WOULD ANYONE HAPPEN TO KNOW WHEN ITS COMING OUT BECAUSE I REALLY NEED/WANT/CRAVE TO KNOW.
SO IVE BEEN LOGGING IN FROM TIME TO TIME AND STILL NO VISUALIZER.
WOULD ANYONE HAPPEN TO KNOW WHEN ITS COMING OUT BECAUSE I REALLY NEED/WANT/CRAVE TO KNOW.
The answer has not changed, it will be released when it is ready.
Current guesses by users range from mid 2009 to never time span.
The answer has not changed, it will be released when it is ready.
Current guesses by users range from mid 2009 to never time span.
Hopefully the Dungeon Builder and Game Table are given priority over this...
SO IVE BEEN LOGGING IN FROM TIME TO TIME AND STILL NO VISUALIZER.
WOULD ANYONE HAPPEN TO KNOW WHEN ITS COMING OUT BECAUSE I REALLY NEED/WANT/CRAVE TO KNOW.
No one knows. WOTC doesn't even know.
and because no one else has said it...
OMGWTF CAPS... :D
also, WTFCAPS, how have you been logging in regularly when you registered Dec 2008...
who cares? (least useful app ever)
also, WTFCAPS, how have you been logging in regularly when you registered Dec 2008...
He probably means hes been checking in to see if its availiable.
As someone who dabbles in 3D artwork, I'm surprised that the Character Builder is ready yet. On a complexity scale, I would think it really is the simplest of the tools that they are planning. All it really requires is using a base mesh for each race (and weapons, armor, etc), add some scaling morphs for height, weight, etc, then several textures for each. Also, it would only make sense to build it before the Game Table since the base meshes pretty much MUST be finished before the Game Table goes live.
I have no experiance in making 3d artwork but I had actually thought this would be the hardest to do to make it look good.
On the virtual game table we will need some form of representation. We do not need some tool for kids to make a shiny avatar that represents 100% of the outer appearance of the character, including texture of cloths, items, face, beard, whatever. It basically means there would be a costly team sitting there and customize the available options non-stop.
The game table should come first, with the basic visualization option pre-generated (one for each possible gender/race/class combo) which is already a lot of design work. And if this works, make the visualizer as an add-on.
D&D is not a computer game where you get excited from just turning around a 3D model all day long. And the virtual table is nothing more than a tool to get our friends who left town back into the game.
At this time there is no specific date for release. They are, however, prioritizing the releases and working on rolling them out in good working order one at a time.
Funny, I completely disagree with the notion that the visualizer is unnecessary. I'd love to be able to outfit my characters, since I have no artistic talent at all, and have never been able to draw even a simple representation of my characters. At this point, the game table is the least important of the tools for me. Anyway, my point to this is that you shouldn't assume you speak for the entire community. You definitely do not.
I do not see any coming close to speaking for the community in this thread, I did see an opinion that too much resources is being expended on making pictures. Even if they are 3d pictures, I tend to share this view.
Yes I know people like images, I even got a few for a small number of characters that I play. I believe I imaged two of my characters out of something like 100+ in number. I just do not need to see what they look like, I know what they look like.
I took the comment as meaning it is one of the more complicated aplications to program and when already behind deadline should be considered of less importance then game table itself. Opinions will indeed vary as to which is most important, some clearly looking for Dungeon Builder (likely DMs) quicker and people like yourself looking for the visualizer quicker.
IAE the most important, Game Table, will likely be the last to be completed.
Hopefully the Dungeon Builder and Game Table are given priority over this...
Looking at it logically, the character visualizer and the dungeon builder will likely need to be complete first before the Game Table can be of any use. So it will likely be in order of Character generator, then the character visualizer, then the dungeon builder, and then the game table.
Looking at it logically, the character visualizer and the dungeon builder will likely need to be complete first before the Game Table can be of any use. So it will likely be in order of Character generator, then the character visualizer, then the dungeon builder, and then the game table.
*nods* Indeed, because dungeon builder will need to accommodate 3d images it makes sense to have not only 3d NPCs able to be imported, but also 3d PCs.
I just gave no need of 2d anything, however the only reasonable way a dungeon builder could come out first would be a 2d one and that is not likely to occur.
*nods* Indeed, because dungeon builder will need to accommodate 3d images it makes sense to have not only 3d NPCs able to be imported, but also 3d PCs.
I just gave no need of 2d anything, however the only reasonable way a dungeon builder could come out first would be a 2d one and that is not likely to occur.
