D&D 5E D&D Beyond Announces Combat Tracker

"We're happy to announce the Alpha release of the Combat Tracker tool to subscribers of D&D Beyond! Try it out in your D&D games and your feedback will be used to make this the best it can be!"

D&D Beyond has just announced the alpha development version of a combat tracker. You can track monsters, initiative, and access quick reference information. This functionality is similar to that offered by Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds.

You can read more about the combat tracker here. The Alpha version is available to DDB subscribers.

"We have been using the Combat Tracker in our home games for a few weeks, and although it is certainly not in a finished state yet, we experienced enough value that we have decided to go ahead and release it now - even in its unfinished state - to both 1) let subscribers gain some of that value and 2) get feedback as early as possible.

Please keep in mind that this is not a finished product, and we invite subscribers to help us make it the best it can be!

Who can use the Combat Tracker?

All D&D Beyond Subscribers. The Combat Tracker is in full active development right now. We will be allowing early access to NEW Combat Tracker features to our Subscribers first, to prove out concepts and new functionality. We took the same approach with the Alpha version of the Encounter Builder with much success. This delivery method allows us to digest feedback in bite sized chunks and perform testing to figure out the best user experience possible.

What is a Development Alpha?

The Development Alpha of the Combat Tracker allows us to test features and user experience.

• Functional but expecting a lot of bugs
  • Should be no core functionality bugs
• Core functionality could change with feedback
• Functionality could appear or disappear at any time

We will be working on validating bug reports and cleaning up the Combat Tracker. Once these tasks have been completed we will release to Beta, essentially meaning the Combat Tracker tool is complete."

 

[MNblockhead]

Man, I come to this forum to talk about D&D, not argue about software methodology and software quality in different market segments.

Looking forward to giving this a try, as I don't think anyone's done a really good online combat tracker.

Check out Improved Initiative. It is a gem.

 

[MNblockhead]

It still amazes me that DDB is the digital face of D&D. (I'm not saying it isn't, because it is.) These things like the encounter builder and now combat tracker are so inferior to the other D&D digital platforms that I continue to be baffled by people being so interested in DDB.

I'm glad they "are getting there". But these are functions that FG has had working an ironed out for YEARS.

What do y'all mean about DDB being the digital face of D&D? It is just one of several companies that license D&D content for digital tools: Fantasy Grounds, Roll20 are others. Is it because DDB only does D&D that it is somehow seen as "the face of D&D?"

Besides, we all know the Chris Perkins is the face of D&D...well, maybe Matt Mercer now.

 

[MNblockhead]

First time I've used ENWorld's ignore feature. Works quite well, though it would be nice if other people stop replying.

First time I've been tempted. But I really like what some of these folks write in other threads, so I don't want to ignore them throughout the site. It would just be nice to ignore certain people in a specific thread when they lose their minds or start to carry on tangential arguments that I'm not interested in.

 

[cbwjm]

The combat tracker alpha feedback provides some additional information for what will hopefully be added into the combat tracking tool by full release.

I'm looking forward to player input and the combat notes. Tracking conditions will also be nice when available. Persistent memory will be useful for those games that finish halfway through a fight.

What is likely being developed during this release cycle

The following list of items are planned to be developed prior to the final release of the Combat Tracker v1. This list could change depending on many factors.

• Release the Combat Tracker to BETA for all users.
• Condition Tracking: allow for all conditions to be added and subtracted from combatants
  • Include timers automatically notifying the DM when the condition has expired.
• Player notification of turn.
• Player input: Meaning players can enter, on their device or roll digitally on their device and push their initiative to the DMs Combat tracker.
• Combat notes field for DMs to record events and save for later reference
• View characters with easy dropdown character Stat Blocks
• View multiple stat blocks
• Large character images when you click on the character avatar.
• Persistent Memory: Allow the user to have a combat active even if they log out and log back in (meaning they will not lose their reference for the combat progression.
• Ad Hoc combat tracking for those DMs that don’t like to plan or need something they did not plan for
  • Quick monster look up/add
  • Quick character look up/add

 

[HarbingerX]

I'm glad they "are getting there". But these are functions that FG has had working an ironed out for YEARS.

But FG has also had years to develop these features. D&D Beyond is a very new product.

And while I love the capabilities of FG, their user interface is a massive barrier for me personally. The FG Unity Kickstarter really missed a chance to modernize the user experience.

 

[HarbingerX]

The combat tracker alpha feedback provides some additional information for what will hopefully be added into the combat tracking tool by full release.

I'm looking forward to player input and the combat notes. Tracking conditions will also be nice when available. Persistent memory will be useful for those games that finish halfway through a fight.

What is likely being developed during this release cycle

The following list of items are planned to be developed prior to the final release of the Combat Tracker v1. This list could change depending on many factors.

• Release the Combat Tracker to BETA for all users.
• Condition Tracking: allow for all conditions to be added and subtracted from combatants
  • Include timers automatically notifying the DM when the condition has expired.
• Player notification of turn.
• Player input: Meaning players can enter, on their device or roll digitally on their device and push their initiative to the DMs Combat tracker.
• Combat notes field for DMs to record events and save for later reference
• View characters with easy dropdown character Stat Blocks
• View multiple stat blocks
• Large character images when you click on the character avatar.
• Persistent Memory: Allow the user to have a combat active even if they log out and log back in (meaning they will not lose their reference for the combat progression.
• Ad Hoc combat tracking for those DMs that don’t like to plan or need something they did not plan for
  • Quick monster look up/add
  • Quick character look up/add

Awesome! I look forward to seeing these updates getting pushed out.

 

[LordEntrails]

But FG has also had years to develop these features. D&D Beyond is a very new product.

And while I love the capabilities of FG, their user interface is a massive barrier for me personally. The FG Unity Kickstarter really missed a chance to modernize the user experience.

Perhaps, but they felt forward compatibility of all existing DLC and campaigns was more important than alienating a large part of their existing customer base to please a set of potential new customers.

 

[HarbingerX]

Perhaps, but they felt forward compatibility of all existing DLC and campaigns was more important than alienating a large part of their existing customer base to please a set of potential new customers.

Well you can maintain DLC and have a new UI. But I get it - they have an existing (and growing) customer base that they most definitely have to maintain; and designing new UIs is very, very expensive.

My point remains that it's unfair to compare D&D Beyond to what FG does as FG has 15 years of development. Look at roll20, they've been working for 7 years and still have a long way to go to match FGs features.

 

[HarbingerX]

Check out Improved Initiative. It is a gem.

Wow. I stand corrected. That's a really nice combat tracker. If only all these different tools integrated. Any of them bold enough to open up their APIs? One can dream...

 

[Azzy]

I have to admit, it strikes me as odd that someone with an educational background in linguistics (that's pretty vague anyway. I could also technically say that since I took Korean in college...), would argue that definitions of words change as long as someone starts using it in the wrong way. Better tell Merriam-Webster.

You do realize that English is filled with words that originally meant one thing, and now mean something else (sometimes the opposite of the original meaning)? A simple web search should provide mutiple examples.