Magazines: D+ This may sound harsh but its actually up from the F I would have given them just two months ago. There is still only a minimal amount of content that interests me, but at least now there is some. Plus they have gotten better about turning their work in on time. If they keep it up, their grade can improve.
Character Builder: C Adequate for the task but definately not wow inducing. I can make a character on it alright, but there is sooooo much room for improvement. Customization of th character sheet for instance.
Adventure Tools: D- Not really all that useful in their present form. The only thing that keeps this from being an F is that there have beeen a couple of ocasions that I found the limited functions that it has useful. But those have been few and far between. Needs improvement badly.
Compendium: C Useful at times. But has some omissions and quirks that irritate me.
Virtual Table: B Good but with some annoying quirks. ALso not out of beta yet, so not everyone has acccess. Still, with a bit of polish and some added functionality has a shot an A.
Customer Service: C Their communication has improved, but it wasn't great before. Contacting them with a problem usually gets it resolved quickly, but I have to do it far to often for my taste.
Total GPA: 1.8 Passing, but if my kid brought home a report card like that, there'd be a grounding in their future.
Magazines: C-. This would be a C if they actually still were real magazines. This would be a B if I weren't skimming the table of contents these days and not reading anything ...
Character Builder: B. Call me crazy but I like it, it works for me, and I don't have any issues at all except for some printing problems. This would be an A grade if I could have more than 20 characters at once.
Adventure Tools: F. Oh boy. The Monster Builder I gave up on - pen and paper and an excel spreadsheet for level up scripts works for me.
Compendium: A-. Fix the typos and the minor errors here and there, and you've got a solid A. I tell people I pay for DDI just for this.
Virtual Table: I. This gets an incomplete because I've never tried it.
CustServ: C. Average, straight up. No complaints, no kudos.
character builder B- it's being updated regularly and i like it better than the old one honestly. still a little slow but it looks nice and does a fine job of doing what it's supposed to.
adventure tools F im not a dm but with a monster builder this bad im glad i dont have to use it.
compendium A- by far the most used part of my ddi subscription, i wish the search feature worked a little better but it's by no means bad.
virtual table D- it gets blown out of the water by maptools and has no option to import a dnd4e file from the builder, which could have really set it above other VT programs.
customer service B- whenever i've used it they'e been quick and accurate, other's results might have been different though
overall im very happy with DDI currently and DnD in general, im having a ton of fun playing the game and the tools only get better with each month.
Character Builder: B
Adventure Tools: D
Compendium: A
Virtual Table: A, but could become a lot lower if they dont eventually add features and allow adventure sharing/pc export
CustServ: N/A
character builder C- I have little to no use for the character builder since I am predominantly a DM. But I'm still not a fan of the latest incarnation. The old CB was average, this is not as good as the old CB.
adventure tools F The offline monster builder is functional. The online one is utterly useless. I'm rating the new since that is the new direction and the old is no longer getting support. There needs to be more adventure tools.
compendium B- Functional and useful but needs an overhaul to make it more efficient. Seems to frequently have holes in the data.
virtual table Incomplete It's in beta. As such, it doesn't even count as part of the DDI package. Fantasy Grounds does a much better job, anyhow.
customer service C- Customer service is good. However, I include forum moderation in this, and that has been anything but consistent.
Overall: If I didn't have the compendium converted for use with Fantasy Grounds, I would unsubscribe in a heartbeat. This is Wizards. They should be the source of all things D&D, including digital. Those should all be B's at worst and always striving for at least A's.
virtual table D- it gets blown out of the water by maptools and has no option to import a dnd4e file from the builder, which could have really set it above other VT programs.
I wouldn't argue with your opinions at all but the VT DOES have an option to bring characters in from the oCB. So if you haven't seen that yet, check it out. To me, that's one of the biggest improvements they made since they started it. I believe you can bring monsters in from the oMB as well.
character builder B . We need more ability to add custom content and we need to continue to have bug fixes implemented.
adventure tools F What Adventure Tools? The MB isn't really up to snuff. Yet.
compendium B+ Pretty damn good. Some mistakes in it, but I expect those in such a big database. Just don't create another issue like we had a few weeks ago where searching threw errors most of the time, rendering it almost useless.
virtual table A- Also pretty damn good. Next to Compendium, I think it's the best product they've made, and certainly more complicated than the Compendium so I give them credit for that.
customer service A: I've never had a single problem with customer service yet. They've been excellent answering my questions and acknowledging my bug reports.
