Ugh. Too much work, when my current software handles it correctly. Like I said, I'll check into HeroLab at the end of the year when customized html output is available. We will see then.
-- david
Papa.DRB
An optional work around would be to create 'characters' with the different spell books. Make a generic wizard, heck even 1st level with a spellbook. Then print a 'master' list from the actual PC with non-detailed lists of what book has which spells from the... Not PC files.
Might be a lot of extra work, but it's doable.
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Also, what does this mean for user created character generators/sheets such as Erian_7s or Ogre's? Does this mean LoneWolf can issue cease and desist orders to them? If so, then I will REALLY not be happy.
I offer this:
There are solid tools available that are free as well. However, we believe Hero Lab offers a great deal more ease of use, power, and flexibility than the free tools.
Lots of Pathfinder players will view Hero Lab as well worth the investment, while others will prefer to use the free tools.
(Emphasis mine)
The free tools are not going anywhere. Hero Lab is just the "official" generator and as such can use pathfinder property not allowed in the OGL.Chalk me up as someone who likes Hero Lab, but I also have recommended Erian's WONDERFUL free excel sheet to friends who do not wish to spend the money on a hero lab type program.
My thoughts echoes what others have said.
I have tried Hero Lab and do not find it worth the cost they are charging. I think the only reason why Paizo made this decision was because Lone Wolf gave them enough money. I do not begrudge Paizo's decision.
Also, what does this mean for user created character generators/sheets such as Erian_7s or Ogre's? Does this mean LoneWolf can issue cease and desist orders to them? If so, then I will REALLY not be happy.
As to the comment 'despite the negative voices in this thread, seems to be one of the most popular tools among the consumers?' How are you measuring popularity? Sounds like a specious argument to me.
I don't think Paizo is going to prostitute themselves out to the highest bedder. The reason I decided to buy Hero Lab was that Lisa Stevens spoke highly of it. This was over six months ago.
You may not like it and that's fine, but it's a good program.
rotfl -- Highest bEdder and prostitute in the same sentence -- Sorry Wolfthulhu, but that just tickled my funny bone no end.
-- david
Papa.DRB
ps. I agree with you. Paizo did it for other reasons than money.
I don't think Paizo is going to prostitute themselves out to the highest bedder. The reason I decided to buy Hero Lab was that Lisa Stevens spoke highly of it. This was over six months ago.
I have tried Hero Lab and do not find it worth the cost they are charging. I think the only reason why Paizo made this decision was because Lone Wolf gave them enough money. I do not begrudge Paizo's decision.
?! Does this mean that SGG might be getting acquired or otherwise officially sponsored by the folks at paizo?!
Sorry, nothing like that. :)
Hyrum.
As an occasionally DM, I liked HeroLab for 3.5, hated it for 4E, and Love it for Pathfinder. It allows NPCs to be made quickly and easily.
Was wondering if there were any plans to incorporate some form "portable" version for this? That is one of the huge advantages some of the free options offer for me. Given that there is DRM/licensing challenges, perhaps a version that is created as a subset of the core licensed program - ie a option to create a portable version from the installed version?
AJC
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Was wondering if there were any plans to incorporate some form "portable" version for this? That is one of the huge advantages some of the free options offer for me. Given that there is DRM/licensing challenges, perhaps a version that is created as a subset of the core licensed program - ie a option to create a portable version from the installed version?
Now that is an idea for an iPad / iPhone app. Have it take the character generated by HL and apply effects (Shaken, etc.) to show the result on skills and track HP etc. Upload back to HL when you get home.
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Sorry, nothing like that. :)
Hyrum.
Then I will just sit here quietly with my hand to my chin in contemplation until said announcement occurs.
Also, @ Lord Pel-
Apples and Orange, not everybody is going to like any given thing. I personally LOVE hero-lab. My old DM has a copy of it and we used it to manage all the PCs, he used it to keep us honest on our saves and it helped him make keep all the secret rolls... secret.
If I hadn't blown all of my "spendy" money for this semester then I would have a copy myself. I sure hope Paizo doesnt try to push the competitors out of the market, that would be very un-OGL of them.
CEO
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As far as I know it's not an 'exclusive' license, just offically supported.My thoughts echoes what others have said.
I have tried Hero Lab and do not find it worth the cost they are charging. I think the only reason why Paizo made this decision was because Lone Wolf gave them enough money. I do not begrudge Paizo's decision.
