DDI: Wouldn't it make sense to bring back the Dungeon Tiles Mapper?

[Phat Lute]

With 30% of Wizards' new "permanently in stock" Essentials line being dungeon tile master sets, wouldn't it make sense for Wizards to bring back a tool that they had already had way back when, so that we can view and save maps of our tiles and plan how we're going to use them with adventures in a convenient way?

Since the tiles are reprints, some of them are already on the old Dungeon Tiles Mapper I found in Wizards' archives. You'd think they would have already rolled it back out, or announced that they plan to:

A large chunk of their new marketing strategy / product line is these tiles (three out of ten products.) They're great at the table, but awkward when it comes to putting an adventure down on paper in a way that you can remember which tiles you're using, and exactly where. A lot of people are less than thrilled with DDI at the moment, and calling for new functionality. In five months' time, they will have released four different tile sets starting with Deserts of Athas. They've already done it once and they still have the old tool, it just isn't up-to-date.

So what are they worried about? Piracy? People using the mapper but not buying the tiles? It seems like they're willing to completely paralyze themselves for the sake of someone not ripping them off digitally, and people are still able to rip them off digitally regardless.

I seriously wonder about their decision making skills sometimes.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

What dungeon tiles mapper? Could you provide a link?
I do not remember such an application, you are not talking about the proposed virtual table, I take it?

 

[Phat Lute]

Sorry about that, link added to my original post.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

I expect it was too much trouble to maintain. I could not get it to run in anycase.

I would also expect that it would not have rated highly in the market survey they did on what tools to do next. My memory was that encounter management tools rated fairly highly. That said there appears to be no sign of them either despite the fact that such a feature is a pretty straightforward database application. They even have the core idea of it in the online extras but it should be integrated with compendium/monster builder and some campaign journalling system.

It would appear to me that a lot of focus seems to be on redesigning the web site.
Not that it makes navigation much better, I have run a couple of Chaos Scar adventures now but finding my way back to the adventure list is a chore every time.

 

[darjr]

It actually still exists as a third party tool. However the focus seems to have shifted to pymapper.

dungeon_tiles : D&D Dungeon Tile Maps (WotC)

 

[Phat Lute]

I was able to get it to run on my computer, and got a little excited when I started seeing the reprint tiles in there. Alas, there's only a small portion of them reused from the first few sets that are in the mapper.

It's simple and unpolished, sure.

I guess my feeling was that it would be something simple that they've already got the framework for that could be offered. I know it wouldn't entirely satisfy anyone given what they had originally planned for DDI, but the only Essentials products I'm buying are the tiles, and I got two sets of The Dungeon along with two Athas sets. I like them, but I'm wondering about the practicality in terms of pre-planning dungeons.

I've been arranging them on the floor to get ideas for an adventure that I likely won't be running for a month or two, and hoping that I remember the layout or can find an easy way to get it down along with the text of the adventure. I've gone from zero to "lots" of tiles and wondering how to port the layouts into my adventure notes.

I don't think it's "THE" app that would save DDI for anyone, even myself, but it seems like an obvious move to me to bring it back or offer something similar since so much of their product line now involves the tiles.

 

[The Little Raven]

dungeon_tiles : D&D Dungeon Tile Maps (WotC)

Check that out. It was a group that started out by providing continued support for Jai's Dungeon Tile Mapper (the one on the Wizards' site). It grew into developing its own DT mapper (Pymapper) and offers all kinds of tiles.

 

[darjr]

the group is still active and I think they are working on integration with masterplan

 

[The Little Raven]

the group is still active and I think they are working on integration with masterplan

I haven't been keeping up with the news, but I think you are right. Masterplan is quite popular and I liked PyMapper better than the internal one for Masterplan the last time I used it, so having a guy focused on just making a good mapper that could integrate would really benefit both sides.

 

[DEFCON 1]

So what are they worried about? Piracy? People using the mapper but not buying the tiles? It seems like they're willing to completely paralyze themselves for the sake of someone not ripping them off digitally, and people are still able to rip them off digitally regardless.

I seriously wonder about their decision making skills sometimes.

I suspect it's more that they just don't have the manpower to bother with an app like this. Especially considering that if someone designs a dungeon but doesn't want to "keep it ready" (by scotch taping the tiles down on foamcore until such time as the dungeon is run)... WotC probably figures we can use these wonderful new technologies like "cameras" to photograph what the dungeon looks like, or "pencils and paper" to draw the dungeon and which tiles get used.