New Character Builder from WotC!

[Piratecat]

But then, expecting good design from WotC's website development team is like expecting the Mets to win.

I'll respect statements like this a lot more once we see the character builder and have a chance to mess around with it. Bad design, and not building it on the platform of your choice, aren't the same thing.

 

[Kzach]

I'll respect statements like this a lot more once we see the character builder and have a chance to mess around with it. Bad design, and not building it on the platform of your choice, aren't the same thing.

When and where did I mention any platform whatsoever?

I'd respect statements like this a lot more if they had anything to do with what you were quoting.

 

[renau1g]

Oh, has anyone been to the launch page? I love the tiefling with the breast shields...yeah that'll do something, ignore that giant lack of any protection around your midsection, but gotta protect the puppies....

Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Home (D&D Character Builder)

 

[I'm A Banana]

Oh, has anyone been to the launch page? I love the tiefling with the breast shields...yeah that'll do something, ignore that giant lack of any protection around your midsection, but gotta protect the puppies....

Eh. Still doesn't look half as weird as those tumors that 4e "tieflings" call horns.

I know he's gone on to bigger and better things, but I miss DiTerlizzi.

​

He could even do things with horns in a way that didn't make it seem like they had a severe case of downs syndrome.

Anyway, can't wait to play with this later today.

 

[Hussar]

DID the other games need rules update just the other month? And there are companies that give you the pdf for free if you order the book by them. And the right to download pdfs with incorporated errata later.

There are companies NOW that do that, yes. Back in the day? Not a chance. You paid for your errata if you got it at all. And, open up the 1e AD&D DMG and tell me that's not a document in need of a bit of errata.

I'm mostly playing online. Just saying: 'Hey, just let us use the non-errated version...' is not as easily possible as in a smaller local group.

Hey me too. Why is it difficult? You download the pdf when it comes out and you worry about the classes that are being played. Same as you always did. Does it really make much of a difference that your errata comes out a couple of weeks earlier? Really?

I understand why the new model is better for Hasbro, but I would say that there are more consumer friendly methods. I don't like to 'lease' my games. If I could get a guaranty that I got an offline CB and companion of the last version once 5e comes out, I would certainly pay for the service.

If not, I'm just paying money to use something that belongs to someone else and I, for example, prefer to buy a DVD than just rent it for a month from a video store.

Again, the simple solution here is to actually buy the books. There, no more problems.

I think the problem is that people presumed that the character builder was a replacement for having to buy books, not an additional feature. Well, it's no longer a replacement for owning the books.

 

[WalterKovacs]

When and where did I mention any platform whatsoever?

I'd respect statements like this a lot more if they had anything to do with what you were quoting.

Platform was probably the wrong word.

However good design and using the "right" language/database are not the same thing. Simply using JavaScripting and XML wouldn't necessarily lead to a good design, nor is there only one possible way to implement a good design.

 

[Danzauker]

I never assumed CB to be a replacement for the book. In facts, I own the mayority of 4E books out there.

Still, 20 characters for account is utterly ridiculous! It would be ridiculous a low number for a demo software.

I don't really understand how they can actually think to enforce such a thing for a paid service.

 

[renau1g]

I think the problem is that people presumed WotC made that the character builder that was a replacement for having to buy books, not an additional feature. Well, it's no longer a replacement for owning the books.

There. Corrected. There was no presumption. The company made it this way otherwise they'd have activation codes in the books or micro-transactions to add books to the CB. They'd hoped that people would want to buy the books for the fluff in them (and I did for the Campaign books) but there was little/no fluff in AV1 & 2 (which I bought AV1) so why would I pay $25-40 more for a book than my subscription that covers it?

 

[Bagpuss]

The Monster Manuals suffered from that as well, in that all the useful information was in the Monster Builder, why buy the book?

That's why I suspect that the Dark Sun Creature Catalog and the Monster Vault contain addition information beyond the creature stats to make them desirable to own as well as having a subscription.

 

[Hussar]

How was it a replacement? Yes, you could do download the CB and not buy the books? Sure. Was there ever any single line from WOTC saying that they intended this to be a permanent fixture? Did they ever come out and say, "Yes, we want people to give us ten bucks every six months or so and never buy a book"?

I don't think so.

So, what they had before goes away. Something new takes its place. Use the new product or don't. Twenty characters does seem like a problem for some people. I suppose if you regularly take care of everyone else's character I could see that. But, don't start saying that they somehow owe you anything.

Because they don't. You got a freebie. Great for you. Now you don't get that freebie anymore. That doesn't make WOTC bad or evil. It just means they aren't giving away the farm anymore.