DDI - What's happening to the Virtual Game Table and Character Visualiser?

[Iron Dog]

Forgive me if this has been answered before, but does anyone know what’s happening with the Virtual Game Table and Character Visualiser as promised by WOTC. It seems that all word has gone dead on this subject (and I'm a subscriber too.)

I may be making an assumption but, from what I picked up regarding the results of WOTC resent customer survey, is that these projects may have been axed and replaced with what they are calling campaign tools. (In my games, campaign tools are what I call a notebook and a writing implement).

If this is the case then it seems that WOTC may have decided that the Virtual Game Table and Character Visualiser have been “put into the to-hard basket” and replaced with this campaign management tools and then told us that that is what we wanted.

An if that then be the case then WOTC are going to loose a lot of gamers like myself, (tho we might or might not be in the minority) that don’t live in a major metropolis with large gaming player pools to draw on, or have moved away from their old regular gaming buddies, or unable to make regular trips to a mutual gaming tables, due other comitments, and/or being time poor etc….


It can be that difficult for some of us just to get a face to face game going, (tho I admit that I'm am currently setting up an play-over-internet game with RPtools, but it still requires a lot of setup and implemetation of frameworks and macros to make it eaiser to use, and then there's the thing about using copywrited material on a 3rd party program etc.)

So, if anyone has any information regarding this, or would like to express their concern if this be true I would like to hear.

 

[Silversun]

A good question, as these are the only two elements that would make me want to become a paying DDI Subscriber. More for the Virtual Gaming Table.

One program that iontegrates all the components necessary for DMing & playing is hard to over-look, because as it currently stands gaming online (chat based mostly) is a nightmare (for the DM mostly); and the more players in the group the harder the job becomes.

 

[Nightson]

It's on hold. It is on hold at least in part because the majority of people would prefer other tools first.

 

[Glyfair]

It's on hold. It is on hold at least in part because the majority of people would prefer other tools first.

Indeed, I started a thread here on ENWorld asking opinions on online gaming in general because of the survey results, and most of the responses were "I would never game online."

 

[Shemeska]

They're (paraphrased in lieu of a direct quote) "not actively working on them". They haven't done much on them as I understand it since Radiant Machine (the DDI and Gleemax outsourcing people) turned in the original, buggy as heck version of the gametable. They'd probably have to scrap it and start over on the code if they wanted to release it.

That would be difficult however given how many people they currently have available for development work. Unless things have recently changed (and there's a Hasbro-wide hiring freeze in effect for all but critical positions) they have fewer developers and testers now than they did when the character builder was released. They've since then let some additional people go in a non-announced round of layoffs (technically not layoffs since it was contract employees having their time lapse and they weren't hired permenantly).

The people still doing development would have to balance any new development on the VTT, etc with the current task of keeping the CB updated regularly, plus the work on the vague "campaign tools" they announced around the same time they removed almost all mention of the VTT, character visualizer, and dungeon builder from the DDI website. Of course some form of the dungeon builder may be part of the "campaign tools" but that's not something I've specifically heard about / asked about.

And all of the above assumes that the person I've spoken with was telling me the truth, though I've absolutely no reason to doubt them.

 

[Iron Dog]

Thanks for the info Shemeska

The other element that I'm concernd to the VTT is RPGA.

I’m a registered RPGA Game Master, and have been a member since the mid 90’s and so far I’ve held the one Living Grayhawk (3.5ed) home game (I’ve had plenty of players but none that can commit to be able to turn-up at a pre-set date.) and participated in one 4th edition RPGA preview game at GENCON OZ (which still cost me around $3000 in flights and accommodation to get there, Australia is a big place). I would like it to be at least a little easier to play D&D RPGA, considering the lack of local conventions.

 

[Iron Dog]

Indeed, I started a thread here on ENWorld asking opinions on online gaming in general because of the survey results, and most of the responses were "I would never game online."

Survey results are only as good as the people that you ask. I do believe that the majority of the people that were asked mayhap live in areas that have decent player pools to draw on for face to face play. I myself would love to have that, and I too prefer face to face play, if I can get it.

It just seems that WOTC maybe going the way of the bean counters and not the way of “games for gamers, by gamers”, and have lost their old stic that they originally sung "To support an increasing player network and help introduce more players to play D&D".

Looks to me that you have to be in the "exclusive" to get your benefit from DDI now. I for one am starting to think of removing my subscription, if people like me are only considered as revenue raisers for the support to others if the case maybe. And considering that WOTC have just posted an increase of fees, I have to consider:- “what's am I getting out of this”.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Survey results are only as good as the people that you ask. I do believe that the majority of the people that were asked mayhap live in areas that have decent player pools to draw on for face to face play. I myself would love to have that, and I too prefer face to face play, if I can get it.

It just seems that WOTC maybe going the way of the bean counters and not the way of “games for gamers, by gamers”, and have lost their old stic that they originally sung "To support an increasing player network and help introduce more players to play D&D".

Looks to me that you have to be in the "exclusive" to get your benefit from DDI now. I for one am starting to think of removing my subscription, if people like me are only considered as revenue raisers for the support to others if the case maybe. And considering that WOTC have just posted an increase of fees, I have to consider:- “what's am I getting out of this”.

Well, it appears to me that WotC is trusting their surveys a lot. (But note, this does apply to the surveys they do on their website, not on polls on forums.)

What you're getting out of the DDI subscription at the moment is:
- The Dragon & Dungeon magazines
- The Character Builder
- The Compendium
- The Bonus Tools
With this, you basically have access to all the rules part of D&D 4, without every needing to buy a book. (You might be missing out on skill challenge examples presented in the H/P/E series, if you count this as rules.)

Apparantly, there will also be more (not play-test?) material for PHB3 offered via DDI, which would mean an early access to new classes and races.

Now you have to decide whether that would still be worth it to you or not. If you find this acceptable for the old price but not the new one, renewing your subscription soon can apparantly allow you to keep the old price for another year, and then you can decide again. If you find neither the old price nor the new one is acceptable, you should probably lapse the subscription (ensure that you don't have auto-renewal turned on).

 

[Iron Dog]

Oops double post.....

 

[Iron Dog]

What you're getting out of the DDI subscription at the moment is:……

I am aware of what I currently get out of my subscription; my point is that what so good of having all that martial for a game that I have difficulty even getting to play.

Please do not take my remarks as a rant on "am I getting my moneys worth from WOTC", I'm sure that's been done to death elsewhere on this forum.

My point is that it seems that WOTC are not supporting the "GROWTH" of the hobby anymore by making it easier for players out there to play, which I'm sure was their reasoning’s behind attempting the VTT and such was in the first place.

So this isn't a bagging of WoTC's business practices, I for one would just so like the VTT to go ahead, it is the major reason that I sign up for DDI, and it would make it easier for me to play the hobby that I've come to love, and mayhap get to use the aforementioned material.

I just like to know if anyone out there are in the same somewhat boat or have we all been forgotten by a majority group that have decided that the Dungeons & Dragons have become a "Closed Community".


… one thing that I recon that WoTC could do, would be to make the VTT open source, with the proviso that no rule martial is to be posted within the engine (for copywrite purposes) but with links to the DDI compendium be allowed. Now I’m sure there is a large development community out there that would love that. Properly get a better product out of it than from a paid professional developer, increased player base, free advertising forum, and all for free.