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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Balesir" data-source="post: 5542413" data-attributes="member: 27160">Bandwidth is generally a fixed cost - you have the capacity available to support a net presence.  How you use it may shape how you allocate the cost internally, but that doesn't make it a marginal cost, since it doesn't actually increase or decrease based on how much of it you use.  The wires are there anyway - the only real variable cost is the electricity, and that's pretty darned small.Storage - how is this variable with an offline CB?  It is with the online CB, because now you keep the character records on the WotC server, but if customers download the CB and use it locally, you need no storage per customer at all.Customer support is the one possibly valid item, here, but it's generally set at the level you can afford, not the level you "need" (since that could be debated all day long).  Thus, in general, it is a fixed cost (for people and 'phones, basically).Changes and updates are fixed costs - i.e. they are the same regardless how many users you have.  As such, they are not "marginal costs".The fact that they have not done it does not demonstrate that it is not feasible - merely that they decided not to do it.  They may have had good reasons for that, they may have just not wanted to be bothered, or it may simply not have occurred to them. For you, maybe.  For me, I want a tool I can use to support my campaign, which will likely last a few years.  If I watch a film I might be happy never to see it again - but if I do want to see it in future I can always get the DVD.  Same with TV.  With the new CB, there is just no alternative available if I want a persistent tool - I'm just not allowed to buy one.  It's not a huge deal, but it's as broken as a film not being released on DVD would be. I don't know how many people want houserules, but they are a long-established part of roleplaying in all systems, and to dismiss those who want them just because you don't care for them seems selfish and cavalier, to me. It's entirely "realistic" - it's been done with previous editions' character builders, it's been done with the offline character builder, and it's been done with character builders for other systems.  It may well be that WotC don't want to enable anything more than basic houserule support, but to say that it's not "realistic" is drivel.  All you need is a database editor (with limited permissions).</blockquote>

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