Character Builder: C+ Adequate for the job but lot of place for improvement, especially on Customizability.
Adventure Tools: F+ Unrated. Tool still in BETA. It's very limited right now but i still used it a lot to level up or delevel monsters for adventures, as well as refluffing monsters, Powers etc...But yeah, ineffective to build new monsters thats for sure. In dire need of Improvement.
Compendium: B+ - Very useful tool despite it's error, wrong data and unupdated content. The majority is up-to-date and it is a remarkable tool to quickly consult any Rules or game elements.
Virtual Table: F+ Unrated. Tool still in BETA. It's very limited right now as it cannot allow custom support and Tiles & Tokens are very limited, but the functionality of Vittie itself is more than adequate and i have run and played dozens and dozens of games with over a hundread different people and the experiences have been all more than enjoyable. A Virtual Table doesn't make the fun, it's the adventure and people you're playing with. Vittie is merely a tool to make D&D a fun experience online, and it achieve it's purpose even if it lack Automations, Customs support etc... It is in need of Improvement still.
Customer Service: B+ Customer Service is good.They answer to all my questions in a short notice, provided Pass for VT quickly in the past, and have just shipped me broken figurines in my Castle Ravenloft Board Game in a rather quick and professional way.
EDIT To add Bonus Tools offered with DDi
Character Name Generator: B+ Very useful tool as a DM to help come up with different names for NPC in the blink of an eye.
Character Sheet: C+ It can be useful to have Pre-generated characters from D&D Encounter Season or D&D Red Box Game Day available for download, as well as the different D&D Character Sheets.
Encounter Builder: C+ This program is a useful tools to build Encounter using XP budget. It's somewhat outdated having only MM 1 Monsters in it though. But if they could link it to the existing Creature Catalog it could be much more useful than it is now.
Ability Generator: C- Though i don't use Random Ability Generator, i think the program itself is okay. It's somewhat outdated having only PHB 1 Races in it though.
I look forward to about an article a week and that's good enough for me. I usually get a good half hour to an hour or so a week of entertainment reading them.
Character Builder: C+
Adequate. I gave it a + because I like where it's going.
Adventure Tools: F+
I really like the potential (hence the +) but it clearly needs work. I don't use it in the state it's in.
Compendium A-
This would be an A if it wasn't for the typos and bugs. Still, it makes running games a breeze and has saved me more than a few hours of tedious bookkeeping for my DM duties.
Virtual Table: Unrated
Despite wanting to try it out, I haven't had time since it was released.
Customer Service B-
I've had extactly two interractions with them. One was fantastic and one was adequate.
Avg: C+
All in all it's adequate and worth the money for me. There's lots of room for improvement and I can see the DDI team attempting to position themselves in a way to take advantage of that but it's not there yet and I can only judge the tools on what's available for now.
Magazines: B+. The value of the content is very high for me (A+). I have use for something every issue. The lateness (C-) has hurt the magazine, though it seems to be improving. My continued pet peeves are searching (F) and lack of a way to store the content easily - bundling or compiled issues are a must for the collector (F).
Character Builder: B. The current offering still has detriments compared to the offline CB, but it is a sound tool. It compares very favorably to anything else on the market.
Adventure Tools: F-. This is the biggest travesty in DDI. Complete and utter failure, from communication to vision to functionality. Really needs to be a priority. Saddens me at least five times a week.
Compendium A-. This is a continually useful part of DDI for me. It surprises me how often I use this and it has transformed how quickly I can find things for adventure writing, character building, rules lookup, etc. I still don't understand why the content stream for Compendium/CB/MB are different. It is very confusing to users to see different tools with inconsistent text. There should also be no stealth updates via the compendium!
Virtual Table: B. C. Given what it needs to do, it is doing a fine job. Playing online isn't a priority for me, but the games I played were great. You don't need much here for it to be a decent offering. However, the grade could drop if they focus too much on micro-transactions vs enabling DMs and players to play the game. Content (adventures) can carry a price, but the value of that content should be assigned via a fair market system and not by limiting what DMs can write and share. Edit: I'm downgrading to a C after agreeing with Logopolis... the token export is a must for me. It was very painful to customize my PC for a game and then lose all that work. One of the great strengths of other tools is being able to set up your token so the powers are organized, edited, and displayed the way you want them. If I played online a lot this one issue would be a huge one.
