E-Tools: Difference between revisions
→Grass Roots Revival of e-Tools: Still unsourced, still being pushed by a COI single purpose editor, still promotional |
MrOllie continues to disregard Wiki Policy and remove changes rather than discussion them on the e-Tools discussion page as required - he is responsible for an edit war and should be sanctioned! |
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Upon the release of [[Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition]], WotC offers a character creator and other software tools through its online service [[D&D Insider]].<ref>[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4ask/20070904a Ask Wizards: 09/04/2007], ''Wizards of the Coast'', September 4, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4news/20081211 Character Builder Open Beta], ''Wizards of the Coast'', December 11, 2008</ref> |
Upon the release of [[Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition]], WotC offers a character creator and other software tools through its online service [[D&D Insider]].<ref>[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4ask/20070904a Ask Wizards: 09/04/2007], ''Wizards of the Coast'', September 4, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/4news/20081211 Character Builder Open Beta], ''Wizards of the Coast'', December 11, 2008</ref> |
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==Grass Roots Revival of e-Tools== |
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With the continued interest and even growth and adoption of D&D v3.5e by a new generation<ref>DriveThruRPG.com Press Release, June 16th, 2006</ref>, a grass roots effort has been started to get e-Tools released to the public domain. Part of this effort includes the development of an e-Tools support page (for the sharing of information, known issues, and enhancement requests) and most importantly the release of database enhancements and new race (.RAC) and monster (.mon) files in a package known as Paul's e-Tools Enhancements and Fixes. These user developed modules to the currently available e-Tools come out of extensive play testing and development of the D&D Version 3.5e characters using the tool. The first release of these enhancements and fixes was on July 4th, 2013, with more promised in the near future.<ref>Release Notes for e-Tools Enhancements and Updates (Release 1), July 10, 2013</ref> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Revision as of 11:07, 11 July 2013
| Developer(s) | Code Monkey Publishing |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 1.666
/ 2006 |
| Operating system | Microsoft Windows |
| Type | RPG playing aid |
| Website | codemonkeypublishing.com |
e-Tools: Character and Monster Generator is a software application initially developed by Fluid Entertainment and Wizards of the Coast (WotC). The software contains several related tools designed to assist with hosting and playing Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, though it can be altered to work with most games that use the d20 System.
History
The first incarnation of this software program was as a software demo that was simply called "Character Generator," which came free with early printings of the 3rd Edition Player's Handbook. A software patch was eventually released to fix the most glaring data errors and bugs.
Soon after this release, WotC announced that a software tool they called Master Tools was in development. Under this product name, WotC and Fluid Entertainment (their chosen developers) originally announced that the program would include not only a character and monster generator, but many other advanced campaign tools such as a 3D map making tool. However, for various reasons the scope of the project was reduced drastically over time and many changes were made during development cycle. Due to these changes, the project was eventually renamed to "E-Tools: Character and Monster Generator".
The initial full-version was released in 2002 at Gen Con. At first, the software was very limited and did not have the versatility demanded by many Dungeon Masters. WotC quickly moved to address many concerns and released a large patch three months after the initial release. In addition, several free third party add-on programs, such as Davin's "ET Helper," were created to allow the insertion of custom content.
WotC then contracted Code Monkey Publishing (CMP) to continue software bug fixes and improvements, handing them control of future e-Tools development and granting them a license to distribute all published D&D rules content in database form for use with e-Tools as well as the Open Source PCGen character generation software.[1] Improvements to the software at this stage included major bug and data fixes as well as eventual introduction of optional 3.5 Edition D&D rule data sold separately by CMP. CMP's developmental involvement lasted until November 30, 2006 when WotC declined an extension of their agreement. A company representative simply explained their decision as being "because of future product considerations".[2]
Upon the release of Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition, WotC offers a character creator and other software tools through its online service D&D Insider.[3][4]
Grass Roots Revival of e-Tools
With the continued interest and even growth and adoption of D&D v3.5e by a new generation[5], a grass roots effort has been started to get e-Tools released to the public domain. Part of this effort includes the development of an e-Tools support page (for the sharing of information, known issues, and enhancement requests) and most importantly the release of database enhancements and new race (.RAC) and monster (.mon) files in a package known as Paul's e-Tools Enhancements and Fixes. These user developed modules to the currently available e-Tools come out of extensive play testing and development of the D&D Version 3.5e characters using the tool. The first release of these enhancements and fixes was on July 4th, 2013, with more promised in the near future.[6]
See also
References
- ^ The Past, Present and Future of E-Tools, Code Monkey Publishing, June 25, 2004.
- ^ The Other Shoe, Code Monkey Publishing, November 13, 2006.
- ^ Ask Wizards: 09/04/2007, Wizards of the Coast, September 4, 2007.
- ^ Character Builder Open Beta, Wizards of the Coast, December 11, 2008
- ^ DriveThruRPG.com Press Release, June 16th, 2006
- ^ Release Notes for e-Tools Enhancements and Updates (Release 1), July 10, 2013