Where can I get a decent Character Generator?

[cerberuspuppy]

Yes, it's a stock question, but I do NOT want the stock answers.

NO Java garbage. That means NO PCGEN.

NO spreadsheets. All that does is add another layer of junk that WILL break.

I'd prefer something browser based but I don't mind downloads so much as long as THE STUPID THING ACTUALLY WORKS. Imagine that. I want something that isn't so much hassle that I'd be better off busting out the books and doing myself. Kinda defeats the purpose, huh?

I am willing to pay, but not to be cheated like with Hero Lab, especially since their UI is downright painful.

I have this wacky idea that I will open the program and it will work. I won't even have to hack it or hunt down a workaround tutorial or otherwise beat it into submission.

I never figured out why this is so impossible. D&D had a great character generator right on the Wizards site for most of 4th Edition's lifespan.

[Doug Limmer - PCGen Data 2nd]

Why no Java "garbage"? Why does something being in Java automatically make it garbage?

What you are describing---I don't think it exists.

[GM Rednal]

Hero Lab's UI is... painful? Have you used it for more than a few minutes? I've found that it's extremely intuitive and easy to use once you get the hang of it. It usually takes me no more than a few minutes to make a solid character, and it's DEFINITELY way faster than doing it by hand. 95% of any tweaks needed can be done with the Adjustments tab, and the remainder I can just tweak on my character sheet when I export it.

I agree with Doug - if you think HL is bad, then what you're asking for doesn't exist.

[cerberuspuppy]

GM Rednal wrote:

Hero Lab's UI is... painful? Have you used it for more than a few minutes? I've found that it's extremely intuitive and easy to use once you get the hang of it. It usually takes me no more than a few minutes to make a solid character, and it's DEFINITELY way faster than doing it by hand. 95% of any tweaks needed can be done with the Adjustments tab, and the remainder I can just tweak on my character sheet when I export it.

I agree with Doug - if you think HL is bad, then what you're asking for doesn't exist.

I've never seen any Java app that wasn't garbage. Vassal, XMage, on and on they've ALL been about as reliable and user-friendly as a rabid porcupine. Trying to get PC Gen to work was like trying to build something out of melting LEGO.

Hero Lab is MUCH too obnoxious for something so ridiculously expensive. Only half of the UI is intuitive. The rest is either hidden or counter-intuitive. I put up with it for years- far too long. It's even worse for Society, because I have to wade through another layer of junk.

When I can't use your software without constantly thinking of ways in which it absolutely should be better, there's a problem. When I can't use it at all, then I won't.

Seriously, why is this impossible? It's Pathfinder, not Rolemaster. The math itself is all very simple, it's just the multiple interactions that get complicated, and even then for a human, not a computer. Half the battle is just having all the data in place and readily accessible.

Is it just a matter of programmers habitually taking the wrong approach? Spreadsheets and Java instead of an Android app built in Unity or Unreal?

[Ramarren]

You don't like the two most popular generators on the market, PCGen (Free) or Hero Lab (Pay). You don't want any one of the fairly decent spreadsheets out there, as they are all 'junk'.

Feel free to announce when you've written the 'perfect' character generator, and I'm sure no one will trash it over-generalized criticisms.

[Doug Limmer - PCGen Data 2nd]

cerberuspuppy wrote:

I've never seen any Java app that wasn't garbage. Vassal, XMage, on and on they've ALL been about as reliable and user-friendly as a rabid porcupine. Trying to get PC Gen to work was like trying to build something out of melting LEGO.

While perhaps that was cathartic for you, it is of absolutely no help in making PCGen better.

What is it that you were trying to do? How did PCGen do it, and how did you want PCGen to do it? How can we make PCGen easier for you to use?

It would also help if you would include which version of PCGen you used last, so I know what to compare your experience with.

[Corsario]

Good luck finding the "perfect" solution.
PCGen works great for me.