D&D Beyond Beta: Your First Thoughts Thread!

Presumably because they are owned by twitch and it gives them a pre-existing structure to use.

AD

 

[pming]

Hiya!

As I said upstream...I'm against subscription. That said, I think they should make a TOOL for the DM's and Players out there...and not make a PROGRAM for the DM's and Players out there.

Basically, I'd much more appreciate a "Scripting Language" than a "Finished Program". Does that make sense? No? Ok, how about...I want them to sell me/us our choices of: 9 different sized canvases, 311 different colours, 48 different paint brushes, 9 different paint thinners, 6 different easels, and 23 different artists palettes. I don't want them to sell me a simple 'Paint By Numbers' kit and then claim they are "for all kinds of artists", but only offer 10 separate Paint By Numbers kits.

Better?

In short: I want to be the one in control of the program, what's in it, how it's used, when/where it's used, and of often I use it...I don't wanttheir company to decide those things for me.

Yeah, I know...I'm not going to get that. Hence why I'm almost positive it will be of little to no use for me.

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[SanjMerchant]

Hiya!

As I said upstream...I'm against subscription. That said, I think they should make a TOOL for the DM's and Players out there...and not make a PROGRAM for the DM's and Players out there.

Basically, I'd much more appreciate a "Scripting Language" than a "Finished Program". Does that make sense? No? Ok, how about...I want them to sell me/us our choices of: 9 different sized canvases, 311 different colours, 48 different paint brushes, 9 different paint thinners, 6 different easels, and 23 different artists palettes. I don't want them to sell me a simple 'Paint By Numbers' kit and then claim they are "for all kinds of artists", but only offer 10 separate Paint By Numbers kits.

Better?

In short: I want to be the one in control of the program, what's in it, how it's used, when/where it's used, and of often I use it...I don't wanttheir company to decide those things for me.

Yeah, I know...I'm not going to get that. Hence why I'm almost positive it will be of little to no use for me.

^_^

Paul L. Ming

I'm gonna withhold final judgement until I see how much the final product can be modded, and what sort of tools it comes for integrating homebrew, DM's Guild, and other non-WOTC content.

I can see where someone who's brand-spaking-new to D&D (or even Tabletop RPGs as a whole) could be absolutely bewildered and confused by that many options. And even someone who knows about how the game works might not want to put that much time and effort into something that's the equivalent of a weekly poker game; they just want something that does the math of adding up AC and skill bonuses and such for them so they can get on with kicking down doors, beating up people with pointy teeth, and taking their stuff. Or there's the person who just wants to make sure their character is Adventurer's League compliant, which is a lot easier when you can reduce character creation to "pick some options off these menus." Or a DM who finds themselves having to throw together some encounters at the last minute.

If WOTC decides to make a product aimed squarely at people with those kinds of needs and wants, it's their shop and their call. I'd like for them to sell me tools to do crazier things, but I also know that it's easier to sell me the lego brick version than it is to sell the full 3D-printer, software, and accessories bundle to the people whose main desire is "simple and easy to use."

In the end, I'll find a way to do what I want, whether it involves a nice official kit or involves me running to five different hardware stores and building it myself from the ground up. Also, the group that needs simple and easy is a much, much larger group.

</metaphor puree>

 

[Satyrn]

Hiya!

As I said upstream...I'm against subscription. That said, I think they should make a TOOL for the DM's and Players out there...and not make a PROGRAM for the DM's and Players out there.

Paul L. Ming

https://developer.android.com/studio/index.html

Have fun.

 

[dropbear8mybaby]

In short: I want to be the one in control of the program, what's in it, how it's used, when/where it's used, and of often I use it...I don't wanttheir company to decide those things for me.

Then go buy Hero Lab. Sounds like it's right up your ally. It makes you do all the work.

 

[Torgaard]

So far I like everything I see. But the real test will be its support for home-brew stuff. Because ultimately that's really what I'll need. I would even pay for a subscription for my groups if I can catalog all of our rules, etc. in one place that they can easily access.

All of the various tools available so far are geared more toward use in play (dice rollers, maps, etc.) in ways that I don't need. I just need an easily updatable and accessible tool segregated into DM and Player sections for quick reference.

This.

The database is nice, the interface is great, I think it's well designed, etc. But that alone won't do much for me. Me and my players have all that info at our fingertips via the source material (the books or on Fantasy Grounds). The character/NPC builder, if it's robust enough, will pique my interest - that's something I can use, but depending on how well I can export information out of it, it may or may not be useful enough to keep in the toolbelt. But the real core component has to be homebrew and campaign tools. Now THAT definitely has my attention. If it's fully (and usefully) integrated with the database (which it undoubtedly is), if I can add PC's and NPC's and feats and items and spells and what-have-you - and have it all integrate with the database so that my me and my players basically just have it all right there; I'm sold. Presumably they'll get the campaign management stuff right - I mostly just need a blog, a calendar, and again: integration with the aforementioned stuff - and I'll use it forever.

 

[pming]

Hiya!

Seems my "Tool" slash "Program" explanation didn't quite go over as I expected.

What I was trying to get at was that I want the company to present the product as "Here is a product you can use for your D&D games. You give us money, you get the product. Once money exchanges hands, we will have zero influence or control over what, how, or when you use it". Too many companies these days are taking advantage of customers. They create a product that has too much...what was the business term?...er...something like "Built in customer dependency".

Look at cars now. You hear a strange grind for a second or so when you first start it up? Well, in ye olden days, that just meant you had something to do that weekend; pop open the hood, grab your tools, grab the manual and fix it. Driving down the road and your car chokes and chugs, then dies? Same thing. However, companies don't want you to be able to fix your own car or take it to 'just anyone'; they want to control who you go to and who fixes it as well as how it's fixed. "Built in customer dependency".

That's what I'm hoping Curse doesn't do; give us a product that still requires them after I give them money. I know they already said the dreaded "S" word, so that right there pretty much nails the coffin for me (it would have to be one hell of a product for me to agree to that). But if they added into their ToS something that said "If we ever discontinue the product, we will make available a special key or .exe that will override the subscription model and give you full, perpetual access to the product to use on your own computer, in perpetuity". I have a couple of RPG programs that required a "log-on registration" to install/reinstall. Most I don't care to use nowadays anyway, but one, Weather Master (by the now defunct MiliueSim(?))...it had a "phone home" registration. I remember asking him "Hey, if you ever go out of business...you'll make an .exe available that doesn't require activation via the net, right?"...his response? "Yup, no worries". Didn't live up to his promise.

Anyway...yeah. That's the gist of it. Give me a program with no strings attached...or a promise that all of those strings will be cut if they stop making it, supporting it, go out of business, loose the license, etc.

...but that won't happen. Just like the business model of "Give us $$$, we give you a product" is becoming extinct in favour of "Only pay $9 a month!".

Ick.

^_^

Paul L. Ming