Also, what does this mean for user created character generators/sheets such as Erian_7s or Ogre's? Does this mean LoneWolf can issue cease and desist orders to them? If so, then I will REALLY not be happy.
As to the comment 'despite the negative voices in this thread, seems to be one of the most popular tools among the consumers?' How are you measuring popularity? Sounds like a specious argument to me.
Correct. The Hero Labs software is licensed. All the other tools can still exist under the OGL and the Pathfinder Compatibility License. We aren't pushing anybody out of the market. We just were impressed with the tool that Lone Wolf showed us and decided to get them a license so they could include some non-OGL stuff into their software.
And on the Mac front, we haven't backed down on our demands for a Mac version. Lone Wolf is working on a native Mac version for later this year. Since Paizo is entirely a Mac shop, it will be hard for us to use our own licensed tool without a Mac version. So trust me, it will happen. :)
As for iPad, I'd love to see one too!
-Lisa
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It is somewhat reassuring to see the same people that hate HeroLab are still regurgitating the same misinformation regarding features and pricing. Some things never change, I suppose.
Is it perfect? No, but no program is. Is it good? Yes, quite. Will it get even better with this announcement? A resounding "YES"!
Happy to hear this. I have been using HL for the last 2 years and have loved it.
It is somewhat reassuring to see the same people that hate HeroLab are still regurgitating the same misinformation regarding features and pricing. Some things never change, I suppose.
Is it perfect? No, but no program is. Is it good? Yes, quite. Will it get even better with this announcement? A resounding "YES"!
I just want to say - since I made some negative comments earlier - that I am certainly not one of "the same people that hate HeroLab". I don't even know this software and its features, and I don't even care about them, because a) it has ugly DRM, which I oppose (for example, how am I to know I can still use the program in a few years time on a new computer, when the publisher might possibly have gone out of business by then), and b) it won't run on my platform of choice (and no, that won't change with a Mac port). That disqualifies the program for my personal use, nothing more.
Or a tool that, despite the negative voices in this thread, seems to be one of the most popular tools among the consumers?
It's rather easy to be the most popular tool out there when it is the ONLY commercially developed tool out there (ie, the only one where people are being paid for their time and effort to improve it). Most of the good alternatives died years ago (in the way of 3.5). Alternatives that were both free and pay that were just as good or better.
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As to the comment 'despite the negative voices in this thread, seems to be one of the most popular tools among the consumers?' How are you measuring popularity? Sounds like a specious argument to me.
Oh, just a poorly worded observation based on the discussions I've followed elsewhere on the forums about Hero Lab. Those discussions have given me the impression that there's mostly a positive vibe surrounding the software. It wasn't meant as an argument to end all discussion about Hero Lab.
rotfl -- Highest bEdder and prostitute in the same sentence -- Sorry Wolfthulhu, but that just tickled my funny bone no end.
-- david
Papa.DRBps. I agree with you. Paizo did it for other reasons than money.
I don't think Paizo is going to prostitute themselves out to the highest bedder. The reason I decided to buy Hero Lab was that Lisa Stevens spoke highly of it. This was over six months ago.
I have tried Hero Lab and do not find it worth the cost they are charging. I think the only reason why Paizo made this decision was because Lone Wolf gave them enough money. I do not begrudge Paizo's decision.
Hehe... er, oops. Freudian slip?
For those of you asking about an iPad version of Hero Lab, the native Mac port is being done in a way that should get us a long way towards that goal. Once we have the Mac port operational, we can then tailor the interface appropriately for use on the iPad. It's a two-stage process so that we maintain full interoperability across all versions of HL, and we're well underway on stage one. :-)
for example, how am I to know I can still use the program in a few years time on a new computer, when the publisher might possibly have gone out of business by then
That's a valid concern, so let me provide some additional context. I'll start with a little historical perspective on Lone Wolf Development. We've been in business for 16 years now. We've been selling software tools for tabletop gaming for 12 years, and we've grown every year. Dozens of other companies purporting to do the same have come and gone during that time, but we're the ones who are still going strong.
Over those 12 years, we've earned a loyal customer base by doing our best to treat everyone well. Have we made mistakes? Heck yeah! But we've learned from them and made corrections along the way. We have two new products rolling out over the next 12 months, and we've secured licenses with many prominent publishers in the industry, including now Paizo. So they all clearly believe in us, too.
