DDI, 6 months later: changing my mind

[Halivar]

Sometimes, I turn out to be wrong about stuff.

Every single session I plan, I do at work with the 50% of my brain that isn't focused on work-related stuff. I click the "Compile" button and, using the ensuing 20 minutes of chugging on my dev box, switch over to my browser, where, with the help of the D&D Compendium and Dungeon, I prepare the evening's adventure. I do it without my books. I brainstorm all day and spend maybe--what? A half-hour? An hour, tops?--searching for and building monsters, copying and pasting stat blocks into a word processor for printing.

IOW, DDI has become so useful to me now, that, if it were taken away, I think I would cry. Or at least fume.

It was not always so, though. I was looking for something else I said a while back, and ran across these statements I'd made on these very boards:

07/24/08:

I don't want to play D&D: The Video Game, so DDI can go jump in a lake.

08/01/08:

The very concept of DDI made me groan at its announcement
...
That said, this (layoffs in WotC's digital dept.) only affects me insofar as it affects the print-side of 4th Edition, which is where all my gaming money is going right now.

Dang! Was I ever wrong! I have a stack of old Dungeon magazines sitting over here, and I can tell you that I have gotten more use out of the new DDI-ized version in the last two-and-a-half months than I did out of all those years of issues. Having a functional character-builder, at this point, would be merely icing on the cake, as I feel that I have gotten so much more than my money's worth with the tools as they are now.

Anyway, I hear about a lot of people disappointed about DDI who were looking forward to it, and wanted to present a counter-take to it.

 

[Rechan]

I love DDI. I really do. I love the content. And it's content that you don't see reprinted in books (one of my fears). It's also coming straight from the designers. There's a level of authenticity and legalness to stuff in DDI; it's assumed to be at least a little balanced.

But I honestly think that the creature incarnations and the previews for the classes? They payed for the investment.

Also, the compendium? A golden resource. Golden.

 

[fba827]

DDI is very dang handy.

It's easy to dismiss if you haven't "tasted it" (and by that I mean, not just look at it but use it) but once you get used to things like copy-paste for monster stat blocks, it is the equivalent to (insert addiction of choice for comparison) and you'd be upset and go through withdrawal for having to go without...

regardless of any opinions on it specifically, the point remains -- glad you found a tool that is working for you and your style. that's really all it boils down to.


disclaimer: I myself do not yet have a ddi subscription but the reason for that is entirely unrelated to the functionality or price of it.

 

[Glyfair]

I mostly agree. What's funny is that I knew I would like parts of DDI. The parts I am using the most is not what I expected.

 

[Nahat Anoj]

If the encounter builder printed out monster stat blocks for each encounter, then it would be a great product made even better. I would use it to stat up all my encounters.

Now, if the encounter builder let you dial monster level up or down, turn normal monsters into elites and solos, and handled all monster costumization needs ... that would send it into the stratosphere.

But I feel quite please with DDI so far, it has definitely been worth the money.

 

[Glyfair]

If the encounter builder printed out monster stat blocks for each encounter, then it would be great. I likely would use it to stat up all my encounters.

Now, if the encounter builder let you dial monster level up or down, and if it let you turn normal monsters into elites and solos ... that would just rock so much.

If it did that I would be pressing them to offer a lifetime subscription.

 

[Nahat Anoj]

If it did that I would be pressing them to offer a lifetime subscription.

Sorry man, edited some stuff while you were quoting me. But oh yeah, I totally agree.

Oh, and I'm glad to hear it's working out for you, Halivar!

 

[Harlekin]

If the encounter builder printed out monster stat blocks for each encounter, then it would be a great product made even better. I would use it to stat up all my encounters.

It almost does that. There is a (slightly hidden) button for each monster that takes you directly to the statblock in the compendium. All you need to do is copy-paste.

 

[malraux]

Now, if the encounter builder let you dial monster level up or down, turn normal monsters into elites and solos, and handled all monster costumization needs ... that would send it into the stratosphere.

100x this. In terms of adding value to my DDI subscription, doing something like this would add far more value than a VTT or character visualizer.

 

[Moon_Goddess]

It almost does that. There is a (slightly hidden) button for each monster that takes you directly to the statblock in the compendium. All you need to do is copy-paste.

OMG you are so my new hero!!!!