To be fair, I feel like WotC should make an open plug in for second and third party VTTs to use customers content in their VTTs, a kind of open source plug in system would produce better content than WotC probably could on their own. Fostering all these VTT over the years only to usurp the market later would sour thousands of customers and drive new alternatives, while allowing developers and users to create new integration and content could open up the product to an endless amount of free support and advertisement akin to Warcrafts old User Map Settings or Skyrims mod community. They could promote a variety of VTT, from in person table tools to VR and AR 3D simulation, and more, while collecting an endless amount of free contribution from users who want to produce assets and detailing.
With a free integration system and donation based contribution system, creators could offer content for pay or donations through WotC portals, offering the host something like 10% of revenue for processing and integration, and creators could make thousands of times more content than WotC can. WotC can even adopt or adapt professional content that aligns with their product catalog. Partnering with FG, R20, new AR products and DMs Guild will not only produce more content and features, but it will foster good will with all their customers and users from every corner.
I'm sure there's other less grand ways to proceed, but I think that's their ideal future. With the right motivation, someone will make their variable VR integration for them to buy up from independent creators for 6th edition.
The more I have been thinking about this the more it makes sense now for WOTC to leverage the ownership of DDB, they can create an API gateway that any VTT can tap into and then requires you to simply own a DDB account, they could even create a new VTT tier that allows access to this gateway for an extra few £'s $'s a month to cover development costs. This would mean anyone who has bought content on Roll 20 etc still has the ability to use it but in future they can buy new content on DDB and port it directly into whatever VTT they are using, this could be a similar mechanic to AboveVTT (which I know integrates differently) or even the Discord integration, by creating an API gateway with a set defined set of rules it then allows anyone to make there own API to integrate with it so you could have Foundry modules etc.
I hope WotC creates, or purchases, a VTT that integrates everything. That would be cool. I, too, use Roll20, and I like it. I wish more game companies has the $$$ to get their rule books, etc. on Roll20.
Good gaming to all! What a time to be a player. Gygax's $300 idea pulled in a billion dollars last year. Astonishing.
(Ironically, at age 53, I STILL have to play in my basement because my wife and kids tell me I am too loud "doing all those stupid voices and sound effects." :)
i sincerely hoped to hear about it in the new direct event. I want a fully integrated VTT...that can be used on tablet and smartphones to allow a better fruition of the encounters both for online and live sessions.
i sincerely hoped to hear about it in the new direct event. I want a fully integrated VTT...that can be used on tablet and smartphones to allow a better fruition of the encounters both for online and live sessions.
Pls DDB/WOTC i want it. Make it. Pls
A VTT will never be workable on a smartphone. The small screen size is just not feasible as an interactive tabletop.
i sincerely hoped to hear about it in the new direct event. I want a fully integrated VTT...that can be used on tablet and smartphones to allow a better fruition of the encounters both for online and live sessions.
Pls DDB/WOTC i want it. Make it. Pls
They have not made the purchase yet, it is happening later this year, first priority will be integrating the company into WOTC and then working out the plans going forward. I don't expect any big announcements on DDB at the direct event this year, mainly because DDB is not owned by wizards yet, so they can't state what the future will hold other then very wooly statements.
Building a VTT will take time, money and resources, so WOTC would have to recruit an entire additional dev team, define the requirements and start developing, so, if they did go that route my guess is you would be looking some time in 2024/25 before it was viable and ready. But that will then be superseded by implementing the 6th E rule changes into DDB, so my guess is 2025/26. These things are not fast to do and will wizards want to invest millions in a product that they cannot be sure will be used. Personally my friends and I will never use a system agnostic paid for VTT because we play many different systems and I know many players who are the same. We generally use foundry, but above VTT, because it is free, has become our go to for DnD, if above VTT wasn't free we would do everything on foundry. My guess is WOTC will make it easier for existing VTT's to integrate directly with DDB, I would not be surprised if they pulled the licensing deals with roll 20 etc and instead made people buy all the content direct in DDB but allowed roll 20 and other VTT's to integrate then with DDB far easier.
i sincerely hoped to hear about it in the new direct event. I want a fully integrated VTT...that can be used on tablet and smartphones to allow a better fruition of the encounters both for online and live sessions.
Pls DDB/WOTC i want it. Make it. Pls
A VTT will never be workable on a smartphone. The small screen size is just not feasible as an interactive tabletop.
Smartphones is a nice to have…you really could have only the ability of watching the maps and move your token by yourself and it would be enough for a smartphone (we already tried it with our current vtt). Tablets are the most important ones. I use an ipad as a central control for my players during encounters. It saves you a lot of time if you can let players do their thinking and moving by themselves
i sincerely hoped to hear about it in the new direct event. I want a fully integrated VTT...that can be used on tablet and smartphones to allow a better fruition of the encounters both for online and live sessions.
