Hey, this is awesome! Thanks for getting this out for us to criticize (*cough*) I mean test out!. Unfortunately... I do have a lot of complaints.. sorry. Keep working on it! Don't take any of this personally, I'm already happy to have even this :)
1. First and foremost: I think it's very obvious that this is designed for use on tablets and phones. It works on a PC, but I have to tell you it's cumbersome and a little annoying and therefore very disappointing.
Items regarding the actual character creation process:
a. I think it's already been mentioned, but if one were to look at the DDI 4th edition character generator, that was a really good example of how to design a step by step character generator. If you haven't by now, you really should take a look at it, though my guess is that you've already done that and there are reasons why things look they way they do and it won't change.
b. Home: This is a little weird at first. Something that may help is to have a tooltip icon to give some further direction what these fields are for. Example: explain how the character builder will behave differently if you choose milestone vs XP, or if you choose manual vs fixed HP type. Also, it seems to default to certain options. Maybe have it default to the last options chosen?
c. Race: this is actually mostly fine. One thing I noticed that's annoying. If your race allows an extra language, that field to choose the language is separate from the field that gives the PHB info about languages.
d. Class: this is fine, except that it took me a bit to figure out how to create a character beyond level 1, but I think I've got it now. Really not intuitive at all.
e. Abilities: No way to roll? This doesn't matter to me, you can roll and then add them manually, but since this is obviously being designed "with mobile" in mind, then you know that at some table, somewhere, there's gonna be "that guy" who only shows up with his iPhone (and no dice let alone any paper or a pencil) to play D&D.
3. Description: Am I mentioning enough yet how cumbersome it is to have to click... on... every... single... drop down box to see/do anything?
4. Equipment: Is it me, or is it not working when I try to add more than one item. Not when I select more than one incrementally, or if I add it multiple times.
5. Why is this character sheet not laid out at all like a standard D&D character sheet?Not in the least. My guess is that you're trying to get everything to fit on an iPhone. But that doesn't make sense to me anyway.. Why can't you just lay it out like a standard character sheet that everyone knows exactly what information goes where and it's easy to follow? Why do I have to literally click on any piece of information I need instead of just seeing it straight out? You have 20 years of experience dictating the general layout of how a character sheet is supposed to look.
A few specifics:
1. Under weapons. I literally have to click the weapon to see any information except for To Hit. All that basic info should automatically be shown, like on a standard character sheet. Worse, depending on what piece of information you need, you may have to give an additional click and/or scroll.
2. Under equipment, I shouldn't have to go through any steps at all to see how much coinage I have. This should be straight in your face, just like on a character sheet.
3. You totally don't need these silly icons next to the abilities (on the left). HOWEVER, you DO need to have a cool little box like every character sheet since 1st edition has had (rather, I think the 1e premium sheets was just a square, but later on started to add a designed box).
4. (most) Character description information should be at the top, like a header. Not a big random box in the center of a screen. Which, again, just takes up space and tells you nothing until you go clicking on it.
5. The Features box is a total mess. One example: for the fighter, "Fighting Style" is listed. But (like complaints above) there is no information whatsoever. You have to click on it to see the pertinent info. But worse, when you do, you probably have to scroll to read what it opens up to. But even worse, it lists ALL the fighting styles, when at low levels you only have one (and at higher levels, you only get a second one, not all of them). Back to comparing this to a standard character sheet. The D&D 5e sheet with "Features & Traits" gives plenty of space that many features can be listed with all the pertinent information easily available at one glance.
6. The More features box: There are features listed that as a standard really don't need to be listed. Specifically "Ability Score Increase" just doesn't require taking any real estate at all. Maybe have some sort of "Other Features" box way at the very bottom to put things like that. Also, limited use features are taking up space here, when you have a separate limited use box for these.
b. Was difficult to figure out how to delete equipment
c. Do something for death saves
d. It is very unintuitive on how to level a character up.
e. Having the ability to add conditions is great, however it's kinda meaningless to have a little icon that you can barely see and has no inherent meaning listed on an HP box. I'm not sure what to recommend here, but I'm certain there's a better solution. Even just listing out the conditions to the side is better.
a. I can't figure this out... at all. I add a bunch of spells, but there is no sort of spell list showing for me. What I'm expecting is another "page" (hmmmm... like on a character sheet? maybe?) with info pertinent to casting, spells slots available, a list of spells, etc. Maybe it's bugged. But from what I do see, yet again... lots and lots of clicking to show any information you actually want to see at a glance.
b. I tested using a high elf wizard. Related to something above. Why is the racial cantrip listed all separate? Just stick it in with the other cantrips.
