Aeolius
Adventurer
So long as, like Poser and DAZ Studio, the product has cross-platform compatibility.
What do you want to see from DDI, Dragon, and Dungeon?
- Thread starter El Mahdi
- Start date
So long as, like Poser and DAZ Studio, the product has cross-platform compatibility.
wedgeski
Adventurer
AFAIAC Dungeon and Dragon are performing well. I'd like to see more sophistication out of Dungeon though... the adventures seem to be retreading safe territory. Hopefully that will improve as time goes on. Dragon is exceptional in almost every department. Can't ask for more, especially for nothing.
The DDI is losing its lustre but I want to see the Character Builder before coming to any decisions about whether or not I support the apps.
The DDI is losing its lustre but I want to see the Character Builder before coming to any decisions about whether or not I support the apps.
CharlesRyan
Adventurer
Mac versions of the aps.
GlassJaw
Hero
I think the online versions of Dragon, Dungeon, and the vaporware have been an unmitigated failure. It just feels like amateur hour. Even when I wasn't playing or running a game, I LOVED Dungeon. My point is that even when I wasn't using the content, it was still a great magazine. I get no suck feeling from the online version.
If I'm not using an adventure directly, one of the things I've always enjoyed about Dungeon is the cartography. If I could steal just one cool map from an adventure in an issue, I considered it money well-spent. The cartography I've seen so far is shoddy at best, especially when compared to Paizo and other publishers.
And on top of it all, their website is still brutal. They've done nothing to entice me to pay for anything they are providing right now.
Bottom line for me : the whole online WotC experience just doesn't feel professional at all.
If I'm not using an adventure directly, one of the things I've always enjoyed about Dungeon is the cartography. If I could steal just one cool map from an adventure in an issue, I considered it money well-spent. The cartography I've seen so far is shoddy at best, especially when compared to Paizo and other publishers.
And on top of it all, their website is still brutal. They've done nothing to entice me to pay for anything they are providing right now.
Bottom line for me : the whole online WotC experience just doesn't feel professional at all.
What I want to see from Dragon: Pretty much exactly what they've been doing. The Digital Initiative has been something of a bust from my perspective, but I have no complaints about the handling of Dragon. Excellent material.
What I want to see from Dungeon: Well, I tend to run homebrew campaigns, but I have considered trying out a canned adventure. If I were going to run an adventure path, I would absolutely want a synopsis to tell me where it was going - partly to find out if it's a storyline I'm interested in running, partly to make sure I can get things back on track when the PCs go off the rails (as PCs inevitably do), and mostly so I can embellish the story along the way.
Although, what I'd like even more would be "mini-paths." Instead of an entire campaign planned out from 1 to 30, I'd like shorter, mostly self-contained arcs spanning 5 levels or so. That way I can mix and match.
I also want plenty of plot and non-combat encounters to make things interesting. Keep on the Shadowfell had some nice elements at the start, but it quickly got dull once we started exploring the Keep itself, because it was pretty much a slogfest through a bunch of unrelated monsters - and that was after our DM cut out a lot of the combats in order to speed things up.
What I want from the rest of DDI: First, I want the rules compendium to be more user-friendly - give me some kind of table of contents or site map to navigate it.
Second, I want the character visualizer to not look like crap. The screenshots they've got up now look horrible. I can make better-looking character images in an MMO.
Third, I want the virtual tabletop to have a smooth, clean, easy-to-use interface. Sometimes I'll map everything out before a game, but sometimes I need to whip up a map on the fly. If I can't do that as easily in the VTT as I can with a battlemat and a marker, it's a problem. Bonus points if the VTT supports hexes, though it probably won't.
What I want to see from Dungeon: Well, I tend to run homebrew campaigns, but I have considered trying out a canned adventure. If I were going to run an adventure path, I would absolutely want a synopsis to tell me where it was going - partly to find out if it's a storyline I'm interested in running, partly to make sure I can get things back on track when the PCs go off the rails (as PCs inevitably do), and mostly so I can embellish the story along the way.
Although, what I'd like even more would be "mini-paths." Instead of an entire campaign planned out from 1 to 30, I'd like shorter, mostly self-contained arcs spanning 5 levels or so. That way I can mix and match.
I also want plenty of plot and non-combat encounters to make things interesting. Keep on the Shadowfell had some nice elements at the start, but it quickly got dull once we started exploring the Keep itself, because it was pretty much a slogfest through a bunch of unrelated monsters - and that was after our DM cut out a lot of the combats in order to speed things up.
What I want from the rest of DDI: First, I want the rules compendium to be more user-friendly - give me some kind of table of contents or site map to navigate it.
Second, I want the character visualizer to not look like crap. The screenshots they've got up now look horrible. I can make better-looking character images in an MMO.
Third, I want the virtual tabletop to have a smooth, clean, easy-to-use interface. Sometimes I'll map everything out before a game, but sometimes I need to whip up a map on the fly. If I can't do that as easily in the VTT as I can with a battlemat and a marker, it's a problem. Bonus points if the VTT supports hexes, though it probably won't.
Verys Arkon
First Post
Since the re-relaunch of Dragon and Dungeon this spring I've been pleasantly surprised by the quality and quantity of articles in Dragon and Dungeon. I bemoaned the loss of the print versions by Paizo, and the beta-versions were not sufficient replacements in my mind, but things have turned around on several fronts now including the pricing for Dragon/Dungeon/Compendium package without the other DDI applications. The Best Of Dragon annuals will be great too. Perhaps a poll could be taken to choose the ones fans thought were the best?