Does this mean we're guaranteed to still be around in five year? Nothing is guaranteed, but it's a pretty safe bet. Just to be doubly safe, though, we've also provided Paizo with assurances that, if something untoward does happen, we'll coordinate with them to ensure that no one is left out to dry.
So Hero Lab is going to be around for quite awhile.... :-)
For those of you asking about an iPad version of Hero Lab, the native Mac port is being done in a way that should get us a long way towards that goal. Once we have the Mac port operational, we can then tailor the interface appropriately for use on the iPad. It's a two-stage process so that we maintain full interoperability across all versions of HL, and we're well underway on stage one. :-)
Rob:
Given that an iPad version would be inherently portable, as part of the strategy, are you considering something similar for Windows systems?
Thanks in advance,
AJC
It's rather easy to be the most popular tool out there when it is the ONLY commercially developed tool out there (ie, the only one where people are being paid for their time and effort to improve it). Most of the good alternatives died years ago (in the way of 3.5). Alternatives that were both free and pay that were just as good or better.
It could also be argued that Hero Lab is the only commercial tool left *because* it's popularity enabled it to thrive, while all the other options died off.
I don't know the reasons why the other tools have disappeared over the years, but they *have* gone away. Meanwhile, Hero Lab is still going strong, and it's going strong for a diverse assortment of major RPGs.
Just another possible interpretation of the same data....
Given that an iPad version would be inherently portable, as part of the strategy, are you considering something similar for Windows systems?
Did you by any chance mean to say that an iPad version would be inherently *NON* portable? I'm going to assume so, since developing for the iPad is specific to Apple and cannot be readily ported anywhere else.
We are definitely looking at other platforms as well. The major problem is that each of the platforms requires us to pretty much rewrite our products for each platform. Apple requires Objective-C, Windows requires Silverlight, the Android is different again, etc.
We're a small company and can't do everything at once. We also need to ensure we can recoup the financial investment on each platform we support. So we're evaluating the alternatives and figuring out how best to pursue all of the different platforms on an ongoing basis right now.
It's rather easy to be the most popular tool out there when it is the ONLY commercially developed tool out there (ie, the only one where people are being paid for their time and effort to improve it). Most of the good alternatives died years ago (in the way of 3.5). Alternatives that were both free and pay that were just as good or better.It could also be argued that Hero Lab is the only commercial tool left *because* it's popularity enabled it to thrive, while all the other options died off.
I don't know the reasons why the other tools have disappeared over the years, but they *have* gone away. Meanwhile, Hero Lab is still going strong, and it's going strong for a diverse assortment of major RPGs.
Just another possible interpretation of the same data....
Possible. But there is still the perfect storm of coincidence. There were already very few commercial tools for 3.x and I believe HeroLab was the only one not focused solely on 3.5. WotC had a very popular one that they up and canceled.
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Just to be doubly safe, though, we've also provided Paizo with assurances that, if something untoward does happen, we'll coordinate with them to ensure that no one is left out to dry.
So either Paizo take over the product and the license servers, or a final update is released that removes the DRM? That certainly stops most of the arguments about the DRM in their tracks.
I already own Hero Lab (though my old computer died, so lord knows if the insane DRM will let me reactivate on my new computer), and I'm STILL not paying the $20+15+15 just to get OPEN GAME LICENSE CONTENT for books I already own/will own. (I have M&M activated on the Hero Lab license, so I'd have to pay to de-demo-mode the core Pathfinder stuff too.) That's a serious waste of money in my personal (PERSONAL) opinion.
I've been very happy with the "unofficial" generators, most of which are free, and especially since PC Gen's gotten around to ironing out its bugs with the Pathfinder ruleset, I'll use that for anything complex I need. HeroLab is prettier and a touch user friendlier, but ultimately they do the same thing (and PC Gen is better than it used to be in the user-friendly area). The difference is PC Gen is free, whereas HeroLab gouges you for OGL content after you've already paid for the software.
Did you by any chance mean to say that an iPad version would be inherently *NON* portable? I'm going to assume so, since developing for the iPad is specific to Apple and cannot be readily ported anywhere else.
We are definitely looking at other platforms as well. The major problem is that each of the platforms requires us to pretty much rewrite our products for each platform. Apple requires Objective-C, Windows requires Silverlight, the Android is different again, etc.
We're a small company and can't do everything at once. We also need to ensure we can recoup the financial investment on each platform we support. So we're evaluating the alternatives and figuring out how best to pursue all of the different platforms on an ongoing basis right now.
