Web-Based CB is Live (Official Announcement)

[mudbunny]

The web-based Character Builder is up and live on the D&D website!

You can find the latest patch notes here, and some answers to some common questions in the FAQ. The known issues list has also been updated and has a link to the bug reporting form if you run into any new problems.

Have fun and don't forget to drop into the Character Builder Feedback forum to let us know what you think about the new additions and changes. (Note - Links to WotC Forum)

 

[Piratecat]

Thank you so much for the communication - it's appreciated.

 

[mudbunny]

A quick note from WotC_Trevor:

Hey all. We have discovered an issue with the servers that is causing some people to crash out or hang up in the CB when filling out their characters. We're working to pinpoint the exact issue and fix it, and as soon as I have any new information I'll let you know.

 

[Tony Vargas]

So, is it any good? The WotC boards are fulminating with pissed-off detractors. Any rational reviews?

 

[Sunseeker]

My 2c

It's fairly quick, the ability to pre-build a character at any given level is great for one-shots, and it's a lot easier to select what base information you want to use. Load-up time is about the same as the PC character builder, the more graphical interface makes it easier to see things. Choosing style of play is a nice trick for people unfamiliar with it, or people who only want to see certain options.

It's pretty buggy though, lots of hang-ups and a few crashes. It's entirely random so you can't really repeat the proccess to get it to crash in the same way again. "Waiting on Vecna" is going to become the new catch-phrase of users though. As we saw before, powers are sorted by leve, not type, which is ANNOYING.

I hope there's simply some feature I'm missing that'll let me reorganize those.

Anyway, my overall rating is 7/10. It's good, and aside from the obvious(it's online, 20 character limit), it's probably only slightly inferior to the desktop CB.

 

[Tony Vargas]

So, while it has problems, it does have some functionality that the old CB didn't?

 

[renau1g]

Seems decent. It's slow and buggy and I'm not a fan of their default settings (with no options to change them) or the lack of ability to add any house rules (i.e. a free expertise feat for PC's which is common). At least it has essentials?

Seriously though, the interface is nice and I do expect it to perform better in coming days. I have struggled to get a PC imported, but some others have succeeded. Overall, it's prettier than the old CB, but far less useful. I'll give it a 3/5 stars as is...

 

[Scribble]

As we saw before, powers are sorted by leve, not type, which is ANNOYING.

I hope there's simply some feature I'm missing that'll let me reorganize those

Maybe I misunderstand what you mean, but you can select what it organizes power by with that little drop down box at the top.

 

[Sunseeker]

So, while it has problems, it does have some functionality that the old CB didn't?

In short, yes. It also lacks some things the old CB had. One step forward, one step back.

Maybe I misunderstand what you mean, but you can select what it organizes power by with that little drop down box at the top.

*runs over to look*

The Character Builder to Essentials option? That doesn't change how the power cards are laid out, which ATM are organized by level. Not by type. I want it so that I have At-Wills, Encounters, Dailies, in that order, regardless of their level. Preferably in alphabetical order.

 

[LightPhoenix]

A quick note from WotC_Trevor:

Something that probably should have been caught before launch, seeing as how it's happening pretty frequently. However, it's good to know the team is aware of it and that we know you know. Also, the restore on close/crash functionality is wonderful.

So, is it any good? The WotC boards are fulminating with pissed-off detractors. Any rational reviews

It runs relatively smoothly right now (crashes aside); we'll see if that changes with a heavier load this evening.

I'm finding power and feat selection a little clunky, but in a different way than the old CB. An actual filter for feats by category would be great, but the search works pretty good.

One big thing that was a pain was attribute selection via point buy. With every +/- click the system seemed to run something in the background. Really, there's no reason to run anything until everything is chosen.

I haven't played around with equipment much, but off the bat I noticed some equipment is sorted wonky.

It's definitely a work in progress, but it shows a lot of promise.