Wotc online monster builder can build monsters from scratch.

[Kerranin]

I know it seems crazy, since the math was changed so long ago, but as someone that deals with this type of stuff at work, I can almost guarantee the part that handles the math was done a long time ago, and once the math was changed the DDI team gave them the option of delaying the full project X amount of time while it's updated, or release a "working" monster builder with the idea of adding a patch to fix the math afterwards.

My problem is that they killed the offline versions of everything before they had a useable product to replace them, and now, many months later it still doesn't work as well as offline versions did.

I'm sorry but it really does feel like they are milking DDI subscriptions. Is there is just one programmer actually working on these applications?

My personal bugbear is the character builder (which is still broken in many ways), but it seems like none of these apps work properly.

 

[Scribble]

My problem is that they killed the offline versions of everything before they had a useable product to replace them, and now, many months later it still doesn't work as well as offline versions did.

I'm sorry but it really does feel like they are milking DDI subscriptions. Is there is just one programmer actually working on these applications?

My personal bugbear is the character builder (which is still broken in many ways), but it seems like none of these apps work properly.

Hey what can I say? Sorry you feel that way? I'm not gonna try to tell you you're wrong, or that you should subscribe or whatever. I'm just happy I don't feel the same way, and I'm overall happy with what I have, and looking forward to the future enhancements.

 

[NewJeffCT]

Hey what can I say? Sorry you feel that way? I'm not gonna try to tell you you're wrong, or that you should subscribe or whatever. I'm just happy I don't feel the same way, and I'm overall happy with what I have, and looking forward to the future enhancements.

It's definitely getting better, but still has a ways to go. I just hope it equals, or surpasses, the offline MB by the end of the year and that we can get MM3 damage output throughout.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Bad math + can't export to put them in an adventure I'm writing = ABSOLUTELY POINTLESS.

What we need is someone with XSLT experience to write a converter from this XML format into RTF or something else usable in word processor applications. [MENTION=82106]AbdulAlhazred[/MENTION] mentioned something like this a long time ago. Maybe he has more time now?

 

[Scribble]

It's definitely getting better, but still has a ways to go. I just hope it equals, or surpasses, the offline MB by the end of the year and that we can get MM3 damage output throughout.

Oh definitely. I was mainly speaking of the DDi as a whole.

I'm pretty sure they're working on the builder- also I have a feeling this tool in particular (adventure tools) is where we'll see things like house rules support implemented.

What we need is someone with XSLT experience to write a converter from this XML format into RTF or something else usable in word processor applications. AbdulAlhazred mentioned something like this a long time ago. Maybe he has more time now?

Someone told me they were going to look into doing that this weekend.

Well, I asked about a layout manager sort of thing that would take several .monster files and let you lay them out on a page... Dunno if he got a chance.

Which reminds me, I never sent any XP his way. I need to do so.


P.S. edited out the mention in my quote... I hate it when people don't remove the mention in a quote and I get nine million notices of the same mention, and here I went and did it muhself... Sorry about that Abdul...

 

[the Jester]

Well- sorry to hear it's not for you- that sucks.

I know it seems crazy, since the math was changed so long ago, but as someone that deals with this type of stuff at work, I can almost guarantee the part that handles the math was done a long time ago, and once the math was changed the DDI team gave them the option of delaying the full project X amount of time while it's updated, or release a "working" monster builder with the idea of adding a patch to fix the math afterwards.

Somehow they managed to integrate the new math into the old builder in their last slapdash update to it. More than a year later, they still can't manage it for their big "Now you can make new monsters!" rollout? Really? The fix to monster math is one of the biggest changes to 4e- in terms of how fun it is and how well it plays at higher levels- since release. I'd go so far as to call it "critical" to play above heroic. Critical. And yet.

And yet and yet and yet.

More than a year after they half-assed the new math into the old builder, they have made the new MB into the equivalent of a very pretty showcase car that simply can't go above 40 mph.

I think calling it non usable is a little harsh- it's not ideal sure, but it's quite usable (and in my opinion pretty slick.)

We'll have to agree to disagree. To me, if it is substantially easier to work up a monster by hand in Open Office than to use the official tool, that tool just plain sucks.

I can certainly understand if you don't want to subscribe until it's in an ideal situation though.

I'm not looking for "ideal," I'm looking for "as good as we had a year and a half ago".

 

[Scribble]

We'll have to agree to disagree. To me, if it is substantially easier to work up a monster by hand in Open Office than to use the official tool, that tool just plain sucks.

Yeah Like I said- I'm sorry it's not what you want. I'm happy with it so far, and feel like it's getting better. Sucks for you though.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

What we need is someone with XSLT experience to write a converter from this XML format into RTF or something else usable in word processor applications. @AbdulAlhazred mentioned something like this a long time ago. Maybe he has more time now?

Indeed, when you speak the names of the servants of the Great Old Ones...

Well, here's the thing. The XML that MB and CB create basically just lists all the selections you've made as numeric ids. This is particularly true of the CB where an XML character file has almost no text in it at all. I'm not sure about MB XML, it has been a while and my Windows VM is very squirreled up right now, so I can't check it this minute. However, monsters are a lot less fixed in their options. It is quite possible something usable could be generated. Technically it is also probably possible to fetch data out of Compendium to fill in stuff that is just identified as id='NNNNN' (you can figure out the URL to visit). I'm sure something like that is how iplay4e for instance grabs stuff, and at one time I did hack together some perl that could fetch specific stuff.

So, mostly taking a look at it is a matter of unsnarfing windows. With that dealt with I'll see what the prospects are. It would be pretty nice to be able to convert monsters to various formats for sure. RTF is handy, BBCODE would be nice too, as would HTML and maybe TWiki syntax. Once you can do one it is pretty easy to do the others (HTML is the simplest usually).

 

[Neuroglyph]

I think it's a shame it has taken so long to get the online MB to this point, and it still is not as useful as the offline MB. Sure I have a subscription so my players can make and update characters in CB and so I can get all the DDI, Dragon, and Dungeon content, but I don't use the Monster Builder because my offline copy of the old one works better.

I did check out the new update, and the interface works fairly well for monster creation. And you can now take an existing monster and dump it into the editor and make a new version with different powers, or use it as a jumpstart for a new monster with similar function.

But until I can export a monster into a useful format, I'll just keep using my offline version. I like being able to put my creations into a word doc or PDF. And the old offline version doesn't have those awesome disconnect errors when you try to do things like saving, printing, or just random button pushes.

 

[Quickleaf]

I think it's a shame it has taken so long to get the online MB to this point, and it still is not as useful as the offline MB. Sure I have a subscription so my players can make and update characters in CB and so I can get all the DDI, Dragon, and Dungeon content, but I don't use the Monster Builder because my offline copy of the old one works better.

How does the speed compare to the CB (which strikes me as awfully slow)?

Btw, I was just making a character in the CB using a friend's account and Silverlight crashed on me 3 times in the span of an hour or so!