My bad there Rob - wasn't clear. By "portable", I mean able to run off a USB flash drive, portable hard drive, etc., with the functionality (wishful thinking here) of "syncing" back to the primary application. For me, this would allow me to install the primary app on my home computer and have a portable version to run on a flash drive while I'm on the road for work.
Sorry for the confusion there.
AJC
I already own (read: paid $30 for) Hero Lab (though my old computer died, so lord knows if the insane DRM will let me reactivate on my new computer), and I'm STILL not paying the $20+15+15 just to get OPEN GAME LICENSE CONTENT for books I already own/will own. (I have M&M activated on the Hero Lab license, so I'd have to pay to de-demo-mode the core Pathfinder stuff too.) That's a serious waste of money in my personal (PERSONAL) opinion.
I've been very happy with the "unofficial" generators, most of which are free, and especially since PC Gen's gotten around to ironing out its bugs with the Pathfinder ruleset, I'll use that for anything complex I need. HeroLab is prettier and a touch user friendlier, but ultimately they do the same thing (and PC Gen is better than it used to be in the user-friendly area). The difference is PC Gen is free, whereas HeroLab gouges you for OGL content after you've already paid for the software.
ETA:
It could also be argued that Hero Lab is the only commercial tool left *because* it's popularity enabled it to thrive, while all the other options died off.
Wow. Let's make entirely factless speculation sound all "official", shall we?
This is how I see it: Lone Wolf was a large (compared to the other devs of the commercial tools) company, already established and having a solid base from the money it earned from ArmyBuilder.
Most other companies who made 3.x character generation software and charged for it were new, small companies, who had no previous customer base. Even if Lone Wolf ever lost money on Hero Lab, they'd still have Army Builder and their other products to fall back on. Most of the other companies in question did not have this choice.
I know the one major commercial software tool that was a "competitor" of sorts was RPGXplorer. The developers of which were two guys in Britain who were doing this when their day jobs didn't get in the way. The primary programmer became unable to support the product in a timely fashion because his daughter got extremely ill and kept having to go to the hospital. You can find all this out reading their forums. AFAIK the only reason why RPGXplorer stopped development was because the programmer did not have time to continue due to personal reasons, and not do to with sales.
You can successfully argue that Lone Wolf was the only pre-established software developer that had a strong business model to begin with, and that's why they're still around. The other companies in question were all much smaller and had a much bigger uphill climb than Lone Wolf. You can survive a member of your staff having a dying family member in the hospital. Good for you.
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I already own Hero Lab (though my old computer died, so lord knows if the insane DRM will let me reactivate on my new computer), and I'm STILL not paying the $20+15+15 just to get OPEN GAME LICENSE CONTENT for books I already own/will own. (I have M&M activated on the Hero Lab license, so I'd have to pay to de-demo-mode the core Pathfinder stuff too.) That's a serious waste of money in my personal (PERSONAL) opinion.
Umm, there isn't anything stopping you from typing all of the OGL material in yourself you know - HL does have a data editor and the files are only XML.
You don't have to pay someone else to do it for you.
Wow. Let's make entirely factless speculation sound all "official", shall we?
This is how I see it: Lone Wolf was a large (compared to the other devs of the commercial tools) company, already established and having a solid base from the money it earned from ArmyBuilder.
Most other companies who made 3.x character generation software and charged for it were new, small companies, who had no previous customer base. Even if Lone Wolf ever lost money on Hero Lab, they'd still have Army Builder and their other products to fall back on. Most of the other companies in question did not have this choice.
I know the one major commercial software tool that was a "competitor" of sorts was RPGXplorer. The developers of which were two guys in Britain who were doing this when their day jobs didn't get in the way. The primary programmer became unable to support the product in a timely fashion because his daughter got extremely ill and kept having to go to the hospital. You can find all this out reading their forums. AFAIK the only reason why RPGXplorer stopped development was because the programmer did not have time to continue due to personal reasons, and not do to with sales.
You can successfully argue that Lone Wolf was the only pre-established software developer that had a strong business model to begin with, and that's why they're still around. The other companies in question were all much smaller and had a much bigger uphill climb than Lone Wolf. You can survive a member of your staff having a dying family member in the hospital. Good for you.
Perhaps you should have included all of Rob's quote:
It could also be argued that Hero Lab is the only commercial tool left *because* it's popularity enabled it to thrive, while all the other options died off.