Customer Service A-. Maybe it is because I've worked customer service and understand how hard a job this is to get right organizationally, but I think CS does a fine job given realistic goals. They won't have every answer, and often they have to just pass things on to developers. That's to be expected. They should have a better database so they can improve consistency. Otherwise, works really well for me and seems to be used internally to address errata and clarifications.
virtual table D- it gets blown out of the water by maptools and has no option to import a dnd4e file from the builder, which could have really set it above other VT programs.
I wouldn't argue with your opinions at all but the VT DOES have an option to bring characters in from the oCB. So if you haven't seen that yet, check it out. To me, that's one of the biggest improvements they made since they started it. I believe you can bring monsters in from the oMB as well.
yeah it's been a very long time since i last used it, i still stand by what i said about maptools though.
Nyarlathotep, you should average out the ratings after posts die down. It would be cool to see the end result.
I was thinking the same thing
Magazines: C- This is a hefty imporvment from just a few months ago. Honestly, the return of Eberron contnet alone brough this one up from the D level.
Compendium: B+ I use the compendium quite a bit, and usually find it very useful, espcially since they added fantastic terrain. Searching can be a bit of a chore at times, but foregivable.
Character Builder: C- This is a hard won C-, and a steady improvement from the F it had a release. It is functional (mostly), but not terribly sexy. The builder would get better marks from me if there were better search options.
Customer Service: C The communcitions eems to have improved, but it's nothing to write home about. I can say the the level of service we see would be considered unnacceptable at my company, but we strive to wow our customers with every interaction to keep an edge on the competition. In the gaming world the options are fewer, and the product is usually pretty distict, so the service aspect may be considered of lesser import (IMHO it is just as important though).
Adventure Tools: F- Part of the reason that the Compenduium has gotten such high marks is that it has become my go-to tool for building adventures... that and the classic mosnter builder, which I have now added most of the monster vault creatures to. At relase, the online CB got an F+ (at least it was kinda pretty), this abomination is a hate crime against D&D fans. It is autterly useless to me with its inability to a) create new monsters, b) edit existing monsters- aside from levels and class name - which is particualy unforgivable given that the damage expressions are so different now, and c) copy as text to add to my notes, or even print multiples on a page. Again, to use my own company as a comparrison point--if our free online product was even half this bad, everyone asscoiated with it would have lost their jobs immediately.
Game Table: D I do not personally have an investment in this as I play face to face and have no real desire to do otherwise. If this were the 3D tool presented at Gen Con so long ago, I would have gladdly pacted away all my minis and dwarven forge and moved to a digital at game at the table, but ala that ship has sailed. I have looked at it and find it to be pretty lackluster, frankly no better than other offerings that are either free or have a one-time cost.
Overall GPA: 1.6 (C-)... academic probation where I weent to school.
the themes release has been spectacular, however i would like to go back to dragon 386 with the huge amounts of PC content
Character Builder: D
i hardly use it i write up myself most of the time i use it to track things sometimes
Adventure Tools: D
i cant use it to paste to a word document, so i still use the old one
Compendium A
has had everything ive looked for thus far and has yet to fail me
Virtual Table: B
Pretty good, i dont see myself putting it to regular use though although the times i used it was fun.
Customer Service A
each time i sent in a question i got an answer within a few hours, they have posted news and updates and have told us why something has not come out, so i like how they have treated me.
overall 2.33, they need to make the tools better simple.
Anyone care to explain or work it out for the grades I gave above?
Can I just say, I have no idea how to work out a Grade Point Average. It's not done in UK schools, at least not when I was there and my daughter is not there yet, but I see it a lot in US movies.
Anyone care to explain or work it out for the grades I gave above?
Generally, an A is worth 4 points, a B is worth 3, a C is worth 2, and a D is worth 1. A failing grade (an F) is worth 0 points. You just average them out from there. The + and - grades are variable - is a B+ a 3.3? But that's the basic approach.
It's a little more complex if the different classes have different numbers of credits - then you need to weight each grade by the number of credits for the course in question.
