What will Masterplan be after the C&D?

[mudbunny]

That's why the DDI ToS has a clause that refers to placing an undue burden or load (not the exact words, as I don't feel like digging up the ToS) upon the Compendium servers.

 

[Kurtomatic]

Exactly. I mentioned USPS earlier because their data has no ownership implications whatsoever, but there are strict usage limits anyway. For example, you are limited to 5 addresses per transaction, and every single transaction must be the incidental result of an end-user clicking a link (or other manual, ad-hoc, user-driven action). They want to assist e-commerce websites, but they are not offering a free geocoding service. If they even suspect you are submitting 'scripted' queries, your account can get cancelled lickity-split.

 

[Kafen]

That's why the DDI ToS has a clause that refers to placing an undue burden or load (not the exact words, as I don't feel like digging up the ToS) upon the Compendium servers.

Cool, it just makes me wonder why WOTC is going after Masterplan even more since that further places the burden on the end users. Time will tell...

 

[Saracenus]

Cool, it just makes me wonder why WOTC is going after Masterplan even more since that further places the burden on the end users. Time will tell...

Kafen,

IAMNAL (look it up folks if you don't know the acronym). If I take your view for a moment and the author(s) of Master Plan (MP) did the same and let's say for the sake of argument MP wins. So, you have struck a blow for the rights of coders everywhere...

Now we flip this over to WotC side of things and they just lost this case, what are they going to do? If their PDF policy is any indication, they kill the API and cut off 3rd party links to the compendium. WotC has no compunctions about defending what they see as their content by any means necessary.

In essence, you win the battle but lose the war.

Now you and I both know that some guy coding this project on his own for no money isn't going to take on Hasbro's sharks (the one's with the big, pointy, legal teeth). It's a moot point.

I am pretty sure that the coder was unwilling to poison the well even if he was in the right (and I don't necessarily agree that he was in the right).

My two coppers,

 

[mudbunny]

Cool, it just makes me wonder why WOTC is going after Masterplan even more since that further places the burden on the end users. Time will tell...

A couple of reasons as far as is my guess:

1 - MP, as a result of its design, automates the downloading/saving of the Compendium Contents.
2 - As a result of the downloading/saving, people who do not have (or never had) a valid DDI subscription can obtain access to the Compendium data.
3 - As a result of the downloading/saving, an undue burden is placed upon WotC servers to deal with the requests. As more people hear about MP, the load would increase to the point where people with non-ToS breaking requests might not be able to access the Compendium.
4 - It can be argued (whether it is true or not is a different question) that MP was designed with a view to facilitate the sharing of WotC information to those who do not have an up-to-date DDI subscription. That this would be less viable if there were other libraries out there that MP could be pointed at that permitted automated downloading/saving of their data.

Now this is all moot as the developer has stated that he is removing the part of MP that resulted in the C&D letter being sent.

 

[Kafen]

A couple of reasons as far as is my guess:

1 - MP, as a result of its design, automates the downloading/saving of the Compendium Contents.
2 - As a result of the downloading/saving, people who do not have (or never had) a valid DDI subscription can obtain access to the Compendium data.
3 - As a result of the downloading/saving, an undue burden is placed upon WotC servers to deal with the requests. As more people hear about MP, the load would increase to the point where people with non-ToS breaking requests might not be able to access the Compendium.
4 - It can be argued (whether it is true or not is a different question) that MP was designed with a view to facilitate the sharing of WotC information to those who do not have an up-to-date DDI subscription. That this would be less viable if there were other libraries out there that MP could be pointed at that permitted automated downloading/saving of their data.

Now this is all moot as the developer has stated that he is removing the part of MP that resulted in the C&D letter being sent.

Agreed, it is moot. The aftermath is worth considering on the other hand. WOTC can clean up its API and DDI terms. It would never get to the fine print if WOTC were to put up a clear usage policy. Masterplan devs are clearly fans of the game and do not want to hurt it.

I would love to talk about point 4, actually. I am curious to see how you would link Masterplan to the ex-DDI users transmitting the information under copyright. In all of this, I don't see where people are bridging the gap between Masterplan and the torrent sharing people on a legal level. As far as I know, Masterplan goes out of its way to encourage DDI subs with its onsite posts. So, the target audience is clearly people with active subs.

