DDI Virtual Table Beta Tour and Future

Anthro78 · Jan 25, 2012

mudbunny said:
The big draw for the VT is the ability to import your characters from the Character Builder and have the macros required to use the powers already programmed. In addition, as mentioned, monsters can be imported automatically from the AT and have their attacks built in already. No macro programming knowledge is required. Finally, subscribers to DDI also have a number of character slots (I want to say 50, but I may be wrong) on the VT itself (separate from the Character Builder VT slots) that can be used for tracking characters over the course of a campaign played on the VT.

Now, whether that is worth a monthly subscription fee or not is a different question. One that is personal to each person.

I concur, though I am still disappointed in the promised/delivered ratio of DDI. The 3d VTT was the main reason I gave 4e a shot when it came out, and the overpromise/underdeliver aspect of the DDI was just one of the many reason that edition didn't get played for long at our table.

Still, given this history, I would prefer to go with a product that has been tested, used and de-bugged, though I can see that the DDI integration is a very attractive feature if you're a 4e player. I still pine for that 3d VTT, though. Sigh.

Gringoire · Jan 25, 2012

Alarian said:
What app is that? I use MapTool and would love to have something like that on my iPad!

mapnakotic or something like that

Dannager · Jan 25, 2012

Don't forget integrated voice chat and voice fonts. I'm not aware of any other VTT that supports either of those things natively. You'd have to set up (and get your friends to set up) a separate voice chat app in order to talk during your online game on another VTT.

Gringoire · Jan 25, 2012

Dannager said:
Don't forget integrated voice chat and voice fonts. I'm not aware of any other VTT that supports either of those things natively. You'd have to set up (and get your friends to set up) a separate voice chat app in order to talk during your online game on another VTT.

and you would like to pay to not use skype that is free? Man, i really have to do something like that for ipad.

Gaming Tonic · Jan 25, 2012

Dannager said:
Don't forget integrated voice chat and voice fonts. I'm not aware of any other VTT that supports either of those things natively. You'd have to set up (and get your friends to set up) a separate voice chat app in order to talk during your online game on another VTT.

I also found the voice better than xbox live or teamspeak or ventrilo as far as sound quality. The voice fonts are something I had never seen either.

tenkar · Jan 25, 2012

Dannager said:
Don't forget integrated voice chat and voice fonts. I'm not aware of any other VTT that supports either of those things natively. You'd have to set up (and get your friends to set up) a separate voice chat app in order to talk during your online game on another VTT.

iTabletop has integrated voice and video (don't think you can chhange voices tho). It's also free now.

Gaming Tonic · Jan 25, 2012

19 Beta Test Codes still available. Send me a message and how many you need for your group and I will hook it up. Hurry!

mudbunny · Jan 25, 2012

Gringoire said:
and you would like to pay to not use skype that is free? Man, i really have to do something like that for ipad.

For some people (including 2 in my home group), having to install maptool and skype is *very* technically challenging. The fact that with the VT, you click and it runs, you have a *large* barrier that doesn't need to be overcome.

UngainlyTitan · Jan 26, 2012

Gringoire said:
MapTool from rptools.net does all and better than this. and it is "programmable" with macros. Somebody did collects of macros to have a complete framework for each game that you could imagine (i did one italian 4e framework).

The gang that played with me in college 20 odd years ago, well we still meet and play occasionally but I tried to get them onto Maptools 2w years ago or so and no go. Not interested in the learining curve.
We had our first shakedown session on the VTT last Monday and it looks like we are going to start a regular campaign. Not all of them are DDI subscribers but the VTT is pretty easy to use and there really no hosting issues. No port forwarding and that lark.
Now I know that there are other solutions that one can consider better then the VTT but I could not persuade them of that.

w_earle_wheeler · Jan 26, 2012

I predict that the "voice-changer" will become universally derided as an annoyance as a result of poor enunciation and ambient background noise running through the coked_gnome.voc filter.

Seriously, if this is the best VT that WotC can preview at this point, they need to just hang it up, turn off the lights and lock the door.