WotC D&D Beyond Update: 2024 Core Rulebooks, Maps, and Third Party Content.

Maps has a number of updates.

• Lots of feature improvements to maps--tokens, fog, and user interface.
• 'Spectator Mode' allows DMs to open a separate tab as a player view on a separate monitor, streaming, etc.
• 'Draw Tool' allows you to freehand draw on the map.
• 6 products from back catalogue plus third party content added to library.
• Pointer added.
• You can now rename a token.
• Enhancement and support will include the 2024 core rulebooks.

Maps is 'here to stay' and will continue to be supported.

Regarding third party products, apparently they are inviting 'many third parties to the party'.

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[TheSword]

Maybe Roll20's audio/video has improved, but when I've been in games that used it in the past, it was pretty bad. It might be better now. I don't know because nearly EVERY game I play in, whether on-line convention games, paid DM games, pick-up games through the Find a Game feature all use Discord.

Even in systems where the A/V quality is good, I find it takes up more screen real estate than I'm happy with. I generally like to have voice running in a separate app for this reason. I generally don't use video, but if I did, I would want to be able to pop it out to another window to show in a separate screen. Maybe that's possible now in Roll20, but for the past few years, I've only been a player in Roll20, and none of the DMs use Roll20s voice and video features.

The only system with a GUI for integrated voice and video I've seen is Role. But its focus is being a video-conferencing system for gamers. The VTT portion is very basic. It is better for theater of the mind with decent dice rolling and character sheet features. But the battlemap is very basic.

We use Discord even though we’ve found the Roll20 system absolutely fine.

The main reason is that it’s just so easy to chat, message and see when people are online in a way that the VTT doesn’t.

I’m also able to keep my sound/video on my phone or tablet and use my laptop for just the VTT. It keeps the desktop cleaner without a load of videos on it.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Is there any title in your whishlist of of future invited 3PPs?

My own suggestion is too add software tool to can produce machinima videos in the future. Then this could be used by streamers and this would work as free advertising. And there are lots of gamers who enjoy creating landscapes and that type of things.

Other idea is using the software of the VTT for a videogame style Dungeons&Dragons: Heroes of Newerwiter, the facebook app.

And why not Hero-Quest as a mode within VTT 3D?

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Maybe Roll20's audio/video has improved, but when I've been in games that used it in the past, it was pretty bad. It might be better now. I don't know because nearly EVERY game I play in, whether on-line convention games, paid DM games, pick-up games through the Find a Game feature all use Discord.

When the pandemic first started, we used Discord, and I found it's video chat to be wanting. However, even in 3 short years (wait! FOUR YEARS since the pandemic started??? What is time) Discord's A/V functionality is now quite adequate, even good.

And this from someone who used to work at a video conferencing company. Which is also why step 1 for any new game I create on Roll20 is turn off A/V capabilities

 

[Mistwell]

I don't think it is crude at all. It is very streamlined, intuitive, and runs silky smooth.

Introducing the ability to draw on a map is about the crudest most basic level of development for a VTT of any kind. It's an advancement made about 13 years ago for RPGs and about 20 years ago for other purposes. I don't think it should be seen as insulting or criticism that I am recognizing what they seem to be saying in the video itself - this is a very low level development.

 

[SlyFlourish]

For the former, you can already do that - I just checked. If you're created a custom creature, there is a token for it available on maps, just like with characters. Alternatively, you can rename any token, so that would be a quick and dirty solution.

Couldn't you just write notes on with the draw tool?

Have you ever tried writing words with a mouse? Not fantastic.

It seems like a long way to go to make a whole new monster just to drop a custom token on the map but I expect they'll add that in soon enough.

 

[Oofta]

Introducing the ability to draw on a map is about the crudest most basic level of development for a VTT of any kind. It's an advancement made about 13 years ago for RPGs and about 20 years ago for other purposes. I don't think it should be seen as insulting or criticism that I am recognizing what they seem to be saying in the video itself - this is a very low level development.

And what others are saying is that they are not targeting Foundry or Roll20 levels of complexity. Yes, they plan on adding more, but they're never going to be as feature rich as those tools. They're going fo a very easy-to-use simplistic niche. Let the as yet vaporware VTT go for the high end.

 

[darjr]

Have you ever tried writing words with a mouse? Not fantastic.

It seems like a long way to go to make a whole new monster just to drop a custom token on the map but I expect they'll add that in soon enough.

No. They keep eating the paper when I hand it over for thier turn.

 

[Reynard]

And what others are saying is that they are not targeting Foundry or Roll20 levels of complexity. Yes, they plan on adding more, but they're never going to be as feature rich as those tools. They're going fo a very easy-to-use simplistic niche. Let the as yet vaporware VTT go for the high end.

What makes you think this? I know they have suggested as much, but do you really think they will just stop development when it is halfway there, despite people continually asking them for more features? Because you know people will do.

 

[darjr]

What makes you think this? I know they have suggested as much, but do you really think they will just stop development when it is halfway there, despite people continually asking them for more features? Because you know people will do.

The 3D vtt is supposed to do this? Maybe?

 

[Reynard]

The 3D vtt is supposed to do this? Maybe?

Again, I think that is a different thing. the 3D VTT is positioned for serious microtransaction monetization. Not everyone will be on board with that. But people are not going to leave Roll20 for Maps if Maps just decides it isn't going to add at least industry standard features, and WotC knows it. I am baffled by people who think WotC would do that. it makes no sense at all.