Pls DDB/WOTC i want it. Make it. Pls
Nothing mentioned about it in the direct event, in fact I very much doubt that will be the forum for finding out the DnD beyond roadmap, we may get an announcement if it is about to be released in 2-3 years time.
AboveVTT is perfect. Lightweight, low-bandwidth, and integrates perfectly with DnDB. In fact, I went all-in on digital just because of AboveVTT. [REDACTED]
AboveVTT is perfect. Lightweight, low-bandwidth, and integrates perfectly with DnDB. In fact, I went all-in on digital just because of AboveVTT. Just hire the devs and make it official. Hasbro is a $13 billion dollar company. I'm sure they can afford it.
Once more, I ask that users please stop advertising AboveVTT for acquisition. Such is only considered spam and does not contribute to this or any other conversation.
AboveVTT is perfect. Lightweight, low-bandwidth, and integrates perfectly with DnDB. In fact, I went all-in on digital just because of AboveVTT. [REDACTED]
as much as i am a fan of AboveVTT and its devs fantastic work (which by the way made me heavily invest in DNDB bundles), i disagree with everyone saying "DNDB should just buy VTT solution XYZ". This would harm healthy business relations with solutions like Roll20. I am much more in favor of DNDB creating a proper (subscription based usage?) API to be integrateg in all VTT solution out there. People love their existing solutions for very good reasons and a lot of work has been put into them by businesses or ambitious hobby teams. Being able to access campaigns, characters, monsters, items and homebrew stuff via your preferred VTT solution would really be awesome.
AboveVTT is perfect. Lightweight, low-bandwidth, and integrates perfectly with DnDB. In fact, I went all-in on digital just because of AboveVTT. [REDACTED]
as much as i am a fan of AboveVTT and its devs fantastic work (which by the way made me heavily invest in DNDB bundles), i disagree with everyone saying "DNDB should just buy VTT solution XYZ". This would harm healthy business relations with solutions like Roll20. I am much more in favor of DNDB creating a proper (subscription based usage?) API to be integrateg in all VTT solution out there. People love their existing solutions for very good reasons and a lot of work has been put into them by businesses or ambitious hobby teams. Being able to access campaigns, characters, monsters, items and homebrew stuff via your preferred VTT solution would really be awesome.
/2ct
I don't see an API needing to be subscription based for a simple reason, by taking this approach wizards next logical move is to end the licensing deals with roll 20 and fantasy grounds, allowing all purchased material to remain but any new material must be bought through dnd beyond, this will drive more customers to the service buying direct from wizards with a higher profit margin then just a simple licensing deal.
What all this evangelizing about a certain browser VTT should be making clear for the leaders at DDB/WoTC/Hasbro is the consumer appetite for a low effort, low learning curve VTT. While Roll20 & Foundry have their place as fully featured VTTs, the learning curve does keep them in the realm of the computer enthusiast.
The challenge of this void in the marketplace is that the WoTC/Hasbro hadn't moved to fill in the void, and now this fan project occupied that space. If they are working on a homegrown VTT to integrate with DDB, it is going to be judged by the standards of the fan project, and if they choose to C&D the project to eliminate the competition, that will likely engender a lot of ill will, much as DDBs fate when it was owned by Fandom left people feeling ill at ease as well.
I hope that leadership is seeing the messages about the fact that this project has made them more money as it has brought business to this ecosystem. I mean the forum goers aren't blind. The redactions seem to be pretty specifically targeted in favor of one product over others. I would hope that leadership makes things more transparent sooner rather than later in order to stem any backlash that may come.
That's all so true. Hasboro just bought this very website for cash. Build some integrated VTT specific to their products, integrating all of this stuff? TAKE MY MONEY!
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The more I have been thinking about this the more it makes sense now for WOTC to leverage the ownership of DDB, they can create an API gateway that any VTT can tap into and then requires you to simply own a DDB account, they could even create a new VTT tier that allows access to this gateway for an extra few £'s $'s a month to cover development costs. This would mean anyone who has bought content on Roll 20 etc still has the ability to use it but in future they can buy new content on DDB and port it directly into whatever VTT they are using, this could be a similar mechanic to AboveVTT (which I know integrates differently) or even the Discord integration, by creating an API gateway with a set defined set of rules it then allows anyone to make there own API to integrate with it so you could have Foundry modules etc.
WOTC should just buy (and hire) the two dudes from Owlbear Rodeo and integrate something like that in their system.
Oh how my little thread has grown and thrived!
