Anyone remember me? I've been busy.

I have re-written Raven Evolved for the iPad and I'm looking for a few beta testers. I have initiated conversation with FFG in terms of gaining their approval to put my App in the Apple App store.

This is Beta software! But it does work, and games are fully playable between two iPads.

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Beta testing on iOS devices is strictly managed by Apple policy.

Are you interested in potentially buggy software and can give me valuable feedback? My thanks to my friend Gabe for his spectacular work already in looking at very early versions of the App.

If you want to take a closer look, I need an email from you. I will add you to Testflightapp.com and you'll have to register your iPad.

If FFG tells me to cease at some point, so be it. I can't imagine they would given the six month use for OCTGN and my previous PC version of Raven Evolved.

If they are working on an App already, that's even better!

This is a call for beta testers only, tightly controlled. It isn't available in the App store.

This app contains all classic CCG sets and most of the LCG sets.

Chad Cottle

[email protected]

http://www.facebook.com/ravenevolved

Um seriously, all kidding aside, if you get thrones to work on ipad, i will make you a grill cheese sandwich everyday for one year.

Id help test the app btw.

It isn't a matter of getting it to work. It does work. I have finished it. Some details:

I designed it with a real-life tabletop feel. In the Deck Builder, you put cards from the search window to the iPad screen. Move them around any way you like. Save your deck. When you re-open the deck, the cards slide out to the exact locations where you put them. I wish I could do that with my real decks.

Same goes for the game screen. Play cards from your hand either face up or facedown or directly to Shadows. Move them around and they move on your opponent's side. You can even put your opponent's cards into your hand or your deck or your dead pile. But that would be as rude as doing it in real life.

Gold coins and power tokens are available, too.

Like I said, this ain't an idea or a wish or a piece of code partially done. I have played a full game between my iPad and an iPad simulator, and I'm ready for more testers.

Just send me an email and I will invite you to join via Testflightapp.com. You then open that email on your iPad and register it. Once I add your registration to my build code and recompile it, you'll receive another email and can download the game directly to your iPad. Like all iOS developers, I'm limited to 100 beta testers.

Let's make this easier. Click this link to register for the beta.

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This look great. Thanks so much for your efforts.

What are the prospects for the PC version?

Actually, the version I wrote several years ago for the PC works today. I have played partial games between my iPad and my window 7 PC.

I have some work to do to finish full compatibility between windows and iOS, but most of the work is done. I plan to complete that work so you PC owners without iPads can actually play games against iPad players. Now how cool is that?

Any hope for android???

Pretty freakin' excited about this! I'll have to wait for the PC version though. and I second a call for android version!

Is it possible to play a full game on a single iPad? This is unspeakably amazing of you. Thanks a lot.

To FFG, if you are considering a Cease and Desist here might I make a suggestion? If Tam's app is amazing, instead of blocking it from distribution, how about paying him for his work and then releasing it under the FFG banner? The community wins, Tam wins, and you get a great product (that everyone already wants) with minimal work. Everyone wins.

I haven't written any AI for iPad. That's a huge project by itself.

You can build decks and test the heck out of them on a single iPad, though. When you open a deck in the App, it pulls out your house card, all plots and agendas, then it randomly draws 7 cards. You can play from your hand, draw cards, throw them around, whatever, without being online or having an opponent.

Android…well, it's possible. Maybe I'll work on it if the iPad version becomes stable. Let's see what my beta testers uncover.

Fair enough on that front then. Glad to see you're back, btw, Tam! I feared we had lost you! Also, is the game still hosted on one machine and the other person connects to them? Will it be possible to set up a constant "server" on one person's machine that everyone can connected to for a game?

Good to see you, too, Staton!

This current version of Raven on iPad actually uses the exact same "Rookery" server I wrote years ago for the Windows version. I haven't changed one line of code in the server.

I'm running a server on the internet right now for the beta testers. I will provide the server for anyone who wants to run a Rookery of their own. So yes to your questions.

You can actually join a Rookery with an iPad and a Windows machine right now. I had some design changes when I wrote the iPad version, though, so I need to incorporate those into the existing Raven Evolved for Windows to be fully compatible between them. Most of the work is done, though.

Can you image how cool it was the first time I played a card on my Windows 7 machine and watched it slide out on my iPad? That was quite a moment.

Well I always knew you COULD do it. I was dubious on if you would manage to find the time though lol and man totally forgot about the Rookery! Good deal there. I take it you are under the same "card sets are art portion of the card only until after six months" restriction as before?

I'm a bit cart-before-the-horse this time around. I've contacted FFG, but only last Friday.

I flipped a coin and I'm betting my previous relationship with them still holds strong. They know I won't do anything to harm this game or them financially.

In the meantime, a beta test group is certainly acceptable. The worst that can happen is that I could likely release a deck builder with no online play available. Next step up would be the six-month rule.

I'm hoping for something like a $1 sale of the App in the App store and a single in-app purchase that gives access to the most recently released chapter pack. When the next chapter pack is released, it takes the place of the existing in-app purchase and the old one becomes free to play.

Just some ideas at this point.

if it helps you out i asked about this a long time ago (making an iOS deckbuilder/card viewer) and the answer was essentially "as long as it is free you are AOK, but absolutely you cannot charge it."

Tam said:

What I meant was whether or not I could play against another human player sitting next to me on 1 iPad?

Two-player support on a single iPad isn't a feature, no.

Let me elaborate a bit on why I have no plans to add a feature that will allow you to have two players play a single Joust of Game of Thrones on a single iPad.

If you have a player in your same physical location, it's a lot more fun to use the actual cards. There is no substitute for the real cards.

Why would you play two players on a single iPad if you are together? Well, I assume so you don't have to buy cards.

I hope to get people to *buy more cards* with my App for iPad. New players who play via their iPads will soon buy the real thing and search out local metas.

It's kinda like the books. A lot of people loved the books when they were published, but the HBO series has opened up Martin's work to millions of new readers, and the sales of his books shows that.

I would be interested to know if the HBO series has helped sales of FFG's Game of Thrones LCG.

I just want people to discover how interesting this card game is, and the only way I can truly personally contribute to that is to write software.

The world is full of Magic players who simply don't have a clue what they're missing if they've never tried FFGs Game of Thrones LCG. I could never go back to Magic after playing GOT just one time.

Actually, I was thinking more along of the lines of playing a game during a boring long wait at an airport where you won't have any cards. But I get where you're coming from and that's totally understandable.

And as for whether the TV show helped sales; in Australia it has helped immensely. We didn't have a metagame until after the HBO show. Most people have just never heard of the card game beforehand.

Yep, I'm one of those Aussies who would never have bought in to AGoT:LCG if I hadn't been hooked by the TV show - having heard of, but never having read, the books…
Now here I am, with about $1000 spent on the game (not to mention card sleeves and storage), plus more chapter packs to come every month and an anxious wait for A Clash of Arms series reprints!

Some of my friends got me into the AGoT world by reading the books and getting the board game to try out. Then, before Season 1 started, they introduced me to the Core Set. It was all over for me from that point forward and I've been hooked ever since. I, on average, play it one time every 2 weeks, but I can't get enough of the game.

Are any of my 12 iPad beta testers online right now? I'm in The Rookery waiting for a game! I really need to test this.

My wife took my iPad on vacation with her >.<

Is it too late to join the beta test group now? I can offer my services.

Definitely not too late. Use this link to join. This goes for anyone with an iPad ready to join.

http://tflig.ht/OKtm26