I seem to be missing the point on the online CB

[Shazman]

How is this change going to make things better for me?

The way our group is setup now isn't going to change. Two of us in the gaming group are subscribers, although that may change. And only the two of us own any books or minis. The rest of the group will now store their characters on one or both of our accounts. And they still won't subscribe. So there's no real difference there. Other than needing internet. So it's a little more restrictive. Not good for me, I'm not a fan of "restrictive."

Unless Wizards goes to a "must subscribe to play" model (Dungeons of Dragoncraft), they won't get any more cash from us (and they definately won't get it then). Seeing how only one player needs to be a subscriber for everyone to access the CB, I'm tempted to cancel. Dungeon and Dragon are drying up. I don't like the online CB move. I can't store my characters offline (they're working on that - it will be available "soon" ).

Honestly, I don't mind $6 a month for an offline CB and MB. I would keep subscribing just for that. I like good magazines, but I could live without them. And I'd still pay $6 a month for the offline apps. I've been a subscriber since the beginning. Only one time did I use one of the five CB installs on a computer that wasn't mine. Only once.

I guess the point is WotC thinks this move will net them more cash. It's not about making the game more enjoyable for me.

There's a benefit. To WotC, not the customer. I hope that they lose enough subscriptions over this online tools only nonsense that they start letting people update the old CB with subscriptions again.

 

[Gilladian]

The CB could run on a mac only if you were willing to run Windows, with all the attendant virus issues, etc...

For me, it was easier to just buy a cheapo Win system, stick it in a corner, buy a single month's subscription and download it once and use that.

Now, I'm actually looking at getting an ongoing sub.

 

[Scribble]

There's a benefit. To WotC, not the customer. I hope that they lose enough subscriptions over this online tools only nonsense that they start letting people update the old CB with subscriptions again.

There are benefits and drawbacks for both parties involved.

 

[Mallus]

My thoughts on the new online-only CB:

• It's nice to see WotC experimenting with new revenue steams.

• I wonder if it will work on my iPhone -- it should, right?

• I wonder if the interface will be clean/easy-to-use?

• It doesn't represent much of change for my group. Most of us are on-line during a session anyway.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

My thoughts on the new online-only CB:

• It's nice to see WotC experimenting with new revenue steams.

• I wonder if it will work on my iPhone -- it should, right?

• I wonder if the interface will be clean/easy-to-use?

• It doesn't represent much of change for my group. Most of us are on-line during a session anyway.

No it will not work on the iuphone as Apple does not allow third party application frameworks on the iOS

 

[Stumblewyk]

• I wonder if it will work on my iPhone -- it should, right?[

Sorry, nope. Silverlight doesn't run on iOS. It doesn't mean that Wizards won't some day introduce a mobile app for the online CB, but the soon-to-be released version will not run on any mobile platform except for the Windows Phones that are about to come out.

 

[Mallus]

No it will not work on the iuphone as Apple does not allow third party application frameworks on the iOS

Thanks for the info!

 

[erleni]

More sophisticated aerodynamic analysis shows that the bumblebee can fly because its wings encounter dynamic stall in every oscillation cycle.

I guess that the fact that the bumblebee does actually fly gives us even a better hint...

Just joking, I'm an engineer...

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Did anyone her the new WotC Podcast. It also contains a section on the Character Builder. It cannot be denied that one of the major concerns for WotC was not merely the platform independence, but the piracy. (There was no mention at all of people sharing accounts being problematic)

Another topic (I am late to the party)
HTML 5 will be great when it's out. But to this day, it's not finished. And currently, the different browsers like to show off how much more compatible they are with it then the others. Which for now tells us one thing - HTML 5 is not platform-independent yet. And even the "best" browsers aren't a 100 % match. I am fairly certain that wherever you get Silverlight 4, it's 100 % compatible. That might not be as much as platforms that can use parts of HTML 5, but I don't think anyone will have fun using an app that only works to 85 to 95 %.

I'd still prefer to keep my offline-builder with off-line storage of any number of characters I care to make.

 

[Bagpuss]

How is this change going to make things better for me?

If you are a Mac user then the answer is yes. Otherwise the answer is no. It's actually going to make things worse, the new builder has less utility than the old one, and disappears as soon as you stop paying for it.

I guess the point is WotC thinks this move will net them more cash. It's not about making the game more enjoyable for me.

I think the move was actually prompted for a number of reasons, most likely piracy, and problems with the older builder architecture than a simple attempt to grab more cash. Although the new model certainly is less, for more money.