When are we getting more tools? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

When are we getting more tools?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
ghost49x
Jul 23, 2010 10:43:54 I've gotten a D&DI a few months ago, and I was sadly surprised by the lack of tools in the adventure tools set, I mean there are 5 tools spheres of which only the monster generator is available, and this 2 years since the 4th ed came out (and I remember hearing of D&DI around that time) now the best they have are a character generator that is quite useful and a monster builder tool which is less but still so, these 2 are updated monthly and with little reason to because if I wanted to add something I could just add it as homemade content untill it next updates. that being said there are problems with ether the character generator or the tools crashing during the update it just not working the only other tools we have access to are the compendium and the encounter builder none of which are available off line I mean it's not because I have internet access that I have it at every location where I hold a game, and what's the use of the compendium if not to cut back on obscure rule research? not only that they have the gall to add a subscription fee to this aberation.
#2
snarls_at_fleas
Jul 23, 2010 11:22:43 Don't like it - don't buy it. For me DDi subscription is worth every cent I pay for it.
As for crashed wouldn't you be better off writing to customer support instead of forum? I don't have any problems with either Cb or MB, during the update or during the work.

#3
ah_stormbringer
Jul 23, 2010 14:50:29 I would rather they put something out when it is ready than to rush something out that is not. They have said they are working on other parts of the adventure tools but I think the manpower allotted for the adventure builder is low and it takes time when you don't have the manpower to complete a project.
#4
_Mithreinmaethor_
Jul 23, 2010 18:59:53
I've gotten a D&DI a few months ago, and I was sadly surprised by the lack of tools in the adventure tools set, I mean there are 5 tools spheres of which only the monster generator is available, and this 2 years since the 4th ed came out (and I remember hearing of D&DI around that time) now the best they have are a character generator that is quite useful and a monster builder tool which is less but still so, these 2 are updated monthly and with little reason to because if I wanted to add something I could just add it as homemade content untill it next updates. that being said there are problems with ether the character generator or the tools crashing during the update it just not working the only other tools we have access to are the compendium and the encounter builder none of which are available off line I mean it's not because I have internet access that I have it at every location where I hold a game, and what's the use of the compendium if not to cut back on obscure rule research? not only that they have the gall to add a subscription fee to this aberation.

Their current model has been 1 tool a year......hence 2 yrs of 4th edition = 2 tools.

There may be an announcement at GenCon for the 3rd tool hence 3rd year. GenCon is where they make their announcements.

And DDI is more than just the CB and MB and online Compendium, it is also 2 magazines.
#5
elfich
Jul 23, 2010 20:37:58 I think the queston relates to the fact that the Adventure builder has several slots for things other than the Monster Builder (an encounter builder for example).

#6
Tony_Vargas
Jul 23, 2010 22:09:06 There's an on-line flash 'Encounter Builder,' too. It's not awe-inspiring - the flash seems reeeaaaaallllyyyy slooooooow, but that could just be a browser thing.

Maybe it'll be the third-year tool?
#7
Josha
Jul 24, 2010 12:13:25
There's an on-line flash 'Encounter Builder,' too. It's not awe-inspiring - the flash seems reeeaaaaallllyyyy slooooooow, but that could just be a browser thing.

Maybe it'll be the third-year tool?

It actually is REALLY slow, it's not just your computer or browzer.
#8
joydyhee
Jul 24, 2010 18:16:17
I would rather they put something out when it is ready than to rush something out that is not. They have said they are working on other parts of the adventure tools but I think the manpower allotted for the adventure builder is low and it takes time when you don't have the manpower to complete a project.

This goes directly to the business concept of the "triangle of truth". Three sides: cost, time, and quality. You can have any two. If you want it fast and low cost, you will sacrifice quality. If you want it fast and of good quality, you will have to pay a premium for it. If you want it good quality and low cost, you will have to wait for it.

I am not saying their schedule is reasonable or desired, but I think we are definitely seeing third situation with the tools. They are not putting a lot of resources into the development, so costs are kept down and we will hopefully end up with a quality tool (like CB and MB), but we are definitely waiting a loooooong time for them.
#9
joydyhee
Jul 24, 2010 18:16:19
I would rather they put something out when it is ready than to rush something out that is not. They have said they are working on other parts of the adventure tools but I think the manpower allotted for the adventure builder is low and it takes time when you don't have the manpower to complete a project.

This goes directly to the business concept of the "triangle of truth". Three sides: cost, time, and quality. You can have any two. If you want it fast and low cost, you will sacrifice quality. If you want it fast and of good quality, you will have to pay a premium for it. If you want it good quality and low cost, you will have to wait for it.

I am not saying their schedule is reasonable or desired, but I think we are definitely seeing third situation with the tools. They are not putting a lot of resources into the development, so costs are kept down and we will hopefully end up with a quality tool (like CB and MB), but we are definitely waiting a loooooong time for them.
#10
thax
Jul 24, 2010 20:14:28

And DDI is more than just the CB and MB and online Compendium, it is also 2 magazines Advertisements.