These are just some ideas that I wouldn't expect in 'beta' but would hope to be high on a list of things to do:
1. in equipment. Being able to assign where things are. For example: assigning what's in your backpack, vs in a pouch, vs on a belt.
2. Ability to roll for abilities directly from the character builder. And, do so in different ways. i.e. have the usual defaults of 3d6, or 4d6 drop the lowest, but then maybe have a way to allow the user program what they want (want to be crazy and do 1d20? or 5d6 drop the lowest and highest?)
3. In the Description -> Suggested Characteristics: You have the tables from the PHB for flaws, ideals, bonds, personality traits, but then no way to roll on them and enter that information.
I agree with almost everything here. So far character creation seems cumbersome at best, highly un-intuitive at all. It's also laid out very weirdly in terms of viewing your character.
I still haven't quite figured out how to level up a character. There should be a big button that says "Level up!" and it walks you through the steps of adding your next abilities.
I highly encourage D&D Beyond to take a look at the Fight Club 5 character builder app. It's almost perfect.
Click on your characters name and click on Manage Experience
They already said the viewing of the character at least on desktop wasn't finished.
When I click on "Manage Experience" it gives me a drop down. I select the next level and save. It doesn't walk me through adding new hit points, new spells/abilities or anything I might get from leveling up.
Also, my character sheet now says that I am level 1 in one place, and level 4 in another.
Actually I think it said you can't remove multi-class levels. It let me remove the xp I added and put my character back to level 1.
I am actually ok with the Manage XP stuff being in the drop down. The stuff on the page should be the stuff I will use more often. I will use the HP stuff and initiative stuff far more often than adding XP.
Hey, this is awesome! Thanks for getting this out for us to criticize (*cough*) I mean test out!. Unfortunately... I do have a lot of complaints.. sorry. Keep working on it! Don't take any of this personally, I'm already happy to have even this :)
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1. First and foremost: I think it's very obvious that this is designed for use on tablets and phones. It works on a PC, but I have to tell you it's cumbersome and a little annoying and therefore very disappointing.
Items regarding the actual character creation process:
a. I think it's already been mentioned, but if one were to look at the DDI 4th edition character generator, that was a really good example of how to design a step by step character generator. If you haven't by now, you really should take a look at it, though my guess is that you've already done that and there are reasons why things look they way they do and it won't change.
b. Home: This is a little weird at first. Something that may help is to have a tooltip icon to give some further direction what these fields are for. Example: explain how the character builder will behave differently if you choose milestone vs XP, or if you choose manual vs fixed HP type. Also, it seems to default to certain options. Maybe have it default to the last options chosen?
c. Race: this is actually mostly fine. One thing I noticed that's annoying. If your race allows an extra language, that field to choose the language is separate from the field that gives the PHB info about languages.
d. Class: this is fine, except that it took me a bit to figure out how to create a character beyond level 1, but I think I've got it now. Really not intuitive at all.
e. Abilities: No way to roll? This doesn't matter to me, you can roll and then add them manually, but since this is obviously being designed "with mobile" in mind, then you know that at some table, somewhere, there's gonna be "that guy" who only shows up with his iPhone (and no dice let alone any paper or a pencil) to play D&D.
3. Description: Am I mentioning enough yet how cumbersome it is to have to click... on... every... single... drop down box to see/do anything?
4. Equipment: Is it me, or is it not working when I try to add more than one item. Not when I select more than one incrementally, or if I add it multiple times.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Items regarding the actual character sheet:
5. Why is this character sheet not laid out at all like a standard D&D character sheet? Not in the least. My guess is that you're trying to get everything to fit on an iPhone. But that doesn't make sense to me anyway.. Why can't you just lay it out like a standard character sheet that everyone knows exactly what information goes where and it's easy to follow? Why do I have to literally click on any piece of information I need instead of just seeing it straight out? You have 20 years of experience dictating the general layout of how a character sheet is supposed to look.
A few specifics:
1. Under weapons. I literally have to click the weapon to see any information except for To Hit. All that basic info should automatically be shown, like on a standard character sheet. Worse, depending on what piece of information you need, you may have to give an additional click and/or scroll.
