So that is all we know about it.
The Rules Compendium is partially working, and the Dragon and Dungeon have article you can view and download now.
By Kords Fist... it is still ALPHA.
When are we expecting WoTC to be finished working on D&DI.
Many of us aren't.
In all honesty I'm not expecting to get the D&D game table until the end of next year.
i think its kinnda stupid to have to pay $15 a month for stuff we cant even use untill god knows when...thats just me though...
Well. . . if they were charging for it now, yeah, that WOULD be pretty stupid.
However, they're releasing the software portions as they become available, and letting us use them for free for the time being.
Maybe, if Wizards had gotten it out on time and weren't being so deceptive about the status, I might have been enticed to try it out. But they've made the mistake of giving me time to consider what I gain and lose from this deal, and the price simply isn't worth it. The only things I really want from DDI are Dungeon & Dragon magazine and the virtual gaming table. I can live without the former (especially if I have to pay $180 a year for them) and I can get the latter free through RPTools.
I was really excited about DDi. Now I'm getting less and less excited about having to pay $15 a month for E-zines.
http://hasbro.recruitmax.com/MAIN/careerportal/job_list.cfm?szSearchType=Advanced&szCategory=21
Jobs page for WotC
http://hasbro.recruitmax.com/MAIN/careerportal/job_list.cfm?szSearchType=Advanced&szCategory=21
. . . which shows two openings for the Magic: The Gathering Online.
Unless I'm missing something, I don't see the relevance?
For those seeking alternatives to the not-yet-and-may-never-be-fully-functional DDI, here are some tools I've found that work well:
Character Generation
Ema's Charsheets
Character generation and online storage. ($5, $10, or $25; one-time fee)
Map-Making
Campaign Cartographer 3
Beautiful maps, but a steep learning curve and a little pricey. ($44.95)
Dungeon Tiles Mapper
Not updated, but it is free; of course, I don't know how long it will be available. I recommend you download it. (free)
e-Adventure Tiles
They're PDF, but the artwork is fantastic and the tiles are very flexible when it comes to designing dungeons. ($7.99 on average) Investing in RPGObject's e-Adventure Tiles Mapper makes them even more useful! ($30) And of course, you can use them on the tabletop, too!
Virtual Gaming Table
Fantasy Grounds II
Does the job quite nicely and fairly user friendly. ($39.95 for full license; $23.95 for lite [players])
RPTools
A great set of tools for on-line play... and free! (free)
Klooge Werks
Probably the most comprehensive of the virtual table options. Also the highest learning curve. ($40.00)
Character Visualizer
Character Artist Pro
It's a far cry from what Wizards promises, but at least it is available now! ($36.95)
Face Maker
An online-tool for making character portraits (face only, and limited, but cute). (free)
Poser 7.0
Honestly, if you really want your character to be the envy of your friends, just invest some money and time in learning to use Poser. It produces stunning works. Expensive? Yes, but you get a far more powerful program than what a two-year subscription to DDI will give you. ($249.99)
Let's see how long this post lasts before it is squelched:
The only one of those I can forsee being squelched is Em's Character Sheets, since they use copyrighted images on the PDFs that are created.
The rest are, as far as I know, all well and good.
Nobody has paid anything yet for the tools so there's no breach of contract.
As for why they aren't out yet and why they didn't tell us earlier about the delay: they probably were hoping they could get them out in time. They unfortunately couldn't and they're still working on them. I know they've had some setbacks and that they've hired people to help with those issues (I have a friend who got brought on to the project but only a few weeks before the books went live.
From what I've seen WotC is still new to the whole software development thing and I suspect underestimated the lead time needed for a project like they wanted done. There's also the possibility that they contracted out and got bitten by doing so. I've seen many companies contract out a software project and having delays because the hired company didn't get the project done in time. Usually the contract has remedies for that, though the consumer of hte end product doesn't see them.
Sure we've got delays but they could be worse.
The only one of those I can forsee being squelched is Em's Character Sheets, since they use copyrighted images on the PDFs that are created.
The rest are, as far as I know, all well and good.
And what I meant was, I wonder how long it will be before the post is removed or edited, since it shows alternatives to DDI.
Heck, when I get around to writing a "Welcome to DDi" post, I will have links to other alternatives.