Dragon: Excellent material, IMHO. A very useful source. I don't mind the mix of Player/DM material. I've never thought of Dragon=Player and Dungeon=DM, but rather Dragon=rules and Dungeon=adventures.
Improvements:
Dungeon: I've been running the H series, so I haven't run any of the adventures but I've been reading them. Dungeon could improve in a few areas.
Othe DDI apps: The other applications aren't as important to me, but the visualizer will be handy. I still prefere to make my character sheets with a pencil so I can make changes without my computer. The character creator will be handy for NPC creation though, for those times you want a fully stated out version of the BBEG. The advantage of WotC's version is that it will hook up to their database, meaning all the options will be available - something that always hamstrung the 3PP attempts at digital character creators.
The other thing they can do with DDI is keep the lines of communication open, and I think they've made advances here too.
Dragon: Excellent material, IMHO. A very useful source. I don't mind the mix of Player/DM material. I've never thought of Dragon=Player and Dungeon=DM, but rather Dragon=rules and Dungeon=adventures.
Improvements:
- Put art in the Gallery so it can get better usage
- Keep up the links on the table of contents
- Landscape orientation is good for reading online, but its awkward in a binder once it is printed.
Dungeon: I've been running the H series, so I haven't run any of the adventures but I've been reading them. Dungeon could improve in a few areas.
- Provide a supplement or appendix similar to Paizo's web enhancements that has the maps, handouts, and art for easy printing. 1"=5' scaled maps without DM notation for printing.
- Shorter APs. I'm never going to have enough hours to run a 30 level AP before players are ready for a change. Make a 10-level AP for each tier perhaps.
- Start using the KotS 2 page spreads for encounters.
Othe DDI apps: The other applications aren't as important to me, but the visualizer will be handy. I still prefere to make my character sheets with a pencil so I can make changes without my computer. The character creator will be handy for NPC creation though, for those times you want a fully stated out version of the BBEG. The advantage of WotC's version is that it will hook up to their database, meaning all the options will be available - something that always hamstrung the 3PP attempts at digital character creators.
The other thing they can do with DDI is keep the lines of communication open, and I think they've made advances here too.
What do I want from DDI? Applications that exist, for one. Bonus points for functioning and useful apps... I'm really interested in the gametable, but I imagine that will be the hardest one to get right, so it will probably be a disappointment. The visualizer is just fluff - I don't need a cheap-looking 3d model of my characters using someone else's design aesthetic.
Dragon's been good so far.
Dungeon, I would like them to use the KotS / TSL encounter layout, rather than the "throw it all in the back" format. I also want to know what levels the adventure is for before I bother downloading or reading it. Plus the lack of any kind of outline for the adventure path makes me wonder if the people putting together the Dungeon part of the site ever have to use their own products. Dungeon is just not very convenient for DMs, in ways that should be easy to fix (switching encounter formats probably involves the most work).
Shorter APs would be a welcome sight, and are a very good suggestion.
Dragon's been good so far.
Dungeon, I would like them to use the KotS / TSL encounter layout, rather than the "throw it all in the back" format. I also want to know what levels the adventure is for before I bother downloading or reading it. Plus the lack of any kind of outline for the adventure path makes me wonder if the people putting together the Dungeon part of the site ever have to use their own products. Dungeon is just not very convenient for DMs, in ways that should be easy to fix (switching encounter formats probably involves the most work).
Shorter APs would be a welcome sight, and are a very good suggestion.
I agree with most of the posts, but especially the last two.
I don't know how much I care about DDI tools, but if they are good and work consistently, I might be in.
Both magazines need a low ink version. the big black bar at the top of whichever it is in is an ink hog, and adds no value to me at all. Don't make me spend a lot on ink, please.
I like Dragon - though I want the DM stuff moved to dungeon, though I'm not sure why I care anymore if they aren't in print form.
Dungeon needs improvement:
better maps - a full adventure overview map, and at least a couple of skirmish sized maps - not the whole thing, mind you, just some.
KotS style encounters. I cannot stand having the description seperate from the encounter. Brutal.
Outlines of multi-issue adventures (paths or not). The DMG is quite clear on this, why WotC thinks it is a bad idea to follow the advice in the DMG is bizzaro world stuff.
I continue to be confused over the lack of low level adventures at this point. If only for me to be able to steal encounter groups, and to learn how to build low level encounters.*
*sidebar - 3pp, please publish a bunch of level 1-5 encounters that I can figure out how to put into an adventure
I don't know how much I care about DDI tools, but if they are good and work consistently, I might be in.
Both magazines need a low ink version. the big black bar at the top of whichever it is in is an ink hog, and adds no value to me at all. Don't make me spend a lot on ink, please.
I like Dragon - though I want the DM stuff moved to dungeon, though I'm not sure why I care anymore if they aren't in print form.
Dungeon needs improvement:
better maps - a full adventure overview map, and at least a couple of skirmish sized maps - not the whole thing, mind you, just some.
KotS style encounters. I cannot stand having the description seperate from the encounter. Brutal.
Outlines of multi-issue adventures (paths or not). The DMG is quite clear on this, why WotC thinks it is a bad idea to follow the advice in the DMG is bizzaro world stuff.
I continue to be confused over the lack of low level adventures at this point. If only for me to be able to steal encounter groups, and to learn how to build low level encounters.*
*sidebar - 3pp, please publish a bunch of level 1-5 encounters that I can figure out how to put into an adventure
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