WotC should make an online SRD....

[Otterscrubber]

I subscribe to D&D Insider, but I have to say that I really do not like the online tools they have provided to date. With all the splatbooks out it is very hard to get comprehensive information quickly on a subject that is not spread out through 3 or more books.

I really like how 3rd edition had a lot of SRD type websites out there where it was very easy to find information. The D&D Compendium is very unwieldy and clunky from a UI standpoint. Anyone else out there wish they had a more user friendly source for data? I don't mind paying a modest fee for full access to all the material, but it would be nice if it worked better. The various tools look like they have made no effort on consistency in design. I'm assuming they have different teams working on each one, and that none of them talk to each other.

 

[Ferghis]

I really like how 3rd edition had a lot of SRD type websites out there where it was very easy to find information. The D&D Compendium is very unwieldy and clunky from a UI standpoint.

I happen to agree, but I don't think there are any legal alternatives.

Still, the Compendium's search feature is better than the ones usually found on a wiki or SRD style site. For example, much easier to search for wizard powers that have the word "Fire" in them. On the other hand, I do wish that words that had some kind of definition were linkified, so if a power allowed a grab, I could click the word grab to see what the grab rules were, instead of having to search for them again.

 

[Mengu]

It's pretty rare for me to run into something I can't find in the compendium. Arcane familiars and companion beasts are the two biggest items missing that I can immediately think of. Can you give an example of what you frequently look for and can't find?

 

[Mr. Teapot]

There is a 4e System Reference Document. And it is available for free online.


...it's just not what you're looking for. Because what you're looking for is not what the SRD was made to do. The original SRD was for third party publishers to know what they could and could not reprint. Not for fans to use to consult the rules or play without purchasing the PHB. But since the 3rd ed SRD was used for purposes it wasn't intended for, the 4e SRD was remade to actually do its intended job. And not much else, really.


(Now, I actually think the 3.X SRD was good for WotC, and I know that it earned them hundreds of dollars from my circle of friends that they wouldn't have gotten without the free online rules. But that's a different thread.)

 

[mysticknight232]

I wish DDI subscribers would be given access to the books in PDF format. That would be extremely helpful IMO.

I'm sure it'll never happen as that's a lot of revenue lost. But still, it's my dream and i'm allowed to dream it.

 

[Ferghis]

There is a 4e System Reference Document. And it is available for free online.


...it's just not what you're looking for. Because what you're looking for is not what the SRD was made to do. The original SRD was for third party publishers to know what they could and could not reprint. Not for fans to use to consult the rules or play without purchasing the PHB. But since the 3rd ed SRD was used for purposes it wasn't intended for, the 4e SRD was remade to actually do its intended job. And not much else, really.

How would giving the compendium a better UI and making the compendium more cross-referenced hinder the current goal you hint at?

 

[Charwoman Gene]

I think the compendium is a good replacement, but has a few blind spots and UI issues. It could be a lot better.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

What would be a better UI for the Compendium? There are a few areas where the UI it does have doesn't work quite as well as it could, but it seem to me the basic idea of a searchable database of game elements is pretty solid.

I agree it could cross reference things internally and that would be an improvement, but short of that its hard to fault it. I'd expect a bit snazzier UI from a desktop application but its really pretty good.

I've also noticed that from a player perspective at least CB makes a decent reference. It gives you a more usage oriented view of the rules and certainly lacks the searchability that the Compendium has, but its infinitely better for finding some particular item or power where you really don't know exactly what you're looking for.

 

[cdrcjsn]

I wish DDI subscribers would be given access to the books in PDF format. That would be extremely helpful IMO.

I'm sure it'll never happen as that's a lot of revenue lost. But still, it's my dream and i'm allowed to dream it.

I so wish this would happen.

Right now, if you want PDFs, you need to scan your own books or go download illegal PDFs.

How hard is it to generate user specific code (both obvious and hidden) and implant them into the PDF so DDI users can use download them, but won't be inclined to share them with others? Is this hard to do? I don't know.

But not providing a way to legally access books digitally seems counterproductive to WotC's goals.

 

[Mengu]

I wish DDI subscribers would be given access to the books in PDF format. That would be extremely helpful IMO.

Being able to buy every single 4e book in PDF for the lowly cost of 1 month's DDI subscription would be more broken than the original battlerager, and hard to errata.