Using approximate numbers, you gave C (2), B+ (3.3), B (3), B- (2.6), E (0), and C+ (2.3), so the "GPA" is 2.2, which is a C+ or so.
Unless I have failed math forever, which sometimes happens to me.
I think that should work pretty well. It may be also of interest, especially since WotC will see the results, to note the number of each. There is a difference between a lot of As and a lot of Fs (showing a difference of opinions) and everyone giving it a C (showing consistency). I see a fair amount of consistency for adventure tools, some swing in the magazines, and variance with CB and compendium.
Oh, I would focus much more on the individual results than the overall GPAs - the clustering of grades might actually be useful (although we are kind of a small, self-selecting sample).
Can I just say, I have no idea how to work out a Grade Point Average. It's not done in UK schools, at least not when I was there and my daughter is not there yet, but I see it a lot in US movies.
Anyone care to explain or work it out for the grades I gave above?
Generally, an A is worth 4 points, a B is worth 3, a C is worth 2, and a D is worth 1. A failing grade (an F) is worth 0 points. You just average them out from there. The + and - grades are variable - is a B+ a 3.3? But that's the basic approach.
It's a little more complex if the different classes have different numbers of credits - then you need to weight each grade by the number of credits for the course in question.
Using approximate numbers, you gave C (2), B+ (3.3), B (3), B- (2.6), E (0), and C+ (2.3), so the "GPA" is 2.2, which is a C+ or so.
Unless I have failed math forever, which sometimes happens to me.
Thanks Mock.
Suspected something like that but have never found the actual answer.
Much obliged to you for providing my piece of new knowledge for today.
Character Builder: D
Adventure Tools: D
Compendium: B
Virtual Table: C
If the character builder and monster builder (aka Adventure Tools) were still offline versions and still being updated I'd give them both A's.
Magazines:
There is usually one article at the minimum that catches the interested of one or more players at my table. However the format still needs work. Especially how difficult it is to read from a smart phone. You should be embracing new technology. Switching from compling the articles and instead releasing individual articles was an strange decision. Why not offer both options?
Dragon C+ I have noticed a distinct improvement in the quality of the articles in recent months. At least the articles that my DM has shared with me (themes), as I let my subscription lapse at the beginning of the year. I wish for more Unearthed Arcana articles.
Dungeon D. Mediocre adventures outstrip the great ones. Badly written skill challenges after you went to the trouble to improve them. Why is it you can publish great modules like the Slaying Stone but your online offerings are so poor? I must say that the Chaos Scar was a noted improvement over the Scales of War. I've heard nothing but great things about Going Ape. I liked the Design & Development articles, it was a good way to understand WTF is going on.
Character Builder: C. This is one of the reasons I let my subscription lapse. On the one hand its more accessible across platforms which is good. On the other hand its slow to load, awkward to use, and difficult to learn when compared with the offline version. Further the online version removed features that the offline version had. And rather than support both, at least until the online version reached a level of functionality equal to the offline version, you simply discontinued access to the offline CB.
Lastly, you used to have a CB demo that allowed the creation of 1st level characters (possibly 1-3rd, I forget) was what originally sold me on paying for the DDI in the first place. No longer. Removing features is not an upgrade, its a downgrade and I don't like to pay for downgrades to my service.
Note: It doesn't help that if I wanted to, I could download new fan created updates for the old offline CB that far outstrip the quality of what I get when I play for the DDI.
Adventure Tools: F. Your upgrade to the Monster Builder made it impossible to build or customize monsters. This is why I let my subscription lapse. I mostly used the DDI to eliminate prep time, and removing features is a terrible direction to go. The fact that you only have one tool, and it doesn't work = Failure. You used to have a free to use Encounter Builder. No longer.
Compendium: B. This is the only thing I regularly miss from my subscription because it was very useful. I would resub if you offered just the compendium at a discount. In fact, I often wished you had tiered subscription packages. If it worked on a smartphone, I'd give you an A.
Virtual Table: ??. Wasn't invited, but I've heard a mixture of reports and don't know what to believe.
Customer Service: B. All the dealings I've had with your customer service, have been better than average to great. Your PR however is all over the board. The DM hotline from a few years back was a great boost to your PR image (I got some great advice from Rodney Thompson, and it convinced me to resub for a year), the Essentials confusion continues to be a black eye when even now retailers don't know what Essentials is.
