Character Builder Lite

[EllisDee37]

New version is up.

I had intended to lay low for a while after 1.1 last week but the way the feat screen worked (filtering the feat list for the active slot whenever you place any feat) really bugged me, like a lot. So here's 1.2 to correct that.

Seems weird to give it a full bump from 1.1 to 1.2 after only a week, but the two key features (custom output BBCodes, auto-save backup as you go) are fairly important upgrades. Not a lot of meat on this bone, but what's there is rich.

The new custom BBCode format feature lets you save your custom settings to a file. (Binary; not human-readable text files like the color files.) My own \Data folder is already crowded with build files, so adding in now *.out format files on top of *.clr color files felt overcrowded. Version 1.2 saves all color and format files to a new directory \Settings. Your existing color files will be moved over automatically when you first run 1.2.


Version 1.2:

• Feats
  • Slotting feats, either by drag or double-click, no longer filters feat list to that slot
• Enhancements and Destinies
  • Clicking the initial blank slot no longer crashes builder
• Output
  • Added output formats, allowing complete control over all BBCodes used
• General
  • Auto-save a copy of the current build as you work:
    • Saved as Backup.bld in same path as EXE
    • Automatically deleted on proper exit (if the program didn't crash)
    • Automatically loaded on startup if it exists (recovering from crash)
  • Moved color schemes (*.clr) and new output formats (*.out) from \Save to \Settings
    • Existing color schemes will be automatically moved on open
  • Corrected issue with the two new colors added in 1.1 (Control Link and Output Dim)
• Descriptions updated by wiki crawler:
  • Magister Tier 6: Arcane Adept

[DemonMage]

Thanks for the output support! [Edit] Nevermind the bug, I haven't kept up with changes to feats I never use =-p

[EllisDee37]

There appears to be an issue with Warlock pact spells when you multiclass. Don't sweat the warlock spells overly much until I get a fix in place. Not sure when that will be.



I'm sitting here messing around with a screen layout for a gear planner, since my gear spreadsheets are now starting to annoy me. If I were to add a gear planner to the builder, would I have any volunteers for data entry?

Not that I'm 100% sure I'll actually write a gear planner, but if I had some volunteers it might help motivate me.

EDIT: Actually, scratch that. The wiki item pages look like they're pretty up-to-date and easily crawled. Manual data entry shouldn't be an issue.

[UurlockYgmeov]

There appears to be an issue with Warlock pact spells when you multiclass. Don't sweat the warlock spells overly much until I get a fix in place. Not sure when that will be.



I'm sitting here messing around with a screen layout for a gear planner, since my gear spreadsheets are now starting to annoy me. If I were to add a gear planner to the builder, would I have any volunteers for data entry?

Not that I'm 100% sure I'll actually write a gear planner, but if I had some volunteers it might help motivate me.

EDIT: Actually, scratch that. The wiki item pages look like they're pretty up-to-date and easily crawled. Manual data entry shouldn't be an issue.

except for crafted items.

[EllisDee37]

I keep going back and forth whether the gear planner should be just another screen after the destiny screen, or if it should be its own stand-alone program that isn't tied to specific builds.

I can easily envision someone wanting to fire it up and rough-in a gear setup without having to create a build first. Even though all you have to do is click File => New, close the Overview screen and go straight to Edit => Gear, that seems kind of awkward. And then you save what amounts to your gear setup as a character build? That also seems weird.

Any thoughts?


(The underlying database structure for gear hasn't come into clear focus for me yet, so I'm mostly working on screen layouts until inspiration strikes.)

[UurlockYgmeov]

Your guiding principle for this project has always been KISS. Which is simpler? Standalone or integrated? To me, one program is simpler and far easier to update.

[Stoner81]

Your guiding principle for this project has always been KISS. Which is simpler? Standalone or integrated? Too me, one program is simpler and far easier to update.

I have to semi agree here, a stand alone app for gear seems like a much better idea but I'm not even sure it would be needed to be honest but that's just me.

Stoner81.

[cestvel]

I have to semi agree here, a stand alone app for gear seems like a much better idea but I'm not even sure it would be needed to be honest but that's just me.

Stoner81.

Yeah,

stand alone would be better, as they are two rather separate realms and will have their own bug problems.

So you only have to update "your" program when it actually has a bug that affects you.

And what features are you planning for the gear planner?

I myself currently toying with the recent gear spreadsheet to store my gear layout *per level*. I find that useful for TR runs.

