D&D Intiative...Master Tools 2008?

[Kristian Serrano]

The 2e core rules CD was great. Was it released by WOTC?

Magic is bad? Really? Pretty solid userbase and very popular. How is that bad? I don't play it, but, by most accounts its solidly successful.

eTools was Code Monkey, not WOTC.

Uhhh, not quite.

The Core Rules 2.0 was released while WotC had the license (I believe the first was released while TSR had D&D). The company was Everymore or something like that.


eTools was Fluid. Code Monkey took over later and fixed a lot of the eTools problems (but admitted it needed a complete rebuild to fix everything, which was supposed to be the RPG Toolkit).

Right. WotC contracted with Fluid to develop MasterTools, and the entire design and development process was bloated, which led to MasterTools being delayed, over budget, and dropped. They then released a very stripped down tool called E-Tools.

Fluid was supposed to release patches for it, but after some differences (budgetary, IIRC), Fluid handed WotC the source code and left the deal. CMP, offered to fix the bugs in exchange for a license to produce data sets for E-Tools. CMP exceeded expectations in regards to fixing the bugs, but by no means was E-Tools a CMP product.

 

[Xyxox]

The Core Rules 2.0 was released while WotC had the license (I believe the first was released while TSR had D&D). The company was Everymore or something like that.

Evermore Entertainment was the company that did CR1, CR2, and the CR2 Expansion. They first worked for TSR then Peter Adkison extended the relaitonship for CR2. Adkison wanted to insure CR2 could ahndle his 30th level Dwarf Paladin, and it could. CR2+E was the pinacle of official D&D software if you ask me.

eTools was Fluid. Code Monkey took over later and fixed a lot of the eTools problems (but admitted it needed a complete rebuild to fix everything, which was supposed to be the RPG Toolkit).

Code Monkey did what they could with the product and they were absolutely correct. It would have taken a complete rebuild to make it into what was intially promised.

 

[Vanuslux]

Magic is bad? Really? Pretty solid userbase and very popular. How is that bad? I don't play it, but, by most accounts its solidly successful.

As I said, it's functional enough to use and it's not like there's any other way to play Magic with friends three states away. In absence of a viable alternative, people will often take what they can get even if it is a mess. After all, I've paid a lot of money for official PCGen datapacks and that program is a pretty big mess too...just like I'll probably pay for any halfway functional 4th Edition character generator if one ever manifests itself.

 

[Orius]

When I knew E-Tools was going off the path was when the contradictory messages started. WotC was making a big point that it wasn't being designed as an tool to run D&D games online/at the table. It was supposedly designed as a character generator and DM Toolkit for designing adventures.

However, most of the early peeks dealt with the cool 3D monster images and monster sounds. These were completely useless unless E-Tools was being designed for what WotC was telling us it wasn't being designed for. Clearly the right hand didn't know what the left hand was doing.

Yup, I agree. Monster images and sounds are fluff -- nice features but non-essential for what Master Tools was supposed to be. And it would only be useful for MM monsters; anything the DM would add in wouldn't have those features, which just made it extra bells and whistles. The essential elements of the program would have provided the DM with tools like the Character Generator, and also given the DM the ability to add custom material. Everything I've read about e-Tools sounds like it utterly failed in that.

That's why they should focus on the really essential features of DDI; you know a functioning game table while giving the DM the flexibiliy needed. Get the basic essential software up and running; then add on the little visual things later.

 

[Plane Sailing]

You'd think there would be enough "tech know-how" within D&D circles to make this pretty easy

I'm a techy programmer, and I'm having a lot of fun writing a WPF encounter manager for Windows. Unfortunately nobody outside my gaming group will ever see it because of the GSL licensing issues as I understand it at the moment!

Cheers

 

[Xyxox]

I'm a techy programmer, and I'm having a lot of fun writing a WPF encounter manager for Windows. Unfortunately nobody outside my gaming group will ever see it because of the GSL licensing issues as I understand it at the moment!

Cheers

Yep, WotC pretty much shut down the sharing of home brewed software packages in 4E.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I'm a techy programmer, and I'm having a lot of fun writing a WPF encounter manager for Windows. Unfortunately nobody outside my gaming group will ever see it because of the GSL licensing issues as I understand it at the moment!

Cheers

Nooooo! I'd love to see other people WPF applications. Even more so when D&D related!

I hope they will clear up some fan community stuff issues we have...

 

[tenkar]

Sit back, relax, take a deep breath and realize that it might take a bit of time, but, this isn't Ghost Orb.

Wow, that's a blast from the past... well, recent past. Looked promising, took my money, then just... faded away.

the DDI hasn't taken my money yet

 

[Lizard]

Yep, WotC pretty much shut down the sharing of home brewed software packages in 4E.

If you want to release under the GSL, sure.

If you want to use normal copyright/trademark law... you can probably do quite a bit. Thing is, the OGL actually offered you enough benefits that it was worth giving up some of your existing rights under IP law to get them. The GSL is no carrot, all stick.

There's limits -- a full character creator would probalby need so much text and terminology directly from the books that it would be problematic. A program which helped run combat, though, with user-entered values, might be a lot safer. IANAL.

(There's also the question of -- Would WOTC really go after a wholly non-commercial program with a devoted fan base? They ignored a lot of fairly severe OGL violations in the software area during the 3e days...but then, they weren't offering competing, for-profit tools at that time, either. Of course, they're STILL not offering them...heh.)

 

[Plane Sailing]

Nooooo! I'd love to see other people WPF applications. Even more so when D&D related!

I hope they will clear up some fan community stuff issues we have...

Well, if I get it finished I might share the WPF code and an XML data schema, so that people could put any stuff they want in it