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2 years ago ::
Jul 15, 2011 - 12:44PM
#31
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Date Joined:
Oct 10, 2009
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Magazines: C - Ditto with everyone else about having a more convenient way to get all of the content, searchable downloads etc would be amazingly useful and could bump the grade up significantly.
Character Builder: C - Needs the ability to disable Essentials content for those of us who aren't allowed the new content in our campaigns, and of course the houseruling stuff that everyone has already mentioned. Also, HATE the character sheet designs, want the old one from oCB back!
Adventure Tools: F As has already been mentioned, Masterplan (at least, the older version I have) is definitely a better overall campaign-planning tool, but its usefulness was severely curtailed by WoTC's C&D. If you're going to lawyer up and keep us from using a 3rd party tool that worked (AND required a DDI subscription to be useful), then you need to come up with a similar featureset. OMB was/is great, if a little buggy: I still use it when I need to tweak old monsters, and if I have a monster I need I create it in there and then tweak it.
Compendium: B+ - still useful, and I can get to it (when the stars are right) on my iPhone... not perfect but could be so much worse.
Virtual Table: N/A
Customer Service: B+ - haven't needed them much but they have always been efficient and helpful.
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2 years ago ::
Jul 15, 2011 - 12:55PM
#32
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Date Joined:
Jun 30, 2008
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Magazines: C- Better than the D they got last semester. Content has improved. The failure to turn in compiled issues was an easy assignment that WotC didn't bother to do
Character Builder: B- Much improved from a few months ago. Still not cusomizable enough. Needs to learn that most of its customers are smart geeks that don't need their hand held when dealing with a computer program and when it tries to hand hold like with the "choose for me" options it usually fails anyways. Things like the 20 character limit, lack of ability to change settings post character creation, and printing issues are also holding it back.
Adventure Tools: D- These are just not very good. Monster builder does not do what it could do.
Compendium: A- Excellent. Would be an A+ if it had more complete entries (paladin entry still lacks what Channel Dinivity powers Paladins get for instance) and more customization in searches to reduce false positives.
Virtual Table: B+ Only way I get to play 4E most of the time at this point and I have enjoyed it every time I have used it with few frustations. Mainly needs a few tweaks for DMs to set up better maps and to be better at things like autocalculating brutal damage. If a power is usuable in a common circumstance with bonuses that should calculated whenever possible. A character having a power that is usuable on charge should have a seperate roll for a power already available that adds the +2 to hit with charges, bonus damage from spear expertise etc.
Customer Service: B Good at dealing with complaints from what I have heard, but the actual buying and renewel process has been a headache for a long time.
Total GPA: 2.5
Over next semester they need to be working to integrate these products into more non-PC/laptop devices: smartphones, Ipads, kindles etc.
If not for the adventure tools and magazine problems it would be a solid B average.
my handbooks & builds
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2 years ago ::
Jul 15, 2011 - 2:41PM
#33
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Date Joined:
Sep 29, 2007
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Magazines: C Archives are nice but the material needs improvement, Especially Dungeon, I should be able to grab an adventure for any level and any setting.
Character Builder: B The quick Essentials build is fantastic but the custom still needs some usablity improvements and when a print book launches the content should be there.
Adventure Tools: D If I want to do anything but level a monster up or down its pretty worthless.
Compendium: B Good resource, easy to search but... hard to browse if I'm not entirely sure what I am looking for.
Virtual Table: NA Not part of the beta, never plan to use it.
Customer Service: NA Never used it
Total Grade: C+
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2 years ago ::
Jul 15, 2011 - 7:01PM
#34
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Date Joined:
Jun 16, 2007
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Ha ha, oh dear. Now I shall say bad things. Sorry.
Magazines shall be held to the end.
Character Builder: -A So, the character builder is, probably, the best thing they've managed to do. It's ALMOST as useful as a paper character sheet. But not quite.
Adventure Tools: D Unsatisfactory work. A> Tools implies multiple things, not one, and B> as others have said, the one tool is crap. I mean really crap. It's worse than nothing, it's actively harmful to the process of creating monsters. Sorry.
Compendium: D Now, it's been a while since I've used it, BUT, my experience has been that it's poorly organized, the search function is crap, and it's full of typos and error. Like the last three books I've bought from you guys!
Virtual Tabletop: Duke Nuckem Forever, by which I mean F, since it took forever to come out, and doesn't live up to the promises made.
Customer Service: -B I've never had any problems with Customer service, nor have they ever been rude. But they've never been really exceptional in any way either.
Magazines: 0 The "magazines" get a Zero. This is not just a failing score. This is a failing score that indicates that they did not actually attempt the coarse work. This is not the grade you get for doing bad work, this is the grade you get for refusing to turn in anything.
