Nebulous
Legend
I've not been privy to any of the beta or inside knowledge, but I thought everyone was very, very pleased with the progress and it was on the very cusp of wide release??
D&D 5E Dungeonscape no more?
- Thread starter MintMMs
- Start date
I've not been privy to any of the beta or inside knowledge, but I thought everyone was very, very pleased with the progress and it was on the very cusp of wide release??
Zaruthustran
The tingling means it’s working!
You know how Narbacular Drop was a clunky, ugly game with a crazy innovative, fascinating mechanic? And that team was given money and art and other resources by Valve, and turned that game into Portal?
Yeah. I want WotC to do something like that.
Our hobby has a talented, passionate, and tech-proficient constituency. There are so many community-made tools out there. Tools that aren't pretty, but work. I'd love to see such a team get elevated. Take something that already works, polish up the UI and optimize the functionality, and ship it.
It's D&D, for crissakes. Simple math and text. All I want is a pretty front-end of any of the dozens of auto-calculating character sheets that are out there. With added functionality of pulling race, class, and feat information from a simple text database.
I don't want or need anything complex or difficult to program. Nothing grandiose. What I described above shouldn't take more than two months of dev time. Write a programmer a check for $24k, write a UI designer a check for $10k, and get it done!
Yeah. I want WotC to do something like that.
Our hobby has a talented, passionate, and tech-proficient constituency. There are so many community-made tools out there. Tools that aren't pretty, but work. I'd love to see such a team get elevated. Take something that already works, polish up the UI and optimize the functionality, and ship it.
It's D&D, for crissakes. Simple math and text. All I want is a pretty front-end of any of the dozens of auto-calculating character sheets that are out there. With added functionality of pulling race, class, and feat information from a simple text database.
I don't want or need anything complex or difficult to program. Nothing grandiose. What I described above shouldn't take more than two months of dev time. Write a programmer a check for $24k, write a UI designer a check for $10k, and get it done!
ForumFerret
First Post
Not hardly. Sadly, the beta was in sad shape. Last time I used it, it didn't even add Con bonus to HP. You couldn't multiclass, it was a mess, stuff didn't work all over the place. It would be more accurately termed alpha software, it didn't really even hit basic functionality in the character builder, and NONE of the other features had been implemented yet.
Nebulous
Legend
I agree, this should be ridiculously easy in this day and age to do. Hell, in some respects, 5th edition should have launched out of the gate with digital character building support.
Astrosicebear
First Post
This type of program with this type of scope is NOT easy. The backbone, which no one ever sees, was most likely 90% of the codework. You are talking about a DRM system with heavy protections, an e-store, with a complex character generator and expandable ruleset codebase. Building a basic structure is fine, but making it expandable is quite a challenge.
Piratecat
Sesquipedalian
I'd encourage [MENTION=697]mearls[/MENTION] and his team to consider this approach, too. There are some risks -- ongoing support, for instance -- but there are some huge advantages as well. By taking the best tool from the fan community and legitimizing it, not only does Hasbro know that they aren't starting from scratch, they also build massive goodwill. People like folk heroes, and it's damn cool when a good fan product done out of love gets officially recognized and improved.
Nebulous
Legend
I'm no code monkey, but you're probably right. Nevertheless, i know there must be thousands of people with the requisite skill and track record to pull this off, as well as love of the hobby. Why they haven't been given enough money to support the most popular rpg in the world, i don't know. I guess it just wasn't up to snuff. I just find it odd, because the 4e tools were well regarded, until the whole plug got pulled on that too.
ExploderWizard
Hero
A quick click and print character builder with a fancy character sheet output would be nice to have but it isn't like 5E is so complicated that you can't play without it and that's a GOOD thing.
Monsters are easier to create than they ever have been since 3E. Characters don't come with reams of powers text that they did in 4E so I'm not seeing the huge need for tools to manage this stuff.
Right now I just use excel and word for game prep and everything is running fine. I would buy a decent character & monster generator but it isn't like the game is unplayable without them.
Monsters are easier to create than they ever have been since 3E. Characters don't come with reams of powers text that they did in 4E so I'm not seeing the huge need for tools to manage this stuff.