2. Under equipment, I shouldn't have to go through any steps at all to see how much coinage I have. This should be straight in your face, just like on a character sheet.
3. You totally don't need these silly icons next to the abilities (on the left). HOWEVER, you DO need to have a cool little box like every character sheet since 1st edition has had (rather, I think the 1e premium sheets was just a square, but later on started to add a designed box).
4. (most) Character description information should be at the top, like a header. Not a big random box in the center of a screen. Which, again, just takes up space and tells you nothing until you go clicking on it.
5. The Features box is a total mess. One example: for the fighter, "Fighting Style" is listed. But (like complaints above) there is no information whatsoever. You have to click on it to see the pertinent info. But worse, when you do, you probably have to scroll to read what it opens up to. But even worse, it lists ALL the fighting styles, when at low levels you only have one (and at higher levels, you only get a second one, not all of them). Back to comparing this to a standard character sheet. The D&D 5e sheet with "Features & Traits" gives plenty of space that many features can be listed with all the pertinent information easily available at one glance.
6. The More features box: There are features listed that as a standard really don't need to be listed. Specifically "Ability Score Increase" just doesn't require taking any real estate at all. Maybe have some sort of "Other Features" box way at the very bottom to put things like that. Also, limited use features are taking up space here, when you have a separate limited use box for these.
b. Was difficult to figure out how to delete equipment
c. Do something for death saves
d. It is very unintuitive on how to level a character up.
e. Having the ability to add conditions is great, however it's kinda meaningless to have a little icon that you can barely see and has no inherent meaning listed on an HP box. I'm not sure what to recommend here, but I'm certain there's a better solution. Even just listing out the conditions to the side is better.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Regarding spells.
a. I can't figure this out... at all. I add a bunch of spells, but there is no sort of spell list showing for me. What I'm expecting is another "page" (hmmmm... like on a character sheet? maybe?) with info pertinent to casting, spells slots available, a list of spells, etc. Maybe it's bugged. But from what I do see, yet again... lots and lots of clicking to show any information you actually want to see at a glance.
b. I tested using a high elf wizard. Related to something above. Why is the racial cantrip listed all separate? Just stick it in with the other cantrips.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
These are just some ideas that I wouldn't expect in 'beta' but would hope to be high on a list of things to do:
1. in equipment. Being able to assign where things are. For example: assigning what's in your backpack, vs in a pouch, vs on a belt.
2. Ability to roll for abilities directly from the character builder. And, do so in different ways. i.e. have the usual defaults of 3d6, or 4d6 drop the lowest, but then maybe have a way to allow the user program what they want (want to be crazy and do 1d20? or 5d6 drop the lowest and highest?)
3. In the Description -> Suggested Characteristics: You have the tables from the PHB for flaws, ideals, bonds, personality traits, but then no way to roll on them and enter that information.
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That's all I can do for now. Will mess around more later!
Be careful what you Wish for... your DM may just give it to you!
I agree with almost everything here. So far character creation seems cumbersome at best, highly un-intuitive at all. It's also laid out very weirdly in terms of viewing your character.
I still haven't quite figured out how to level up a character. There should be a big button that says "Level up!" and it walks you through the steps of adding your next abilities.
I highly encourage D&D Beyond to take a look at the Fight Club 5 character builder app. It's almost perfect.
Click on your characters name and click on Manage Experience
They already said the viewing of the character at least on desktop wasn't finished.
Marav(Druid/Ranger) -Storm Kings ThunderDontontion(Rogue/Warlock) - Storm Kings Thunder
DM - Stormpoint Mountains :: A Critical Role Adventure ( Map of Trunau )
That would be a bug. :) It looks like the part that advances stats awards new feats, etc doesn't work properly yet.
Marav(Druid/Ranger) -Storm Kings ThunderDontontion(Rogue/Warlock) - Storm Kings Thunder
DM - Stormpoint Mountains :: A Critical Role Adventure ( Map of Trunau )
Be careful what you Wish for... your DM may just give it to you!
Actually I think it said you can't remove multi-class levels. It let me remove the xp I added and put my character back to level 1.
I am actually ok with the Manage XP stuff being in the drop down. The stuff on the page should be the stuff I will use more often. I will use the HP stuff and initiative stuff far more often than adding XP.
Marav(Druid/Ranger) -Storm Kings ThunderDontontion(Rogue/Warlock) - Storm Kings Thunder
DM - Stormpoint Mountains :: A Critical Role Adventure ( Map of Trunau )