As for why they aren't out yet and why they didn't tell us earlier about the delay: they probably were hoping they could get them out in time. They unfortunately couldn't and they're still working on them. I know they've had some setbacks and that they've hired people to help with those issues (I have a friend who got brought on to the project but only a few weeks before the books went live.
From what I've seen WotC is still new to the whole software development thing and I suspect underestimated the lead time needed for a project like they wanted done. There's also the possibility that they contracted out and got bitten by doing so. I've seen many companies contract out a software project and having delays because the hired company didn't get the project done in time. Usually the contract has remedies for that, though the consumer of hte end product doesn't see them.
Sure we've got delays but they could be worse.
Yeah, they could release another Master Tools (shudder). Honestly, that program was so bad that I know people who actually refused to pirate it because they felt it was a waste of time and bandwidth!
Seriously, then. My issues are not so much the fact that the tools are delayed (though I feel Wizards should come forward with honest reasons and quit being evasive), but that they want us to pay monthly for things which are available for free or a one-time fee. If it is every bit as good as they claim it will be, and if it works like it is supposed to, and if it is up more often than the forums seem to be, then it might be worth it, but I'm still hard-pressed to justify $180 a year for a suite I might use once a week and two e-zines. And to add additional fees for virtual minis and map tiles on top of that? Come on.
As I told them (repeatedly) in a forum post and three e-mails...
"There will be people who will sign on and follow you to the ends of the earth. I will not be one of them."
Poser 7.0
Honestly, if you really want your character to be the envy of your friends, just invest some money and time in learning to use Poser. It produces stunning works. Expensive? Yes, but you get a far more powerful program than what a two-year subscription to DDI will give you. ($249.99)
I'll also add Daz||Studio does almost the same things as Poser and is Free. (though can get pricey once you buy add on features.) But hey, free is good. ;)
Daz Studio
I'll also add Daz||Studio does almost the same things as Poser and is Free. (though can get pricey once you buy add on features.) But hey, free is good. ;)
Daz Studio
Awesome! I had not heard about Daz. Ceiling cat is pleased!
And what I meant was, I wonder how long it will be before the post is removed or edited, since it shows alternatives to DDI.
Actually right now, there is no D&DI for these things to be an alternative to. The other products are generally well known anyway and I suspect their success was part of the reason WotC wanted to get in on a slice of the pie, since it is their game after all. Certainly they know that whatever they release will have to be superior to what is already out there or else no one will use it anyway. Especially since the price is steep.
rooster
Awesome! I had not heard about Daz. Ceiling cat is pleased!
Only problem with Daz is that you have to pay for each of the models. The prices aren't to bad (At least until you pick up the Dragon model....Wow....And I need that for the Dragonborn and Kobold in my party
)Only problem with Daz is that you have to pay for each of the models. The prices aren't to bad (At least until you pick up the Dragon model....Wow....And I need that for the Dragonborn and Kobold in my party
True, but the same goes for poser. (Both of which are good products.). I know I've dunked 1000's of dollars down on proggies and models, but then again, I get paid for some artwork so that helps. :D
Thanks WhtKnt for the list. I think it helps those that are still waiting for DDi.
The one thing that the visualizer has going for it it is it already has models for all the races, multiple backgrounds, and equipment matching all that's in the players handbook, both generic and racial variants of weapons and armor. I liked what I saw at the Game Day Event for it and they talked about a bunch more changes on the way to make it better looking, more features, and to get it to tie into the other tools better. They hinted at but didn't confirm the possibility of turning the visualizer model into a v-mini and letting you put it into the character builder as the character portrait.
Okay, and now the counter argument:
First, how come it seems to be functional enough to put on a mini-movie, but not functional enough to release for beta testing? Suspicious, if you ask me.
Second, just how flexible will it really be? Will we be able to customize the face of our character, or will we be limited to selecting from, say, 20 different noses, eyes, mouths, etc. (or worse, 20 different faces with no customization at all)? Will we be able to change the color of the character's hair or his hairstyle? How about the length of their tabard (if, indeed, tabards are even an option)? Can I change how her chainmail looks? The shape of my halfling's eyes? The size of my human's breasts? Poser/DAZ can do all of this.
