Closed Beta
by Randy Buehler
As hinted last week, the Character Builder closed beta will begin early next week. It will be open to Insiders and folks who signed up at D&D Experience, with the general public becoming involved at some time in December.
Talk about this article here.
Q: How do I customize my character sheet?
A: On the character sheet's Options menu, choose "Show Panel Buttons" and click on the [C] button to customize a panel.
The second way to customize a character sheet is to choose "Unlock Panels" from the character sheet's Options menu. Then you can move the panels around or even stretch them vertically and horizontally.
You can also add pages to your character sheet as well as change the page layout from portrait to landscape. If you delete a panel and want it back, use the "Add Panel" button on the menu.
In other words, if you sign up for a year at $4.95 per month, then you will get the Character Builder "for free" until the end of your year (at which point you would renew at the new price).
*sighs and gets out his fire extinguisher*
Ok, before anyone else responds to this, I want to ask you, please keep it civil. Voice you complaints. Let them know how you feel. Just keep it within the limits of good taste.
Thank you.
Once the full version of the Character Builder is ready, it will be added to the D&DI package and we plan to raise the price.
That sounds great for the Character Builder. However I'm not interested in the Dungeon Builder or the Game Table. And so I'm forced to put up with these price rises, which I'm less then enthused about.
Although if they manage to delay the later products until February (my current subscription runs out in January) I'll be able to get all of the Scales of War adventure path without paying for either of those tools. So here's hoping they take their time :P
At some point in the future, we may decide to introduce an "applications only" package and a "magazines only" package
IMO this simply doesn't make sense. The synergy between the compendium and the Character Builder simply makes sense to combine these two products. Otherwise I get a Character Builder that doesn't let me print off power cards.
*sighs and gets out his fire extinguisher*
In context of the paragraph, I fail to understand the problem.
Show
I've gotten a number of questions about how the Character Builder is going to interact with D&DI subscriptions. Here are some answers: Once the full version of the Character Builder is ready, it will be added to the D&DI package and we plan to raise the price. However, if you are already a subscriber, then our new price will not kick in for you until the end of your current term. In other words, if you sign up for a year at $4.95 per month, then you will get the Character Builder "for free" until the end of your year (at which point you would renew at the new price).
*sighs and gets out his fire extinguisher*
Ok, before anyone else responds to this, I want to ask you, please keep it civil. Voice you complaints. Let them know how you feel. Just keep it within the limits of good taste.
Thank you.
honestly I'm very pleased to be wrong about this one this is a very classy move by wizards and if they keep doing things like this I will be reexamining my ban on their products.
To me, it's saying that anyone who paid for the "web-only" bundle will also get to use the full version of the Character Builder until their first subscription having access to it ends. Aren't freebies like this only something to like?
But I can see where people that have not subscribed would be upset. I can understand them offering the beta early to the first subscribers. But for the "web only" subscribers to get full versions of the major apps will leave alot of people with a bad taste in there mouth, IMO.
But I can see where people that have not subscribed would be upset. I can understand them offering the beta early to the first subscribers. But for the "web only" subscribers to get full versions of the major apps will leave alot of people with a bad taste in there mouth, IMO.
If they want the character builder at a "cheaper" price, they can easily subscribe to DDI before the full version is released.
If they don't find enough value in the character builder to pay the current subscription price for and don't want anything else in the subscription, then they're out of luck no matter what happens to those who subscribe now.
I don't really see how some people getting a "freebie" (that they can ensure they get themselves) affects them.
I am having trouble finding something to roll my eyes and complain about here...is this not the internet?
Once all the tools go live, their *possible* plan to have two bundles and an all inclusive set make the most sense.
two bundles make sense to me, but not their current plans. player and DM sub would be much more appropriate, than mag and application subs. most players won't bother about most of the things offered, they just want a character builder for max. 1/week, more likely 1/month, and a character visualizer like 1/year.
@randy: actually, i believe it would be best to keep those back issues up for the time being. it is not like you'd be giving to much away (currently it would be one month worth of issues, by the time you can have that implemented possibly 2-3) and it would stop complaining immediately and much of the hassle involved for CS as well as the customers.
such a system DOES NOT take that long a time to implement. and with the cb beta live, you should take that time to resolve this, as its something you get already paid for.
Both the closed and open beta periods will be limited to content appropriate for character levels 1-3, while the other 27 levels are on track to be released as part of the Insider subscription package early next year.
Wouldn't this be an alpha? Isn't a beta, by definition, a test run in a production or semi-production environment of the FULL program? Why only levels 1-3 in the beta. Anyone that has played through the 1st official module will have characters higher than level 3 and the beta will be somewhat useless for those of us wishing to transfer over to an official DnD application.
Just seems like these programs are going to take forever to get here.
