I believe it is in bad form (as with most online ventures) to require a subscription to beta test anything. Take for example any of the myriad of mmo's out there, D&D online included, there is always a free, granted invited, Beta period.
Another concern I have in these current times is that there is no clear direction as to when all elements of DDI will even become available for the subscribers. These boards seem to circle the root of what is this community and I apologize for what may come across a rant but, the business decisions that Hasbro, Wizards, D&D... have taken of late seem with out a head. Or at least any semblence of a congruent gameplan which might reflect the yet to be fulfilled promises of First Gleemax... and now the D&D "insider".
To be a subscriber at this time truly does not tempt at this time.
I would be pleased if someone might point something functioning and tangible that might prove otherwise.
Sincerely a gamer from the age of muted grey dice and crayons...
I view the BETA as a little disappointing. I was done with it within the first week or so as I had found that only going to 3rd level really didn't give me anything to work with. I'm just waiting for the actual release. I'm HOPING we'll have it before Decembers end.
As far as everything else goes... I just hope we see it all before we have another president AFTER Obama. It seems like a possibility that we won't have it.
Imagine having a Database of of every Class, Item, Prestige Class, Spell, Feat, Race, etc, EVER RELEASED for 3.5, and tell me you WOULDN'T pay 60 bucks for that. Seriously, you don't need to buy Splatbooks, you don't need to search through your books for "That one Feat" anymore, and all it costs? Less than the price of the DMG and the PHB.
Why does anyone even CARE about the Beta?? "I just saved hundreds of dollars by switching my subscription to Wizards!"
Imagine having a Database of of every Class, Item, Prestige Class, Spell, Feat, Race, etc, EVER RELEASED for 3.5, and tell me you WOULDN'T pay 60 bucks for that. Seriously, you don't need to buy Splatbooks, you don't need to search through your books for "That one Feat" anymore, and all it costs? Less than the price of the DMG and the PHB.
Why does anyone even CARE about the Beta?? "I just saved hundreds of dollars by switching my subscription to Wizards!"
I wouldn't... To me, as it stands, the compendium is the most useless tool in the DDI library. I get more use out of the ability generator in the bonus tools. You see, I wanted a .pdf of the books I bought, free with purchase as was originally intended. I get that only if I am willing to illegally download the .pdf's or pay a rediculous amount of coin to a 3rd party that is willing to make them into .pdf files. And what do I get from wizards? A needle in a hay stack style tool that is only useful if you know what you are looking for in the first place. I acknowledge that the compendium has its uses and many out there are very pleased with it. But for me, WoTC can take that compendium and walk off a cliff with it.
I wouldn't... To me, as it stands, the compendium is the most useless tool in the DDI library. I get more use out of the ability generator in the bonus tools. You see, I wanted a .pdf of the books I bought, free with purchase as was originally intended. I get that only if I am willing to illegally download the .pdf's or pay a rediculous amount of coin to a 3rd party that is willing to make them into .pdf files. And what do I get from wizards? A needle in a hay stack style tool that is only useful if you know what you are looking for in the first place. I acknowledge that the compendium has its uses and many out there are very pleased with it. But for me, WoTC can take that compendium and walk off a cliff with it.
I don't think WotC ever intended to give away free profit with each book they sold. If they do decide to release PDFs for people who've bought a book (and I hope they do, for the Errata'd versions), then that would be great, but that was never originally in any of their announcements.
Currently, the PDFs are 20 bucks. I feel bad for you if that's a "ridiculous amount of coin." The Compendium costs the same as 3 of those, and any time you want to learn ANYTHING about the newest release, you simply type in any of the tiniest details you're looking for, or you go to anywhere ELSE on the Boards and scan a Handbook for whatever you're looking for.
Heck, if you really wanna go worst-case scenario, there are little tabs for each different category ("Feats," "Races," "Classes," etc.), and under each one, there's a nice little option called View All. Seriously, you're complaining about nothing here.
I don't think WotC ever intended to give away free profit with each book they sold. If they do decide to release PDFs for people who've bought a book (and I hope they do, for the Errata'd versions), then that would be great, but that was never originally in any of their announcements.
Actually it was in the original announcement for D&Di. Originally the compendium was only going to contain information for books which you had unlocked the pdf for. They found that it was difficult to do it this way and instead went with giving everything to subscribers.
Imagine having a Database of of every Class, Item, Prestige Class, Spell, Feat, Race, etc, EVER RELEASED for 3.5, and tell me you WOULDN'T pay 60 bucks for that. Seriously, you don't need to buy Splatbooks, you don't need to search through your books for "That one Feat" anymore, and all it costs? Less than the price of the DMG and the PHB.
Why does anyone even CARE about the Beta?? "I just saved hundreds of dollars by switching my subscription to Wizards!"
I can't save hundreds of dollars. I never got that much 3.5 stuff and a lot I got for more than just the crunch. Mainly because I bought the 3.0 books and didn't feel that I should buy everything again. The Compendium also doesn't have enough in it. It doesn't have the effects of conditions. It doesn't have tatics for the monsters. It doesn't have templates. It doesn't have the information for using the skills. From looking at the freely available monsters I've seen lots of errors. It also can't do what I'd really like out of monster database which is comparing new monster designs. I can't see powers for all level 3 lurkers to compare.
I also hate monthly fees and relying on services offered by others. If WotC does a 5th edition at some point, will they keep the 4th material or simply remove it? They have already said the current low price is due to the missing features. When they add the character builder and online gametool will there be a $60/yr Compendium or will you be forced to get the $150/yr plan?
