Character Builder Lite

[EllisDee37]

Found a bug. Took me a while to figure out what was happening. As far as I can tell, it happens while selecting enhancements, if you click and drag one of the highest available level enhancements, then drop it in the same window. Up pops "Run-time error '340': Control Array element '8' doesn't exist" (not always '8'. I've seen several other numbers). When you press ok, the app shuts down. It only seems to happen if it's one of the highest level enhancements available. If you already have all the t5 enhancements, dragging a t4 enhancement will do nothing. I actually found it because I was moving my mouse during a double click, and the app seemed to think I was dragging and dropping.

That sounds very similar to the longstanding bug, but it's more detail than I've had before. And I can reproduce it at-will thanks to your description. I'll definitely get that fixed.

[EllisDee37]

Found and fixed that bug. Turns out tier 5s weren't directly related, and it doesn't matter if you drop the enhancement/selector back into the list where you picked it up.

Dropping it anywhere to cancel the operation first removes the blank slot that gets created when you start dragging, and then removes the highlight from it. The problem is the order of those two steps, specifically when the blank slot was the last in the list. Removing the highlight from that already-removed row throws a "Control array element (#) doesn't exist" error but doesn't if the target was anywhere but last because the target's array index still exists unless it was last.

This was some very old code, from long before 1.0 was even released, so there's a pretty decent chance this was the longstanding enhancement screen bug.

Still targeting early next week for the next release, which is turning into a substantial one.

[QuantumFX]

Hey Ellis,
Are you plotting on putting the Reaper trees into the builder as well?

[EllisDee37]

Are you plotting on putting the Reaper trees into the builder as well?

No plans to, but it's not out of the question.

There doesn't seem to much decision-making in reaper trees. Are reaper trees really worth it, do you think?

[LrdSlvrhnd]

No plans to, but it's not out of the question.

There doesn't seem to much decision-making in reaper trees. Are reaper trees really worth it, do you think?

I wouldn't think so, especially given the level lockouts involved. They're just not as complicated as enhancements. If you're melee you go for the melee power; if you're ranged you go for the ranged power; if you're castery you go for the castery tree; and any points you have leftover that you can't spend because of levels you put in the defense tree for dodge or PRR or whatever. Just... not really a whole lot there to figure out.

[QuantumFX]

There doesn't seem to much decision-making in reaper trees. Are reaper trees really worth it, do you think?

IMO, yes. Some builds really only see a benefit from 2 trees (ex. Casters, Barbarians), while others can afford to mix all 3 trees (ex. Battle Engineers, Monks, Paladins). And having the ability to refine how you spend your points is never a bad thing.

[EllisDee37]

IMO, yes. Some builds really only see a benefit from 2 trees (ex. Casters, Barbarians), while others can afford to mix all 3 trees (ex. Battle Engineers, Monks, Paladins). And having the ability to refine how you spend your points is never a bad thing.

How do you envision it working? Do you enter in the number of reaper points you have to spend, and then spend those points? I'm not sure how useful that would be for exporting builds to the forums. (What if someone following the build doesn't have that many points?)

Should it instead work like the leveling guide, where you just choose the order of enhancements, and in the planner you just keep spending points until you spend them all or get tired?

The first option is much easier from a coding perspective, but I'm not sure how useful it would be. The second option is much more difficult / time-consuming to implement. The game rules are a snap, but that whole mini-spreadsheet functionality aspect of the leveling guide was a major pain to write, and was written directly in the enhancements screen so it's not currently re-usable. But that's not a reason I wouldn't do it.

EDIT: The current stumbling block is that I can't envision either how the input would work or how the output would look. Can you post a mock-up of how you envision the output to look for a specific build? Just the reaper AP section, and any build is fine. That could at least help clarify things in my mind.

[LrdSlvrhnd]

My problem with this is, would you build it for endgame or as you level? My guy I'm keeping at cap is going to have different options than my guy I'm ETRing, who's going to be still different yet from my guy I'm TRing. "OK, when you hit 4 put your points here, here, and here, but when you hit 9 you're going to want this second core so reset to get rid of this, and at 10 you'll want to change again for the second tier, and then you're going to be leaving this tree utterly as soon as you get to 17 and putting everything here, unless you have 20 or more points..." It just seems needlessly complicated, and the trees themselves really aren't all that complicated.

[EllisDee37]

My problem with this is, would you build it for endgame or as you level? My guy I'm keeping at cap is going to have different options than my guy I'm ETRing, who's going to be still different yet from my guy I'm TRing. "OK, when you hit 4 put your points here, here, and here, but when you hit 9 you're going to want this second core so reset to get rid of this, and at 10 you'll want to change again for the second tier, and then you're going to be leaving this tree utterly as soon as you get to 17 and putting everything here, unless you have 20 or more points..." It just seems needlessly complicated, and the trees themselves really aren't all that complicated.