When you, as a company, decided to go to online publication in PDF format for the Magazine, THAT WAS FINE.
When you, as a company, decided that Proof-reading, Playtesting, Deadlines, and Quality were optional since it was just Blagging on the Inter-Webz, When you decided that the "Magazines" should just be a test bed for your half formed abortions of mechanics beta testing, When you decided that things like Flavor Articles, Original Fiction, and "Fluff" was stupid and uneccesary, you not only killed the magazines, your desecrated their corpses.
Final Grade: D (1.5)
Next time, I'll grade you on the quality of your PRINT releases since the inception of 4E. But I warn you, I won't be quite this nice.
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2 years ago ::
Jul 15, 2011 - 10:31PM
#35
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Date Joined:
Oct 15, 2008
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Magazines: C+: Improving. Monsters are toughening up, adventures are leaving the tactical format. The slow down in crunch is a good thing but it also requires a reduction in value. Fluff is the only keeping this grade from depleting further. Still waiting on some decent epic support with the monster vault style monsters. Running my 3rd epic level campaign and 3rd party companies (critical hits for example) is the only people paving this road. Also I know cartography is not cheap, I understand a budget, I understand marketing dungeon tiles. However, I can figure out how to use my tiles. I know the number of combinations that can be made with every tile I own. I don't need to pay for you to show me how to do this. What I do need is cartography that inspires me with new setting and terrain areas. I can print a map. I pay for ddi to save me time with new ideas that challenge my assumptions. If that isn't what your going to sell, I don't need to buy.
Character Builder: C -: Still not that great for me and mine, mainly because it does not allow for any kind of custom items or powers. I run a home brew setting, and there are a lot of things in my games that are not from any D&D releases. As such, it's good for getting the bare bones of a character done, but the sheets end up with a lot of scribbles all over them. It's good to see that a lot of the bugs that drove me and my players insane when it first went online are gone. In addition the old cb was more of a rent to own and this is to much of a pay by the day service. I realize this is the business model the world is going to but it still chaps my fire drake riding hide. I appreciate Mac support and the need for ip protection, but I want value for money. A PDF has value. Access to a tool that is gone when wotc moves on or when I part ways with the design philosophy has no value for my expenses.
Adventure "tools - F worst tool yet and getting worse on-line. So many good 3rd party tools to see how to do it right. Tsk tsk
Compendium B-: I like it. I really do, but it is getting more unreliable. Try doing a search for vampires. Kas doesn't show up and tam does. I want vamps not liches. The number of errors and missing items, creatures etc continues to grow. You have to search check it against your books and all the update PDF to ensure accurate info. Bleh
Virtual Table (UNRATED): I have not had a chance to check it out. It's really not something I need. I have no desire to join an mmo nor participate in microtransactions to purchase tokens etc. For use with d&d.
Customer Service: A: Yep I like these guys. despite all your bs over communication these guys hold it together. If your vision and service were as reliable as these lads I would be using the tools to do my campaign work instead of writing this.
As final note Chris Perkins is single handily keeping me about. Between his pax awesomeness dm'ing and his weekly article... I canceled my auto renew and just waiting for the expiration. Mean time waiting to see where 4e goes and what you gents do to dazzle me. Cheers!
Best Blog Ever! I am Done Apologizing!This email is to confirm that we have stopped automatic billing for your subscription. Your subscription will continue to be active until the expiration date listed below.
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2 years ago ::
Jul 16, 2011 - 4:33AM
#36
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- Stampeding Hybrid
- Dragon Slayer
Date Joined:
Aug 19, 2007
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Magazines: F+ These have been in the toilet for a long time. It has been getting slightly better, but that is only after it has managed to hit rock bottom in terms of quality so it might just be leveling off because that level of bad can't be maintained. There is not enough material in them, and what material is there is generally pretty useless except for the random one or two articles per month that might have a single item or feat I'm interested in.
Character Builder: C- Still not as good as the offline one, and really I have no expectations of it ever catching up.
Adventure Tools: I Haven't really used it.
Compendium: A Useful.
Virtual Table: C- In my experience it isn't bad, but it isn't any better than free alternatives. Really not worth it all when I can get the same stuff free.
Customer Service: I Eh, I haven't really dealt with them too much.
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2 years ago ::
Jul 16, 2011 - 5:50AM
#37
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Date Joined:
May 29, 2004
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Magazines: B, improved from C last month. The quality is certainly improving, but it's still held back by material that is only tangentially relevant to the game (confessions) and submission guidelines that still are vague as to what kinds of material the editors want to publish.