Digital Insider articles have been very responsive to questions and feedback. I am convinced at this point that Wizards is listening and reacting to our requests. As such, here's my money.
Please keep the D&DI News coming on a weekly basis, and keep it to this standard.
Is there a place to sign up for the beta or is it just going to be all of the DDI subscribers?
It will be for all DDI subscribers.
Otherwise I get a Character Builder that doesn't let me print off power cards.
The character builder stands alone in its ability to print our power cards. It does not require any other application or even a network connection.
--
Mike.
It's full of good news if you own a PC. I'm still very disappointed that I can't use the excellent-looking character builder.
Indeed.
I'm also a bit miffed that they intend to increase the prices of a subscription because they're adding in a tool that many folks will not be able to use.
I think it was a huge mistake to code the tools with a Windows-only framework. There are plenty of other good frameworks that would have allowed the tools to be used on other systems beside Windows. Mac users are a growing and affluent market, and it seems unwise to unnecessarily disenfranchise them.
It's full of good news if you own a PC. I'm still very disappointed that I can't use the excellent-looking character builder.
Can someone point me to the specs? I can't seem to find them at the moment...
Indeed.
I'm also a bit miffed that they intend to increase the prices of a subscription because they're adding in a tool that many folks will not be able to use.
I think it was a huge mistake to code the tools with a Windows-only framework. There are plenty of other good frameworks that would have allowed the tools to be used on other systems beside Windows. Mac users are a growing and affluent market, and it seems unwise to unnecessarily disenfranchise them.
My understanding is that in the future Macs will support the .Net framework fully. I am not a technical person though, so I may be missing a detail.
--
Mike.
Can someone point me to the specs? I can't seem to find them at the moment...
The FAQ should answer your question!
cider may also be a potential solution for macs, and that's on the level with wine and it's kin on linux.
because the program doesn't use 3d, it should work pretty well in virtual box ( a free oss virtulization app), and in vmware (vmware + unity mode is an awesome solution).
cider may also be a potential solution for macs, and that's on the level with wine and it's kin on linux.
My plans exactly...
Why?
1. The books sold before the release of 4E were nothing more than blogs bound and printed with a hefty price.
2. Price of plastic mini's are going to be the same if not more than metal mini's sold by other companies. If it cost so darn much offer unpainted. Stop offering the mystery minis. I want to buy more but I want archers, kobolts, goblin, etc. I don't want to buy a box and have no idea what I'm getting. I refuse is a better way of saying that.
3. D&DI was to be one price for all of its contents and now we find out (after we pay) that that price is only the magazines? (yes, I know that price is only after my subscription renews)... What magazine? I loved the old magazines, with the adds, comics, being able to cut out the pictures and articles to take with me when gaming. Its now just online articles like millions of other sites, except we have to pay more then we did for the magazine.
I was ok with paying more because we were to get all the tools that are listed in DDI. Of course now we find out that the price is going to be more for the tools? That means I'm paying 5 to 7 bucks a month for about 8 articles a month and lord knows how much I'm going to have to pay to use the mythical tools we hear about.
Believe me when I say I've toned the above down quite a bit. when i first started to type I could barely see straight.
I am extremely disappointed by this news update. I subscribed to Insider under the impression that there would be a continued magazine only subscription option.
I really have no interest whatsoever in any of the D&D insider programs.
If there is not a magazine only option when my subscription runs out in a year, I will just not resubscribe. I have no intention of paying for things that I will not use.
If you are looking for a reason to "revist" the multiple tiers of Insider subscriptions that were initially promised to us, here is one customer who feels you should.
Thanks,
James May
1. It stated clearly what is coming next and when to expect it - Character Builder Beta next week, open to everyone in December, and levels 4-30 added to DDI subscribers for free sometime next year.
2. It addressed concerns like the availability of back issues of the magazines and their plan to eventually fix the problem in a reasonable way.
3. It stated an openess to offer different pricing structures, which I think will be essential, but I do understand the reluctance at this point because they just don't have all of the pieces working yet.
For the Wizards folks, please continue this kind of update. Tell us what you can tell us in the most realistic time frame that you can. Don't try to gloss over or hide current flaws in the system, just be honest about your decisions and share your plans for the future. This builds customer confidence - at least it does for me.
Wizards, this is what I would do, if i was in your shoes.
1. Keep the Web-only subscription as is. People like it, and they don't want to see it go away. This is especially important to keep subscriptions for people who use mac/linux, and don't get any value from the downloaded programs.
2. While the Char Builder is the only product available, just include it as a freebie in the web-only subscription. Don't raise prices or make a seperate subscription just yet.
3. As soon as the next product is ready to go to closed beta, create a new subscription plan, with a higher price. Do not increase the price all the way to the $14 mark at this point. Include in it the Web-Only content, Char builder, and the beta for the new product. Remove the Char Builder from Web-Only subscriptions. Offer a significant discount for people who are upgrading from web-only subscriptions to reward the loyalty of the early adopters.
