For a real answer, the "One D&D" announcement said that they are making an "immersive tabletop". That requires a HUGE resource allocation to get working. Since there are only so many people working at DDB, other features will not get as much priority. So the dev updates would have been "Working on something secret + site maintenance."
I would not expect many (any) new features until One D&D releases.
There hasn't been a true confirmation that the DDB team is actually the team doing the handwork for the VTT as far as I am aware. Wizards has strong existing relationships with a few game studios that know Unity leagues beyond the core DDB team. So it doesn't really make sense for the DDB team to be the primary workhorses for the VTT development. It requires a completely different set of expertise. I made a comment about this in post #28. I could totally be wrong of course...
Also... "not expect many new features" for 1.5+ years (One D&D set to transition sometime in 2024)???? yyeeaahhh.... if that is true, then I foresee a substantially more aggravated community in the near future.
A 3d vtt based on the Unreal Engine takes a totally different skill set than the character sheet, which is basically a glorified spreadsheet. So it's pretty unlikely the existing DDB team will have much to do with it outside of integrating the character sheet mechanics. They'd need a game studio for that. Luckily, Wizards already has two of their own, Archetype Entertainment and Tuque Games. Hasbro also has its own outside the Wizards brand, that could be tasked with the vtt.
WotC is simply too big to care. They won’t be transparent with updates or even reply to inquiries
I agree with you, but I just can't wrap my head around how the DDB team could take on the "too big to care" mentality in just a few months post-acquisition. That's kind of why I don't think the theories around the DDB team being explicitly told not to be transparent and pull back on community engagement with respect to the product are as far-fetched as I initially thought.
Unfortunately the only way we'll ever get answers is from the staff themselves. And they're not answering.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Leaving OGL 1.0(a) untouched and making SRD 5.1 CC-BY-4.0 is a great first step. The next is a promise to do the same for future editions. Here's a discussion thread on that.
The least WotC could do is have the courtesy of bringing the Encounter Builder and Combat Tracker out of Beta, even mostly as-is rather than adding any new features. (Though adding a final polish to the features would be nice.)
This would be a great benefit for those of us who still use Theatre of the Mind in our games. I occasionally use VTT's for complex combat scenarios, but I mostly use ToM, and the Encounter Builder/Combat Tracker has been a great help.
No, I am not really expecting WotC to care enough about DDB users to do anything like this, just saying it would be nice.
The least WotC could do is have the courtesy of bringing the Encounter Builder and Combat Tracker out of Beta, even mostly as-is rather than adding any new features. (Though adding a final polish to the features would be nice.)
This would be a great benefit for those of us who still use Theatre of the Mind in our games. I occasionally use VTT's for complex combat scenarios, but I mostly use ToM, and the Encounter Builder/Combat Tracker has been a great help.
No, I am not really expecting WotC to care enough about DDB users to do anything like this, just saying it would be nice.
Yeah, I agree with you that finishing features would be really nice… 🙄
It would’ve been SO much better if they finished the beta features and launched the Generic Feature System into beta all before taking this major feature hiatus that they are on.
I don't mind the feature hiatus as much as I mind the fact that they never communicated that it was going to happen. I get it, being bought by WOTC means you need to take some time restructuring, but at least ******* talk about it.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Leaving OGL 1.0(a) untouched and making SRD 5.1 CC-BY-4.0 is a great first step. The next is a promise to do the same for future editions. Here's a discussion thread on that.
I echo many of the comments. What felt like a family team with it's users, now feels like any other anonymous service.
I like the look of the online VTT pre beta footage, but it has to be way off to match the functionality of foundry that I currently use.
I really hope we get some news on the direction DDB is taking just so we know something....anything. My master tier sub has just renewed but if we have a year of no real change not sure I will need to keep it going I mainly have it have unlimited encounters and the obvious to let my players build characters with my book content, but I have been paying a little on the promise of more.
If they want/need to find a way to make it generate more income the VTT is the obvious way and I think many of us would spend more than we should on map building assets or digital models, but they always need to have a way for someone to play with a very low cost of entry that is still a full game experance.
Seems like a few more posts and comments similar to this thread are finally popping up. Looks like we finally have a movement brewing of wanting transparency back.
Keep being vocal and passionate (and polite) everyone. They can't ignore us forever.
I just miss the Twitch Streams - it's one of the only channels on Twitch that I follow, it's the only one I subscribe to, and it's the only one that I've notifications turned on for and watch often (or, used to watch often)...
NOTE - the following statement is my own and is purely an inference based on the post linked above. It is not backed by any sourced proof. So it seems to me like the backend components of the Generic Feature System are definitely still being pushed on (such as improving the entry systems). It seems like Wizards has put most of the focus on streamlining the internal usage of the entry systems for future publication entry instead of hyper-focusing on the Generic Feature System as a product/feature for now. This would honestly kind of make sense as it is a logical prioritization in my opinion. The good news is that streamlining these entry systems is very likely to evolve to the Generic Feature System... but it doesn't seem like the system will be ready as soon as was advertised at the beginning of this year in Dev Updates.