An optimizer which tells you which bonus is missing or even automatically optimized the gear layout on a level basis would be the icing on the cake

[EllisDee37]

Yeah, standalone might be the better way to go. Early brainstorming indicates that the data structures for gear will dwarf all existing data structures in the builder. Plus I'd kind of like a bit larger window to work with, and a standalone program wouldn't need to fit into what has become the standard dialog size in the builder.

And what features are you planning for the gear planner?

Here's my current thinking, stream-of-consciousness style:

Along the left side of the screen are the available gear slots. (Will look like any other "slot" setups in the builder.)

Slots will be configurable, allowing addition of "alternate" slots or specific weaponsets like ooze beaters.

Above the gear slots will be a level selector, from 1 to 28. It will default to level 28, and lower levels essentially won't exist unless you choose to include them.

Propagating levels should be easy. Possibly global, where all slots propagate on command, plus right-clicking an individual slot lets you propagate just that slot. Let's say for some bizarre reason you decided on PDK gloves for your ML28 gearset. Propagating gloves would then automatically slot in PDK gloves for any gearset from ML20 to ML28 that you activate. This would be more useful starting from 1 (or 15 or whatever) and going up than starting at 28 and going down.

Any slot that changes on the current level (as defined by the level selector) will be indicated in some fashion. Possibly bolded. Like if you equip a +6 health necklace at 9, then switch to alchemist's pendant at 18, the necklace slot will be bolded when you're looking at level 18 gear.

The right side of the screen will be a tabbed interface with two tabs: one for selecting gear, and a second for reviewing effects.

The list of reviewed effects will be configurable, so you can choose which effects you care about monitoring. Possibly including a few default presets (melee, arcane, divine, range) but also allowing custom configurations to be created and saved, similar to output styles in the builder. More thoughts on the review tab are described here.

The "selecting gear" tab is still a little fuzzy. Possibly two lists, similar to most screens in the builder. The first list just lists item names, the second would be the list of "tiers." Tiers could be just simple MLs (eg: High Road gear) or a combination of MLs and literal tiers (eg: Cannith Challenge gear.) So like you pick Bracers of Twisting Shade in the first list, ML25 in the second.

Crafted items would appear in the first list just as their crafting style: Cannith Crafted, Greensteel, Thunderforge, etc... When you pick one of those as your item, a crafting planner interface would appear on the left over the slot list. You do your crafting there, accept it, and then that crafted item is put into whichever slot you were working on.

Cannith Challenge gear (if you choose tier 3) and Rune Arms would bring up the Cannith Crafting interface, since you can craft on them.

Variable-effect items (eg: Gianthold dragonscale helmets) would be treated as crafting systems. So you might pick Blue Dragon Helm in the first list, ML25 in the second list, and then pick your effects from the crafting interface that pops up over the slot list. (Undecided about whether to consolidate items whose names change, like dragon helm => flawless dragon helm, teraza's sight => teraza's perfect sight.)

Lootgen would be treated just like any other crafting system. Pick the item named "Lootgen" and get a crafting interface similar to the cannith crafting one.

Mimic the spirit of the montreal planner for the greensteel planner.

Mimic the spirit of the cubicleninja cannith crafting planner updated interface, incorporating my thoughts from here and especially here.

Augments would be indicated in the slots on the left in some way. Clicking on them would let you choose (or clear) an augment.

Output would default to the ML28 gearset as "outside", like the default output is, and would be formatted similar to feat output. All lower level gearsets would be wrapped in a single set of code tags to keep things tidy. Possibly include full slot listing for each activated level bolding slots that change, or maybe only include changes. I think full display with changes bolded would be better.

EDIT: Just now I'm thinking I could add read-only communication from the builder to the gear planner such that you could associate a build file with a gear file, allowing the builder to show a display-only gear tab as well as including gear info in build output if desired. Then click something on the gear tab of the builder to open the gear planner to make changes.



The biggest stumbling block right now is how to handle greensteel, which I've never fully understood. It's the mutually exclusive effects that add extra complications. Right now I'm thinking all items -- greensteel, lootgen, simple named items, whatever -- would have a list of base effects, a list of selectable effects, and *mumble mumble* to handle greensteel crafting. When you choose an item, you create a "build item" that applies the base effects, chosen/crafted effects, and *mumble mumble* greensteel. The tricky part is including the crafting instructions based on chosen effects.

EDIT 2: Also stone of change rituals, which can have non-trival implications for cannith crafted gear assuming they still add +1 enchantment level. This can be crucial for getting certain weapons (ooze beaters) to +11 enchantment level for the full 2[W] epic weapon bonus.