Third, they've "talked" about a lot of things. They've talked about having a complete gaming suite available. They've talked about these wonderful tools that will enhance our games. So far, all I've seen is smoke and mirrors.
Finally, do I really need to point out that the character visualizer "will be ready when it is ready" and will have a monthly subscription cost, whereas DAZ and Poser are available today, for a one-time fee (actually, DAZ is free!)?
Thanks WhtKnt for the list. I think it helps those that are still waiting for DDi.
You're welcome, and please feel free to add to it. If you have an alternative to DDI, add it to the list and make it known that people don't have to wait for Wizards to decide to [expletive] or get off the pot!
We don't even know how well it's going to function, and how many times they will have to update it and debug it befor it works they way people want it too. I say if you really need to visualize your character that badly, get someone to join your group who is a decent artist, and have him do it for you.
rooster
You're welcome, and please feel free to add to it. If you have an alternative to DDI, add it to the list and make it known that people don't have to wait for Wizards to decide to [expletive] or get off the pot!
Links to more mapping software
Links to Game Table alternatives
Okay, and now the counter argument:
First, how come it seems to be functional enough to put on a mini-movie, but not functional enough to release for beta testing? Suspicious, if you ask me.
Second, just how flexible will it really be? Will we be able to customize the face of our character, or will we be limited to selecting from, say, 20 different noses, eyes, mouths, etc. (or worse, 20 different faces with no customization at all)? Will we be able to change the color of the character's hair or his hairstyle? How about the length of their tabard (if, indeed, tabards are even an option)? Can I change how her chainmail looks? The shape of my halfling's eyes? The size of my human's breasts? Poser/DAZ can do all of this.
Third, they've "talked" about a lot of things. They've talked about having a complete gaming suite available. They've talked about these wonderful tools that will enhance our games. So far, all I've seen is smoke and mirrors.
Finally, do I really need to point out that the character visualizer "will be ready when it is ready" and will have a monthly subscription cost, whereas DAZ and Poser are available today, for a one-time fee (actually, DAZ is free!)?
They don't have an OPEN beta but people outside of wizards have seen and played with it at various points. They're doing usability studies on the tools and they had working copies (though still not finished) of the visualizer and character builders at the Game Day Event (which is where I saw and used them). At that point you had different types of armor for each type and you could recolor it. I didn't notice any tabards so can't say. You can change hairstyles and hair color. The build they had there didn't have much facial options but the build they were working on at the time included sliders to modify various parts of the body (in many more ways than most MMOs let you modify your character).
The reason they're not doing a beta is because these are standalone tools. They are also doing daily builds of these tools as they fix bugs and add in more features. You don't do a beta for something that's changing that rapidly because any feedback you get from a remote user has a high chance of being invalid by the time you see it because you've already changed and rebuilt the application at least once by then.
That's why they do the usability studies: they take the latest build (or near latest since the developers are working on it while research is running the study) and run through scenarios and get user feedback. This helps find bugs and get information on areas that users feel need improvement.
I've done one of these studies and I gave the 2 people there (one research, one a developer who was observing) each 3-4 pages worth of notes on the 2 tools I got to try out. Only a couple of bugs were found, most of it was UI/user-friendliness feedback and suggestions. Having done studies and betas for many applications in the past (games, office tools, internet applications, etc.) as well as some coding myself I had a lot things to say. I'm very particular about UI intuitiveness and flexibility and since these are things I'm planning/hoping to use I really thought about how I'd like it to work to make things as quick and easy for me during a game session.
I can't go into any details about what tools I used, what state they were in, or anything too useful. I will say though that it's not 'all smoke and mirrors' and that while not ready yet things were progressing well and in my opinion I'd say at least a couple of the tools (past the compendium) will be available for us before the end of the year.
First, how come it seems to be functional enough to put on a mini-movie, but not functional enough to release for beta testing? Suspicious, if you ask me.
The "Alpha" version they were showing off at DDXP was fairly functional too, however at that time it only had 3 models ready for use (Male Dragonborn, Male and Female Human).
It could simply be that while it's functional, they don't have enough models loaded to make it worth a beta test. Not that hard to imagine, and not that suspicious. Especially if I'm recalling correctly and there were armors that had sylistic differences base on race.