November 16th release for Web-based Character Builder

[Scribble]

20 is four (4!) "optimal" parties worth of chatracters. Three "max" parties with a couple of spare spots. For a single user that should be plenty.

This is another area where it's fine for some, sucks for others.


For someone who just uses it to work with the character they're using in the current game, it's fine, and doesn't bother them.

For people who like to just sit around theorizing characters and making new characters for no reason other then just to do it, 20 will go by right quick.

 

[renau1g]

20 is four (4!) "optimal" parties worth of chatracters. Three "max" parties with a couple of spare spots. For a single user that should be plenty.

Some people enjoy making PC's and saving them. Some of us play PbP where we have more PC's. Some of us are DM's of multiple games and have asked our PC's to send us their dnd files. I don't build Optimal parties myself, I build PC's that seem like fun to play, or are themed ones, or back-up ones, etc.

Edit: Damn you Scribble! You're like a ninja-clown or clown-ninja or something...

 

[ki11erDM]

What number would be good for a power user then? If not 20... 50? That just seems extremely high to me. And if you go towards 100 you are going start creating UI issues.
I would not want my programmers worrying about numbers that extreme when I am trying to make a widely used tool. They should instead spend the time making the export tool, something that most people could use and would also solve these issues.

 

[Sunseeker]

Some people enjoy making PC's and saving them. Some of us play PbP where we have more PC's. Some of us are DM's of multiple games and have asked our PC's to send us their dnd files. I don't build Optimal parties myself, I build PC's that seem like fun to play, or are themed ones, or back-up ones, etc.

I agree, I prefer themed characters, and so I build many, just to test them out. 20 seems like such an odd limit.

But I seem to have missed the post where this was 20 character limit was announced, would someone kindly direct me to it?

 

[Brys]

I play in one in-person game, one play-by-email game, and close to 10 active play-by-post games (probably another 10 on "temporary" hiatus that I don't expect to come back). I've already cancel my auto-renew (good news is I am payed up through next May for a product I wouldn't have signed up for had I known the direction it was going).

20 is WAY too low. I just did a quick count and have 232 chars on this computer (like I said elsewhere, the offline CB made making characters fun when I couldn't access the internet). Some other numbers: There are 26 classes. Want to make one of each? You can't. How many different builds are there? (rough estimate would be take the classes and multiple by 2.5 or ~65) Want to make a two-handed fighter? Sorry, you'll have to kill your sword and board fighter first.
There are 18 PHBX races + 3 Eberron + 2 FR. Want to make one of each? You can't. These numbers are pre-Essentials and Dark Sun.

At first, I thought dropping the CB would make me buy more books. Now I'm starting to realize I have enough to work with for quite a while. Maybe I'll just wait for 5E and see if they have a product that fits my needs better then. Online only is the only killer for me at this moment. If they find a way to make it usable offline, I'm back in. Even if they sell month-long keys or something that forces you to stay subscribed without requiring an active internet connection every moment you want to use the tool.

 

[renau1g]

What number would be good for a power user then? If not 20... 50? That just seems extremely high to me. And if you go towards 100 you are going start creating UI issues.
I would not want my programmers worrying about numbers that extreme when I am trying to make a widely used tool. They should instead spend the time making the export tool, something that most people could use and would also solve these issues.

Is 100 extreme? How would a higher limit affect programmers? Wouldn't it just be a larger storage amount required? I'm a layperson so ignore any ignorance.

 

[rjdafoe]

It could also mean they're planning on giving everyone a free car - think Oprah giving away cars on her shows.

But my idea is plauseable.

I think current management looks at D&D as an MMO.

Wjile it may not be slots, it could very well be space.

 

[Scribble]

20 is WAY too low. I just did a quick count and have 232 chars on this computer (like I said elsewhere, the offline CB made making characters fun when I couldn't access the internet).

Yeah when they came up with the number 20- I doubt they were looking at "power" users...

I'ma go out on a limb and say the average user probably has no where NEAR 232 characters.


I would probably even say for a large majority of personal users out there 20 is probably more then enough...

Just power users get screwed for a while. Hopefully once they get the export function up and running this will be a non issue.

 

[mudbunny]

Adding additional slots is a pretty trivial affair, from what I understand. WotC is, understandably, playing it safe. far better to start out with a low number of slots and increase them to make sure that things don't go kerblooey than start with a large number and have to drop it, possibly causing people to lose characters.

 

[abyssaldeath]

I'ma go out on a limb and say the average user probably has no where NEAR 232 characters.

I once made a Tinker Gnome who had a name that was 232 characters long. Does that count?