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4 Hours w/ RSD - Escapist Bonus Column
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<blockquote data-quote="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 7647748" data-attributes="member: 82106"><p>Yeah, on the subject of VTTs, I do actually run a business writing both client and server applications and web apps for line of business applications. I've also talked a bit with the MapTool people and looked at the source code. It is a huge complex piece of software which has easily consumed quite a few man-years of programming effort. Having played with it I'd say it is still in many ways far from ideal as something you would base a product on. It certainly COULD become that product, but it would require yet more man-years of work. I'd say as a 'back of the envelope' estimate on what something like that would take as a project starting from scratch, probably 10 man-years, which means you're talking something in the 1-2 million range for development. I think this is probably FAR beyond the range of any game company besides possibly WotC, and even then it would be a pretty large investment and I strongly doubt they would be able to pitch that to their management. </p><p></p><p>Now, eventually these things might become reasonably inexpensive, say basically if MapTool 2.0 (which will probably take a couple more years to complete) had full plug-in capability and a much improved macro language and other improvements. Even then, running games requires the DM to do a lot of work. I found running 4e on MapTool required 2-3 times more prep work than running at the table. It does get somewhat easier with time, but at a bare minimum you've got to assemble large libraries of artwork, master a complex macro framework, write macros for each new monster, test them, etc. Being able to share with the rest of the community and having a more professionally designed framework, etc could bring that down to a more reasonable level, but it is overall going to be a few more years before we get there. </p><p></p><p>However, I think I agree with people who say this COULD eventually be a really serious way forward. I could see a DDI with a REALLY polished VTT, packaged adventures you can run, easy sharing and categorizing of user content, and even features to allow cooperatively developed settings and etc. There could even be 'pay events' or at least special online promo games and whatnot with popular DMs, etc. I think a community like that which was really advanced COULD compete with MMOs etc. There's no way that the sort of generic automated content that exists in MMOs can ever give you the same sort of game that a custom made human DMed game can. There are trade-offs of course, but then if a game like D&D had such a VTT, an MMO, and a CRPG and the ability to move content from one to another, then you start to see a future that would be pretty cool. </p><p></p><p>The real question is does anyone actually have the money to make it happen and can they make a good enough business case for it to get it done? Maybe, maybe not. Again, WotC is probably the only organization that is even close to plausibly doing that. Even if they could get the funding one has to ask if they could actually execute. It wouldn't be an easy project, and more projects fail than succeed. We can dream though! <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="AbdulAlhazred, post: 7647748, member: 82106"] Yeah, on the subject of VTTs, I do actually run a business writing both client and server applications and web apps for line of business applications. I've also talked a bit with the MapTool people and looked at the source code. It is a huge complex piece of software which has easily consumed quite a few man-years of programming effort. Having played with it I'd say it is still in many ways far from ideal as something you would base a product on. It certainly COULD become that product, but it would require yet more man-years of work. I'd say as a 'back of the envelope' estimate on what something like that would take as a project starting from scratch, probably 10 man-years, which means you're talking something in the 1-2 million range for development. I think this is probably FAR beyond the range of any game company besides possibly WotC, and even then it would be a pretty large investment and I strongly doubt they would be able to pitch that to their management. Now, eventually these things might become reasonably inexpensive, say basically if MapTool 2.0 (which will probably take a couple more years to complete) had full plug-in capability and a much improved macro language and other improvements. Even then, running games requires the DM to do a lot of work. I found running 4e on MapTool required 2-3 times more prep work than running at the table. It does get somewhat easier with time, but at a bare minimum you've got to assemble large libraries of artwork, master a complex macro framework, write macros for each new monster, test them, etc. Being able to share with the rest of the community and having a more professionally designed framework, etc could bring that down to a more reasonable level, but it is overall going to be a few more years before we get there. However, I think I agree with people who say this COULD eventually be a really serious way forward. I could see a DDI with a REALLY polished VTT, packaged adventures you can run, easy sharing and categorizing of user content, and even features to allow cooperatively developed settings and etc. There could even be 'pay events' or at least special online promo games and whatnot with popular DMs, etc. I think a community like that which was really advanced COULD compete with MMOs etc. There's no way that the sort of generic automated content that exists in MMOs can ever give you the same sort of game that a custom made human DMed game can. There are trade-offs of course, but then if a game like D&D had such a VTT, an MMO, and a CRPG and the ability to move content from one to another, then you start to see a future that would be pretty cool. The real question is does anyone actually have the money to make it happen and can they make a good enough business case for it to get it done? Maybe, maybe not. Again, WotC is probably the only organization that is even close to plausibly doing that. Even if they could get the funding one has to ask if they could actually execute. It wouldn't be an easy project, and more projects fail than succeed. We can dream though! ;) [/QUOTE]
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