I want to subscribe to the DDI, its just not worth it in its current form. Two years ago it was a must have. Now it hardly has anything of use or interest to me. What I wish for are usable adventure tools and added features to the CB. I also enjoyed Chris Perkins DM articles, I enjoyed Mike Mearls Skill Challenge collumn, and Shelly Mazzanoble's humor collumn was a joy to read but its not enough to keep me coming back in the face of all the other flaws. They are value added. I would resub for some more Iomandra content, like maybe some a Dragon players guide to Iomandra, and some Dungeon intro adventures.
Magazines: C. I would have given them a B before compiled issues were shut down. It's the compilation into one volume that makes something a magazine. Still, I always enjoyed reading the background articles and have used many of the adventures from Dungeon. The new rules material, on the other hand, tends to bog down my game; I could do without.
Character Builder: F, down from B a year ago. The shift to an online format was a total deal breaker for me. I know I am the customer they were aiming for with this switch; I updated DDI two or three times a year; on the other hand, I bought all the books and didn't share my installs. Now I don't update DDI at all and I honestly haven't bought any new books since last December, and a lot of that has to do with feeling cheated by the online CB.
Adventure Tools: D. Not awful, but definitely not intuitive either. I've used it to build and level NPCs but it never quite seems like it's worth the time and frustration.
Compendium: B. It's really useful...but I never really used it. Strange.
Virtual Tabletop: F. Now, I've never actually seen it, mind, but considering it was supposed to launch with 4e way back in 08, and was one of the reasons I first subscribed to DDI (the vain, forgotten hope that it might launch next month), I've got to give it a failing grade.
Customer Service:A Never had anything to complain about, and when I've needed something addressed, it was done.
I would resubscribe if the CB went back offline, the mags were released in compiled form every month, and I could be guaranteed a usable VT. I'd also like to see some improvements in the adventure tools. It doesn't look like these things will be happening anytime soon, so I'll be writing up my characters by hand and making do with my back issues for the foreseeable future.
Character Builder: A It does what it claims and it does it pretty well. I haven't had any problems or difficulties with it beyond it occasionally being a little slow or laggy. The interface is nice too. The power card sheets are my favorite feature, they're really handy for keeping track of things. My biggest complaint is that it's online only, making it of little use to my group. Since I realize most groups probably aren't in rural areas with limited or no internet access like mine is I didn't factor that complain into the score, but even a semi-offline builder that required a login once a month to reactivate would be nice for those of us that have internet access at home but don't have net access where we play.
Adventure Tools/Monster Builder: F There is only one tool in the Adventure Tools and that tool, the Monster Builder, doesn't build monsters. Releveling monsters is of little use compared to a working, full-fledged monster builder. This isn't even close to complete and it shouldn't have been released in this state, even with the label of Beta. Again, this would be far more useful in an offline or semi-offline program like the old builder. The primary use I'd have for it is quickly building monsters for unanticipated encounters as a result of my group going a different way than I'd planned and since the tool is restricted online only, I can't use it for that. Like before I didn't factor this into the score, not that it would have changed it any.
Compendium: B The Compendium is pretty handy. I've got a lot of use out of it so far and my only complaint keeping it from being an A is that the UI is clunky. Also, visually it looks like a beta compared to the more colorful approach of the other tools, but that doesn't have any bearing on the functionality of the tool. It's the next best thing to making digital copies of the books available.
Virtual Table: N/A I'm not in the beta. From what I know about it there are better alternatives out there for a virtual gametable experience.
Customer Service: N/A I haven't needed customer service yet, so I have no comment.
Overall: C It does some things well, some things poorly, and some things it claims to do it just doesn't do at all. Overall I've got some use out of it, but I'm not excited for the future of the service. Right now, unless something drastically changes, I don't think I'll be resubscribing again once my current subscription runs out.
I would absolutely be motivated to continue subscribing as long as the service is offered if the tools had offline or semi-offline versions released. Currently I'm glad I subscribed to see what the service is like but I feel that in the future my money will be better spent on books since I can actually use them at the table unlike the current set of tools.
