My wishlist to improve DDI

[UngainlyTitan]

Man, I don't really care about an XML standard. I just want them to change the monster builder so people can import and export custom monsters--That way, a 3pp can create their monsters with the monster builders and make them available to DDI subscribers. That seems like a win-win situation for WotC, the 3pp, and their customer, and it can't require much work from WotC software developers.

An import utility would require a defined structure to the data, nowadays such structure is ecpressed in xml schemas. The developers could do this utility and it would not take a lot of effort. However, WOTC does not seem to intrerested in doing it. This reminds me I must take a look at the public API of the monster builder.

 

[DEFCON 1]

...and it can't require much work from WotC software developers.

Famous last words.

 

[catsclaw227]

This reminds me I must take a look at the public API of the monster builder.

Where is this posted? Is there a public API of the monster builder already?

 

[maddman75]

I've posted this before, and hopefully someone at Wizards has the same ideas.

They are working on monster builders, and should expand the Encounter Builder tool to use it. They should not only continue this work, but allow me to save my creations to the database. Then allow other subscribers to not only see my monsters, but those that others have created.

Once this is done, they need some good mapping tools. Not some big complicated never going to happen 3D virtual world, but a simple drag-n-drop tile maker. Let me use them to plan out what I'm going to do with the D&D tiles, or simply print them. Let me save and share these as well.

At some point, work in a tool for Skill Challenges. Incorporate all the errata and advice, and again let me save and share these.

Finally, we'll be at the end game - the Adventure Creator. I create the combat encounters, skill challenges, and maps into a whole adventure. Let me save this and upload it as well. Before long you'd have the biggest seller for DDI you could imagine - an online repository of user-created adventures. Don't be a jerk, and allow unofficial fan conversions of classic adventures as well as original creations. In no time flat you would have thousands of adventures free for the taking for any DDI subscriber. Have a rating system and Editor's Choice each month to highlight the really good ones.

If I were them, that is what I would be working towards.

 

[Turtlejay]

I've posted this before, and hopefully someone at Wizards has the same ideas.

They are working on monster builders, and should expand the Encounter Builder tool to use it. They should not only continue this work, but allow me to save my creations to the database. Then allow other subscribers to not only see my monsters, but those that others have created.

Once this is done, they need some good mapping tools. Not some big complicated never going to happen 3D virtual world, but a simple drag-n-drop tile maker. Let me use them to plan out what I'm going to do with the D&D tiles, or simply print them. Let me save and share these as well.

At some point, work in a tool for Skill Challenges. Incorporate all the errata and advice, and again let me save and share these.

Finally, we'll be at the end game - the Adventure Creator. I create the combat encounters, skill challenges, and maps into a whole adventure. Let me save this and upload it as well. Before long you'd have the biggest seller for DDI you could imagine - an online repository of user-created adventures. Don't be a jerk, and allow unofficial fan conversions of classic adventures as well as original creations. In no time flat you would have thousands of adventures free for the taking for any DDI subscriber. Have a rating system and Editor's Choice each month to highlight the really good ones.

If I were them, that is what I would be working towards.

This. I want this. I would like, for now, some sort of transter between the monster builder and the encounter builder. But as a grand vision, this takes the cake.

Jay

 

[darjr]

... snip really cool stuff ... If I were them, that is what I would be working towards.

Man I hope someone over there has read this.

 

[jgerman]

All I want is a (properly) documented API to their data that I can use to legally produce tools from.

Open it up WotC, let us pay for the data. You'll be amazed at the work 3rd parties will do on your behalf, all of them distributing tools that require DDI accounts to work. It will take pressure off of you do develop applications and establish WotC and 4E as a digital age RPG.

 

[Nate Jones]

It would be nice if there were some way to manually adjust all of the final stats and values, particularly attack modifiers. Sometimes you have a house rule to add a plus here or there (or in one case, the Builder did not seem to take into account a plus given from a character trait), and it would be nice if there were an easy way to edit the final numbers to reflect this. So far, I've had to resort to amalgamation of adding bonus feats (Armor feats, Weapon Expertise, Combat Reflexes, etc.) and changing magic weapons to be a level higher, and these fixes only go so far. I don't care if there is some flag the program throws up to show that the character is house-ruled, or the numbers have been changed (But since we got by for many years without computer authenticated attack modifiers to verify player addition, I don't see how it could be be an insurmountable problem now); I would just like an easy and intuitive method of editing these values.