Right now I just use excel and word for game prep and everything is running fine. I would buy a decent character & monster generator but it isn't like the game is unplayable without them.
Nebulous
Legend
Oh, it is absolutely playable. I'm not even bothered that Dungeonscape got scrapped, although my posts might sound otherwise. I just wanted a good monster builder with an extensive database of sortable, editable powers, and i saw Dungeonscape as the first step toward that happening one day. I can do it myself, sure, but it would nice to have a handy program make the process faster.
Piratecat
Sesquipedalian
Agreed. I don't think I'm ever going to play another game that's so complicated you NEED digital tools. It turned out to be one of my major frustrations with the last edition. Being able to bang together a character quickly, with just the books, is something I love.
…but I still want to give someone money for cool and convenient tools.
…but I still want to give someone money for cool and convenient tools.
Ricochet
Explorer
Nevermind, someone else already replied, but yeah, wasn't looking too completed to me.
Henrix
Explorer
Why not PCGen?
I don't think wizard will want free software where it is easy to extract all their stuff.
Proprietary software where the stuff you buy is locked to your account will certainly be the model.
iwarrior-poet
Explorer
Seriously?!? SERIOUSLY?!? I have been waiting for a good set of digital tools since 2nd Edition. This is absolutely ludicrous. WoTC has squandered another opportunity to bring Tabletop D+D to MILLIONS of new players through iOS and Android supportive apps. I have lived through E-Tools, CMP's dismal failures, 4e's bungles, and now this. Don't they get that RPGers are generally a tech savvy bunch and would be willing to put scads of money into excellent aides?!? This really boggles the mind. Unfortunately I have already bought the PHB, DM and MM---but my purchases of 5e will stop there absent a completed, comprehensive game aide.
evilbob
Explorer
Well, I am very sorry for the folks who put a lot of time and effort into something that got canned.
But I am very happy that project got canned. To be honest: it was a mess. The beta was shocking in how incomplete it was - I wouldn't have called it an alpha, much less something that should have been shown to the general public. I jumped into the beta within an hour or two of its initial release and was so disgusted I didn't even try to play with it again. It was six months to a year from finished, I'd guess - and that's because what it needed more than anything was to be thrown out and entirely redone.
I agree with the other poster that Pirate Cat responded to: this isn't rocket science. There are probably a few people on this board who could make that program in a few months, given compensation. Or maybe someone already has, or has started. It's possible, but whatever was being made wasn't it. Stop trying to get in the way and just get OUT of the way, WotC!
And finally, like others have said: the very, very, VERY loose idea that THIS was why we weren't getting legit PDFs of our books is now finally snapped. There is 100% NO REASON not to give us PDFs now. Not that there wasn't before, but now even the pretend excuse is gone. WHERE ARE THE PDFS.
But I am very happy that project got canned. To be honest: it was a mess. The beta was shocking in how incomplete it was - I wouldn't have called it an alpha, much less something that should have been shown to the general public. I jumped into the beta within an hour or two of its initial release and was so disgusted I didn't even try to play with it again. It was six months to a year from finished, I'd guess - and that's because what it needed more than anything was to be thrown out and entirely redone.
I agree with the other poster that Pirate Cat responded to: this isn't rocket science. There are probably a few people on this board who could make that program in a few months, given compensation. Or maybe someone already has, or has started. It's possible, but whatever was being made wasn't it. Stop trying to get in the way and just get OUT of the way, WotC!
And finally, like others have said: the very, very, VERY loose idea that THIS was why we weren't getting legit PDFs of our books is now finally snapped. There is 100% NO REASON not to give us PDFs now. Not that there wasn't before, but now even the pretend excuse is gone. WHERE ARE THE PDFS.
IF an open licence is provided, my 5e datafiles for Hero Lab also include support the Encounter Builder and Tactical Console (basically an initiative&combat tracker combined with a Monster/Encounter Builder). Admitted, the Monster Builder is a bit simple-done probably, but it works ;-)
Thaumaturge
Wandering. Not lost. (He/they)
I'm quoting me from May. Glad I went into it this way. I am not disappointed.
Thaumaturge.
