Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 maurlysander Dec 02, 2008 19:53:25	I am venting publically so if you are in a good mood don't read this. I have rarely posted to any forum but I am more than a little upset that I have bought my subscription to Insider and I am not getting what was promised. Since I purchased my subscription the only new thing they have had is the beta test of the Character Builder which is neat but it only goes up to level 3. Living Forgotten Realms, the primary RPGA Campaign for 4E, is now releasing mods that go up to level 7 but I can not even level up my characters. I will admit the Dragon stuff is cool. I am 32 years old with a wife and 2 kids and I live below the poverty level. I did not ever own a Dragon magazine when it was in print and if that was the only thing Insider Promised I would not have gotten a subscription. I want a complete character builder, I want the character visualizer, I want the gametable, and I want it now.
#2 Therise Dec 02, 2008 22:17:05	I am venting publically so if you are in a good mood don't read this. (...) Couldn't resist... Oh... and stop dating High School girls, you're married!!! :P ;) :D
#3 kirwoodd Dec 03, 2008 7:50:36	I agree that the OP should have read the fine print and been aware of what was included in the price... BUT, it is true that they do need to beef up the insider content to make it worth it. If it stays like this, I for one wont renew.
#4 stroen Dec 03, 2008 9:07:24	Despite the emotions, despite the "read" before you purchase... Despite the "low" introductory price... Has-ards tm Needs to give real solid answers as to when in the real world the "beef" of Insider will be available. I think it is safe to say the game table is a crucial aspect of the subscription base if it works up to promised expectations. Frankly and I stated it before I think it is wrong to beta test for a fee. A closed beta is still okay but hold the promises of a great new frontier of DDI until a little closer to a launch. It's like a stick of dynamite with a wet fuse. Besides Has-ards tm needs to excite their fan base soon or skirmish won't be the only loser around here
#5 Artifact Dec 03, 2008 10:18:15	I subscribe to Insider for Dragon/Dungeon and the Compendium. As a die-hard fan, I feel like I get my money's worth right there. That being said: Only a couple of months into the subscription service however and December has been less beefy (in my opinion at least). I hope it's a quirk and doesn't become a habit. I'm looking forward (hopefully) to the Virtual Game Table; this alone would make it worthwhile to upgrade my otherwise dated computer. Thar's the beef ;). I don't otherwise use my computer for actual DnDing, so I find little use for the Bonus Tools or even the Character Builder (nice, but of limited interest for me).
#6 kursk Dec 03, 2008 10:27:50	I am venting publically so if you are in a good mood don't read this. Rule #1 in IT purchasing. Don't buy vaporware. Wait 'till it goes Gold and read reviews. Then buy if it's what you want...
#7 kursk Dec 03, 2008 10:51:35	What you pay for is not vaporware but extremely real and working. Because, what you pay for - which is mentioned - is the Dungeon Magazine, the Dragon Magazine, the Compendium and the Bonus Tools. You do not (!) pay for the Visualizer, Builder, VTT. That's not what you pay for. Umm, no. The OP bought because WotC said those items would be ready. They aren't. Thus, proper term is vaporware. Unless, you have a link from WotC stating, at the time, that these programs weren't included in the purchase price... I'll wait...
#8 mudbunny Dec 03, 2008 11:51:03	The front page of where you make your purchase states, pretty clearly, what products are available.
#9 kursk Dec 03, 2008 13:48:06	You still think that after reading mudbunnys posting? What does "at the time" mean?
#10 doctorhook Dec 03, 2008 16:45:50	Umm, no. The OP bought because WotC said those items would be ready. They aren't. Thus, proper term is vaporware. Unless, you have a link from WotC stating, at the time, that these programs weren't included in the purchase price... I'll wait... Pedantic, much? It seems like every post you make is you sneering definitions down at people from atop your high horse, particularly that of your catchphrase, "Vaporware!" Never a friendly comment or polite correction, you only seem to post snark. Be civil already.
#11 kursk Dec 03, 2008 19:32:18	Pedantic, much? As long as I'm correct... ;)
#12 maurlysander Dec 03, 2008 19:42:58	I am the OP and I realize that I would have to wait to get everything but the first point I was trying to make is that it seems like it is taking forever for things to happen. The second point I was trying to make is that if you are going to release the Character Builder at least make sure it can keep pace with your lead 4E RPGA Campaign.
