The biggest issue with the new Character Builder:

[the Jester]

The correct model could have been to release it explicitly as a public Beta. Tell folks: "This is going to crash a whole lot. Help us find the bugs that will only manifest under the stress of thousands of users, so we can get you a polished and nearly-bug-free product faster!" That would have gone a long way toward ameliorating the loss of good will we're seeing now.

I think they were in a no-win situation with the release announcement though. Announce it as an open beta, and the screaming that it's not a finished product would be happening. And people would still be screaming for resources to be spent updating teh "dead" one.

The smart thing would have been to release it as an open beta while continuing to support the old CB. Discontinue its support only when the new version is as good or better than the "Classic" Builder.

That way, subscribers lose nothing. Yes, WotC has to expend the resources to keep updating the old CB until the new one is ready for prime time, but really, the CB is the biggest part of what most groups want out of their subs. Failing to give it good support is costing them a lot of good will and quite a few subscribers seem to be canceling over it. While they are developing a replacement they should be supporting what customers are paying for- and basically, the new CB is waaay still in development.

 

[Scribble]

I think if they at least left the old one up for downloading for at least until they got the major bugs worked out in the new one, it would count for something... Even if they didn't update it with new info.

 

[TerraDave]

You do not have to know how something works to expect it to work. Especially when you pay for it.

 

[darjr]

The beta test thing is what they seem to be doing for the VTT.

 

[Raunalyn]

I'm not really all that disappointed with the new CB. Yes, it has a few bugs (like the Half-Elf dilletante power being at-will instead of encounter), but they were very quick to respond when I reported it.

Then, with their annoucenent about the VTT, I can officially say that I'm pretty excited about all of this.

 

[Scribble]

The beta test thing is what they seem to be doing for the VTT.

I wonder if there is someone there saying: "NOWWWWW Do you guys see why I said we need to do public beta tests?!?!?!"

 

[the Jester]

The beta test thing is what they seem to be doing for the VTT.

And thank God for that.

 

[DEFCON 1]

The smart thing would have been to release it as an open beta while continuing to support the old CB. Discontinue its support only when the new version is as good or better than the "Classic" Builder.

But here's the $64,000 question...

Just how difficult was it to try and build the add-ons to the classic CB to accommodate the changes that came to the game via Dark Sun and Essentials (i.e. the DS Themes, and the new level ability structure of Essentials)?

Since we can now see that the WotC digital team has been spending their time on both the online CB and the new VT (and based upon one of the FAQs, a soon-to-be-announced online Monster Builder too)... if for the sake of argument they didn't have the time/manpower available to try and juryrig the classic CB to accept the DS/Essentials stuff... what would have made people happier?

- Release a buggy online CB now that has everything programmed into it and up-to-date.

- Open the online CB to a beta... and update the classic CB with ONLY new crunch from the magazines and/or non-problematic items/feats from Dark Sun and Essentials?

If it was just not feasible to make the old Builder work COMPLETELY with the entirety of Dark Sun and Essentials... how pissed off would folks have been knowing they would not be able to create Dark Sun or Essentials characters for another one to four months while they tried to get the "beta version" of the online Builder bug-free?

Maybe some folks would have preferred that. I don't know. But it's real easy to just say "update the old one!" without knowing exactly how much time and effort would be spent to make that actually come true.

 

[darjr]

But here's the $64,000 question...

Just how difficult was it to try and build the add-ons to the classic CB to accommodate the changes that came to the game via Dark Sun and Essentials (i.e. the DS Themes, and the new level ability structure of Essentials)?

Since we can now see that the WotC digital team has been spending their time on both the online CB and the new VT (and based upon one of the FAQs, a soon-to-be-announced online Monster Builder too)... if for the sake of argument they didn't have the time/manpower available to try and juryrig the classic CB to accept the DS/Essentials stuff... what would have made people happier?

- Release a buggy online CB now that has everything programmed into it and up-to-date.

- Open the online CB to a beta... and update the classic CB with ONLY new crunch from the magazines and/or non-problematic items/feats from Dark Sun and Essentials?

If it was just not feasible to make the old Builder work COMPLETELY with the entirety of Dark Sun and Essentials... how pissed off would folks have been knowing they would not be able to create Dark Sun or Essentials characters for another one to four months while they tried to get the "beta version" of the online Builder bug-free?

Maybe some folks would have preferred that. I don't know. But it's real easy to just say "update the old one!" without knowing exactly how much time and effort would be spent to make that actually come true.

Actually that question has been answered for us. The new builder is in silverlight in part because they started with the old one. I don't have a link to where that was stated but I think it was in the podcast. Also there are a few people who have seen bugs from the old builder appear in the new, which isn't a clincher, but does point to the origins of the new builder being the old one.

 

[john112364]

My biggest issue right now is that after 3 days I still can't make a character with the CB2.

• Day 1: Crash crash crash! I figured "OK there's a lot of people trying out the new toy. I'll try again tommorow."
• Day 2: Early morning seemed to be a good time. Picked up my character where it crashed yesterday. Finished it up, try to print, Crash! Ok starting to get annoyed now. I have to go so that's all for day 2
• Day 3: I get a nice pretty BLANK FRIKKING SCREEN! WTF! Why am I paying them money when I can't even access it!

I know that the CB is not the reason we play dnd and I am perfectly able to play without it. But WotC is taking my money for a tool that doesn't work and that is my issue.

Ok rant over.