No Character Builder Update

[MerricB]

No, I too have no clue as to how long the task will take, I know when they said it would be done- I figure they know what the task involves...

I guess you do too, and I guess you know all about programming- perhaps they should get some more programmers in, better management- whatever it takes really to prevent this kind of thing happening again.

If only it were that simple! More programmers, alas, rarely help as there's a limit to how many people can program a program at once.

I've got a suspicion that there are some major underlying rewrites of the CB that need to be done as a result of Essentials, and that causes a lot of cascading problems. You know how we're all loving the way that Wizards are going away from the strict progression of powers with Essentials? It's a programmer's nightmare.

I'm not dismissing the size of the task, I'm just saying that this month, for whatever reason, they weren't up to it. I think that's what some other people are remarking upon in this thread too- including the OP.

This is the 'I'm disappointed in WOTC not updating the CB thread', isn't it?

Think so.

I don't disagree at all that Wizards have dropped the ball here, and - along with others - I think they should be held to account for it. I just take offense at someone (not you) assuming that the CB update is "just" data entry.

Still, I can't see any excuse whatsoever for the D&D Compendium update being late. Surely it can't be *that* difficult to get the Essentials information into it?

CHeers!

 

[MerricB]

Man Psionics must really be unpopular, I have not seen one post so far mentioning the missing Psionic Power Books which should also be updated.

Oh my, I hadn't thought of that. My Ardent! He needs his powers!

By the way I'm close to canceling the subscription not because of this incident but the DDI is constantly getting worse instead of better.

The Dragon Articles are getting more and more uninteresting (short and full of problematic crunch), the Dungeon seems to include only low Heroic and very short Adventures anymore, the Monster Builder is extremely buggy, is missing important features and still beta after a year, the Compendium doesn't work on my Android-Phone and the Scheduling of the CB was already too late (in the Beginning of DDI it was nearly on the same day as the book-Release!).

To be fair, the Android phone is your fault - shouldn't you have a better piece of equipment? However, I agree with you totally that Wizards are struggling to provide good DDi content.

Cheers!

 

[MarkB]

For all the complainers, how would you like it if several hundred people started screaming at you every time something went wrong at your job? What jobs do you have where everything runs perfectly and no one is ever sick or management doesn't meddle so projects never get delayed? Maybe you should set up a forum discussing your job so I can post about how incompetent you are every time you slip up or are the victim of outside circumstances.

I work in a company that provides services to thousands of people, and part of my job involves customer service calls, some of which can get quite irate as people get upset with us for missing a deadline or messing them around, often through circumstances beyond our control.

But you know what? That comes with the job. Those people are our customers, and they're paying us for a service, so if we let them down in any way, we apologise and do our absolute best to sort it out for them, even if the problem wasn't our fault, and if they're irate and annoyed, we'll hear them out anyway and remain polite. And if a problem on our part puts them out of pocket, we compensate them. Because that's what they're paying us for.

So while I'm not about to start pinning blame on any particular person or department in WotC, I don't feel any need to refrain from voicing my displeasure at the company as a whole for missing this sort of deadline. They're a big company, they can take it.

 

[MerricB]

They're a big company, they can take it.

I've suddenly got this vision of the Wizards building, curled up in a corner, sobbing...

 

[Bold or Stupid]

Oh my, I hadn't thought of that. My Ardent! He needs his powers!



To be fair, the Android phone is your fault - shouldn't you have a better piece of equipment? However, I agree with you totally that Wizards are struggling to provide good DDi content.

Cheers!

Just quoting to say I need to spread some Xp around, and to thank you for bring some reason and balance to this sad affair. I support what you have been saying. can someone cover me?

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I'm sorry... updating the Character Builder with Essentials is not a programming job? You really have no clue, do you?

The changes in D&D Essentials make a fundamental change to how D&D character creation works. It might look similar, but it isn't. I'm very glad I don't have the job of programming it, because it'd be a major task. I'm tremendously disappointed that it isn't ready yet, but I'm not going to dismiss the scale of the task.

Conversely, the D&D Compendium *should* be ready. As it is just a database with a simple set of filters, that should really just be a case of data entry.

Ok I had forgotten about themes (Dark Sun) they would require new programming the only other element that is fundamentally different in an essentials character from the regular character is that class abilities now come at different levels.
A lot really depends on how the thing was initially designed and exactly how rushed the initial developement.

 

[Goonalan]

I'm also tired of hearing that it's "just the internet and I'm venting" from all the internet tough-guys. There's lots of behaviors that used to be acceptable (they're only slaves) that we don't tolerate today. The culture was altered because one group of people called out the other on their brutishness. Would you actually read some of these posts to the people at Wizards if you were looking them in the face?



I'm not that tough any more, waiting for a knee-op- i hope I exude macho here on the net of course but... I am an ex-boxer, ex-armed forces guy- out of shape of course... but, I assure you, I coulda' been a contender...

I too don't like brutish behaviour, but- and I'm sorry to say it again- rather here on the internet... get it out of your system, feel refreshed- tomorrow (at work) I will be faced by a whole new set of problems. And I'll be dancing to begin with, because I had my vent, said my bit, drew a line in the sand, planted the flag of justice, wielded the holy (vorpal) sword of indignation... more blather follows, oh you know what I mean.

The stuff I wrote, of course I'd say it to their faces, I live in the UK- I phone up the BBC/ITV/C4 (etc.) to tell them when they've treated people badly (or just been plain lazy ), or not done their job properly. I some how delude myself that this makes me the good guy at times- particularly as my work requires me to know about a) TV, and the associated Media b) disability- the later being the most common cause of my complaints to the aforementioned.
If I lived in the US I'd phone Wizards, or write- I've written e-mails to them in the past, and I've sent as many complimentary ones as I have bad ones (just about).

I get what you're saying, don't get me wrong, we are just venting though- and we're a bit mad (rightly or wrongly), the OP wanted to vent-

We came, we read, we vented.

Best thing about D&D- easy, brings people together.

Mostly not to agree with each other however.

LOL.

 

[Nahat Anoj]

Just quoting to say I need to spread some Xp around, and to thank you for bring some reason and balance to this sad affair. I support what you have been saying. can someone cover me?

I got your back.

EDIT: Xp ninja'd by JoeGKushner. Oh well, MerricB probably deserves at least 2 points.

 

[LuckyAdrastus]

Man Psionics must really be unpopular, I have not seen one post so far mentioning the missing Psionic Power Books which should also be updated.

Yeah, this is the effect on me. We're going to start a two-session adventure with new 16th level characters in my regular campaign to give a player the chance to DM. I loved Psionic Power and wanted to try an Eladrin Iron Soul monk (Samurai Jack). Now I won't be able to do it with the CB, which is a huge time-saver for making a 16th level character from scratch.

 

[Aegeri]

This really disappointed me, I have two games starting soon and I was hoping to have the CB update out and available to my players for it - so I delayed them until the "tools" were to be out. Oh what a foolish idea that was.

Seriously, with the slipping of quality content in dragon/dungeon and now these continual delays - why should I maintain a subscription?