Do you DDI?

[Holy Bovine]

I'm surprised by the results of this poll. Better than 50% annual subscribers? Much higher than I expected. And, only 8% doing the occassional one-month pass?

Having constant access to the Compendium is very nice. And if you wanted the updated CB in a timely fashion annual subscription is way cheaper than monthly. If you wanted to wait and update 3-4 times a year then monthly is the way to go. Guess a lot of people put big value on timely updates and Compendium access.

 

[Peraion Graufalke]

Guess a lot of people put big value on timely updates and Compendium access.

That, and/or getting their reading fix with the Dragon and Dungeon magazines.

 

[Ryujin]

1. I can use it without having to boot into Windows.

So a Mac user then.

 

[Bagpuss]

1. I can use it without having to boot into Windows.
2. It has themes and wild talents.
3. It has the Essentials builds.
4. It has an improved character sheet layout.

So two reason really as middle too should have been part of the offline builder if they had stuck with that. I'm personally having a hard time with the last one as well since you can't customise the character sheet layout like you could with the old builder. You can't even customise what weapons are displayed on the power cards.

I'm also hoping that it'll let you use your own image for your PC.

I'm doubtful from what we have heard but it would be something worth asking.

"Considerably less" seems like an exaggeration. It's definitely missing two important features: offline use and export. Both are very important, but until the actual program comes out, I would hesitate say it has considerably less features.

no offline access
no export except as a print to PDF (so gone is saving offline and anyway to transfer between you and the GM, gone is the clipboard view which was great for discussing characters online)
20 character limit
no house rule support at all.
no editing of items.
no customising power cards to show multiple weapons
no interactive character sheet (with checkboxs and editable regions).
no copy/paste information except in text entry fields.
current character sheet formats miss important information like Paragon Path, alignment, XP (on the Essentials sheet)

I think that's part of why I'm excited. I'm hoping that it's an improvement in other ways.

Be nice if it was, no evidence of that yet, lots of evidence that it has reduced functionality.

 

[Scribble]

I wouldn't say I'm "excited" so much as ok with the change for the most part, happy about some things, and potentially excited about other things?


I'm ok with the change because I have a yearly subscription, use the CB on systems that are online anyway, and generally play in an environment hooked to the internet... So the change doesn't really alter my functioning.

I also don't use things like iplay4e or anything, so that doesn't effect me.

Most of the problems people have had with it, are things that don't effect me. So while I feel for those people, it's not something that causes me an issue.

Moving it to online means I'm happy about:

1. Friend who is a mac user can access the CB

2. Characters always online. (Said before in another thread that we had times in the past where someone forgot to print or bring their character... if it was online we would have had easier access to it.)

3. Pretty much every computer I'm around has Silverlight, so I can access the system without installing the CB or bringing my laptop around.

4. I'm generally somewhat disorganized. I've noticed that cloud based stuff tends to keep me better organized because someone else it keeping it organized for me. I'm weird like that.

5. Nothing for me to have to even think about updating.

6. Less pirating of the software (even if those people never buy the software) means more incentive for the company that makes stuff I like to buy to keep making that stuff. (Even if people think it's misplaced incentive.)

I'm potentially excited about:

1. Moving it to a central database makes it easier for them to update everything more quickly/easily.

2. Moving it to a central DB means it's easier for them to just connect it to different front end apps... Things like Droid apps or ipad or something.

3. Moving it to online means when they do come out with other tools it will be easier for them to all function together "automagically." (Ie if I'm ain a DM tool and I update the campaign it should easily be able to make changes to anyone in my campaign's CB state.)

In essence I'm excited about the possibilities moving the DB to a central location offers. Whether they make use of it is up in the air, but I tend to at least try to think on the positive side.

 

[I'm A Banana]

1. Friend who is a mac user can access the CB

2. Characters always online. (Said before in another thread that we had times in the past where someone forgot to print or bring their character... if it was online we would have had easier access to it.)

3. Pretty much every computer I'm around has Silverlight, so I can access the system without installing the CB or bringing my laptop around.

4. I'm generally somewhat disorganized. I've noticed that cloud based stuff tends to keep me better organized because someone else it keeping it organized for me. I'm weird like that.

5. Nothing for me to have to even think about updating.

6. Less pirating of the software (even if those people never buy the software) means more incentive for the company that makes stuff I like to buy to keep making that stuff. (Even if people think it's misplaced incentive.)

Piracy is free marketing.

Especially for well loved niches that need more exposure.

1. Moving it to a central database makes it easier for them to update everything more quickly/easily.

2. Moving it to a central DB means it's easier for them to just connect it to different front end apps... Things like Droid apps or ipad or something.

3. Moving it to online means when they do come out with other tools it will be easier for them to all function together "automagically." (Ie if I'm ain a DM tool and I update the campaign it should easily be able to make changes to anyone in my campaign's CB state.)

..."soon."

 

[Scribble]

Piracy is free marketing

It's great if that's your rationalization or philosophy, or whatever... But whatever the case, it's obviously NOT WoTC's philosophy... So if they see less pirating, they will have more incentive to make stuff I like. As I said before whether it's misplaced or not, it's how it is.

..."soon."

Soon in the last case meant like 2 months. If in 2 months I start seeing some new tools and features... I will be super excited.

 

[Bagpuss]

Soon in the last case meant like 2 months. If in 2 months I start seeing some new tools and features... I will be super excited.

Depends which soon are you referring to with WotC 2 months is about the shortest soon gets, a year or never is more typical.

 

[Scribble]

Depends which soon are you referring to with WotC 2 months is about the shortest soon gets, a year or never is more typical.

Like I said- I tend to at least try to think on the positive side. Focusing on the negative doesn't accomplish anything.

 

[Mengu]

no offline access
no export except as a print to PDF (so gone is saving offline and anyway to transfer between you and the GM, gone is the clipboard view which was great for discussing characters online)
20 character limit
no house rule support at all.
no editing of items.
no customising power cards to show multiple weapons
no interactive character sheet (with checkboxs and editable regions).
no copy/paste information except in text entry fields.
current character sheet formats miss important information like Paragon Path, alignment, XP (on the Essentials sheet)

Except for the offline access, I'd like to think all that functionality will be added back in, it's just not out at the time of the current release. We're really just getting an in progress product mainly because they need to put the content out there, don't want to put any more effort into the discontinued CB, and their bigger concern is official play, so it's natural that house rules and customization would be low on the priority list.

I don't think all these features will be added in say next month or two (except maybe export), but in the next 6-8 months we should see a few more features.