Kafen,

IAMNAL (look it up folks if you don't know the acronym). If I take your view for a moment and the author(s) of Master Plan (MP) did the same and let's say for the sake of argument MP wins. So, you have struck a blow for the rights of coders everywhere...

Now we flip this over to WotC side of things and they just lost this case, what are they going to do? If their PDF policy is any indication, they kill the API and cut off 3rd party links to the compendium. WotC has no compunctions about defending what they see as their content by any means necessary.

In essence, you win the battle but lose the war.

Agreed, it is why I always work with people and all parties in my entertainment media disputes over content. You can usually come out with a win-win arrangement. As the one awful movie suggests... "Show me the money!" People want to be paid in the business world. Cease and Desist letters are sooooo early 90s.

Now you and I both know that some guy coding this project on his own for no money isn't going to take on Hasbro's sharks (the one's with the big, pointy, legal teeth). It's a moot point.

I am pretty sure that the coder was unwilling to poison the well even if he was in the right (and I don't necessarily agree that he was in the right).

My two coppers,

Good coppers. Yes, it is a moot point and I fully agree on the poison well bit.

Personally, I go under a LLC which allows me to defend against these type of things. Masterplan...not so lucky, I think. *shrug* I just want people to know that groups like FAP, the ACLU, and your local bar association in the US help fight these type of laws in the US. Software companies have options -whatever size. And, you can afford it if you run with insurance.




EDIT: It is worth noting that I only support Masterplan as an innocent party. The people sharing the files are breaking copyright. Adds his own IAMNAL disclaimer...

 

[mudbunny]

@Kafen - Check your PM.

 

[Kafen]

*looks*

...and bringing the topic back to potential fun stuff.

-Plot Flowchart
Masterplan allows you to organise your adventure using a simple drag-and-drop flowchart view, which indicates when the party is likely to level up.

-Combat Encounters
Masterplan lets you build combat encounters, displaying the creature statblocks and the encounter XP value; XP targets are shown and inappropriate challenges are highlighted, and creatures can be levelled up and down as desired. Masterplan can generate encounters randomly or semi-randomly using the DMG encounter templates or an encounter deck. Masterplan can even run the combat encounter, keeping track of hit points, conditions and ongoing damage.

-Treasure Parcels
Masterplan contains a treasure parcel generator which automatically pulls in magic items of the appropriate levels.
Traps / Hazards
Masterplan includes a simple editor for creating traps and hazards. Traps can be added to encounters.

-Skill Challenges
Masterplan includes a skill challenge editor which automatically calculates the XP value of a skill challenge and provides appropriate DC values. Skill challenges can be added to encounters.

-Tactical Maps
Masterplan allows you to build and edit maps using dungeon tiles or other images; these maps can then be used in encounters. Maps can be automatically generated, and delve-style adventures can be randomly generated from any map with one click. During combat you can even draw directly on the map.

-Encyclopedia
Masterplan contains an integrated project encyclopedia.

-Player Options
You can define races, paragon paths, epic destinies, feats etc for player use.

-Player View
During a session, Masterplan makes it easy for you to share information with your players using a separate display.

-Extensibility
You can extend Masterplan by writing add-ins for it.

-Compendium Integration
You can download creatures, traps / hazards and magic items into Masterplan directly from the Wizards of the Coast Compendium.

-iPlay4e Integration
You can import iPlay4e characters into your project, allowing you to use the iPlay4e character view during combat.

Where is there left for Masterplan to go without a Compendium Integration feature?

 

[mudbunny]

My suspicions - It will have the same type of Compendium Integration that iPlay4E currently has, possibly with the ability to download/save individual pages that is *not* automated, in that the user would have to manually choose the page, choose to save it and save it while choosing the name.

 

[malraux]

*is aware* I said that I hope they have a "Do what we want clause" in the DDI ToS if they ever go that route, too. The answer does not make sense unless people know that scraping is legal.


The last bit occurs to me as I drink my steaming hot coffee on this fine day.

But the ToU specifically calls out scrapping already. What is there to add?