Additional Questions and Comments Regarding the Online Character Builder - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Additional Questions and Comments Regarding the Online Character Builder

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
blastarr
Nov 07, 2010 13:37:33 Alright, I see a lot of threads asking small or large questions about this new CB. To their credit not all are solved by reading the announcement or consulting the FAQ so I'm suggesting we just put all of them right here where they can be addressed more directly. That way if Mudbunny or Azmodeus or whoever actually have an answer they can post it. I won't be paying too much attention to the thread but if we get a lot of good questions and official answers then I'd hope it'll be stickied.

Try not to rant about the new CB, this isn't the place. There's already several threads for that. This is just questions or concerns about the CB and realted DDI issues.
#2
blastarr
Nov 07, 2010 13:48:19 Question 1!

I read the announcement and FAQ, and nowhere did I see "ability to print out full character sheets with power cards" listed as a feature or function of the new CB. Will the ability to print proper sheets, and even do custom layouts, still be available with this new Character Builder?

Question 2!

Because this is a fully-online product now there really isn't any way to limit the number of "updates per month" which kinda restricted how widely the CB could be used. Is there going to be any sort of function or feature that will stop us from, or penalize us for, sharing our logins with the rest of our gaming group?

Question 3!

Is there a hard limit on number of characters per DDI account/login?

Question 4!

With some of the new questions about ownership of intellectual property I was wondering: if we erase a character from our DDI account (or "cloud" or whatever) is it removed from the system entirely or is a record of that character still kept on the servers somewhere?

Question 5!

Can we upload pictures we want to use for our characters to the CB so when we print them out, or just look at them online, it's not an image chosen from stock pictures?

Question 6!

If we upload art to be used in the CB does the owner of that intellectual property retain their rights to it?

Question 7!

Can Wizards use anything we post to a CB character, be that journal entries, background, description, history, what-have-you, without our permission? Note the "anything" isn't an "everything"; I'm asking if *any part* of a character on this online CB can be used by Wizards without the creator's express consent.
#3
Mock
Nov 07, 2010 13:57:33
Question 3!

Is there a hard limit on number of characters per DDI account/login?

Per WotC_Trevor, yes: the limit is 20. There's a long thread on it in DDI General.
#4
styrx
Nov 08, 2010 1:17:52 Question 8!

Will the new CB also be useable with android tablets or phones?

Question 9!

How about a D&D app for accessing my online characters in game play with my android phone? Or will developers be supported to make such apps?
#5
Marmoset
Nov 15, 2010 15:21:27
Question 5!

Can we upload pictures we want to use for our characters to the CB so when we print them out, or just look at them online, it's not an image chosen from stock pictures?

The FAQ mostly answers this:

Q: If I end my subscription, what happens to the characters I’ve created or imported to the Character Builder?
A: Characters you’ve created on the new version or imported from the older version of the Character Builder will remain in our database for twelve months after the subscription expires. If you renew your subscription within that twelve month period, you will be able to access your characters again.
#6
carey
Nov 15, 2010 18:48:56
Q: If I end my subscription, what happens to the characters I’ve created or imported to the Character Builder?
A: Characters you’ve created on the new version or imported from the older version of the Character Builder will remain in our database for twelve months after the subscription expires. If you renew your subscription within that twelve month period, you will be able to access your characters again.

I was wondering about this. Is WotC really so skint that they can’t afford to buy another hard drive and keep old characters indefinitely? They probably spent more money writing the code to delete old characters than the extra storage would cost.

#7
silasary
Nov 15, 2010 22:02:28 Question 10!
Will we still have the Journal tab, and will it have all the functoinality of the previous builder?

Quesiton 11!
Will we still have the ability to add homebrew elements?

Both of these were things I immediately thought after seeing the posted screenshots.
#8
thespaceinvader
Nov 16, 2010 7:21:48 10: not sure, but probably.