#13 Tectuktitlay Dec 03, 2008 19:58:06	The current MOST EXPENSIVE price structure for the DDInsider is $7.95 per month. That is less than half the price of EACH of Dungeon or Dragon Magazines (cover price $8.99 and $7.99 respectively at the end), and comes with the Compendium, an unprecedented tool for the game up to this point. So, for half the price of the paper magazines, you get downloadable PDFs, part of said PDFs early, and a library of all the crunch in game, including for products you haven't purchased. That is well worth the cost as it currently stands. All I ask is that WotC make the DDI content ala carte. If I don't want the Character Generator (which I will, the Beta is a REALLY wicked CG), or the Gaming Table (I likely will), or the Character Visualizer (dunno yet, don't currently care one way or the other right now), I'd like the option of not paying for it.
#14 kaiterra Dec 07, 2008 1:08:47	I did gladly buy both Dungeon and Dragon in print, so for just those, D&DI is worth the price. However, it is a disappointment not to have these very exciting features that were being touted for launch (then shortly after, now... ???) months ago, so I can't help but empathize with the OP on that much at least.
#15 necrosnoop110 Dec 15, 2008 9:53:27	1) Long time D&D gamer (1st edition forward) 2) Love 4th Edition 3) Have purchased nearly all print material I can get my hands on (certainly all core & "primary" accessory stuff) 4) Loved reading (and buying) Dungeon and Dragon magazines in print 5) D&D Insider sucks the big one and I've seen zero indication of it improving. It ticks me off that I even have to pay for it with all the open source business models available these days. I would even consider paying for it if it even remotely approached quality. Interface - horrible. Layout - horrible. Search function - abysmal. Launch schedule - dreadful. Content is decent but it is buried beneath a shambling mound of bad internet tubes. (And yes I have previewed and actually used the for-pay D&DI, before anyone asks). A separate issue I have with Dungeon and Dragon being in an online format is that I want to print out all the articles anyway. With ink costing more than gold by weight I often have trouble justifying printing out all I want. NOTE: As a consequence of all these difficulties I, as a decades-long dedicated D&D gamer, have skipped buying in on any online content/services. I'm not sure but I think WotC is either 1) over their heads, 2) had some really bad luck, or 3) simply don't care when it comes to their digital online content. So they either need to 1) Hire better/more IT staff, 2) Keep things free until they completely weather the storm and have things up and running soundly, or 3) Realize that if you snub IT literate, intelligent, gamers long enough they will stop buying in. Or 4) restructure the whole deal into a freeware/openware scheme. Peace, Necro
#16 vaalingrade_ashland_02 Dec 15, 2008 16:09:55	As long as I'm correct... ;) So you'll stop then, right? Because WotC isn't and hasn't been selling the thing that doesn't exist. They've been hyping it, yes, but not selling it. Seriously, far be it for me to get on people for harping on WotC's digital track record (because it is hi-larious), but accuse them of things they're actually doing instead of making up deviltry.
#17 ORC_Chaos Dec 15, 2008 20:56:38	I’ve removed content from this thread because baiting is a violation of the Code of Conduct. You can review the Code of Conduct here: http://forums.gleemax.com/community_coc.php
#18 nihzlet Dec 15, 2008 21:13:39	I've been exceedingly happy with my DDI subscription so far. The extra content in Dungeon and Dragon alone has been more than worth 5 bucks a month. I'm still pretty annoyed that they refuse to make anything but Windows versions of the Character Builder/etc, but thats a solvable problem. Besides, at least for me, the compendium, Dungeon, and Dragon were the main reasons I subscribed in the first place. I couldn't care less about the virtual game table. The Character Builder and Character Visualizer are neat, but utterly unnecessary. So right now, everything is ducky as far as I can see.
#19 eric_anondson Dec 15, 2008 23:09:41	I'm still pretty annoyed that they refuse to make anything but Windows versions of the Character Builder/etc, but thats a solvable problem. But what if the programers and their managers don't even care to "solve" it? It seems clear they don't see any problem at all. Imagine if they had something for the iPod Touch/iPhone platform?