[cestvel]

That sounds great and a lot of work. I suggest you implement the crafting interface in the first version rather simple. meaning, you just click teh effects together that the item has. No checks.
All the implications in Cannith and Greensteel-Crafting would complicate things by a lot, but could be added in in a later stage quite easily.

What was not quite clear, do you plan on a summary display of the effects? Hopefully in a way, that you can see missing things. e.g. you might select a list of effects that are important for you and they
get displayed in red if they are not present in the current gearset.

[EllisDee37]

What was not quite clear, do you plan on a summary display of the effects? Hopefully in a way, that you can see missing things. e.g. you might select a list of effects that are important for you and they
get displayed in red if they are not present in the current gearset.

Yes, exactly that. Both the basic idea and also the ability to customize the list to only effects you care about. This IMO will be the "killer app" (killer feature?) of the whole exercise.

This thread is research toward that goal.

EDIT: See this post for more info.

[garzan123]

Character Builder Lite is designed with a minimalist philosophy -- thus the "Lite" -- and is intended to be useful for any DDO player, from new players to seasoned vets.

This thread was created early in the development of the utility, soliciting feedback and suggestions. Discussion of the most recent major version (1.1) begins in post 434.


Downloads

Files are hosted on Google Drive. When you open one of these download links you'll see a list of the zip file contents. There's a little down-arrow button at the top of the screen for downloading.

Character Builder Lite 1.2 (includes Data 08-10-15)

Data 08-10-15

Source Code 1.2 (VB6)

All Downloads


Installation

Unzip to anywhere under your Documents folder.

Written in pure VB6 native code, it should run on any version of Windows, no installation required. Early reports are that it even runs on Wine if you install vb6run.


Release Notes

Version 1.2:

• Feats
  
  • Slotting feats, either by drag or double-click, no longer filters feat list to that slot
  
  
• Enhancements and Destinies
  
  • Clicking the initial blank slot no longer crashes builder
  
  
• Output
  
  • Added output formats, allowing complete control over all BBCodes used
  
  
• General
  
  • Auto-save a copy of the current build as you work:
    
    • Saved as Backup.bld in same path as EXE
    • Automatically deleted on proper exit (if the program didn't crash)
    • Automatically loaded on startup if it exists (recovering from crash)
    
    
  • Moved color schemes (*.clr) and new output formats (*.out) from \Save to \Settings
    
    • Existing color schemes will be automatically moved on open
    
    
  • Corrected issue with the two new colors added in 1.1 (Control Link and Output Dim)
  
  
• Descriptions updated by wiki crawler:
  
  • Magister Tier 6: Arcane Adept

Version 1.1:

• Feats, Spells, Enhancements and Destinies
  
  • Added descriptions (pulled from wiki) and wiki links for all abilities
  • Updated mouse behavior:
    
    • Drag now starts on MouseMove instead of MouseDown
    • Double-clicking list items now adds them to the first available slot (drag still works)
    • Double-clicking slots clears them (right-click still works)
    • Dragging a slot back to the list also clears it
    • Clicking a slot to view descriptions highlights the selected slot
      
      • Clicking it again deselects the slot and clears the details box
      
      
    • Clicking on the background of a form deselects chosen list/slot items and clears details
  
  
• Warlock
  
  • Added Pact alignment reqs
  • Added Pact spells
  
  
• Skills
  
  • Fixed error with skill point calculation when int is either 9 or 7 (including tome+levelups)
  
  
• Feats
  
  • You can now re-order feats by dragging
  • "Feats" list header now shows slot filter (eg: "Destiny 28")
  • Granted feats are now clickable to view details
  • Least Dragonmark can now only be taken once
  • Natural Fighting can now only be taken up to three times
  • Corrected spelling for Eschew Materials (was listed as singular)
  
  
• Spells
  
  • Added Mass Restoration to cleric/fvs spell books (level 7 spell)
  • Fixed spelling errors in class spells (existing builds aren't corrected, but won't throw errors)
    
    • Mass Deathward is now Mass Death Ward (Death Ward is two words)
    • Heroes' Feats is now Heroes' Feast (Feats? heh)
    • Protection From Evil is now Protection from Evil (lowercase "from")
  