You're letting me down, Wizards of the Coast. WAY down. As in, "I have almost zero respect for you" down. I like the things you print, but why is your D&D Insider content years late, and $70 dollars short?
Just renewed my subscription, and I'd like to know why the online version of monster builder is less useful than the old, downloadable version! Good thing I still have the old, installable version, because I have absolutely zero use for the online version.
You're letting me down, Wizards of the Coast. WAY down. As in, "I have almost zero respect for you" down. I like the things you print, but why is your D&D Insider content years late, and $70 dollars short?
Short version is that the online version is basically ONLY for those using the VT (at this time). You can use it for face to face games, but it has much less usefulness.
But, alas, I let my DDI subscription expire and swore off purchases from Wizards due to some of the items below:
Magazines: C before the change to uncompiled at the beginning of this year. After that, completely useless, an F. I wanted and paid for a magazine, not a randomized collection of articles.
Character Builder: F The online-only version is completely unacceptable. As is a 20-character limit. Since it was the big reason I subscribed in the first place, once they destroyed the old version and replaced it with something useless to my gaming group, well ....
Adventure Tools: F I have not used them since they first came out, but they were useless then (worse than useless, actually -- they were actually a hindrance to gaming) and do not seem to have improved since (judging from other people's comments).
Compendium: C It seems like it should be useful, but I can't figure out what it offers. If it's just an encyclopedia, it's terrible. But, some people seem to think it is useful. I never found any use for either version.
Virtual Table: n/a Have never used. Wizards lied to me far too many times for me to waste more money on their vaporware. It seems to be useful to some now, but they never gave me a chance to try it; their treatment of their customers sealed their fate in my book long before the VT ever made it to the field.
Customer Service: B The "help desk" is quite good. However, you have to be using something that's "approved" to get service. Once they dropped service for the working Character Builder, they naturally dropped to an D (but that wasn't the help desk's problem; it's a management decision, apparently). Further, they're official company communication simply cannot be believed at all, which rates an F. So, overall I'm giving this a D.
Total GPA: 0.7 Failing, plus an incomplete due to the "teacher" being AWoL. Sad, but after more than 30 years playing the game, I guess it had to end somewhere.
Magazines: B I've seen a lot of improvement over the last three months, I hope the trend continues. It drops to a C if WOTC is paying for those comics to be produced.
Character Builder: D If I spent 10 months producing a program that had severely reduced functionality over an older version, I'd be fired. Aesthetically it's far better, which is why it's not an 'F' - but the older version is more flexible, updated by volunteers more frequently than WOTC's paid staff, and actually does what I need it to do.
Adventure Tools: F Need to use third party tools to scale monsters, or do it by hand. Thank god you guys linked power2ool or I'd be screwed.
Compendium: B The only reason WOTC still has my subscription.
Virtual Table: N/A Don't need it, haven't signed up.
Customer Service: C Never needed to contact you guys directly, but every post from the officials on the forum sounds like PR people desperately trying to wrangle information from important people. Everything from the D&Di announcements (which are frequently broken, and apparently there's nothing MaximumHavoc can do about it) to the posts in this forum (frequently posting things that are never delivered or spoken about again) suggests that there is either no communication or the public's opinion is irrelevant. Also, "playtests" = hours and thousands of great ideas and suggestions on behalf of playtesters who know far more about the game than any of the playtesting staff (or me) which are dumbed down to simple and superficial fixes.
Character Builder: B - It does what it needs to do, and does it well. If more homebrew options were available then it would be fully an A, custom photos/character sheets would be nice but can wait till after the functionality is complete.
Adventure Tools: D - Currently I get no use from this, usually I just look stuff up in the compendium, then modify it as I need to.
Compendium: A - Overall the driving force of my subscription, just to be able to find information without having to sift through all of the books. A central location for all the data.
Virtual Table: C - Personally my group uses MapTools, and its been a long time since i played with this, but as a community for online games this is the best I've seen. The actual table itself still needs improvement in customization or more images for use.
Customer Service: ? - I don't know I haven't used it in a while, and the forums do nothing but flame it constantly. So seems like this needs some form of a restart before it can actually get a grade. Which brings me to new one
Community: F - These forums are the most hostile, and vile community I visit. I wish I could stop, but I find these forums have the best interface to actually find what I'm looking for. The real difficulty is not getting irritated with the community before I find what I want.
