Liquid Wolf Posted November 2, 2010 Share Posted November 2, 2010 Dear D&D Insider? Subscriber, On November 16, Wizards of the Coast will launch a brand new web-based version of the D&D Insider Character Builder. The current downloadable version will remain functional, but will no longer be available for download or updated with content after the new version goes live. Here are the highlights of the new Character Builder: ? New Design: Completely redesigned from top to bottom in Microsoft Silverlight as a robust character creation wizard. ? No Download: The Character Builder is served from the D&D site. ? PC and Mac Compatible: Requires an Internet connection and Silverlight plug-in. ? Access is easy: Just enter the D&D site, login, and launch the Character Builder from the Tool Box or the Character Builder tools page. ? Characters in the Cloud: All characters you create are saved on our database. No need to save Character Builder files on your hard drive anymore. ? File Import: You can easily import your characters created in the previous version to the new Character Builder. ? Previous Data: Includes all character-building data you enjoyed in the previous versions. ? New Data Releases: Dark Sun and D&D Essentials data will debut with the new version. If you have any questions about the new Character Builder or your subscription, see the FAQ or contact a Game Support Representative. FAQ: Character Builder FAQ Changes Q: Where can I find the D&D Character Builder? A: You can launch it from the D&D Insider Tools page. You must have an active D&D Insider subscription and be connected to the internet to use the new builder. Q: What about the D&D Monster Builder? Will that be updated as well? A: Yes. We are currently working on an updated, Silverlight-based web version of the Monster Builder. We expect to release the updated version in the future. Q: Is the old, downloadable Character Builder still available? A: Yes. The old Character Builder will be available for download until the new version goes live on November 16, 2010. All of the Character Builder information will migrate to the new tool. You are welcome to continue using the old version of the Character Builder if you already have it installed, but that version will no longer be supported. Future updates and additions will be through the new tool. Q: Can I still use my previously created characters on the new Character Builder? A: Yes, you can. The new Character Builder has an import button that can be used to take character files saved on your hard drive and import them into the web-based Character Builder application. Q: What character information is going to be in the new version of the D&D Character Builder? A: All of the content contained in the earlier version of the D&D Character Builder is in the new web-based application. In addition, the new Character Builder also contains data from the Dark Sun Campaign Setting , Player?s Essentials: Heroes of the Fallen Lands and Psionic Powers. Q: Can I access my newly saved characters from other locations, now that they are no longer saved on my computer? A: Yes. All of your characters saved in the new Character Builder are connected and saved to your D&D Insider account, not your computer. As long as the computer meets the minimum requirements and has a Silverlight plug-in, you can view, change or print them from any computer you log in through. Q: Can I export my character file to share with others? A: While this feature won?t be available at launch, we understand that this is important to our players and are working on rolling this functionality out soon. For now, you can import your characters into the new tool, modify and save them to your subscription profile. Access Q: I am not a subscriber. Can I still get the D&D Character Builder? A: The application is available only to D&D Insider subscribers. We are working on a demo that non-subscribers can view to get an idea of how the new Character Builder works, and we hope to make it available soon. Q: I am not a subscriber, but would like to use the new Character Builder. How do I subscribe? A: You can find instructions on how to purchase a monthly, quarterly, or annual subscription to D&D Insider by following this link. Technical Q: What system(s) does the new version of the Character Builder run on? A: Character Builder Requirements: * Windows * o Operating System: Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP Service Pack 2 o CPU: Intel? Pentium? III 450MHz or faster processor (or equivalent) o RAM: 256MB minimum o Browsers: Microsoft Internet Explorer 7, Microsoft Internet Explorer 8, Mozilla Firefox 3.x, Apple Safari 3, Apple Safari 4, Google Chrome 3, Google Chrome 4, Google Chrome 5 * Mac OS * o Operating System: Apple Mac OS X 10.4.8 or above o CPU: Intel Core? Duo 1.83GHz or faster processor o RAM: 256MB minimum o Browsers: Apple Safari 4, Apple Safari 5, Mozilla Firefox 3.x * Not supported: * o Win 98, Win NT/Server 2000, Linux, or DOS Q: What is Silverlight? Do I have to have it to have it to use the new version of Character Builder? A: Silverlight is the web platform from Microsoft on which the new version of the D&D Character Builder is built. Your computer must be running this platform for you to use the new Character Builder. It?s free to download, and works with all the operating systems and browsers listed above. If you do not have Silverlight, the Character Builder will prompt you to download it when you first log in. You can also go directly to Microsoft?s Silverlight website, and download it from there. Q: Do I still have to install the Character Builder on my computer to use it? A: No. The new web-based version of the Character Builder only requires that you have the Silverlight platform installed and have met the technical requirements listed above. The Character Builder itself does not install anything on your computer. Q: If the D&D Character Builder doesn't work, where should I post my problem? A: If you have problems accessing or using the software, follow this link and fill out the information to send an email to Game Support. To report bugs, follow the instructions here. You may also find that other customers have found solutions to the problem you?re experiencing. You can find those discussions in the character builder technical issues forum. Q: I found a bug! A: Follow the Report a Bug instructions, posted in our knowledge base. Q: Can I use the D&D Character Builder offline? A: No. This version of the D&D Character Builder requires an active connection to the internet. Other Q: If I end my subscription, what happens to the characters I?ve created or imported to the Character Builder? A: Characters you?ve created on the new version or imported from the older version of the Character Builder will remain in our database for twelve months after the subscription expires. If you renew your subscription within that twelve month period, you will be able to access your characters again. Q: Where can I find answers to questions not included in this FAQ? A: You can visit our character builder community forum, or send in an email to Game Support. I like Silverlight, but I am a little disappointed I don't get to keep my characters on my own machine. I am kind of curious if I can still save as PDF... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tagon Posted November 2, 2010 Share Posted November 2, 2010 Had a feeling they were going to go this way. I know it is really easy to find the data file on the internet each month and update with that instead of paying monthly for the DDI subscription., Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killercod Posted November 3, 2010 Share Posted November 3, 2010 Gotta make that money...yeah... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delmar Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 This isn't unexpected for the reason cited by Tagon. Like Liquid, I prefer a program running on my hard drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tagon Posted November 7, 2010 Share Posted November 7, 2010 Just realized that if you unsubscribe you would no longer have the ability to make characters with the tools just with older data...this is not a good thing if you ask me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delmar Posted November 13, 2010 Share Posted November 13, 2010 I'm sure that was the incentive to move it to online only. Any way they can squeeze a dime from their customers, WotC will do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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