I (GM) tend to go to d20. As the owner(?) mentioned, it does seem better for home-brewed campaigns. A lot of times when I see something linked on Archives, it seems more powerful or ridiculous; so (probably undeserved) it has a reputation with me similar to Forgeworld had with w40k a couple editions back -> OP stuff.
While I'm not sure how that'd be given the descriptions above; I'm still happier navigating d20. If nothing else, it's one of the few times I prefer a white-background black-text kind of site. Archives feels kinda like a site from the early 2000's or late 90's with the high contrast. (And again, I normally put everything to a "dark theme")
So, not real big criticisms. I actually used d20 over PRD 80% of the time; due to better linking of things.
Examples:
- Grab? Press the hyperlink and go straight to it from the monster.
- Bane Weapon? Press the hyperlink and go straight to it from the npc
- Armor table? Press the hyperlink if you want to go to the description
- Crafting? Has alternate crafting rules (that aren't terrible) right under it
Maybe it's just me, but lately I've been noticing that Nethy's will temp-block an IP for several hours if you try opening too many links from them too quickly -- which makes it an utter PITA to winnow through a dozen feats containing a specific common term. (Then I have to paste the Nethy's URL into a proxy engine to keep going until that one chokes too, and so on.) This behavior has been going on for several months, at least.
Yes, clearly, if you prefer ONLY Golarion-content, or ONLY PFS-legal content, then AoN is probably your better option. d20pfsrd.com is probably better suited to those who are open to 3rd Party content, or those who run their own home campaigns, or those who want a complete rules reference site. To each their own
I use to use d20pfsrd exclusively, but the ads have caused me to avoid it like the plague.
I went to using the Paizo prd although with that gone I've now adopted AoN. AoN has made me reevaluate the player companion books and incorporating more of them into my games, which is a definite plus.
Archives of Nethys is now the official home of the Pathfinder PRD and the Starfinder RD.
Archives seems to be generally more complete and organized, though right now the d20pfsrd has more content. Though the pfsrd can end a bit sloppy with dead end links.
Archive's overall search filter is really really really helpful, however their current custom spell search filter is a bit lacking when compared to the pathfinder community spreadsheet.
After becoming officially sponsored by Paizo, Archives has continued to steadily improve and update, and I'm hopeful that it eventually becomes the only reference I used.
But for the love of the gods Archive of Nethys has a horrible website interface with the scroll menu and the high contrast background. Love the site, but it looks corny and weird.
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Also, I submit that d20pfsrd.com has far, far, more content/up-to-date content than other sites, and if not, please let me know what is missing so I can get on that.
Literally every book up until this moment, hardcover or soft, should be available on the site now, or, if it's a most recent release, should be available in the next couple of weeks.
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Just wanted to pop in and say thanks for maintaining the d20pfsrd; it’s an incredibly helpful resource.
To be honest I'm still using the legacy prd quite a lot since everything on it is pre-sorted by book and then chapter.
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-Coughs-
That's a legal requirement, actually. There are some names that OGL-using websites can't use for Product Identity reasons, so they have to be changed. AoN doesn't have that problem because of a somewhat different structure... and, y'know, being official now.
Official or not, I'll be sticking with d20PFSRD.
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I heard it said that if d20pfsrd didn't use ads then they wouldn't have those legal issues, could use the proper names, and would likely draw in more users.
I aso imagine it is also why many people flock to other sites and why they didn't get a contract with Paizo like AoN did.
I for one don't pay for ad free interfaces. I pay for the quality services themselves. That's why I'm a proud patron of AoN. Anyone using d20pfsrd's business model will never see a dime from me. It's essentially a lesser form of blackmail.
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I think the ads are ok. It’s having their own store that causes issue.
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It's essentially a lesser form of blackmail.
I don't go to restaurants because they expect me to pay for food. It's a form of blackmail.
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I heard it said that if d20pfsrd didn't use ads then they wouldn't have those legal issues, could use the proper names, and would likely draw in more users.
I aso imagine it is also why many people flock to other sites and why they didn't get a contract with Paizo like AoN did.
I for one don't pay for ad free interfaces. I pay for the quality services themselves. That's why I'm a proud patron of AoN. Anyone using d20pfsrd's business model will never see a dime from me. It's essentially a lesser form of blackmail.
It's not that much an issue of ads, but of the fact that d20pfsrd pretty much became a springboard for J.Reyst's business of running the Open Gaming Store. So at this point it's more of a side project to a fully fledged business enterprise. Which likely at some point hit the level where Paizo triggered the "sorry, non-commercial use only" clause of the CUP.
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I refuse to even click on links to d20pfsrd. The pages are cluttered, 3rd party material is mixed in with 1st (I don't mind 3rd party, but I like them separated), the renaming issue is there, and the stupid pop-ups have made it so I won't go there except by accident.
AoN isn't the best layout either, I prefer the original PRD for overall design (though I wish there was a universal feat/spell index), but it's better than d20 as far as I'm concerned.
I use both depending on what I need. For deities, items, and setting-specific things I use AoN. For generic stuff I use pfsrd.
Don't need to worry about ads because of noscript and adblock.
I think the ads are ok. It’s having their own store that causes issue.
Yes, because the store runs afoul of Paizo's Community Use policy, which gives fans (but not 3rd party developers or vendors) the ability to use Paizo's IP/Product Identity for these reference document sites.
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If you are actually using it to play, D20 is better. It's hard (and slow) to chase the rules through AoN. For looking up individual things (a feat, a spell, ... ) AoN is the way to go.
At worst, it takes me 10 seconds to find something on AoN, just as long as it takes me to use their search function.
On the PFSRD it takes me that long just to find the menu among all the clutter, much less the specific categories and items IN the menu I want to find.
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I find D20 to be much faster for my game night needs. I just type in a keyword and blam! There it is. AoN takes too long for me.
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If you expect your labrador to use the litter box, or want your siamese to play fetch, you are likely to be disapointed. AoN and d20pfsrd are different animals, if you judge them by the standard of a different species they kinda fail.
Edit: for the record I prefer cats.
I used d20pfsrd until it started being blocked by my work, so now I use AoN. However, rules are easier to find in the former, so I also refer to the d20pfsrd Google sites mirror, even though that is no longer updated.
Anyway, in the mirror site, I'm still seeing plenty of third party pages marked as such. For example, this monster from Frog God games has a box with that company's logo and an explanation that the content is third party. Plus, every page has the actual sourcebook linked at the bottom -- and a code for the source in many of indexed lists. And those indexed lists usually have third party parantheticals after an entry (although not every time), and in some cases are even put on separate third party lists.
Is this not the case any more for the main d20pfsrd site? If so, I don't understand the "it has third party content" complaints in this thread.
Another thought: I know that d20pfsrd displays differently in mobile vs. desktop, so if you're on mobile, it may be harder to see the third party designation.