Here is a FAQ regarding the long awaited Collection(aka Inventory feature)
1. Is Collection feature canceled?
Collection(aka Inventory) will be avaiable in version MTG Studio 2.0
2. Any esitmation about when it will be avaialble?
Since 2.0 is a major, entirely written from scratch version, of MTG Studio it won't be available at least for the next few months. I expect we will be ready till end of August (for the 4-th anniversary of MTG Studio) but this is a very rough estimation. (I would like to stress that this is very rough estimation and delays are possible due to the priority I development - porting the source code from Delphi to C#)
3. Will I have to pay for the Inventory feature?
Version 2.0 will have a price around $30 but if you are registered user of any 1.x version you would not need to pay any additional cost.
4. What Collection features 2.0 will have?
The Collection features are described at
http://mtgstudio.com/features.php#version20 in the "Collection (aka Inventory)" section
5. Why Inventory feature was delayed so long?
2004 - Since we first underestimated the users desire to have it. (Currently 35% of all feature requests are Inventory related and it is #1 in our list)
2005 - Since we were too focused on coding the deck editing features
2006 - Since we were too focused on fixing all known bugs and releasing a stable version which will give us spare time to redesign MTGS and open it to new horizons such as multiplayer, card collecting and AI
2007 - Since we started rewriting MTG Studio from scratch
6. Where in your list of priorities Inventory feature lies?
Here is my list of priorities
1. Port all existing MTG Studio 1.x functionality (~350'000 source code lines must be ported in C#. Currently [June, 11, 2007] 165'000 are ported. The approx. size in lines of version 2.0 will be 500'000 lines)
2. Add Inventory feature
3. Add Pricelist
4. Add playtest mode with DirectX rendering engine smooth movements and animations
5. Add online multiplayer with rule checking
6. Add some other stuff like AI for net drafting
7. Why porting your source code is more important than Collection feature?
Rewriting MTG Studio source code from scratch and the change of the card database internal presentation will open new windows for the MTG Studio program. From a deck editor it will transform to a real "Studio" for Magic deck editing, card collecting, online multiplayer game, drafting, etc.
All existing features will be present in the new version but some of them internally redesiged in order for the next 5 years many new Magic aspects to be unlocked.
MTG Studio started as an alternative for Magic Worksation, Magic Library soft but now we aim to compete on the market with quality products such as Magic Online. In order to win this "battle" we need a stable core build around the game itself, not around the deck editing aspect of the game.
Since 2.0 MTGS a Magic card will have not only the card characteristics, but also internal representation other card aspects such as abilities, mechanics, prices, card similarities, lots of alternative sources for card art, ways to visually present the card with enhanced 3D effects. MTG Studio 1.x was build around the idea of "The Deck". MTG Studio 2.0 has a focus on "The Card". "The Card" will be the atom which builds the Deck Editing, Card Collecting, Card Trading, Card Playing universes.