4. Once the final product is released, then increase the full subscription to the $14 mark. Also look into creating a 'Player Only' Subscription. which has the compendium, minus monsters, the char builder, the char visualizer, and the game table.
At every step of the way, keep reinforcing, and making it clear to anyone who subscribes what the final product will look like. Don't let anyone be surprised by the increases in cost or removal of services from web-only subscriptions as they come.
Wow, I'm impressed. I expected to see a lot of people screaming for blood because of the lack of a solid commitment to the web-only subscription.
Well I do suppose I expected a bit more an outcry, however perhaps most have not read it yet.
Either that or they just gave up *shrugs*
After reading Digital Insider 14 I was so upset with what seems to be the nickle and dime business model that Wizards has been taking lately.
Why?
1. The books sold before the release of 4E were nothing more than blogs bound and printed with a hefty price.
If you mean the Worlds & Monsters and that other book - I don't know that I'd call them blogs, but I feel they were pretty correctly advertised as notes from the designers - and that's what we got.
They weren't bestsellers, or must-haves, but I enjoyed reading them. More than I enjoyed some of my 3.5 rulebooks.
2. Price of plastic mini's are going to be the same if not more than metal mini's sold by other companies. If it cost so darn much offer unpainted.
They're going to increase the quality, and offer themed packs. If I want unpainted minis there are numerous other sources to get those. Many of us have trouble finding the time to play on a regular basis - much less to add the hobby of mini painting as well.
Stop offering the mystery minis. I want to buy more but I want archers, kobolts, goblin, etc. I don't want to buy a box and have no idea what I'm getting. I refuse is a better way of saying that.
That's your right. I'm waiting to see what the new distribution looks like before I judge.
3. D&DI was to be one price for all of its contents and now we find out (after we pay) that that price is only the magazines? (yes, I know that price is only after my subscription renews)... What magazine?
The original price was $15/month (or less for longer subscriptions) - and still will be (so far as has been stated) when the full suite of tools is available.
The current rates - for the magazines, compendium, and bonus tools is $8/month (or less).
The original plan of one price for everything remains, but now they're considering other packages to give people options. That's seldom a bad thing.
In the meantime, I'll happily use the character builder as part of my current subscription, and send feedback to help make it better.
September went pretty smoothly from my perspective - not regretting my subscription at all.
The character builder stands alone in its ability to print our power cards. It does not require any other application or even a network connection.
--
Mike.
Wow, while good news that's quite a change. It also means the rules compendium becomes much less useful, as I can simply access the:
* Races
* Classes
* Powers
* Feats
* Paragon Paths
* Epic Destinies
* Skills
all through the Character Builder. The only things I possibly need the Compendium for (depending on how much information the Character Builder provides) are:
* Items
* Rituals
* Monsters
My understanding is that in the future Macs will support the .Net framework fully. I am not a technical person though, so I may be missing a detail.
--
Mike.
Wouldn't this require me to buy another Mac or upgrade my OS? That is not a good solution for me, and I sincerely hope that the plan to make the software compatible with Macs was not, "wait until they are compatible with our program".
There is absolutely no way I am going to pay more for my subscription if I am not able to use the tools that are apparently the justification for the future price hike. In fact, I'd rather cancel my subscription than pay more for services I cannot use.
I wish the tools ran on a Mac natively, but at least I will still be able to run them. I need windows to print power cards now, so that isn't a big change. They are taking longer than I expected to be available, but as a software developer I can understand that.
I found that the compendium was more useful that I thought at first glance, as long as I can get an internet connection during a game. I'll try the character builder and compare it to the tools I'm using now. But what I'm really looking forward to is the character visualizer.
Or, if you aren't a current subscriber, you can wait for the Open Beta, and try it then?
For me, I plan on trying everything I can to get it working on Linux. Whether its emulation, or wine, or whatever. I'm sure that someone who uses Mac will do the same.
but if it is stagnant and doesn't update, i wont renew.
The thing is that I've already tried wine for other .net apps, and it just doesn't work. Just like almost every other Mac guy, I'm going to download it and try (some obvious things) to get it working. But really, most every other option costs money. For me, the additional cost of a method to run the DDi apps + the additional cost of the subscription = too much money and hassle to bother.
@TufRat - Understood. Good luck with the mac tests. If I have any luck, I'll share with the group. Hope you will do the same.
I believe it was #11 of Randy's articles that confirmed this, but I'm not certain of that. You may need to do a little digging.
The Char Builder is expected to go full release first. I expect it to be probably jan/feb, and then a new product every few months after that. Thats just my speculation, mind you.
I am extremely disappointed by this news update. I subscribed to Insider under the impression that there would be a continued magazine only subscription option.
