Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Pauper Apr 30, 2015 14:45:09	There's a new 'app' available that, I think, is the digital replacement for Dragon Magazine -- it's called Dragon+, and it's available on the App Store.   Note that the app gets downloaded to your Newsstand folder on your iPhone or iPad, so if you don't see it, look there.   -- Pauper
#2 Mirtek Apr 30, 2015 15:00:27	Android coming soon
#3 Tyranthraxus Apr 30, 2015 18:40:53	Of course, I only heard about it 10 minutes before leaving for work, so now Ive gotta wait the whole day before getting home to have a look
#4 Oraibi Apr 30, 2015 20:10:19	I hope the Android version really is coming soon. I'm skeptical because of the way that WotC has promised D&D support software in the past and has not delivered.   IMO they should have waited until they had it for iOS and Android both.
#5 RCanine Apr 30, 2015 22:49:41	Oraibi wrote:
#6 Oraibi Apr 30, 2015 23:00:14	I'm just thinking that a coordinated rollout on multiple platforms is better than a staggered rollout. How is that not better for them?
#7 Undrhil May 01, 2015 0:25:05	They need to release it on Windows, as well.  Windows 8 has an App store....
#8 LefferDP May 01, 2015 5:20:14	Oraibi wrote:
#9 Pauper May 01, 2015 6:43:57	Looking through the app (or more accurately, the digital magazine), there is certainly material that would be of interest to AL players (the article on goliaths, for instance), and there's even a link to the Store Locator for folks who want to know where to play AL.   It's not yet clear how much AL content will be published in Dragon+, and for the moment anything rules-specific (there's almost nothing there this month) wouldn't be AL-legal anyway, as Dragon+ isn't a listed rules source. But it certainly seems like something to keep an eye on.   -- Pauper
(Reply to #6) Coredump00	Oraibi wrote:
#11 RCanine May 01, 2015 8:53:32	Oraibi wrote:
#12 Pauper May 01, 2015 10:47:09	As a long-time Macintosh owner, I have to say it amuses me when people complain about things being released for iOS either prior to or in preference to an Android release.   I remember waiting about 18 months after StarCraft was released for Windows for it to be released for Mac.   -- Pauper
#13 Mommy_was_an_Orc May 01, 2015 10:55:38	I suspect the more straightforward problem is that it needed to get approved by Apple. So they likely finished the iOS option a couple of months ago and continued working on the Android one.
#14 Pauper May 01, 2015 11:36:47	The app appears to have been commissioned from a third-party called Dialect, Inc. -- the company also does the official World of Tanks digital magazine app for Wargaming, Inc.   This isn't an in-house WotC app.   -- Pauper
(Reply to #12) TheBreen	Pauper wrote:
#16 Oraibi May 01, 2015 18:43:07	Pauper wrote:
#17 RCanine May 01, 2015 19:10:42	Pauper wrote:
#18 Avross May 02, 2015 12:40:57	For those who still haven't seen it...it's a digital magazine which fits into iOS's Newsstand app.   I suspect the delay to Android is largely around the fact that there isn't an "official" magazine app.   My question to those who *have* seen it...Does it seem light on content to you?     While I'm not surprised that, for Issue 1, they've rolled up a lot of the content available elsewhere...I've just come to expect more content from a magazine called "Dragon".   For example, the Goliath article is pretty much what's in the Elemental Evil Players Companion...you'd think they would have added more.   Maybe I shouldn't be expecting a full fledged 6-page "Ecology of the Goliath" article on day 1, but ...  (wait, why shouldn't I expect that.)
#19 RCanine May 02, 2015 14:44:22	Avross wrote:
#20 Dreadnoght May 04, 2015 9:39:48	I am shocked at how poorly implemented the mobile browsing is within the app.   The WOTC D&D website has never been mobile browser friendly, which is shocking in this day.   Considering that WOTC spent a ton of resources to redeploy the new D&D site I was blown away that they made a decision to break all the links to content, having the site not be mobile friendly was not as surprising to me as it seemed that the person who would decide to break links and ignore the community would also be unconcerned with making it usable for other platforms..   But after they release an APP specifically to be run on devices that are mobile and from within that app the site is still unusable someone of harsher opinion would call this inept.   An example: Trinket Table view it in Safari or Chrome or within the DRAGON+ app the information is unusable, hard to understand why this has not been resolved (the ezine reprints the trinket table which is viable on mobile devices, but you wonder what the point of having it reprinted if it already lives on the site... it looks like filler).   I hope an update comes out soon to resolve the issues otherwise the app's usefulness is pretty poor. Regarding content questions... the app collects all the updated news items from the WOTC D&D site, Facebook page posts, Tumbler, etc essentially if you subscribe to those WOTC D&D sites you already have seen every D&D related news that WOTC puts out.   The actual DRAGON+ ezine is short on content long on advertising...   The expected Chris Perkins blurp (I think they should pull Chris back it is tacky how he is on everything related to D&D, don't they have more creative folks working at WOTC)... essentially just three interesting items come out of the entire ezine... If you ask me if it was worth it to read through the entire thing to find those little nuggets the answer would be a resounding NO!. The interesting items are:   1.  The travel talk has potential way to short to provide much useful content think of it as a tweet regarding 7 different locations from around the realms. 2. Know thy enemy black dragon tactics was cool, but ends up yet another article advertisement for the D&D Board game, 3. Gophers Gauntlets Scott Kurtz comic is OK   That's it the rest is long winded advertising made to look like an article or just in your face old school advertisement. They reprint content from other resources or expand it a little like Goliaths the info is in the free Players Elemental Evil PDF and the afore mentioned Trinkets table.   I like the idea but the effort is lack luster and I don't think it will find a home since most who will use it already subscribe to those other sites and the interesting info vs advertising info ration is so poor. To me it is more a marketing item when you go to a convention and some guy wants you to take a pen that has his company name on it because everyone at the same convention has a pen with the company name on it and they all give them out...    I am not naive to the fact it costs WOTC money to create and produce but it seems to me the focus of the project was lost and it turned into a quick lets just grab some stuff from existing sources, have someone spend 30 minutes to create some content and type it up. Then toss in some self serving "articles" advertising our products or products we are closely affiliated then complete by adding a dozen typical advertising spots.   Essentially what they have created is an advertising platform that they control, they have lowered the cost of marketing by building this app and charging others to place ads. I believe this style of "free" content wont work precisely because folks wont invest the time and effort to read it so they can take one or two interesting items away.  Resulting in the money that they have put toward this project being a waste, which to me seems much more expensive than proving more room for actual content.   Now, that you know... go roll some dice and slay some baddies!   Ironskull!