmas and would really like to be able to use HL on it.
 
I hope the developers realize with the high cost of IOS devices and the low cost of MS and Android products that they should look at porting their product to multiple platforms soon... I have an Android phone and several friends have android phones & tablets... I sure hope that the newer products will be ported to Android.
 
Lockwood Lakeman said:
I hope the developers realize with the high cost of IOS devices and the low cost of MS and Android products that they should look at porting their product to multiple platforms soon... I have an Android phone and several friends have android phones & tablets... I sure hope that the newer products will be ported to Android.
Click to expand...
It is not about the cost of the Tablets or as easy as you might think to port this to the devices in question. Android has a LOT of different versions of Android OS that it is going to be difficult to keep up with them not to mention to make them work as flawlessly as they would like. Each company has their own little add-ons with the Android that it makes it difficult enough that this app would be problematic to say the least.

As far as the Windows/MS Surface tablets... if you have the Surface pro you should be able to use the full version of Hero Lab on it. Though it is not as cheap as the other devices you mention above with the Surface RT tablets.

I want to see Hero Lab come to Android as well as I really DO enjoy tablets. But until the full version of HL is done for iOS... it will not happen until the full version is done.
 
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