11: definitely not at launch. It's coming 'soon'.
#9
GeorgeLanning
Nov 16, 2010 9:07:45 I just watched the video sample of character builder from the You Tube link and my first impression is that Character Builder is definitely slanted towards generic character builds. The demo focused on selecting templates and allowing Character Builder to make choices for you. Of course an eight minute demo is not going to focus on the deeper aspects of character creation, but the choice of "sizzle" features and benefits leaves me curious about the ease of using the tool for non-standard, template oriented builds.

It would be very interesting to monitor the usage patterns for the tool and see how frequently users flick back and forth between tabs to tweak their build. I do this frequently in the off-liine version and I must admit to being confused by the recent shift of the tabs. To my way of thinking Feats should be selected before Skills or Powers to ensure effective combinations. I don't think the optimization process should be taken to the point of "munchkin" min/maxing, but a themed character build makes more sense than a mish-mash of randomly selected powers.

Waiting with baited breath for the launch of the new Character Builder and hoping that the stress testing has already been done for load and performance balancing.
#10
Agonar
Nov 16, 2010 9:58:50
I just watched the video sample of character builder from the You Tube link and my first impression is that Character Builder is definitely slanted towards generic character builds. The demo focused on selecting templates and allowing Character Builder to make choices for you. Of course an eight minute demo is not going to focus on the deeper aspects of character creation, but the choice of "sizzle" features and benefits leaves me curious about the ease of using the tool for non-standard, template oriented builds.

The current [offline] CB also has the ability to do very generic characters. I have been running my son through basic encounters. He plays a Paladin, I have been running a Cleric NPC. Most of the basic encounters in the Starter sets are very difficult with 2 Characters, and I really didn't want to skew the encounters themselves, so I loaded up the CB, asked for a Quick Wizard, and viola, in as much time as it took to print out the sheet, our mini group had a wizard hireling, and off we were.

