tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963301430435684577.post1212903621208062955..comments2023-06-17T02:28:24.456-07:00Comments on A Hero Twice A Month: Digital Deja VuMedrauthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12625405387492836763noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963301430435684577.post-81077029650908060432008-07-21T09:57:00.000-07:002008-07-21T09:57:00.000-07:00I am not even going to hope that D&DI is going...I am not even going to hope that D&DI is going to be good. I know it will be bad. After seeing the whole eTools debacle, I'm convinced that a closed source product without tons of input and testing from a large group of people that can have a direct impact on the project is just not going to produce a useful tool. PCGen is able to do what it does because lots of people can work on the datasets and anyone can make updates and improvements. <BR/><BR/>The kind of access and development required for a dataset like D&D doesn't fit with how Wizards wants to keep its restrictions on the game. They need to open the flood gates for free projects to be able to use the data. The problems in the past have always been dataset related and how the programs related to the dataset. More eyes and hands will improve that. Without the right to do that, however, it can't be done. <BR/><BR/>I agree with Bronz. The best tool available for Character Generation is a spreadseet (I refuse to use Microsoft), like OpenOffice Calc.<BR/><BR/>I'm still a bit partial to Kloogewerks as a tool, but mostly because of its initiative tracker and mapping abilities. It is still lacking in the character generation department. <BR/><BR/>Digital game participation is becoming more and more important to us as a group. I still think that the non-Wizard and many of the free tools are higher quality than anything else Wizards will ever produce. Sadly even those tools are limited.<BR/><BR/>In the end, here are the basics when it comes to digital tools.<BR/><BR/>* Character generator (Spreadsheet or PDF)<BR/> -Don't worry about all the rules. Just let me plug in the numbers and do the math for me. <BR/><BR/>* Initiative/HP/Effect tracker<BR/> - Just keep track of hit points, whose turn is it and any effects on characters and monsters<BR/><BR/>* Shared mapping<BR/> - Share a map that is controlled by the DM. Allow players to move their character for combat. The only functionality would be the "fog of war" where the DM can reveal parts of the map as needed.<BR/><BR/>* Secure Dice Rolling<BR/> - There are a number of these available. In fact, I think it would be quite possible to integrate the spreadsheet with a secure dice rolling web url for games. Again, this is not reliant on any rules. You create the dice equation and it roles the dice.<BR/><BR/>Any system that is totally locked into a rule set will fail. It won't be able to handle house rules well, and frankly I have yet to see a rules implementation that wasn't full of holes and was easy to implement changes to.<BR/><BR/>So if Wizards wants to make things work right, they should just Keep It Simple Stupid. Anyone else doing the same thing would do well to follow. Of course we don't have much choice because no one can legally implement their rules for a digital tool anyways.Chadariushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17852967570140886895noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963301430435684577.post-67498608847473575322008-07-20T18:18:00.000-07:002008-07-20T18:18:00.000-07:00I can't believe I am about to say this, but Bronzi...I can't believe I am about to say this, but Bronzis right! Given the limitations of insider combined with the fact that it is subscription based (forcing me to continue paying for product if I want to use it regardless of whether it improves to the promised level or not) I will not be partaking in this farce. Over all I have been a little underwhelmed by the new direction dnd has gone. While some glaring issues have been solved, give it a few months... I am willing to bet this system is just as breakable to the determined, and far less flexible.Scaflochttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00402492810399682040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3963301430435684577.post-83159579295410791922008-07-15T08:55:00.000-07:002008-07-15T08:55:00.000-07:00100% agreed on everything said here. I too, as yo...100% agreed on everything said here. I too, as you know, relish any chance to merge my tech geekdom with my roleplaying geekdom. In my experience thus far it seems that Excel and it's OpenSource counterpart Calc are far and away the best character generators yet, as long as you have the skill to create it or know where one is located.<BR/><BR/>RPTools has a simple and free MapTool as well, and from all sides seems like it will do a BETTER job than WotC's fully Direct3d gaming table. I see nothing but issues stemming from that, and I think it was all done just so they can sell some more "digital mini's" and try to create a new revenue stream. It's all really crazy. <BR/><BR/>WotC should learn from the mistakes of the past as well as their publishing expertise and get some synergy here. They already have licenses in place that share their IP and their branding. Why can they not simply do the same thing for digital tools instead of this in-house garbage? And I'm not talking fully fleshed out games here, simply roleplay tools that are specific to WotC games.Bronzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12768778945286321325noreply@blogger.com