I don't know the reasons why the other tools have disappeared over the years, but they *have* gone away. Meanwhile, Hero Lab is still going strong, and it's going strong for a diverse assortment of major RPGs.
Just another possible interpretation of the same data....
I'm just not drawing the same conclusions you seem to be, based on his comments.
AJC
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I've downloaded the trial of Hero Lab after a friend recommended it. I'm really liking it so far. It helps that in addition to Pathfinder, it also supports a few other systems that I play. Most noteably Call of Cthulhu, but the support for Mutants & Masterminds and d20 System is appreciated. (I actually haven't really played the d20 System stuff yet...it it fairly generic d20? As in useable for d20 Modern, d20 Call of Cthulhu, etc?)
I haven't really ever used a free app that's anywhere near as good for 3.5 or Pathfinder. For Call of Cthulhu, it's just as good as Byakhee, and is actually still being supported (plus Byakhee was running a bit buggy on Windows 7 when I last messed around with it).
For me, it will definately be worth it to purchase with the Pathfinder and Call of Cthulhu licenses. I may also grab the d20 System and Mutants & Masterminds licenses at some point.
For me, it will definately be worth it to purchase with the Pathfinder and Call of Cthulhu licenses. I may also grab the d20 System and Mutants & Masterminds licenses at some point.
After using Hero Lab for PRPG for several months, I decided I liked it enough to by the CoC license as well. Best part was practically 0 learning curve, as opposed to having to learn an entirely new tool.
I already own Hero Lab (though my old computer died, so lord knows if the insane DRM will let me reactivate on my new computer)
Simply make sure you have an active internet connection, then go to the License menu and select the "Reactivate License" menu. Complete the wizard - it takes maybe 30 seconds. You're done.
I'm not sure this qualifies as an "insane" process, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
The difference is PC Gen is free, whereas HeroLab gouges you for OGL content after you've already paid for the software.
The reason we charge for each game system is because a heck of a lot of time and effort has been invested in developing each separate game system. It costs a lot of money to pay everyone to do that work. And they expect to be paid, even if the material is OGL. That's a key distinction between Hero Lab and free tools - our staff expects to be paid a reasonable wage. And for non-OGL games, which now also includes Pathfinder, the publishers also expect to receive their royalty checks.
As I stated very early in this thread, the existing free tools are solid and provide a lot of capabilities. We believe Hero Lab offers greater power, flexibility, and ease of use. And we believe that there will be many Pathfinder players who consider the cost to be a worthwhile investment for the time savings provided. It's a purely subjective decision, and every player will make their own determination based on their personal preferences and budgets. We make the product freely available for full testing so that everyone can compare the available tools for themselves and make their own choice.
As has already been clearly demonstrated within this thread, the opinions are divided. There are many players who love Hero Lab and consider it money well spent. There are some who prefer the free tools. That's exactly how it should be - choices for everyone. And nobody is "wrong" for making whatever choice is best for their situation.
By "portable", I mean able to run off a USB flash drive, portable hard drive, etc., with the functionality (wishful thinking here) of "syncing" back to the primary application. For me, this would allow me to install the primary app on my home computer and have a portable version to run on a flash drive while I'm on the road for work.
We're investigating something that's kinda like this, but not exactly. It's not yet clear whether the idea will ultimately be viable or not, so it's premature to talk about it. However, we realized being able to sync back and forth via some appropriate mechanism will be increasingly important in the years to come.
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Well, I'm glad that Hero Lab gives you an option. I don't play 4E, WoD, Savage Worlds, or Cortex. Hell, I don't even know what games use the Savage Worlds or Cortex systems. So I'm glad that I'm given the choice of buying just the licenses that I want, and not pay for twice the amount of systems that I'll ever actually use.
You can successfully argue that Lone Wolf was the only pre-established software developer that had a strong business model to begin with, and that's why they're still around. The other companies in question were all much smaller and had a much bigger uphill climb than Lone Wolf. You can survive a member of your staff having a dying family member in the hospital. Good for you.
I'm not sure what provoked you in my response, but I sure wasn't talking about any specific company. There are a number of them, and I referenced them collectively. I'm sorry for obviously hitting a nerve - albeit quite unintentionally.
There seems to be a common misconception that Lone Wolf Development is some big company. If you exclude a new hire a few weeks ago to work on Realm Works, we've been running for years with a full-time staff of 2-3 people and 2 part-time staff (at 10-15 hours per week apiece). We have 3 products to support - not just 1 - and we have 8 game lines to support within Hero Lab. So we're only slightly bigger than those other companies and have a comparatively much larger portfolio of products that we must divide our energies across.
