Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 thax Jun 15, 2008 18:13:42	I would like others to give their opinions on my points here, as it seems to be overglossed in the thread I originally posted it.... First off, I would like to go through a history of Electronic Aids that were "Official" for D&D. The first one was for 2nd Edition. I have only heard about it. The most laughable point was that Non - Weapon proficantcies was going to be patched in as it was an OPTIONAL rule that started to be used by a lot of players. TSR tanked before it was done, and the tool set was never really that popular. Master Tools Demo was frustrating and amazing at the same time. That you could not change classes or race after it was choosen in the first screen was annoying. Having MT be vaporware and putting out the incomplete E-Tools was a disaster. When CMP patched it to make it actually work, it was already two years later. My first question. Why in the hell did Wizards yank the license from CMP and not have their help with the tools you now have? It was a dirty move and one that earned you lost customers. Second, will RPG Forge be able to have both 3.5, Pathfinder, and 4th edition be used in one program, or will CMP have to create a second company that will release the same software under a different name? Third, Will Wizards ever consider a stand alone character generator/DM toolset, or is DDi the only option? --- A forth comment. Please tell me that you didn't hire Fluid to help you with this newest venture. --- So you will be charging extra for "Vmini packs" that I assume will be set packages of minis. 5. Will the mini's (starter or paid for) be able to be cloned? That is, if I want 5 kobolds, will I need to have five kobold Vmini's or simply one Vmini that I will place 5 times? Somehow, this question gets answered in five different ways by several different guys. The general consensus is that you do have to buy extra to use the same monster multiple times. That will drive away customers faster than anything else you do with this service. I have to add that the same question applies to the 3d tiles also. --- The price point for this service (14.95 a month) is overly high. Paying a year in advance to take it down to 9.95 a month is still overly high. Even with the mags, this service should not cost more than 6 bucks a month in my mind. 6. Is the price currently being offered truly one that was come to with a look at the services being offered, or was it (Like many here think) simply priced to be compared to the MMO's subscription service? Wizards miscalculated on this, and DDi is not a comparable service to a persistent gaming world like Everquest or World of Warcraft. The price points for a static service such that DDi is would be lower than the games the price is based on. I would hope that Wizards would realize this and lower the price to what the service is worth. Considering that Vminis and Adventure packs are extra, this is the single issue that need to be addressed now. I also would like to add that the mags should be considered paid web articles instead of actual magazines, and that the true Dungeon and Dragon mags are dead.
#2 gizmoiscariot Jun 15, 2008 18:17:50	A quick response here about the idea that the price point somehow is related to MMOs (whether it is or not, I honestly don't care). However if you want to compare it, for me I would easily pay $15 for DDI and the ability to play D&D than I would for an MMO, and I have played many many mmos. I enjoy D&D far more.
#3 middlemonster Jun 15, 2008 18:31:16	Have you read this: http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=1045521 cause it'll answer a lot of your questions. 3. you can use the everything except the compendium, the game table, and the magazines for free but only for offline use if you don't want to pay monthly. 5.according to the D&Di FAQ you will be able to use each token, tile, and vmini you have purchased can be cloned as many times as you want. 6. I suppose they are charging for the compendium, magazine subscription and the game table, considering everything else is free to use without a subsciption. A quick response here about the idea that the price point somehow is related to MMOs (whether it is or not, I honestly don't care). However if you want to compare it, for me I would easily pay $15 for DDI and the ability to play D&D than I would for an MMO, and I have played many many mmos. I enjoy D&D far more. Can someone please post where WotC compared the pricing to an MMO? I want to see where that idea came from as well. I guess its better to pay $180s a year (not including extra vminis and adventures)to play D&D (which was formally free to play) than paying from $0-40s once. I never thought of it that way.......