D&D 5E Dungeonscape no more?

[Dannager]

I agree. Telling the truth is very much underrated these days.

This, however, I cannot agree with, because killing a project is hardly a dysfunctional thing to do.

Ironically, this is exactly why WotC feels that communicating is a poor option - because there are people who, in the same breath, say that WotC should be completely upfront with fans like him, and that the decision to cancel a software product before launch is an example of dysfunctional management.

 

[Dannager]

The problem is most D&D players that buy the books want the around the table experience and the online model is counter productive for that.

No, it isn't. You don't get to make blanket statements like that when you're surrounded by people who use that online model in their in-person games, and consider it a very productive resource.

Not to mention the time lost getting the non-computer literate folks at the table connected to the network and then to the on-line tools.

Which way do you think the world is moving? Away from people being comfortable using digital aids for everyday activities? I doubt it.

If we want an MMO experience, we will and probably already have, purchased a computer game for that purpose.

If you believe that D&D using a suite of digital aids is equivalent to "an MMO experience", I don't think you and I participate in the same hobby.

 

[MagicSN]

In either case, the application has to know all of the rules. The difference is how strictly they are applied. If it were me, I would probably have the character builder wizard apply everything and then give the user the opportunity to make changes, highlighting the things that are not standard.

In hero lab this is called personal adjustments you can give extra feats, ability values etc this way. Or you can implement houserule items/feats and make them available/disable them by a mouseclick (for an item this is basically cut and paste sone xml like tags while a feat or an item doing complicated thingd like stat boni might need hard implementation work. When my gm gives me a new item i always implement it into my homebrew 5e heo lab data files

 

[Selkirk]

Ironically, this is exactly why WotC feels that communicating is a poor option - because there are people who, in the same breath, say that WotC should be completely upfront with fans like him, and that the decision to cancel a software product before launch is an example of dysfunctional management.

it would be really generous to say that cancelling dungeonscape (in the absolute absence of any other plan) was functional management . what it looks like is they just hoped this thing would somehow work and they could monetize something out of it. but it didn't. oh well, things fail sometimes...and well meaning people can do stupid things(see this forum for further examples...but i kid ).

what's important is to acknowledge that it failed and recognize that fans want to hear about what's on the way in the form of digital content. the bad way to handle this would be with silence/vague jargon/lying. cause right now this really feels dysfunctional to me.

 

[Mercurius]

For some strange, masochistic reason I read through the entire thread in a kind of cannot-pull-my-eyes-away-from-trainwreck fascination. The thread seems like a rather theatrical performance of ragequit and Jump to Conclusions! My advice: Let's wait and see what is actually going to happen before freaking out.

 

[Evenglare]

I don't know why other people want PDFs but for me it's infinitely easier to actually make sessions if I can just cut and paste stuff form a pdf into my word document so I don't even need books open at the table because all of my notes and references are already there.

 

[Henrix]

Well, if it was just a license, Wizards was probably losing money while Dungeonscape was delayed - I hardly think they got anything from Trapdoor before they sold anything.

And given the customer demand for digital tools it is a blow to wizards when it is delayed.

I'm starting to wonder if wizards were late in giving out the license, and that that is part of the delays of so many licensed products.


This is also a warning to future licensees - deliver, get us money, or we pull the license. Sensible, if harsh. And licensing without cost for wizards is probably the new model - slimmed staff, get value from the IP.


As for comparing it to the PF digital support, I recall no real such support within a few months of the release of PF. Was there?

 

[pepticburrito]

I think your suspicion is wrong.

My group is an early adopter of 5e and we came from Pathfinder.

Data is not the plural of anecdote.

Anyhow don't read too much into what I'm saying. I'm not saying I don't want PDFs. I'm not saying there aren't Pathfinder people here. I am saying, if I had the binary choice between having an Tablet/Phone app that replicates the ton of apps used at every Pathfinder player I know of already uses or having a PDF, I would choose the apps.

PDF doesn't replicate the easy of use of sorting spells by class/level. It doesn't replicate the fast search indexes I'm used to using. It's doesn't have the speed and accessibility of the apps that every Pathfiner player I know uses. It certainly doesn't do what the software Combat Manger does. PDF is not a replacement for what Dungeonscape was supposed to be.

 

[Evenglare]

Data is not the plural of anecdote.

Anyhow don't read too much into what I'm saying. I'm not saying I don't want PDFs. I'm not saying there aren't Pathfinder people here. I am saying, if I had the binary choice between having an Tablet/Phone app that replicates the ton of apps used at every Pathfinder player I know of already uses or having a PDF, I would choose the apps.

PDF doesn't replicate the easy of use of sorting spells by class/level. It doesn't replicate the fast search indexes I'm used to using. It's doesn't have the speed and accessibility of the apps that every Pathfiner player I know uses. It certainly doesn't do what the software Combat Manger does. PDF is not a replacement for what Dungeonscape was supposed to be.

No, now you are cherry picking. Dungeonscape was supposed to be what you say, a character builder and spell sorter and all of that.... but you are completely ignoring the fact that dungeonscape seriously was there to replace the need for PDFs. If you have been on these boards for the last year you would hear everything yelling at everyone else saying " we don't need PDFs dungeonscape will take care of that". Seriously every single thread someone posted about PDFs that's the reply you would hear. Dungeonscape had 2 purposes and you have to understand that. Also those purposes are completely separate. It's like saying, I want to buy a house, but here eat this orange. One does not have anything to do with the other. The sorting character program stuff has nothing to do with people wanting PDFs. I can easily turn it around as well. Your sorting character builder doesn't let me search pdfs and browse through them for inspiration. They are mutually exclusive. We shouldn't have to be forced to pick one or the other.

 

[aramis erak]

I don't think we can necessarily infer from a 4-year lifespan that 4E was profitable. Throwing good money after bad is a time-honored tradition in corporate America (and everywhere else, really -- I think it has to do with the way we as a species perceive risk).

They've flat out said it was profitable... just not as profitable as they would like.

Likewise, a system that's only getting 30-40% conversion means 60% of the player base is new. That's doing SOMETHING right.