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Message: <blockquote data-quote="kenmarable" data-source="post: 3721487" data-attributes="member: 40359">People have talked about this for years, and it isn't easy.If you are going for another Digital Initiative, I wouldn't even consider it unless I had deep pockets and an experienced programming shop. I'm sure WotC is spending millions on it since that's really what it takes to build the entire DI that they are talking about. I think they've made some bad decisions early on that might ultimately doom major portions of it, but without at least a million dollars in my bank account to hire a team to pull it off, I'm just armchair coding. (Now, if there is anyone out there with a million to spend on this, I would gladly talk to them about how to do the DI right.) <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />As for specific tools, that has exactly happened with PCGen, DM Genie, RPXplorer, and who knows how many others I can't think of off the top of my head. The hard-core coders have spent their free time building tools with all kinds of functionality. I think that the software apps out there aren't uber-popular because most people either don't want to use a computer for their RPG or see the tools as more trouble than their worth (either because of needing to input WotC IP manually, bloated interfaces designed for maximum flexibility rather than maximum usability, lack of experience actually using the tool, etc.). When 4e comes out, people will continue to do the same thing.You also mention specific content software. Now that is something interesting. It's something I've toyed around with, and with WotC pushing for more computer use in 4e I'll probably actually push to get some finished product out there. I've heard discussions about this for years, however, and no one has done it yet. I remember Clark Peterson's comments ages ago about how terrible PDF is as an electronic format. They are just book wanna-be's rather than true electronic products. The metaphor he used was making a movie of a novel by filming someone reading it. It's just a wanna-be and not an actual conversion to a new medium.However, unlike the software tools mentioned above, this requires a convergence of both content and programming. Typically the people who want to put out content, write it and publish to PDF (or print). Those who want to program build the tools rather than specific stand alone products. It's two entirely different mindsets. I thought Code Monkey was getting close with their interactive adventures, but they never really made it anywhere with it, largely because it appeared to be that they were still in the "build general software" mentality which carries a lot more development and baggage along than necessary.0one's maps are the only other contender I see for embracing a true electronic medium with individual content rather than tools. But they are a long way from what could be done.But we'll see if anything actually hits that convergence and is even useful. People like general tools that they can modify as they like. So the sort of products I'm thinking about might flop. But it's something I've been thinking about and refining in the back of my head for 4 years now, and I'm finally getting off my duff and actually building something since I'm surprised no one else has in all that time.</blockquote>

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