  
• Enhancements
  
  • Split Eldritch Knight tree into two mutually exclusive trees for wizard and sorcerer. (Existing builds that use the Eldritch Knight tree will have that tree reset on open.)
  • Half-elf improved dilettante enhancements used to cost 0 AP, now 2 AP, but I don't recall fixing this
  • Fixed Morninglord Tier 2: Blessing of Amaunator (was listed as tier 3)
  • Fixed KotC Tier 1: Divine Light (was listed as a 7th core (!))
  • Fixed Occult Slayer Tier 2: Knockout (was listed as tier 3)
  • Fixed Shadar-kai Core 2: Stat (costs 2 AP, not 1 AP)
  
  
• Destinies
  
  • Increased max fate point limit from 31 to 32 to reflect +3 fate tomes
  • Fixed spelling error for Shiradi Champion (existing builds will have shiradi destiny/twists reset)
  
  
• Output
  
  • When making changes to a build while main form is minimized, mouse cursor no longer stays hourglass
  
  
• Colors
  
  • Note: New colors are added to all *.clr files, but that doesn't apply to you unless you manually import them. So new colors are given "best guess" defaults when you open the planner.
  • Added "Control Link Color", used for wiki links in descriptions. Defaults to Light Blue if your settings match Black.clr, standard Blue for all others
  • Added "Output Dim Color", not currently used. Defaults to a dark gray if your settings match Tan.clr, html Silver for all others

---------------------------------------------------------------

Here's a demo of the builder in action. Because there are so many screens, I don't pause to show the help windows or the more esoteric features. I just blast through putting a build together from soup to nuts, export it to the forums, then at the end import a different build into the builder.



Video is 1920x1080. You may have to manually increase the resolution if youtube defaults to lower than 1080. Also, forgive my cheapo freeware screen capture program; it leaves artifacts in several places, and freaks out (artifact armageddon) whenever any scrolling happens.

I clicked on first link..did the extract files..then clicked on virew extracted files..then did the lite 1.2 version..says can't open file..***..I have Google chrome on my tablet..I hate comp stuff..lol

[EllisDee37]

I clicked on first link..did the extract files..then clicked on virew extracted files..then did the lite 1.2 version..says can't open file..***..I have Google chrome on my tablet..I hate comp stuff..lol

Did you extract the files somewhere under your Documents folder? There have been reports that it doesn't work correctly if you extract it to your desktop.

[EllisDee37]

Development of the character builder is on hold while I work on a gear planner.

[Grace_ana]

I'm suddenly having a weird issue with the planner. It's worked fine for me for months, but today I went to edit some things on a build. I tried to change the level ups from charisma to strength, and it wouldn't allow it. I cleared the feats and everything else related to charisma in the rest of the build and tried again - same thing. Basically, when I put strength as the level ups, it scans through all the other stat options quickly and returns it to charisma. This is on a PDK paladin, btw.

So I tried to make a new build. The planner wouldn't even allow me to choose PDK. It kept scanning through quickly and settling on Shadar-Kai. The alignment was lawful good, so that wasn't the issue, and nothing else had been done yet. I then checked for updates and updated it to the 1.2 version, but the problem persists.

I do have it on my desktop, but I have had it there for months with no issue. I'm at a loss.

[EllisDee37]

Hmmm, nothing springs to mind that would cause that.

The "all levelups" dropdown applies that stat to all your levelups, but if you manually change one of the specific levels it will (should?) clear the "all levelups" dropdown, so I doubt it's that.

When editing a build, everything is done in memory with no hard drive reads apart from when you manually load and save the file, so it shouldn't be a rights issue. (1.2 does auto-save backups periodically, but it doesn't load them.)

Nothing on any screen other than Stats should modify your levelups, and on the stats screen only manually changing them yourself should change them. If you no longer qualify for feats, they simply appear as "error" condition on the feats screen and output.

I PMed you my email so I can take a look at the build file and see if I can pinpoint the issue.

[CernunnosM]

Can't get Enlightened Spirit Tier 5's to show at all, even if I hit select all. Looks like they are in the data file, but not showing.

[EllisDee37]

Can't get Enlightened Spirit Tier 5's to show at all, even if I hit select all. Looks like they are in the data file, but not showing.

Be sure to choose your "Tier 5 Tree" in the tree selection part of the enhancement screen. It's a dropdown right below your tree choices.

[CernunnosM]

Be sure to choose your "Tier 5 Tree" in the tree selection part of the enhancement screen. It's a dropdown right below your tree choices.

Was that always there? I thought I was doing builds before without that. Strange. Interesting UI choice.

[EllisDee37]

Was that always there? I thought I was doing builds before without that. Strange. Interesting UI choice.

Yes it's always been there, and yes it's always been a dubious design choice. I do plan to remove it, but I'm currently working on other things.