Regardless... primary statement of this thread still stands... learning this information via consistent Dev Updates would be WWAAYY more preferred than having to be vigilant on DDB forums.
It's really disappointing. It has been months since anything was last posted on their changelog. Even a single paragraph on what they are doing would be nice in inspire some confidence in WoTC.
Lmao you had confidence in WOTC? You must be new here.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Leaving OGL 1.0(a) untouched and making SRD 5.1 CC-BY-4.0 is a great first step. The next is a promise to do the same for future editions. Here's a discussion thread on that.
Did anyone else notice that most of the D&D Beyond Feedback sub-forums have been prefixed with (Discontinued)?
Yes, and with no explanation.
We had a good community with updates from the devs and now WotC have just thrown it away. This not how to maintain or grow an internet service. WotC needs to let Joe Starr and his team keep their customers engaged and informed. I really like DnDB but with development of DM tools stopped and no communication why should I keep using this site? I'm definitely not buying anymore books until I see some evidence that this site will be useful to me as a DM. If they're going to make us wait two years for the promised VTT then I'll have to find an alternate solution.
I expect Wizards Presents to be the only source of updates moving forward. Below is an excerpt from the last Wizards Presents Recap article...
"Wizards Presents brought us the biggest news to come to Dungeons & Dragons in nearly a decade. One D&D is the code name for three initiatives shaping the next generation of the tabletop roleplaying game. As part of One D&D, we’re…
Updating and expanding on the existing rules of the game, culminating in the release of new rulebooks in 2024;
Improving D&D Beyond, which serves as the digital front door to D&D and is home to your collection of digital books; and
Building out the D&D Digital Play Experience, which is in early development but will serve as a virtual play space that’s integrated with D&D Beyond"
I think it's pretty clear that Wizards of the Coast intends D&D Beyond to be a digital library and the Digital Play Experience to be the play space. The encounter builder, combat tracker, and possibly the character sheet, will be part of the new Digital Play Experience. I don't think any features currently in beta or alpha will be updated until they decide how to integrate them.
The worst case scenario in my mind is that ALL D&D beyond features, including the character sheet, will be locked behind the Digital Play Experience's paywall. I think the books will remain available to those who have purchased the content, but who knows... They might demand a subscription fee to access that content as well. I have stopped buying books at this point because I'm no longer confident in the integrity D&D Beyond's current direction. I don't want the VTT and had I known that this was going to happen I wouldn't have invested so heavily in this platform.
I think we all just have to accept that new features and development, with the possible exception of homebrew and character sheet improvements, will be linked to the development of the Digital Play Experience. For better or worse, the Digital Play Experience's future is the future of D&D Beyond.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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A 3d vtt based on the Unreal Engine takes a totally different skill set than the character sheet, which is basically a glorified spreadsheet. So it's pretty unlikely the existing DDB team will have much to do with it outside of integrating the character sheet mechanics. They'd need a game studio for that. Luckily, Wizards already has two of their own, Archetype Entertainment and Tuque Games. Hasbro also has its own outside the Wizards brand, that could be tasked with the vtt.
I agree with you, but I just can't wrap my head around how the DDB team could take on the "too big to care" mentality in just a few months post-acquisition. That's kind of why I don't think the theories around the DDB team being explicitly told not to be transparent and pull back on community engagement with respect to the product are as far-fetched as I initially thought.
Unfortunately the only way we'll ever get answers is from the staff themselves. And they're not answering.
Leaving OGL 1.0(a) untouched and making SRD 5.1 CC-BY-4.0 is a great first step. The next is a promise to do the same for future editions. Here's a discussion thread on that.
#OpenDnD
DDB is great, but it could be better. Here are some things I think could improve DDB
The least WotC could do is have the courtesy of bringing the Encounter Builder and Combat Tracker out of Beta, even mostly as-is rather than adding any new features. (Though adding a final polish to the features would be nice.)
This would be a great benefit for those of us who still use Theatre of the Mind in our games. I occasionally use VTT's for complex combat scenarios, but I mostly use ToM, and the Encounter Builder/Combat Tracker has been a great help.
No, I am not really expecting WotC to care enough about DDB users to do anything like this, just saying it would be nice.
Yeah, I agree with you that finishing features would be really nice… 🙄
It would’ve been SO much better if they finished the beta features and launched the Generic Feature System into beta all before taking this major feature hiatus that they are on.
I don't mind the feature hiatus as much as I mind the fact that they never communicated that it was going to happen. I get it, being bought by WOTC means you need to take some time restructuring, but at least ******* talk about it.