As for the detailed... they "say" it will have the functionality of the prior version, and will [now or "soon"] be able to exclude books/content that you don't want in your game, like the current version does. So I imagine, that you will be able to swap back and forth to make those fine tuning decisions.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 blastarr Nov 07, 2010 13:37:33	Alright, I see a lot of threads asking small or large questions about this new CB. To their credit not all are solved by reading the announcement or consulting the FAQ so I'm suggesting we just put all of them right here where they can be addressed more directly. That way if Mudbunny or Azmodeus or whoever actually have an answer they can post it. I won't be paying too much attention to the thread but if we get a lot of good questions and official answers then I'd hope it'll be stickied. Try not to rant about the new CB, this isn't the place. There's already several threads for that. This is just questions or concerns about the CB and realted DDI issues.
#2 blastarr Nov 07, 2010 13:48:19	Question 1! I read the announcement and FAQ, and nowhere did I see "ability to print out full character sheets with power cards" listed as a feature or function of the new CB. Will the ability to print proper sheets, and even do custom layouts, still be available with this new Character Builder? Question 2! Because this is a fully-online product now there really isn't any way to limit the number of "updates per month" which kinda restricted how widely the CB could be used. Is there going to be any sort of function or feature that will stop us from, or penalize us for, sharing our logins with the rest of our gaming group? Question 3! Is there a hard limit on number of characters per DDI account/login? Question 4! With some of the new questions about ownership of intellectual property I was wondering: if we erase a character from our DDI account (or "cloud" or whatever) is it removed from the system entirely or is a record of that character still kept on the servers somewhere? Question 5! Can we upload pictures we want to use for our characters to the CB so when we print them out, or just look at them online, it's not an image chosen from stock pictures? Question 6! If we upload art to be used in the CB does the owner of that intellectual property retain their rights to it? Question 7! Can Wizards use anything we post to a CB character, be that journal entries, background, description, history, what-have-you, without our permission? Note the "anything" isn't an "everything"; I'm asking if any part of a character on this online CB can be used by Wizards without the creator's express consent.
#3 Mock Nov 07, 2010 13:57:33	Question 3! Is there a hard limit on number of characters per DDI account/login? Per WotC_Trevor, yes: the limit is 20. There's a long thread on it in DDI General.
#4 styrx Nov 08, 2010 1:17:52	Question 8! Will the new CB also be useable with android tablets or phones? Question 9! How about a D&D app for accessing my online characters in game play with my android phone? Or will developers be supported to make such apps?
#5 Marmoset Nov 15, 2010 15:21:27	Question 5! Can we upload pictures we want to use for our characters to the CB so when we print them out, or just look at them online, it's not an image chosen from stock pictures? The FAQ mostly answers this: Q: If I end my subscription, what happens to the characters I’ve created or imported to the Character Builder? A: Characters you’ve created on the new version or imported from the older version of the Character Builder will remain in our database for twelve months after the subscription expires. If you renew your subscription within that twelve month period, you will be able to access your characters again.
#6 carey Nov 15, 2010 18:48:56	Q: If I end my subscription, what happens to the characters I’ve created or imported to the Character Builder? A: Characters you’ve created on the new version or imported from the older version of the Character Builder will remain in our database for twelve months after the subscription expires. If you renew your subscription within that twelve month period, you will be able to access your characters again. I was wondering about this. Is WotC really so skint that they can’t afford to buy another hard drive and keep old characters indefinitely? They probably spent more money writing the code to delete old characters than the extra storage would cost.
#7 silasary Nov 15, 2010 22:02:28	Question 10! Will we still have the Journal tab, and will it have all the functoinality of the previous builder? Quesiton 11! Will we still have the ability to add homebrew elements? Both of these were things I immediately thought after seeing the posted screenshots.
#8 thespaceinvader Nov 16, 2010 7:21:48	10: not sure, but probably. 11: definitely not at launch. It's coming 'soon'.
#9 GeorgeLanning Nov 16, 2010 9:07:45	I just watched the video sample of character builder from the You Tube link and my first impression is that Character Builder is definitely slanted towards generic character builds. The demo focused on selecting templates and allowing Character Builder to make choices for you. Of course an eight minute demo is not going to focus on the deeper aspects of character creation, but the choice of "sizzle" features and benefits leaves me curious about the ease of using the tool for non-standard, template oriented builds. It would be very interesting to monitor the usage patterns for the tool and see how frequently users flick back and forth between tabs to tweak their build. I do this frequently in the off-liine version and I must admit to being confused by the recent shift of the tabs. To my way of thinking Feats should be selected before Skills or Powers to ensure effective combinations. I don't think the optimization process should be taken to the point of "munchkin" min/maxing, but a themed character build makes more sense than a mish-mash of randomly selected powers. Waiting with baited breath for the launch of the new Character Builder and hoping that the stress testing has already been done for load and performance balancing.
#10 Agonar Nov 16, 2010 9:58:50	I just watched the video sample of character builder from the You Tube link and my first impression is that Character Builder is definitely slanted towards generic character builds. The demo focused on selecting templates and allowing Character Builder to make choices for you. Of course an eight minute demo is not going to focus on the deeper aspects of character creation, but the choice of "sizzle" features and benefits leaves me curious about the ease of using the tool for non-standard, template oriented builds. The current [offline] CB also has the ability to do very generic characters. I have been running my son through basic encounters. He plays a Paladin, I have been running a Cleric NPC. Most of the basic encounters in the Starter sets are very difficult with 2 Characters, and I really didn't want to skew the encounters themselves, so I loaded up the CB, asked for a Quick Wizard, and viola, in as much time as it took to print out the sheet, our mini group had a wizard hireling, and off we were. As for the detailed... they "say" it will have the functionality of the prior version, and will [now or "soon"] be able to exclude books/content that you don't want in your game, like the current version does. So I imagine, that you will be able to swap back and forth to make those fine tuning decisions.