Well, in fairness, that's exactly what the Leveling Guide is designed to do, so if that's the kind of functionality we want, it's for sure possible.

After thinking about this more last night and today, what if we toss out the tree concept entirely and just rank the columns? Using my Kensei Warpriest as an example:

Reaper

• Dread Adversary: Melee Power, Tactics
• Grim Barricade: Constitution, Cores, PRR/MRR
• Dread Adversary: Cores, Strength, Action Boost

People reading this (nicely compact) list would then know what abilities the author recommends they focus on first without getting bogged down in exact AP points and whatnot.

I could expand it to one item per line for clarity, but I kind of like to keep vertical spacing at a premium.


Reaper

Prioritize:

1. Dread Adversary: Melee Power
2. Dread Adversary: Tactics
3. Grim Barricade: Constitution
4. Grim Barricade: Cores
5. Grim Barricade: PRR/MRR
6. Dread Adversary: Cores
7. Dread Adversary: Strength
8. Dread Adversary: Action Boost

Do either of these seem worthwhile?

[EllisDee37]

Just an FYI: I had hoped to have a new version up early last week but I keep adding stuff. At this point I'm looking at a full version jump to 3.0 due to the scope and scale of all the changes, but I don't expect to have it ready particularly soon. Maybe next week, but probably not.

[peng]

The planner seems to think that imp feint still needs combat expertise.

[unbongwah]

Possibly because the main feat page still lists CE as a pre-req.

[EllisDee37]

Looks like it was changed in Update 34 Patch 2, in February of this year. I missed it, but will have it fixed for the next release.

With U36.2 now live I'm motivated to release 3.0 asap, but unfortunately I still have an unusually complex feature to implement, so I don't know how fast I can get it done. (The first part -- the easy part -- took a full week, is only 90% finished, and it burned me out such that I took a week "off" from working on the builder at all.)

[carsonfball]

Updated September 13th, 2017



Character Builder Light v2.4 release notes:

Feats

• NEW: Cleric Domains

I noticed that v2.4 lists cleric domains as an addition, but I can't figure out how to select one. I don't see a slot in the feats list, nor do I see them listed in the selection options.

Are they on another tab an I just missed them?

[carsonfball]

I noticed that v2.4 lists cleric domains as an addition, but I can't figure out how to select one. I don't see a slot in the feats list, nor do I see them listed in the selection options.

Are they on another tab an I just missed them?

Nevermind. I just downloaded it again and it worked. Maybe something just didn't overwrite my previous install the first time.

[Tom.JonesJr]

Just thought of an addition to your compendium. Friend Tracker, Could be organized by server have a spot for Real Name (primary Toon) and all Alts with there guild. I have a lot of friends that I play with and the in game friend list is never big enough. Will use an excel sheet but, I use your compendium all the time in game now.

[EllisDee37]

Just thought of an addition to your compendium. Friend Tracker, Could be organized by server have a spot for Real Name (primary Toon) and all Alts with there guild. I have a lot of friends that I play with and the in game friend list is never big enough. Will use an excel sheet but, I use your compendium all the time in game now.

That's not a bad idea.

[Tom.JonesJr]

I have not made a complete recheck of all the feats to verify any changes based on the new release. I will try to do that by Monday.

[EllisDee37]

Updated November 2nd, 2017



Character Builder Lite v3.0 complete release notes:

General

• NEW: Aasimar race!
• NEW: Aasimar Scourge iconic!
• NEW: Vistani Knife Fighter global tree!
• Spinner controls can now receive focus. Type numbers with keyboard or use hotkeys. (See help file.)
• Checkboxes can now receive focus. Use spacebar or enter to toggle value.
• BugFix: Changing colors no longer stops working after closing a build
• Greatly improved data integrity checks for error log on startup
• Help => Wiki now points to ddowiki Dashboard

Build Files

• NEW: Build files now saved as human-readable text files
  
  • Conversion tool (Tools => Convert) lets you convert all your builds at once
  • Improved build deprecation on load (text builds offer much more information about what's wrong)
• NEW: Import and Export builds to other character planners
  
  • Ron's Character Planner (Link)
  • DDO Builder (Link)
• Save/Load now defaults to last path you used instead of always starting in \Save
• MRU List
  
  • Previously saved entries automatically point to newly converted builds
  • Dead links now ask if you'd like to remove them from the list
  • BugFix: First ever MRU entry (before Settings.txt exists) now saves properly

Data Screens

• Overview
  
  • NEW: New tab "Notes" makes notes field really big
    
    • On notes tab, tab key actually inserts a tab character (Don't have to use Ctrl+Tab)
  • Iconic races resume auto-choosing class if you clear all chosen classes
  • BugFix: Legacy (non-graphical) interface: Fixed issues with iconics auto-choosing classes
  • BugFix: Changing race now updates skills screen if it's open
• Stats
  