Based on this, saying that companies with two employees are "much smaller" than us is a stretch. Similarly, saying that those companies had a "much bigger uphill climb" seems inappropriate as well. We started with one guy, building Army Builder into a viable product from nothing, and then slowly grew to where we could branch into other products like Hero Lab. We've been purely self-financed since the beginning. It's been a heck of a lot of work, and we've gone through the exact same process that the other companies undertook. There were times we could have thrown in the towel, and there were times we were told that closing up was the smart thing to do, but we persevered and got through it. So being portrayed as a big company that had it easy is a gross misrepresentation of what actually transpired. We went through the exact same process as the various companies that have closed up. We just started that process a bit earlier. That earlier start to the business could easily have contributed to our success with Hero Lab, but I don't believe it made the overall process any easier.
FWIW, had either of our two primary developers been derailed by a family member in the hospital on a protracted based, I don't think we would have pulled it off.
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On a slightly different note Rob.
I am not asking of a release date for the compatibility with the Paizo products but what kind of timeframes will be looking at once the various sources release.
ie. Once the Advanced Players Guide drops, how long of a wait do you think there will be for the program to have the feats, options and alternate class features integrated with the system, this goes with the GameMastery Guide as well.
Thank you again for being so open with the community, much like all of the Paizo staff, that is what brought me to the game and I much like many truly appreciate the line we have to you guys. It really strikes a difference between the big guys at WotC and everybody over here.
Howdy folks! As I saw my sheet invoked in the discussion, I thought I might voice a perspective on things. I put out my Excel-based* character sheet under the Open Game License and Paizo's Community Use Policy. So long as those are in existence (and from Lisa's comments it looks like that should be a good long while!) I'll keep chugging along. If you are looking for free character generators, try it out, or else look to Ogre's work, sCoreGen, etc. as they all provide very nice features as well.
However, I can tell you from direct experience that if you want every piece of OGC from Paizo products in a tool (one of my goals), that is a lot of work. I happen to make a good wage doing other things and also enjoy digging into the rules automation as it helps me understand the game better. So, providing my sheet for free is no problem. I also work directly in the software development industry, and so I know that if you want quality software, you are going to pay for it. This is not an issue of whether the content is open or not, but rather how you want to handle that cost. Some people pay for it directly with cash, i.e. you buy a product like HeroLab. Some people pay for it with labor, i.e. you make your own tool. Some people do a mix of these, i.e. buy the base tool, then enter your own data. If you don't want to take option 2 or 3 because you don't have the time/skill, then option 1 is a very reasonable route. I don't begrudge Lone Wolf (or any company) their right to a profit--they've got to make a living somehow! In fact, I'm sure I'll own a copy of HeroLab in the near future, simply because I believe in supporting the companies that support my RPG of choice.
In the end, look at your options and go with what works best for your cost approach.
*It should be very OpenOffice compatible as well--if it's not please let me know the specifics!
+1
After reading some of the comments, I've been trying all morning to come up with a grandma friendly way of saying to folks, "Get of Rob's back" but couldn't. This is spot on.
-- david
Papa.DRB
PCGen moderator / data monkey
*lots of good stuff*
You will of course have to spend money on at least the Windows Version of Excel
Well, only if you don't already have it.
Who uses Excel? The terrible, nasty, horrible program designed by people who hate people who have to use it. I use OpenOffice Calc at home and Google's version works in a pinch (though it lacks some features due to design).
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Wow. Let's make entirely factless speculation sound all "official", shall we?This is how I see it: Lone Wolf was a large (compared to the other devs of the commercial tools) company, already established and having a solid base from the money it earned from ArmyBuilder.
You can survive a member of your staff having a dying family member in the hospital. Good for you.
0_o
There are real people on the other end of these forum posts you know. In almost every case, those people are gamers; people who are very similar to you.
You would not speak to Rob Bowes in this fashion if you met him at a Gencon seminar or even at a coffee shop, right?
So given that, what makes you think it is appropriate to post in this fashion on a public forum? When I read your above quoted text, I found it to be extremely offensive. If you stop to reflect, you must know that what you wrote would be read by others who would also consider it to be off-putting and offensive.
If you are unable to see that - then it is unlikely we are going to be able to agree on anything else.