Thats IF they will need 3d things. Keep in mind that so far they have informed us the the Dungeon Builder is the closest to BETA right now. The CV isn't. I wouldn't be shocked to see a 2d dungeon builder knock-off of Fantasy Grounds II as the final product of the Dungeon Builder (maybe the VTT). However, by then we will know if they will have cancelled the CV and possibly the VTT.
Cut to three months from now:
WotC: We are sorry, but we do not have the staff or funding necessary to continue with production of the rest of the DDI tools.
Consumer: What? but you promised, there were adds and everything...
WotC: Yeah, our bad, thanks for your money tho... please support fifth edition.
At this point, I think it's safe to say that there will not be a character visualizer, nor a VTT. The projocts so far are shrouded in secrecy.. the ol stand by of "they are done when the're done" statment comes up way too often. They used the promise of a VTT and visualizer and all of the other DDI stuff to make sales for 4th edition. It was a marketing tactic that slightly worked.
Cut to three months from now:
WotC: We are sorry, but we do not have the staff or funding necessary to continue with production of the rest of the DDI tools.
Consumer: What? but you promised, there were adds and everything...
WotC: Yeah, our bad, thanks for your money tho... please support fifth edition.
SNAP! Yeah that's probably true. I wonder if money is an issue? I mean, the books raided them millions, I'm sure. Also, you can basically torrent any book, so the 5th edition will probably have some sort of registration requirement.
This is leading to the decay of Dungeons and Dragons as we know it. Do any of you remember the Dungeons and Dragons movie? Oh man...awful.
I think this may turn into the 'MS Vista' for WotC. People are going to stick to playing easrlier editions, and life will go on. Then they'll spend all the money already made on marketing, which will get a whole new group of people suckered into buying the new edition (aka: the last-ditch-effort).
Sorry to be a downer, but until they prove me wrong, that's how its going to be. :embarrass
I'm hoping they collect data on the characters made with the visualizer, and use it to make minis that look like popular character choices. That would allow more gamers to have minis that look like their characters.
Sorry if my position is a little overly objective and geeky for a forum post.
While there are many outspoken forum members who have made clear their disinterest in the visualizer, it is unwise to claim resources are wasted on it. One must consider the interest of people who are likely to pay for a subscription if a certain feature is made available, prioritize what will make Wizards of the Coast the most money, and allocate resources appropriately. I suspect WotC has done more consumer interest research than just reading the forums, and are acting accordingly. Frankly, no one in the forums (who is not working for WotC) has the data needed to form an educated opinion on whether resources are wasted on creating the visualizer.
I'm hoping they collect data on the characters made with the visualizer, and use it to make minis that look like popular character choices. That would allow more gamers to have minis that look like their characters.
Sorry if my position is a little overly objective and geeky for a forum post.
*blink* Are you talking about me?
Perhaps not, because I have indicated that I understand many people like the visual effects. Myself I would like to figure out how to disable flash without disabling my browser. That no website requires loading images of any kind (like this forums) to be able to use the bloody site at all.
Collecting personal data to make popular mines strikes me as theft of IP and clearly privacy intrusive. From a programing aspect it clearly could be geek (biting heads off chickens) type thing of those that already pay to use a service.
As for the visualizer I think it should be on back burner or released with the main table tools.
I for one am hoping they release the CV first and that they do a great job on it. I'd just like to see it in a timely manner.
And I happen to believe it is a waste of scarce resource.
There again last we know this is what comes out next.
Something I do not desire and that I would need an upgraded box to even use. *shrugs*
And I happen to believe it is a waste of scarce resource.
There again last we know this is what comes out next.
Something I do not desire and that I would need an upgraded box to even use. *shrugs*
I agree 100%
(hey Kentinal, it's Tzu-Theory- long time no see)
I for one am hoping they release the CV first and that they do a great job on it. I'd just like to see it in a timely manner.
I'd hoping to see a pony in my back yard.
I think my hope is FAR more realistic than yours.
It's gonna be so kewl!
OtoH, they could just save precious the coding resources peeps are worried about, and license the Perfect World International character design system. But then mere players might misuse the tool to make attractive characters rather than just the approved range, and that just won't do.
While I would use this tool, my personal preference would be for Wizards to put it out last. It is the tool that will have the smallest impact on actually playing the game with others online. I understand if others don't agree with my point of view. The thing I'm most looking foreward to is being able to play with others online on the Virtual Table Top. I don't mind using generic virtual mini's for a couple of months while the visualizer is still in development.
Moreover, without the gametable, the only use of the CV would be to make an image for use on the character sheet. That strikes me as a low priority in terms of playing the game.