Character Buikder: D. It's mostly functional, but I find it troubling that due to Silverlight and other issues, this online CB that was supposedly replacing the offline one because it works with mobile devices is slow as dirt on my netbook compared to OCB and doesn't work at all on my iPad. Getting something that works on a tablet device would instantly improve this grade to a B.
Adventure Tools: F. An utter, utter failure. As an LFR author and editor, this tool, which is designed to make modifying and leveling monsters easier, has actually caused more work for me. It doesn't have the functions it needs, and the functions it does have work in a manner that is not consistent with the rules (where does it say that monsters get stat bumps at 11th and 21st? Where is it getting the guidelines for increasing resistances, vulnerabilities, and static damage?). This tool would be more helpful if it vanished tomorrow,
Compendium: B+. This is a really, really useful tool. However, it needs support for set item text and artifact Concordance (or at least clearly labeling artifacts as such when the item is found under its other categories).
Virtual Table: I. I haven't been able to get a game going on it yet, but I find its interface confusing as I try to use it to organize an adventure.
Customer Service: B. They need to split Customer Service into a general CS department and a rules department, with the rules department having better communication and research for their answers. I've seen inconsistent or illogical CS responses grind LFR tables to a halt because the DM wasn't a strong enough personality to just make a ruling and go,
John du Bois
Living Forgotten Realms Writing Director, Netheril story area
Follow me on The Twitter: @JohnduBois
Follow my presence on The Intertubes: johncdubois.wordpress.com
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2 years ago ::
Jul 16, 2011 - 6:58AM
#38
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Date Joined:
Dec 23, 2007
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Magazines: B - I really enjoy the content. The grade lower than an A indicates the gap of about four months there where the content wasn't showing up on time, was of poor quality and lacked value. I am disappointed with DDI in general's gradual decline of accountability in that initially we received a content calendar for the month that gave us all a sense of where each magazine was going and when we could expect each article. Now we receive fewer articles than the print versions from years back and the content calendar is essentially updated only weekly
Compendium: C its not that this isn't functional, but rather I just don't use it consistently. This thread has actually convinced me to try it again based on the positive grades. I am giving it an average score since I haven't used it consistently for months but when I did it worked fine. I am looking forward to trying this out again.
Character Builder: B- I don't mind the online CB. I like its layout, deal with its mostly functional features and it does most of what I want it to do. I have a real problem with the inability to filter the books that I don't want available in my campaign and the simply dreadful character sheet. Ten players in my group plus me DMing and not a single person needs or wants that sheet. Since day one of its launch, complaints have been logged about the layout of that sheet and since the offline sheet was infinitely better and already developed, how hard is it really to give us that option when printing? In terms of all the bugs, I have rarely had a problem and many of the quirky things they fix every month haven't effected my group.
Customer Service: N/A never called or emailed
Virtual Table: N/A never participated but would like to. Not sure I love the sound of it from this thread that your subscription to DDI doesn't allow full use of the system?? Do you also have to spend money when using the VT to get add ons?
Adventure Tools: F How can it be anything else. I almost graded it a D, because I have used it in the past to quickly reference a monster from a source I couldn't locate quickly and printed. Then I realized that isn't its purpose so I downgraded to the grade it deserves. First of all, it was supposed to include more than simply a MB. In and of itself, that gives it a failing mark. There are so many more tools a DM needs to build an adventure. The MB itself is disgusting, unsupported and doesn't do what it was promised! The scaling of monsters is crap and you can't customize and BUILD a monster. Interesting the tool is called Monster BUILDER.
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2 years ago ::
Jul 16, 2011 - 8:46AM
#39
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Virtual Table: N/A never participated but would like to. Not sure I love the sound of it from this thread that your subscription to DDI doesn't allow full use of the system?? Do you also have to spend money when using the VT to get add ons?
The Virtual Table has its issues, but this is not one of them. Or, to be more specific, the presence or absence of microtransactions is an unknown at this point, so this issue is up in the air. In fact, most questions about its availability and costs to subscribers are unknowns at this point.
Some folks here assert that microtransactions are a done deal, and most definitely will be part of the Virtual Table. Others assert that that position is at best unfounded, and at worst ridiculous. Nobody from WotC has said either way.
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2 years ago ::
Jul 16, 2011 - 12:33PM
#40
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Date Joined:
Jun 17, 2010
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"your subscription to DDI doesn't allow full use of the system" is actually correct, in that it's still in beta and you have to get invited to use it (which not all DDI subscribers have done). Correct result, incorrect conclusion as to the reason for it.
D&D Next = D&D: Quantum Edition
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