C'mon man. No third party publisher deserves this sort of treatment from the Pathfinder fan community. Dial it back and make amends.
lots of good stuff +1
Well said Erian_7.
I apologize for being overly inflammatory. The only excuse I have is posting at 7:30 AM pre-coffee, which I realize is a poor one. I took the tone of lone-wolf_Rob's original post to be very arrogant; I still don't know if I misread it or not, but that doesn't excuse my reaction, and I apologize.
Let's leave alone the "other competitors" argument, since there's a lot of speculation there anyway. The pertinent point I was trying to make in the middle of the self-righteous indignance is that Lone Wolf was an established company, however small, when Hero Lab became one if its products, and that gave them an advantage. Having an advantage is not a bad thing.
All I will say is this, re: my personal feelings about HeroLab: if I could pay a $50 or even $60 lump sum for the Hero Lab program and the PF datasets, both existing and future, I would do it in a heartbeat.
I dislike the piecemeal way HeroLab currently offers its packages--if you use a lot of systems you can be paying upwards of $100 easily, which is my yearly print-book budget (more personally important to me than software purchases).
I know because I do own the program that it is a good one. But I bought it for use with a different game system (before Pathfinder even existed). I do not personally consider it worth the additional $50 I'd have to pay for the Pathfinder data on top of the $30 I already paid for the software to begin with (I can't even write my own datasets as someone suggested because I still have to pay $20 to "unlock" Pathfinder). I understand there are starving gamers who need their paychecks written out. But as a consumer, I do not consider that a good value for my money. That is all, and I realize others feel differently. You are entitled to spend your money the way you wish. I envy you that feel you can pay that much for RPG software; I wish I could.
Given that an iPad version would be inherently portable, as part of the strategy, are you considering something similar for Windows systems?Did you by any chance mean to say that an iPad version would be inherently *NON* portable? I'm going to assume so, since developing for the iPad is specific to Apple and cannot be readily ported anywhere else.
We are definitely looking at other platforms as well. The major problem is that each of the platforms requires us to pretty much rewrite our products for each platform. Apple requires Objective-C, Windows requires Silverlight, the Android is different again, etc.
Then of course there is a bit of practicality... Doing character generation on a smartphone is something I'd really not bother to try to attempt. :)
The iPad at least is a product that's out in significant numbers with a large enough interface. Right now the development priorities would suggest that the priority should be Windows, MacOSX, and the iPad. Although OSX and the IPad should be very close to each other codewise.
The only thing that saddens me is that Hero Lab won't work on notebook sized PCs. One day soon, I will have the extra cash to buy a laptop... I hope. But for now, this kind of portability is not happening for the Wolf.
The only thing that saddens me is that Hero Lab won't work on notebook sized PCs. One day soon, I will have the extra cash to buy a laptop... I hope. But for now, this kind of portability is not happening for the Wolf.
Hi Wolfthulhu,
What OS is your netbook running? If it's any flavor of Windows Hero Lab should run just fine.
Hyrum.
Who uses Excel? The terrible, nasty, horrible program designed by people who hate people who have to use it. I use OpenOffice Calc at home and Google's version works in a pinch (though it lacks some features due to design).A lot of these character generation sheets created on Excel use ActiveX or other macro functions which fail elsewhere, even on the Mac version of the program.
Then that's bad design. They should stop half-assing it by working in Excel and make a real program.
A spreadsheet should be an end-product, or close to it. It should not be the medium through which a product is created.I have a spreadsheet for a 3.5 character that doesn't create squat - you have to enter every single thing yourself or at least copy in the equations that enter stuff, but it keeps track of changes over here that were made over there. That's what spreadsheets are for. If you have to break out Active X, you're doing it wrong.
If anyone wants to see my sheet, just send me a PM or whatever works around here. I can't post it due to how I have my spell sheet working (and that it uses non-OGL content).
The only thing that saddens me is that Hero Lab won't work on notebook sized PCs. One day soon, I will have the extra cash to buy a laptop... I hope. But for now, this kind of portability is not happening for the Wolf.Hi Wolfthulhu,
What OS is your netbook running? If it's any flavor of Windows Hero Lab should run just fine.
Hyrum.
No, it's not an OS or system problem, it's resolution. Hero Lab requires a minimum of 800x600. The resolution on my netbook is set to a non-adjustable 1024x576. I don't know if other 'small' computers are like this, but mine is. :-/