New Spellbook builder

[zaprowsdower]

I was playing with the new spellbook builder, which is pretty cool, but I don't understand one thing. It tells how many of each card you have available to put in your deck, and won't let you add more than that. What is this limit based on? I was going to add Mort, for example, and it said I don't have any copies I can add.

[jacksmack]

I believe you somewhere define what and how many products you have bought (core, spelltomes, expansions etc.)

I personally find that feature completely useless and ennoying.
But i guess you can just put in a high number of cores and you wont be prompted for this again.

[zaprowsdower]

You are correct. You can pick up to 4 sets of the core set and all the expansions and spell tomes. Thanks for your help!

[pixelgeek]

I was playing with the new spellbook builder, which is pretty cool, but I don't understand one thing. It tells how many of each card you have available to put in your deck, and won't let you add more than that. What is this limit based on? I was going to add Mort, for example, and it said I don't have any copies I can add.

The system is set to show every card, aside from promos, available for the game and you can use the Card Sets tab to set which and how many sets you own. That way the SBB won't let you build a deck that contains cards you don't own.

[pixelgeek]

I personally find that feature completely useless and ennoying.

Are you using it to build spellbooks or just to check cards out?

[jacksmack]

I personally find that feature completely useless and ennoying.

Are you using it to build spellbooks or just to check cards out?

Im not using it

But i have tested the builder some versions ago and other online builders which uses the same feature.
The thing is... if i ever were short of a card i would proxy it.

Besides... this feature is to support users making spellbooks they actually CAN make without making proxies (right?) ... but the feature does not take into account that the he/she might have other spellbooks taking up copies from that same pool. So the point kinda fades right here.

Thats my opinion.

[pixelgeek]

Besides... this feature is to support users making spellbooks they actually CAN make without making proxies (right?) ...

Yes

but the feature does not take into account that the he/she might have other spellbooks taking up copies from that same pool. So the point kinda fades right here.

That is a much more complex set of data storage and comparison issues and I don't know if a Javascript application is the place for it given the data that you'd need to toss around. It would require an app that has your collection and also all your spellbooks available to then build a pool of available cards from

[IndyPendant]

I think jacksmack's point is that there is no option available to just say "Do not limit me by the sets I have".  (Maybe that would be a 'set' you could click, that would change all card quantities to six?)  This is an option I would like as well, and until it is available, I will not be using this builder.  Don't get me wrong, it looks rather useful.  But the unnecessary, programmed-in limitation turns me off as well.

1) As already pointed out, limiting by sets is pointless when the program cannot accommodate already-created decks.

2) What if we have promos that have since be released (Galador, Meditation Amulet), and so extra 'valid' copies of a card beyond what the sets alone would account for?

3) This is supposed to be a book-building tool.  My personal method of doing that is to include every card I would *like* to have in the book, and then start choosing which ones to remove until I reach 120 points.  I don't consider this a good tool to support that build style.

4) Why are we inherently limited by set quantities in the first place?  Again, I understand many players like to build based on the cards they have, that is not my question.  My question is, why is there not an option (such as setting every card quantity to six) for the players that don't want to be limited that way?

[jacksmack]

thanks indy. My points excately.

[lettucemode]

My question is, why is there not an option (such as setting every card quantity to six) for the players that don't want to be limited that way?

If you've worked with software (no condescension intended), you know that no software product is ever finished. I have never worked on a piece of software that would not benefit from additional features, from weekend projects to small games to nuclear applications. But at some point you have to say "that's good enough" and ship it. At some point you need an actual product.

pixelgeek could add in a set that has 6 of every card. And he could make it so there are multiple, draggable preview windows. And he could add in a spellbook collection that accounts for which cards are where. AND put in a thing to account for promos you may or may not have. But now the project is falling prey to feature creep and you have added at least a month of work only to discover six more features to add in along the way...

I will always defend a developer's choice to not include certain features, even heavily requested ones. I have to make the same decisions almost every week.

[jacksmack]

no 1 is saying the product shouldnt be released.

This started out with zaprowsdower requesting information, i helped him - and pixelgeek was curius about my comment.

I think it will be great when there is an easy to use online spellbook builder that can be shared on this forum for instance.

[pixelgeek]

I think jacksmack's point is that there is no option available to just say "Do not limit me by the sets I have".

Well you can just give yourself four of each set and then it wouldn't be an issue. 

[pixelgeek]

A possible solution to this is being discussed on the Feature Request thread.

[pixelgeek]

1) As already pointed out, limiting by sets is pointless when the program cannot accommodate already-created decks.

Having a feature that doesn't fit your particular usage doesn't make it pointless.

2) What if we have promos that have since be released (Galador, Meditation Amulet), and so extra 'valid' copies of a card beyond what the sets alone would account for?

AFAIK there is no plan to support promos in the SBB.

3) This is supposed to be a book-building tool.  My personal method of doing that is to include every card I would *like* to have in the book, and then start choosing which ones to remove until I reach 120 points.  I don't consider this a good tool to support that build style.

How so? You can currently do that. Saying that you can't easily do something is not the same as not being able to do it

4) Why are we inherently limited by set quantities in the first place?

Holdover from the original version of the app. There was a request for feedback about this when the app was in its initial development and I didn't really get any feedback at all about it so it was left it.

[zaprowsdower]

I guess you could add a choice for no limit on any card for someone who wants to go nuts. It would also be helpful to have the promos visible for those of us who might want to proxy them.