I hope WotC creates, or purchases, a VTT that integrates everything. That would be cool. I, too, use Roll20, and I like it. I wish more game companies has the $$$ to get their rule books, etc. on Roll20.
Good gaming to all! What a time to be a player. Gygax's $300 idea pulled in a billion dollars last year. Astonishing.
(Ironically, at age 53, I STILL have to play in my basement because my wife and kids tell me I am too loud "doing all those stupid voices and sound effects." :)
i sincerely hoped to hear about it in the new direct event. I want a fully integrated VTT...that can be used on tablet and smartphones to allow a better fruition of the encounters both for online and live sessions.
Pls DDB/WOTC i want it. Make it. Pls
A VTT will never be workable on a smartphone. The small screen size is just not feasible as an interactive tabletop.
They have not made the purchase yet, it is happening later this year, first priority will be integrating the company into WOTC and then working out the plans going forward. I don't expect any big announcements on DDB at the direct event this year, mainly because DDB is not owned by wizards yet, so they can't state what the future will hold other then very wooly statements.
Building a VTT will take time, money and resources, so WOTC would have to recruit an entire additional dev team, define the requirements and start developing, so, if they did go that route my guess is you would be looking some time in 2024/25 before it was viable and ready. But that will then be superseded by implementing the 6th E rule changes into DDB, so my guess is 2025/26. These things are not fast to do and will wizards want to invest millions in a product that they cannot be sure will be used. Personally my friends and I will never use a system agnostic paid for VTT because we play many different systems and I know many players who are the same. We generally use foundry, but above VTT, because it is free, has become our go to for DnD, if above VTT wasn't free we would do everything on foundry. My guess is WOTC will make it easier for existing VTT's to integrate directly with DDB, I would not be surprised if they pulled the licensing deals with roll 20 etc and instead made people buy all the content direct in DDB but allowed roll 20 and other VTT's to integrate then with DDB far easier.
Smartphones is a nice to have…you really could have only the ability of watching the maps and move your token by yourself and it would be enough for a smartphone (we already tried it with our current vtt). Tablets are the most important ones. I use an ipad as a central control for my players during encounters. It saves you a lot of time if you can let players do their thinking and moving by themselves
Nothing mentioned about it in the direct event, in fact I very much doubt that will be the forum for finding out the DnD beyond roadmap, we may get an announcement if it is about to be released in 2-3 years time.
AboveVTT is perfect. Lightweight, low-bandwidth, and integrates perfectly with DnDB. In fact, I went all-in on digital just because of AboveVTT. [REDACTED]
Once more, I ask that users please stop advertising AboveVTT for acquisition. Such is only considered spam and does not contribute to this or any other conversation.
as much as i am a fan of AboveVTT and its devs fantastic work (which by the way made me heavily invest in DNDB bundles), i disagree with everyone saying "DNDB should just buy VTT solution XYZ". This would harm healthy business relations with solutions like Roll20. I am much more in favor of DNDB creating a proper (subscription based usage?) API to be integrateg in all VTT solution out there. People love their existing solutions for very good reasons and a lot of work has been put into them by businesses or ambitious hobby teams. Being able to access campaigns, characters, monsters, items and homebrew stuff via your preferred VTT solution would really be awesome.
/2ct
I don't see an API needing to be subscription based for a simple reason, by taking this approach wizards next logical move is to end the licensing deals with roll 20 and fantasy grounds, allowing all purchased material to remain but any new material must be bought through dnd beyond, this will drive more customers to the service buying direct from wizards with a higher profit margin then just a simple licensing deal.
Foundry would be better.
What all this evangelizing about a certain browser VTT should be making clear for the leaders at DDB/WoTC/Hasbro is the consumer appetite for a low effort, low learning curve VTT. While Roll20 & Foundry have their place as fully featured VTTs, the learning curve does keep them in the realm of the computer enthusiast.
The challenge of this void in the marketplace is that the WoTC/Hasbro hadn't moved to fill in the void, and now this fan project occupied that space. If they are working on a homegrown VTT to integrate with DDB, it is going to be judged by the standards of the fan project, and if they choose to C&D the project to eliminate the competition, that will likely engender a lot of ill will, much as DDBs fate when it was owned by Fandom left people feeling ill at ease as well.
I hope that leadership is seeing the messages about the fact that this project has made them more money as it has brought business to this ecosystem. I mean the forum goers aren't blind. The redactions seem to be pretty specifically targeted in favor of one product over others. I would hope that leadership makes things more transparent sooner rather than later in order to stem any backlash that may come.
That's all so true. Hasboro just bought this very website for cash. Build some integrated VTT specific to their products, integrating all of this stuff? TAKE MY MONEY!