Fixed.
#11
joydyhee
Jul 24, 2010 20:18:20 thaX, do you find nothing of value in the magazines?
#12
Dargurd
Jul 25, 2010 1:26:25

And DDI is more than just the CB and MB and online Compendium, it is also 2 magazines Advertisements.

Fixed.

What a load of tosh. 2 Magazines, both of which have excellent content, I really fail to see your arguement. For the amount we pay for DDI i think personally we get a bargain. Its a hell of lot less than it used to cost for both magazines and you also get the CB and the MB - both of which are extremely useful.
#13
ah_stormbringer
Jul 25, 2010 6:12:17 The magazines are a great part of DDI and if you don't like them ThaX that is your right but there are alot that do and I am one of them.
#14
thax
Jul 25, 2010 7:20:07 I think that I would mostly wait for the material to make it's way to the books or for the annuals. I think it was a extrodinarorly bad idea to include preview material and articles in the mags instead of having them on the web sight. The Assassin exclusive is gonna be printed in the Shadows thingy next year, though it may be new (fixed?) builds.

Most of the first year of Dungeon had set ups that was killing the parties, set to hard. From what I hear, the Errata for the MM along with better understanding of the system has improved this, but there are stilll problems.

I still think there should be articles that have "alternate" rules or fun stuff, like the "WoW your players" article from long ago. There is nothing like that now. At the very least, there should be some sort of alternate Parcel System, one is unconcerned how wealthy a character gets (and uses the prices in the books at cost, instead of having the dm do the mark ups on the fly) and has the crafter of magical items do so without paying the full cost of the item. Everything is just new feats, powers and such, or advertisement for future products.
#15
frothsof
Jul 25, 2010 19:41:57 i love the magazines but my only complaint is that the material sometimes takes a few months to make it to character builder
#16
jsepeta
Jul 26, 2010 0:41:42 I like the encounter builder but it doesn't print out the powers / defenses attacks of the monster parties i build, so i'm stuck doing tons of screen shots and printing to actually build a meaningful, challenging encounter. also having to use pc-only tools like the character builder sucks on my mac; they should really make ddi do more via the web browser.

although the content of dragon & dungeon is mostly good, i miss the paper magazines which had more content and ads from 3rd party developers. it was a better, longer read.
#17
Iceman2321
Jul 26, 2010 3:42:56

And DDI is more than just the CB and MB and online Compendium, it is also 2 magazines Advertisements.

Fixed.