  • NEW: Templates let you auto-apply stats and levelups with a single click
  • "Clear Stats" link in footer resets all stats, levelups and tomes
  • Stat spinners can now "jump": set to minimum or maximum with middle click or hotkey
• Skills
  
  • "Clear Tomes" link on the tomes tab clears all skill tomes
• Feats
  
  • NEW: "Channels" checkbox in footer separates feats into channels
    
    • Checkbox doesn't appear if build has no channels
  • Improved the race restriction logic (deity feats, construct essence, etc...)
  • Great Old One pact and Chaos Domain now show error if you've taken monk levels but not chosen an alignment
• Spells
  
  • NEW: Rare scrolls indented in available spell list for wizards and artificers
  • Added warnings to descriptions for Master's Touch (portable hole only) and Conjure Bolts (inscription bug)
• Enhancements
  
  • Cancelling a drag operation into the last slot no longer crashes program
  • Racial AP now goes up to 12 (11 races +1 tome)
  • Leveling Guide now shows error if you have enhancements from more than 6 class trees at any one time
• Output
  
  • Changed output format name "Default" to "DDO Forums"
  • Build points other than preferred now drawn in dim text if you use text colors
  • Feats default to channel groups (Can switch back to level order in Tools => Options)
    
    • Outputting feats by channel suppresses display of empty channels

Data Changes

• Feats
  
  • Deflect Arrows can be taken as a general feat (but still requires Monk 1)
  • Improved Feint does not require Combat Expertise
  • Deity feat changes:
    
    • Added deity ability descriptions to Follower Of selectors (like pacts and domains)
    • You can no longer take Child Of (level 3) feats in Deity Ability (level 6) slots
    • Favored Souls no longer have to choose Child Of and Beloved Of feats
    • Child Of and Beloved Of can only be chosen by Clerics and Paladins in standard feat slots
      
      • Child Of can't be chosen if build has 3 Favored Soul levels
    • Amaunator's Brilliance renamed to Amaunator's Flames
    • New selector "Unknown" added to FVS20 Damage Reduction feats to handle newer deities (DR TBD)
  • Added descriptions for dragonborn ancestry feats
  • Improved Damage Reduction feat was missing (robot feat, selectable, repeatable)
  • Skill Focus: Heal was missing
  • Epic Skills is not a selectable feat
  • Invalid feat selectors no longer appear in selector lists:
    
    • Martial Weapon: Composite Shortbow
    • Spell Focus: Divination (also Greater Focus and Epic Focus)
  • Updated description for Toughness (used to say max 30 at level 28)
  • Renamed new FVS bonus feat from Purity of Spirit to Purity of Heart
• Enhancements
  
  • Favored Soul: Warpriest renamed to War Soul
  • Morninglord Tier 4: Grace costs 1 AP, not 4

Compendium v1.1.2 release notes:

• NEW: Added tomes and past lives to character screen
• Added tabs to Tools screen

Cannith Crafting Builder Lite v2.1 release notes:

Items

• Cloth armor gets same enhancement bonus to armor as other armor types

Gearsets

• NEW: Effects names along left side of slotting tab are now clickable links
• Loading a gearset with no effects no longer crashes program

Descriptions updated by wiki crawler:

• Battle Engineer Tier 2: Caustic Strike
• Battle Engineer Tier 3: Shatter Defenses
• Battle Engineer Tier 5: Thunder-Shock
• Enlightened Spirit Tier 0: Celestial Spirit
• Frenzied Berserker Tier 4: Crazy Strike
• Frenzied Berserker Tier 5: Focused Wrath
• Morninglord Tier 1: Bane of the Restless
• Pale Master Tier 0: Master of Death
• Ravager Tier 5: Critical Rage
• Spellsinger Tier 1: Sonic Blast

[EllisDee37]

New version is up: 3.0!


The release notes are pretty long, so here's a condensed version:

Character Builder Lite v3.0

• General
  • Aasimar, Aasimar Scourge, and Vistani Knife Fighter tree
  • Build file format changed to text
  • Import and Export builds to other planners
  • Spinners and checkboxes can receive focus and use the keyboard
  Screens
  • Overview: Notes tab
  • Stats: Templates to auto-fill stats and levelups
  • Feats: Feat Channels help to unclutter feats list
  • Spells: Rare scrolls indented in list

Compendium v1.1.2

• Added tomes and past lives to character screen
• Added tabs to Tools screen

Cannith Crafting Builder Lite v2.1

• Items
  • Cloth armor gets same enhancement bonus to armor as other armor types
• Gearsets
  • Effects names along left side of slotting tab are now clickable links
  • Loading a gearset with no effects no longer crashes program