Leaving OGL 1.0(a) untouched and making SRD 5.1 CC-BY-4.0 is a great first step. The next is a promise to do the same for future editions. Here's a discussion thread on that.
#OpenDnD
DDB is great, but it could be better. Here are some things I think could improve DDB
I echo many of the comments. What felt like a family team with it's users, now feels like any other anonymous service.
I like the look of the online VTT pre beta footage, but it has to be way off to match the functionality of foundry that I currently use.
I really hope we get some news on the direction DDB is taking just so we know something....anything. My master tier sub has just renewed but if we have a year of no real change not sure I will need to keep it going I mainly have it have unlimited encounters and the obvious to let my players build characters with my book content, but I have been paying a little on the promise of more.
If they want/need to find a way to make it generate more income the VTT is the obvious way and I think many of us would spend more than we should on map building assets or digital models, but they always need to have a way for someone to play with a very low cost of entry that is still a full game experance.
Seems like a few more posts and comments similar to this thread are finally popping up. Looks like we finally have a movement brewing of wanting transparency back.
Keep being vocal and passionate (and polite) everyone. They can't ignore us forever.
I mean they could, it just probably wouldn't be good for their business.
If I can't say something nice, I try to not say anything at all. So if I suddenly stop participating in a topic that's probably why.
Fair point 😁
I just miss the Twitch Streams - it's one of the only channels on Twitch that I follow, it's the only one I subscribe to, and it's the only one that I've notifications turned on for and watch often (or, used to watch often)...
Hartless has had some recent activity in a thread posting the following:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/d-d-beyond-general/d-d-beyond-feedback/152738-thank-you-ddb-devs?comment=6
NOTE - the following statement is my own and is purely an inference based on the post linked above. It is not backed by any sourced proof.
So it seems to me like the backend components of the Generic Feature System are definitely still being pushed on (such as improving the entry systems). It seems like Wizards has put most of the focus on streamlining the internal usage of the entry systems for future publication entry instead of hyper-focusing on the Generic Feature System as a product/feature for now. This would honestly kind of make sense as it is a logical prioritization in my opinion. The good news is that streamlining these entry systems is very likely to evolve to the Generic Feature System... but it doesn't seem like the system will be ready as soon as was advertised at the beginning of this year in Dev Updates.
Regardless... primary statement of this thread still stands... learning this information via consistent Dev Updates would be WWAAYY more preferred than having to be vigilant on DDB forums.
Looks like we can mark another month of nothing, pals...
It's really disappointing. It has been months since anything was last posted on their changelog. Even a single paragraph on what they are doing would be nice in inspire some confidence in WoTC.
Lmao you had confidence in WOTC? You must be new here.
Leaving OGL 1.0(a) untouched and making SRD 5.1 CC-BY-4.0 is a great first step. The next is a promise to do the same for future editions. Here's a discussion thread on that.
#OpenDnD
DDB is great, but it could be better. Here are some things I think could improve DDB
Did anyone else notice that most of the D&D Beyond Feedback sub-forums have been prefixed with (Discontinued)?
Yes, and with no explanation.
We had a good community with updates from the devs and now WotC have just thrown it away. This not how to maintain or grow an internet service. WotC needs to let Joe Starr and his team keep their customers engaged and informed. I really like DnDB but with development of DM tools stopped and no communication why should I keep using this site? I'm definitely not buying anymore books until I see some evidence that this site will be useful to me as a DM. If they're going to make us wait two years for the promised VTT then I'll have to find an alternate solution.
Wow... I just saw it. Absolutely terrifying.
Let's hope it is just that they are moving the feedback portals somewhere else and that the feature development itself is not discontinued.
I expect Wizards Presents to be the only source of updates moving forward. Below is an excerpt from the last Wizards Presents Recap article...
"Wizards Presents brought us the biggest news to come to Dungeons & Dragons in nearly a decade. One D&D is the code name for three initiatives shaping the next generation of the tabletop roleplaying game. As part of One D&D, we’re…
I think it's pretty clear that Wizards of the Coast intends D&D Beyond to be a digital library and the Digital Play Experience to be the play space. The encounter builder, combat tracker, and possibly the character sheet, will be part of the new Digital Play Experience. I don't think any features currently in beta or alpha will be updated until they decide how to integrate them.
The worst case scenario in my mind is that ALL D&D beyond features, including the character sheet, will be locked behind the Digital Play Experience's paywall. I think the books will remain available to those who have purchased the content, but who knows... They might demand a subscription fee to access that content as well. I have stopped buying books at this point because I'm no longer confident in the integrity D&D Beyond's current direction. I don't want the VTT and had I known that this was going to happen I wouldn't have invested so heavily in this platform.
I think we all just have to accept that new features and development, with the possible exception of homebrew and character sheet improvements, will be linked to the development of the Digital Play Experience. For better or worse, the Digital Play Experience's future is the future of D&D Beyond.