With the release of the final preview and the new year in sight, it’s time to start looking ahead.

The next release will be the official Version 1.0 and will include some small fixes, tweaks, and changes that were pushed back in preview 1.19.1216. Expect this release within a few weeks. Just as the preview versions, version 1.0 will be available for free.

Going Forward

This project started about 5 years ago as a personal project and it’s starting to show. Developing new features and maintaining it gets harder with each release due to legacy code, old implementations, and quick fixes along the way. Some of the features I like to add are simply not possible right now.

In the new year the main goal will be to focus on re-writing large parts of the character builder. This is something I’ve been wanting to do for the last year but didn’t have the time for. This will be a long process but it has to be done if I want to support the character builder in the future.

You should not expect new updates to the character builder in the near future once I start this process. Updates to content files are for the most part not affected by this.

Support the Project

The development of software like the character builder requires quite a few resources. Besides the cost of web hosting, hardware renewal, and tools for development, time is a large factor. I don’t expect to be able to spent the same amount of time as I have done in the past. Any support that helps me reserve extra time to work on the project will help a great deal.

It’s hard to provide something for the people who support a free product. But I can at least offer preview versions after version 1.0. These versions would include ongoing changes and first versions of new features that might get added along the way that you can try out if you want. It also gives some breathing room to resolve any issues, change how things look, or change how features are implemented before shipping the next version.

When certain donation goals are met I will also reserve some time to work on a content creation tool that will be available for supporters at a later date. This would allow you to create basic content files using an interface rather than having to write xml files manually. Another goal I would like to meet is one that would allow me sign the character builder with a certificate so that, for example, the setup can be trusted by browsers and Windows.

Hopefully this can be something to give people who use and like the character builder an incentive to support the project and allow me to continue this project in the future. Check out the donation page if you want to support the project.

Thanks to all who have supported the project over the last two years. Without you the project would not have made it to where it is now.