Time for a little foreshadowing as works progress on version 1.0. A lot of nice features are on the way, to state a few:

• You can now store your monsters and assemble parties quickly (it even helps you with the XP math). This is due to a completely new file format and data structure.
• D&D Insider Capture: This combines a Firefox plugin with new VCC features that will allow you to automatically get all the relevant information and the stat block into your collection of monsters.
• New interface that shows the stat blocks. Gone are the days of having 3 source books open, or 6 tabs on your browser pointing to different monsters. You can have it all in VCC!

Here is an early screen shot of the progress so far for your delight.

Early screenshot of version 1.0, notice the fully formatted stat block

At first glimpse the changes may seem small, but they will improve several tasks. For example Encounter can be quickly build based on monsters you have captured. Adding monster to the battle is easy. You will not have to input the same monster over and over in different parties.

The D&D Insider Capture feature is really nice. Install the Firefox plugin (sorry no Chrome or IE), start VCC, go to you D&D Insider page and browse for monsters. Found a nice one? Simply quick the Capture button and VCC will add it to your monster collection. Now they are ready to be added in encounters, with complete stat blocks.

The new format does not read older file formats. We believe this is not too much of a problem, but please vote here and let us know what you think.

There are still several tasks to complete and some testing to do before the stable version is made available, but version 1.0 will make DMing much easier and clear the path to many new features asked by the community.