There's not a single advertisement in either magazine. On the other hand, go to the newstand and take any magazine and turn it upside down and shake. You should see a hefty pile of post cards at your feet momentarily.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 ghost49x Jul 23, 2010 10:43:54	I've gotten a D&DI a few months ago, and I was sadly surprised by the lack of tools in the adventure tools set, I mean there are 5 tools spheres of which only the monster generator is available, and this 2 years since the 4th ed came out (and I remember hearing of D&DI around that time) now the best they have are a character generator that is quite useful and a monster builder tool which is less but still so, these 2 are updated monthly and with little reason to because if I wanted to add something I could just add it as homemade content untill it next updates. that being said there are problems with ether the character generator or the tools crashing during the update it just not working the only other tools we have access to are the compendium and the encounter builder none of which are available off line I mean it's not because I have internet access that I have it at every location where I hold a game, and what's the use of the compendium if not to cut back on obscure rule research? not only that they have the gall to add a subscription fee to this aberation.
#2 snarls_at_fleas Jul 23, 2010 11:22:43	Don't like it - don't buy it. For me DDi subscription is worth every cent I pay for it. As for crashed wouldn't you be better off writing to customer support instead of forum? I don't have any problems with either Cb or MB, during the update or during the work.
#3 ah_stormbringer Jul 23, 2010 14:50:29	I would rather they put something out when it is ready than to rush something out that is not. They have said they are working on other parts of the adventure tools but I think the manpower allotted for the adventure builder is low and it takes time when you don't have the manpower to complete a project.
#4 _Mithreinmaethor_ Jul 23, 2010 18:59:53	I've gotten a D&DI a few months ago, and I was sadly surprised by the lack of tools in the adventure tools set, I mean there are 5 tools spheres of which only the monster generator is available, and this 2 years since the 4th ed came out (and I remember hearing of D&DI around that time) now the best they have are a character generator that is quite useful and a monster builder tool which is less but still so, these 2 are updated monthly and with little reason to because if I wanted to add something I could just add it as homemade content untill it next updates. that being said there are problems with ether the character generator or the tools crashing during the update it just not working the only other tools we have access to are the compendium and the encounter builder none of which are available off line I mean it's not because I have internet access that I have it at every location where I hold a game, and what's the use of the compendium if not to cut back on obscure rule research? not only that they have the gall to add a subscription fee to this aberation. Their current model has been 1 tool a year......hence 2 yrs of 4th edition = 2 tools. There may be an announcement at GenCon for the 3rd tool hence 3rd year. GenCon is where they make their announcements. And DDI is more than just the CB and MB and online Compendium, it is also 2 magazines.
#5 elfich Jul 23, 2010 20:37:58	I think the queston relates to the fact that the Adventure builder has several slots for things other than the Monster Builder (an encounter builder for example).
#6 Tony_Vargas Jul 23, 2010 22:09:06	There's an on-line flash 'Encounter Builder,' too. It's not awe-inspiring - the flash seems reeeaaaaallllyyyy slooooooow, but that could just be a browser thing. Maybe it'll be the third-year tool?
#7 Josha Jul 24, 2010 12:13:25	There's an on-line flash 'Encounter Builder,' too. It's not awe-inspiring - the flash seems reeeaaaaallllyyyy slooooooow, but that could just be a browser thing. Maybe it'll be the third-year tool? It actually is REALLY slow, it's not just your computer or browzer.
#8 joydyhee Jul 24, 2010 18:16:17	I would rather they put something out when it is ready than to rush something out that is not. They have said they are working on other parts of the adventure tools but I think the manpower allotted for the adventure builder is low and it takes time when you don't have the manpower to complete a project. This goes directly to the business concept of the "triangle of truth". Three sides: cost, time, and quality. You can have any two. If you want it fast and low cost, you will sacrifice quality. If you want it fast and of good quality, you will have to pay a premium for it. If you want it good quality and low cost, you will have to wait for it. I am not saying their schedule is reasonable or desired, but I think we are definitely seeing third situation with the tools. They are not putting a lot of resources into the development, so costs are kept down and we will hopefully end up with a quality tool (like CB and MB), but we are definitely waiting a loooooong time for them.
#9 joydyhee Jul 24, 2010 18:16:19	I would rather they put something out when it is ready than to rush something out that is not. They have said they are working on other parts of the adventure tools but I think the manpower allotted for the adventure builder is low and it takes time when you don't have the manpower to complete a project. This goes directly to the business concept of the "triangle of truth". Three sides: cost, time, and quality. You can have any two. If you want it fast and low cost, you will sacrifice quality. If you want it fast and of good quality, you will have to pay a premium for it. If you want it good quality and low cost, you will have to wait for it. I am not saying their schedule is reasonable or desired, but I think we are definitely seeing third situation with the tools. They are not putting a lot of resources into the development, so costs are kept down and we will hopefully end up with a quality tool (like CB and MB), but we are definitely waiting a loooooong time for them.
#10 thax Jul 24, 2010 20:14:28	And DDI is more than just the CB and MB and online Compendium, it is also 2 magazines Advertisements. Fixed.
#11 joydyhee Jul 24, 2010 20:18:20	thaX, do you find nothing of value in the magazines?
#12 Dargurd Jul 25, 2010 1:26:25	And DDI is more than just the CB and MB and online Compendium, it is also 2 magazines Advertisements. Fixed. What a load of tosh. 2 Magazines, both of which have excellent content, I really fail to see your arguement. For the amount we pay for DDI i think personally we get a bargain. Its a hell of lot less than it used to cost for both magazines and you also get the CB and the MB - both of which are extremely useful.
#13 ah_stormbringer Jul 25, 2010 6:12:17	The magazines are a great part of DDI and if you don't like them ThaX that is your right but there are alot that do and I am one of them.
#14 thax Jul 25, 2010 7:20:07	I think that I would mostly wait for the material to make it's way to the books or for the annuals. I think it was a extrodinarorly bad idea to include preview material and articles in the mags instead of having them on the web sight. The Assassin exclusive is gonna be printed in the Shadows thingy next year, though it may be new (fixed?) builds. Most of the first year of Dungeon had set ups that was killing the parties, set to hard. From what I hear, the Errata for the MM along with better understanding of the system has improved this, but there are stilll problems. I still think there should be articles that have "alternate" rules or fun stuff, like the "WoW your players" article from long ago. There is nothing like that now. At the very least, there should be some sort of alternate Parcel System, one is unconcerned how wealthy a character gets (and uses the prices in the books at cost, instead of having the dm do the mark ups on the fly) and has the crafter of magical items do so without paying the full cost of the item. Everything is just new feats, powers and such, or advertisement for future products.
#15 frothsof Jul 25, 2010 19:41:57	i love the magazines but my only complaint is that the material sometimes takes a few months to make it to character builder
#16 jsepeta Jul 26, 2010 0:41:42	I like the encounter builder but it doesn't print out the powers / defenses attacks of the monster parties i build, so i'm stuck doing tons of screen shots and printing to actually build a meaningful, challenging encounter. also having to use pc-only tools like the character builder sucks on my mac; they should really make ddi do more via the web browser. although the content of dragon & dungeon is mostly good, i miss the paper magazines which had more content and ads from 3rd party developers. it was a better, longer read.
#17 Iceman2321 Jul 26, 2010 3:42:56	And DDI is more than just the CB and MB and online Compendium, it is also 2 magazines Advertisements. Fixed. There's not a single advertisement in either magazine. On the other hand, go to the newstand and take any magazine and turn it upside down and shake. You should see a hefty pile of post cards at your feet momentarily.