Community: F - These forums are the most hostile, and vile community I visit. I wish I could stop, but I find these forums have the best interface to actually find what I'm looking for. The real difficulty is not getting irritated with the community before I find what I want.
Heh agreed on the community, nightwalker. There are plenty of individuals who are pleasant enough, but there's definitely a critical mass of hostility and arrogance on here that makes it awfully unpleasant a lot of the time.
What's really funny is not even taking into consideration that taking potshots at the community is actually contributing to the issue you allegedly show so much disdain for. Grade: T.
I'll have to respectfully disagree with that, Jharii. Like Nightwalker and LlamasNotsheep, I see lots of arrogance and unpleasantness on these forums as well. I don't think they were taking potshots, though, but would actually like to see the tone improve. If we don't point out the unpleasantness, it won't change and things won't improve. The other options are to ignore it and continue to put up with it, or walk away and allow it to degenerate further, as when pleasant people leave, only the trolls will remain.
I agree, but that's not what this thread is about. It was tacked on to a DDI-specific report card when no one else has addressed community throughout the thread and the community extends well beyond DDI.
Now let's just get back to the topic??
This thread has been rather useful and clean. Thanks. Magazines: C- I'm one who really, really dislikes using the term "magazine" any longer, and also one who reads all content on my iPad. Odd, poor decision on compilation. Still, some of the bits of I've read over the last year or so have been cool.
Character Builder: C To many it's unfair, but I don't see how you can rate the current without considering the former. The new builder should be at least on par with the original by now, but at least they've made it a usable tool.
Adventure Tools: F Useless at this point, in my opinion.
Compendium: A The one shining star for me, and works at the game table when I DM on my iPad, which I love as it allows me electronics without getting in the way.
Virtual Table: I Giving it an incomplete partly because it was a purchased product and I'm surprised it's still in beta, and also because I only messed with it briefly before any of the integration. The potential is certainly there, but they do seem behind the curve.
Customer Service: C- Knocking them down slightly here due to lack of meaningful communication over the years - and I've been with this since the beginning. From the exhuberant overpromising, to the overly tight lipped "now we aren't going to say anything", to the occasional condescension of late, it's very disappointing.
Thanks again OP for the chance to grade the product. To sum up my overall feelings about the product - this averages an C, whereas I would have given them a B average two years ago. Come on guys, you can do better. Please stop worrying so much about DRM/piracy risks, and instead give your customer base the tools they are asking and paying for.
Character Builder: B I am one of those people who was glad for the move to online tools. The CB as the flagship for this direction change is a solid program. I would give a higher grade when more customization is available. Tops on my list of improvements is custom editors for items, feats and powers as well as a way for DMs to "keep an eye" on their player's characters across DDi accounts.
Adventure Tools: C- This grade will greatly improve I am sure when additonal features are "turned on." This grade would be much lower if the classic MB were not still available.
Compendium: A- Probably the most solid part of DDi, but not something I personally use much. Occasionally used at the table from time to time to clear up monster entry changes from printed material in the HPE adventure path of published modules and the current versions of those monsters.
Virtual Table: B+ Mainly for effort. This is not something I will probably ever use, unless it can be used for making and exporting maps for table top play. Still I am glad that WotC has decided to deliver on one of the promised applications from 4e launch.
Customer Service: A Communication has greatly improved. While they can improve it more for a perfact score, I understand their desire to keep some things close to their vest.
Total GPA: 3.1 Solid B. Not bad and certainly better than what other companies are offering for their game systems (are they even offering anything?), but there is certainly room for improvement to make DDi into something that will wow existing customers and drawn new ones.
Magazines: B for Dungeon, D for Dragon. Dragon has a good two month run until last month's return to dismal form.
Character Builder: C-. 20 character limit, still? Same old "superior Ki Focus doesn't work" bugs? Now my warlord isn't proficient in shields? Seriously?
Adventure Tools: F. Please.
Virtual Table: D. Shows promise, but last I checked I still only had one tile set.
Compendium: A. It's a web page in front of a database, but at least it knows that's what it is, and has no stupid restrictions on top of it.
Customer Service: C. Still no feeling anyone there sees the problems.
Overall: D. Good thing for them the value proposition means that each customer only has to really like one or two elements.