November 16th release for Web-based Character Builder

[bargle0]

So I've figured it out ...

Remember a couple of years ago, when people would complain bitterly about the new edition and a common response went something like "Wizards won't send the book police to take your old books"?

In the pure online subscription based model, they can take our books.

 

[DEFCON 1]

I will continue to subscribe to DDI regardless of platform for one simple reason...

THE CHARACTER BUILDER IS JUST TOO DAMN USEFUL.

You know what? That's the long and the short of it. Designing characters with the program is worth ANY inconvenience WotC might throw up.

I'm not going to cancel my subscription in order to "prove some point", or to try and let WotC know that they've "lost a customer" or any other of that nonsense. I play 4E weekly. I like making it easier on myself. And designing/leveling characters using the CB on a web-only platform is STILL EASIER than quitting DDI over some perceived slight and then trying to do all this work using just the books.

So basically... a WotC rep could come over to my house each and every month and doofsmack me in the back of the head and I'd STILL pay for DDI, because THEIR PRODUCT IS JUST THAT GOOD AND I'M WILLING TO PAY FOR IT.

And I have a sneaking suspicion that quite a number of you who are proclaiming that you're "done"... will discover in three months time without having a Character Builder to use and trying to do everything by hand that... you know what? Maybe having it online-only really isn't such a big deal after all.

 

[DEFCON 1]

In the pure online subscription based model, they can take our books.

No they can't. Because they're not your books. They're the library, and you're paying a monthly fee to come in and photocopy the information inside their copies of the books to use on your homework projects.

Now you can still go out and buy your own copies of the books if you want... but if you want to go to the one central place where all the books are stored within easy reach and can pull the info out and rearrange it a lot faster than you could at home... you just have to pay your monthly subscription for the right to do so.

 

[Ourph]

And I have a sneaking suspicion that quite a number of you who are proclaiming that you're "done"... will discover in three months time without having a Character Builder to use and trying to do everything by hand that... you know what? Maybe having it online-only really isn't such a big deal after all.

Oh, I'll freely admit that I would hate to play 4e without the Character Builder. But the content in the builder at this time is pretty impressive and I think I will be quite content to download the latest version sometime before Nov 16th and just use that as my character generation software from now on. I'm not quitting on DDI out of spite or to "send a message", I just prefer not to rent my RPG products. If WotC ever decide to offer the CB with updates as an offline app again, I will gladly start giving them my money once more.

 

[possum]

Remember a couple of years ago, when people would complain bitterly about the new edition and a common response went something like "Wizards won't send the book police to take your old books"?

In the pure online subscription based model, they can take our books.

Exactly. When 5th Edition eventually comes out, so does the now online-only character builder and other tools. Which, if someone doesn't pay attention, can actually kill 4e games of people who don't want to switch. Really, even if they do, paper can be easily destroyed, either by a careless hand bumping into a drink or by simply being misplaced. That's why I don't like this move.

 

[blalien]

This move doesn't bother me as long as Wizards is absolutely dedicated to getting updates done on time. Every month they miss an update, I will be on their ass for a refund.

And besides, if you're not using Dark Sun or Essentials, you can keep using the program at least until, like, April.

 

[DEFCON 1]

...I just prefer not to rent my RPG products. If WotC ever decide to offer the CB with updates as an offline app again, I will gladly start giving them my money once more.

While I understand what you're saying here... I just have to admit that in this day and age... what you're advocating seems weird to me. I mean, I pay monthly subscriptions to get cable tv... to use Tivo... to use my cellphone... to play WoW... to get electricity into my home... to get fresh water into my home... etc. etc. And in all these cases... if I don't pay for them each month, then they get shut off and I can't use them. It's a fairly standard service/payment system. So why would I possibly think that something like DDI would be at all different from that?

Obviously you don't see it the same way, which is cool... but honestly I just really can't wrap my mind around it.

 

[The Little Raven]

I've checked that the current CB does indeed track things during game play. I think this statement is just incorrect.

The character sheet viewer is actually a separate application. If the export function (when implemented) is in the same format, you should be able to use it offline to track your character.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Exactly. When 5th Edition eventually comes out, so does the now online-only character builder and other tools. Which, if someone doesn't pay attention, can actually kill 4e games of people who don't want to switch. Really, even if they do, paper can be easily destroyed, either by a careless hand bumping into a drink or by simply being misplaced. That's why I don't like this move.

Let me get this straight... you don't like the change of a downloadable offline Character Builder to an online web-based one... because of the chance that 5th Edition will come out and WotC will completely replace the 4E CB with a 5E one (thereby eliminating all 4E info from the system), and then in addition just by happenstance that player also then manages to somehow lose or destroy all his hard copy books too... then that player has no way of playing 4E anymore because he's now lost all the items that have 4E rules in them.

You know... I really don't think the Wizards Insider staff was really considering the feelings of that person when they made their decision. And quite frankly... I'm GLAD FOR THAT.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Uh... how much money was I paying WoTC for the DDI in '02? Oh right, nothing. Yeah, a little different than me going, "Gee WoTC, you owes me paper." When I'm paying for a service and it's 'upgraded', I don't expect to lose functionality that I currently have.

As a yearly subscriber, I paid for a service. And for years received it. Even though many of the features initially touted were vapor ware and its still not doing everything it could do, even though some of those things, like full scale maps, appear to be VERY easy.

I'm done with it.

WoTC inability to do things in a timely fashion, communicate with its costumers in an honest fashion, etc..., have at least temporarily, lost me as a customer. I'll check in on it in a few months, see what everyone thinks, see if the place I game ever gets internet access, etc..

Hell, maybe it'll work on Android and I can use my cell phone right? Because despite how popular the iPad is, Android too is very popular and if WoTC is 'aiming' for the future, they've got a few targets to hit.

I note that you've been a member since '02. I assume you sat around with RPG books for six years just wishing you could play but for the overwhelming cost of ink and paper.

Seriously though, I lose zero functionality with this change. When I went to play, I hit print on the character sheet. One of my players, uses a sheet of notebook paper and a pencil. I'm pretty sure he isn't worried about the roughly 2 cents it costs him.

That being said, I understand the complaint for those who travel a lot and take their laptops with them and like to play around with the CB. That is a legitimate concern. However, I also think that this is a pretty small percentage of the actual usage of the CB. To me, this smells a lot more like the "Oh my god, WotC created a new edition and its not the exact same as my favorite edition!" arguments.

The only "lack of functionality" this really creates is for those who only want to play with their laptop running and are not able to play in an area with internet. I still think this is a pretty small segment, especially considering how long D&D has been around. Additionally, while I realize everyone's mileage is different, pulling players away from their laptops, iPads, phones, etc. is not particularly bad since those items in my experience only tend to distract people at the table.