DDI "Web Tools Suite" (rampant speculation)

[CovertOps]

Having considered their announced "web tools suite" and more information coming "soon" I'm going to speculate one possibility.

I'm going to speculate that they will have a web version of CB (and possibly AT). Are they going to stop supporting CB and AT? I don't think so, but... I have a suspicion that they'll try to give added value to the web based tools and printed books. In order to do this they'll change the update schedule of CB and AT by pushing them back by one or more months. This has several effects:

• An ongoing DDI subscription now has added value because of the immediate update to the online tools (entice you to subscribe all the time instead of just twice a year like some).
• Printed books have more value because if you don't have DDI it's the only way to get the material until they update the "offline" tools (for those that don't want a DDI sub).
• You can still get CB and AT updates every 6 months if you want, but you'll be out of date more often.

 

[Scribble]

Maybe.

Personally I wish it WOULD go web based...

I subscribe on a yearly basis anyway, and a web based tool would allow me to access it from various locations, and from various media.

Some people would be upset, but I wonder how many of them REALLY would be so upset they cancelled their subs, and how many non PC users they would pick up.

 

[fanboy2000]

Geez, how often do I have to repeat this! Look the web tools their developing are tools to go along with The Hoffmann Institute. They relaunched the site recently to use for Gamma World. Gamma World is the first of several "modern" games based on 4e to come out and next year it's going to be Dark*Matter.

Seriously, if you are going to speculate, at least make it awe....

...wait for it...

 

[RavenBlackthorne]

...some

 

[ExploderWizard]

Having considered their announced "web tools suite" and more information coming "soon" I'm going to speculate one possibility.


I'm going to speculate that they will have a web version of CB (and possibly AT). Are they going to stop supporting CB and AT? I don't think so, but... I have a suspicion that they'll try to give added value to the web based tools and printed books. In order to do this they'll change the update schedule of CB and AT by pushing them back by one or more months. This has several effects:

• An ongoing DDI subscription now has added value because of the immediate update to the online tools (entice you to subscribe all the time instead of just twice a year like some).
• Printed books have more value because if you don't have DDI it's the only way to get the material until they update the "offline" tools (for those that don't want a DDI sub).
• You can still get CB and AT updates every 6 months if you want, but you'll be out of date more often.

Nah. If they are pouring energy into a web based suite of tools then the old ones are pretty much done. The last headache they need is trying to keep two different databases updated no matter how infrequently one of them might be.

If essentials represents the D&D offerings "from this point forward" then there isn't any good reason to keep throwing active support at a data structure that isn't compatible with this direction.

 

[ArcaneSpringboard]

Having considered their announced "web tools suite" and more information coming "soon" I'm going to speculate one possibility.

I'm going to speculate that they will have a web version of CB (and possibly AT). Are they going to stop supporting CB and AT? I don't think so, but... I have a suspicion that they'll try to give added value to the web based tools and printed books. In order to do this they'll change the update schedule of CB and AT by pushing them back by one or more months. This has several effects:

I'd be pretty ticked if they delay updates from books more than they have already.

That said, I fully expect them _not_ to support non-web based Character Builder and Monster Builder once these web based tools are out. Web access is nearly ubiquitous now, and this will slam the door on those folks who sub once and then download everything.

This would end the incentive to do that.

 

[Shemeska]

My guess is that moving forward any web based tools will form the baseline and will be the ones updated with crunch from new books, while the previous CB etc are slowly phased out. How well that goes over would be interesting to see if that's what ultimately happens.

 

[RLBURNSIDE]

Properly designed software

should have a clear data / presentation / logic separation (MVC). If they don't have the builder's data and at least some of the game logic and scripts in a format they can re-use for their web-tools, that means they'll have to re-develop it, which is hugely expensive.

But even then, I hope they keep both open, because NOT EVERYONE who plays Dnd has a computer hooked up to the net and an insider account.

Making subscription fees and online access mandatory to play your Pen and Paper game = fail.

but this is probably what will happen. Otherwise why such shoddy support for the character builder these days? I bet you they're starting over from scratch for Essentials and keeping us in the dark to avoid a revolt. I hope I'm wrong on this though. I bet some poor programmers are shackled to their desks without sleep, a huge list of tasks and a bug report a mile long

ps there's no way I'm paying for Dnd insider if the offline CB becomes obsolete. No errata / updates = obsolete, i.e. useless. Non-updated software is completely worthless, if it's not customizable by the end-user. Planned obsolescence. Some pointy-haired boss out there could have decided, let's throw the CB under the bus and pray the shleps will pay repeatedly for stuff they've already paid for (functionality that exists in two forms, of which one has no benefit due to being abandoned). Tell me, what value is a Dnd insider account, to gain access to a character builder that can't build your character with the current rules? Not bloody high at all mates!!

I can't even purchase magic items in the current iteration, and only a couple of the races have been updated. If they don't give the Essentials treatment for the rest of the races that will also be epic failure on their part. so who knows. All I know is...it's nearly november and there's no date mentioned for the next CB update. == vaporware?

If they want to make it mandatory to have a year-long membership since month-by-month is now useless two months from now (since you'll immediately lose access to your character if the builder itself is online), that means you're being shackled to a web service and pay through the nose, no matter what value they add to it every month. If you play Dnd, you gotta pay. If you don't pay, you can't even use the builder any more because there's no offline version.

 

[blalien]

If the CB is going online, there are two things I'm hoping for:
First, this better not just be the CB we're all used to, except online. I hope we're getting something out of this. Maybe cloud-based character sheets and more reliable updates.
Second, I hope the online interface is simple html. I have a fairly decent computer and the CB program feels sluggish. Running some sort of flash or Javascript client would be a train wreck.

 

[BobTheNob]

I have never done that Subscribe/Download/Unsubscribe piracy bs. Maintained my account from the start...it isnt that much money.

At the end of the day, I dont care if its online or RDA, as long as I have the functionality. Frankly, Im really excited if they are going browser tools and looking forward to it.

As to "Not everyone has an internet connection"...yea, and in some countries they dont even have phones, but here in the first world, people have internet connections, or they are going to get them. From WOTC's pov, Its a marketing decision, weighing development costs and piracy losses against the loss of market of people W/O internet.

If you are pissed off because you cant do the one month subscription once per year any more...well, Im sorry, but you have no grounds to complain.