Saw this about the Sigil VTT
-
@kirasha Polygon called it a pre-alpha mess
After years in development, D&D’s Unreal-powered virtual tabletop still feels off
D&D’s highly anticipated virtual tabletop, Sigil, is here and available for a small subscription fee. But it’s clear that the platform is still incomplete.
Polygon (www.polygon.com)
@Tim_Eagon Oof. Not good.
Skimming the polygon article, it sounds like the biggest issue might have been that WotC bit off more than they could chew in a rush to market.
Not surprising, honestly, given what I've seen of their Maps and Encounter tools on DDB. They seem to fall into the trap of thinking integration with DDB is going to sell tools on it's own. And don't really understand what the tools need to do.
-
@Tim_Eagon Oof. Not good.
Skimming the polygon article, it sounds like the biggest issue might have been that WotC bit off more than they could chew in a rush to market.
Not surprising, honestly, given what I've seen of their Maps and Encounter tools on DDB. They seem to fall into the trap of thinking integration with DDB is going to sell tools on it's own. And don't really understand what the tools need to do.
@kirasha They've always done it. See Gleemax and then the DDI tools for 4e.
-
@Tim_Eagon Thankfully, I missed a lot of the 4e debacles due to being out of the space for a few years.
-
@Tim_Eagon Oof. Not good.
Skimming the polygon article, it sounds like the biggest issue might have been that WotC bit off more than they could chew in a rush to market.
Not surprising, honestly, given what I've seen of their Maps and Encounter tools on DDB. They seem to fall into the trap of thinking integration with DDB is going to sell tools on it's own. And don't really understand what the tools need to do.
@kirasha @Tim_Eagon I had high hopes that they would build a tool as easy to use as terrain and minis on a table. Sad really that they’ve missed the mark so badly.
I’ve tried several vtts but the bar for creating maps feels really high. I tend to end up in discord instead.
But I’m an amateur ref, and I don’t have lots of prep time.
-
@Tim_Eagon@dice.camp @kirasha@dice.camp I thought the 4e Character Builder and compendium were, comparatively, pretty good. the other tools mostly felt lacking, but the CB was frequently updated, correct in its calculations (largely, I think there were a couple times we had to scratch in a fix), comprehensive over the compendium, and most of all just worked with no real surprises. the Silverlight aspect of it all was a damn shame technologically, and it of course being closed source meant its longevity and utility were limited, but I don't know --- I think that alone made DDI "decent".
-
@kirasha @Tim_Eagon I had high hopes that they would build a tool as easy to use as terrain and minis on a table. Sad really that they’ve missed the mark so badly.
I’ve tried several vtts but the bar for creating maps feels really high. I tend to end up in discord instead.
But I’m an amateur ref, and I don’t have lots of prep time.
Yeah, it's disappointing, if not unsurprising.
Honestly, I wanted to see it, but I doubt I would have switched to it from the VTT I use now as it just seemed so ambitious that it seemed like MORE than I would ever need. heh.
-
Yeah, it's disappointing, if not unsurprising.
Honestly, I wanted to see it, but I doubt I would have switched to it from the VTT I use now as it just seemed so ambitious that it seemed like MORE than I would ever need. heh.
@kirasha @Tim_Eagon tbh my needs are a hex map, markers to draw lines and tokens to move about.
-
@Tim_Eagon@dice.camp @kirasha@dice.camp I thought the 4e Character Builder and compendium were, comparatively, pretty good. the other tools mostly felt lacking, but the CB was frequently updated, correct in its calculations (largely, I think there were a couple times we had to scratch in a fix), comprehensive over the compendium, and most of all just worked with no real surprises. the Silverlight aspect of it all was a damn shame technologically, and it of course being closed source meant its longevity and utility were limited, but I don't know --- I think that alone made DDI "decent".
@bss @kirasha The CB was mostly fine, but going from a local client to the web was definitely a downgrade and I always felt it was kind of slow. The DDI database was probably their best tool, but it was pretty basic and really never got better over time. I don't think the Monster Builder got out of Beta before they pulled the plug on 4e.
-
@kirasha @Tim_Eagon tbh my needs are a hex map, markers to draw lines and tokens to move about.
-
I pretty much only use maps for general information as needed. I've always preferred more Theatre of the Mind. It's why I use Alchemy RPG as my VTT, actually. It's geared more toward atmosphere and ambience, with just enough tactical for when needed.