I can't save hundreds of dollars. I never got that much 3.5 stuff and a lot I got for more than just the crunch. Mainly because I bought the 3.0 books and didn't feel that I should buy everything again. The Compendium also doesn't have enough in it. It doesn't have the effects of conditions. It doesn't have tatics for the monsters. It doesn't have templates. It doesn't have the information for using the skills. From looking at the freely available monsters I've seen lots of errors. It also can't do what I'd really like out of monster database which is comparing new monster designs. I can't see powers for all level 3 lurkers to compare.
I also hate monthly fees and relying on services offered by others. If WotC does a 5th edition at some point, will they keep the 4th material or simply remove it? They have already said the current low price is due to the missing features. When they add the character builder and online gametool will there be a $60/yr Compendium or will you be forced to get the $150/yr plan?
It's a Compendium, not a Rules Guide. The Starter Set is probably fairly necessary. However, if you don't really feel like buying Martial/Arcane/Divine Power or any of the Adventurer's Vaults, you don't have to. All the Crunch is included in the Compendium.
If you aren't interested in Crunch, then perhaps the Magazines are worth it for you, and the Compendium is simply another Bonus Tool to you. Either way, the 60/year will be good for one year, no matter what else they add on. If you order a year now, you get the Compendium, the Mags, and the tools, for one year. Period.
Please forgive my pessimism in these times, however, I feel through the extended "introduction" of what D&D Insider "promises" to be is reaching absurdity.
Just don't pay a dime until everything is gold. Then look it over and see what the monthly price is...
Just don't pay a dime until everything is gold. Then look it over and see what the monthly price is...
That actually sounds like a decent plan if you aren't happy with the current options available.
That actually sounds like a decent plan if you aren't happy with the current options available.
Right. That's what I'm doing. Online play was my big draw. So, no $ until they deliver...
You can play online with third-party solutions.
Why would I pay WotC to use a 3rd party app?
I'm not trying to tell you where to spend your money. You expressed an interest in playing online. I'm just offering a way to do that. What you do with your money is up to you.
If you want my opinion though... I'd say the $5/mo for a year subscription is worth it, for the magazines and compendium. When those features are combined with a free third-party VTT, I find my online gaming experience to be well worth the money. I'm reserving judgement on what to do once the prices raise, on whether or not the web-only subscription remains an option.
If you want my opinion though... I'd say the $5/mo for a year subscription is worth it, for the magazines and compendium.
Only two products I'm interested in are the CB & the virt game table. Once those are out & working I'll take a look and see the cost.
Thanks though.
They said they were working on a system to allow LOW-COST PDF copies of the books to people who'd purchased hard copies, and mentioned the pricing would be in the $1 - $5 range (I seem to recall $3 being bandied about a LOT).
Do carry on.
and mentioned the pricing would be in the $1 - $5 range (I seem to recall $3 being bandied about a LOT).
Do carry on.
So, where are they?
They thought about it, and then realized that teh only way to ensure that people who actually bought the books got the cheap .pdf would be to include a coupon in each book and then shrink-wrap the book. They deemed that unacceptable.
Oh. I just made my own indexed and searchable PDFs. Took some work but superior to any offering & editable.
So, where are they?
They thought about it, and then realized that teh only way to ensure that people who actually bought the books got the cheap .pdf would be to include a coupon in each book and then shrink-wrap the book. They deemed that unacceptable.
As was mentioned upthread (and by MB) the plan, while great in theory, falls apart when applied to the real world, and was therefore discarded.
My point wasn't to re-raise the issue, but to correct the (common) misconception that these copies would be free. Cheap enough to be "almost free" for most people, but not truly without cost.
(And no, I also don't want to start a new argument about whether or not something that requires the purchase of another item (a hardback) is truly "free" or not).
As was mentioned upthread (and by MB) the plan, while great in theory, falls apart when applied to the real world, and was therefore discarded.
I wonder just how much time they devoted to this idea before realizing it wasn't realistic ;)?
Then there's this:
Originally the compendium was only going to contain information for books which you had unlocked the pdf for. They found that it was difficult to do it this way and instead went with giving everything to subscribers.
The Compendium became something more than it was originally intened to be. This meant more work, updating the Compendium to give it all to subscribers, not just what was "unlocked" (and Insider was already behind schedule).
I get the impression they were in over their heads from the very start. Did WotC realize what they were getting into with their digital initiative? I agree with the sentiment that Insider is full of potential and promise. I ask myself though: Will they really be able to live up to that potential?
I do like the ezines but I have a sinking feeling that no matter how much time or effort is devoted to the remains of Insider, it's gonna be lackluster at best. If that sounds hateful I'm sorry ;), but I wish they would devote themselves to publishing hardcover gamebooks (what they seem to do best); their strength is apparently not internet technology. If Insider fails, I worry the new edition could ultimately suffer as a result.
Just my two coppers (a bit rambling), but there ya go.
(1)I get the impression they were in over their heads from the very start.
(2)Did WotC realize what they were getting into with their digital initiative?
(3)I ask myself though: Will they really be able to live up to that potential?
1: yes
2: no, they would not bother. they rather hired experienced gamers to do their programming and project leads (see who's in charge of their tools, and what their professional record is), which lacks in one pretty important fact: they might be behind it with all their heart, but who knows how good they are in programming or keeping to their time-tables? obviously, noone did.
3: not anytime soon, no. btw: i'm really curious when the "very early next year" release date will happen. june? ...