Version 5.11 of the d20 System data files is now available!

[eastsydneyboy]

Originally Posted by Dami

Marking them as used isn't removing them from your character. It might not be what you want but I can't see that as being a bug. If you want tracking like that, you CAN 'sell' each used arrow for 0 gold. This will update your encumbrance. Are you really so concerned about encumbrance you need to update it for ammunition in play? Don't you have you character go back and buy the same ammo all over again?

If this is something that works for you, then great. For me, it's important to have an accurate encumbrance in play and it shouldn't be necessary to add extra steps to achieve that. If the tracker doesn't update the encumbrance, then it's not doing its job.

Originally Posted by Dami

As for HLC... it still works, it does what I paid for it to do. While it isn't getting the support it used to, it hasn't been abandoned.
I feel that asking for access to the core files is ridiculous. You paid for a license to use the software, you didn't buy the actual program and files. Individual users with core file access are likely to screw those files up so that HL stops working for everyone! While some of the people of the forum are top-notch at HL coding, that's a pretty small percentage of the actual users.

Again, if you're totally happy with the product and never want to see any improvement or enhancements, then great. Unfortunately, as a software developer myself, all I can see is missed opportunities for improvement and ways of making the whole experience more enjoyable.

When purchasing a software product, there is a reasonable expectation that it is maintained, documented and updated on a fairly regular basis. I don't see any evidence of this in recent years. In fact the authoring kit documentation hasn't seen any updates in probably 12 years or more, even where it's wrong and incomplete.

Your argument that the core files should never be released sounds very much like the arguments we heard when Open Source software first appeared many years ago, and yet, it's all worked pretty well and the world's probably a lot better off with the huge impact that Linux has had.

I'm not sure how you get from individual users "screwing" up core files to "it will break everything for everyone". That doesn't happen anywhere else with open software, so I don't see why the sky would fall with Hero Lab either.

Anyway, it's all probably moot as nothing is likely to change. I see this as a great missed opportunity for HL. 3.5e is never going to make any more money in the way of supplemental files that can be purchased. However, there are 3.5e players out there who never want to downgrade to 5e and it would be an opportunity for HL to sell their product to these users if it offered proper ongoing support and updates. I'm sure there would be any number of community members who would be willing to support and enhance the core files if they were able, which would cost HL nothing and they'd end up with a better product that would actually attract 3.5e users rather than alienating them.