I really have no interest whatsoever in any of the D&D insider programs.
If there is not a magazine only option when my subscription runs out in a year, I will just not resubscribe. I have no intention of paying for things that I will not use.
If you are looking for a reason to "revist" the multiple tiers of Insider subscriptions that were initially promised to us, here is one customer who feels you should.
Thanks,
James May
My feelings exactly. I am not interested in, nor can I use the tools being developed because I have a mac. I have a three month sub right now, but if renewing it means paying more for the same tools (since I won't be able to use the character developer) I'll take a pass.
Well I do suppose I expected a bit more an outcry, however perhaps most have not read it yet.
Either that or they just gave up *shrugs*
I only just now read it.
I'll supply some outcry: clearly, then, the right move is to purchase a year's subscription ASAP. That way, you can be sure to get the character builder for free.
However, I just don't see using the insider tools that much, so - as said - if there's no web-only subscription option, I'll have to think a while on renewing my subscription.
*sighs and gets out his fire extinguisher*
Ok, before anyone else responds to this, I want to ask you, please keep it civil. Voice you complaints. Let them know how you feel. Just keep it within the limits of good taste.
Thank you.
Why would this cause flames?
Sounds like a good incentive to have captured alot of initial subscribers. I know I signed on the first week. I anticipated that we would get the 'free upgrade' for the balance of our time, and I was happy to see this occur.
You got our money earlier (always good to recoup some of your developement costs ASAP). And for those of us who showed faith in you to put up our money at the early stage got a nice reward.
Seems very fair.
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/insidernews/20081105
Consider: for $10-15 per month I can subscribe to an MMO, a full game with no other expenses required. Clearly this is not the same thing as D&D, we all know that tabletop and online games have different strengths, but there's a direct value comparison to be made there, and people will make it. Perhaps the Game Table or Dungeon Creator will change my mind (though I'd be surprised), but right now I'd say that WotC is already on the edge of what's reasonable for their monthly fee. Any price increase for the Character Creator is directly interpretable as the monthly fee for the software. Why on earth should I pay a monthly fee for your software? Why wouldn't I just want to buy it once and be done with it? Do you honestly believe that what you're creating is worth a monthly subscription to people? It's a convenience tool, nothing more, and at a guess I'd say it's worth no more than about $15 total, maybe $20 with a year's worth of data updates. If you charge $2 a month for it then it's already priced outside that range for the first year of use, and in the second year there's no savings for having already purchased the software.
Remember: we don't _need_ what you're selling here, and with something like the character creator we won't even use it all that terribly often. Try too hard to squeeze money out of it and you'll just alienate customers.
The Game Table is really a whole other issue, and it certainly feels more like a service (one I'm not terribly interested in, but still), but if you're going to insist on charging a larger monthly fee for access to your convenience utilities then they're going to have to be a lot more impressive than what I've seen so far.
However:
- The .NET install does not recognize if not enough Hard Drive space is available and seems to just hang.
- The setup does not recognize if an instance of itself is allready running and joyfully starts multiple times, messing everything totally up.
- If you figure out how to install the thing without installing .NET 3.5 it just crashes without noticing that .NET 3.5 is not installed
- The power card for Lead the Attack for my Genasi Warlord looks a little messed up: http://www.tomshut.de/rpg/messed-up.GIF. Link to character save file: http://www.tomshut.de/rpg/Kaddim-sul.dnd4e
For some reason, my character went into the "sul" folder, and it seems to be impossible to move a character from one folder to the other. Also I did not figure out how to create/delete folders.
On the hard drive, all characters are stored into one folder. The folder structure in the application should mirror the folder structure in the file system. Otherwise it is a bit weird.
It's pretty clear that Wizards is going to have to separate the magazines from the other items. Though I personally like to print out copies of each of the magazines, making the total cost unbelievablely high for each issue, I value the content.
I still argue for Wizards returning to the print model for the mags, so that people who run OS's other than windows can step outside the fray of tools that won't work for us.
I have more:
For some reason, my character went into the "sul" folder, and it seems to be impossible to move a character from one folder to the other. Also I did not figure out how to create/delete folders.
On the hard drive, all characters are stored into one folder. The folder structure in the application should mirror the folder structure in the file system. Otherwise it is a bit weird.
The character save UI is a bit different in the full version. Hopefully it will solve the issues you are having. Thanks for this feedback.
I don't know how much Dungeon & Dragon mags were in the US, but in Australia I was paying $13-15 a month for 1 mag! Now I get both + a whole heap of other stuff for a third of the price of one magazine! Stop complaining about Wizards this and Wizards that. If you don't like what they're (Wizards) are doing, stop wasting other peoples time by complaining about it. If you don't have any constructive criticism or questions to ask, go away!
Sorry, but this is constructive criticism: Wizards needs to reassess their current business model, because it's driving away both new people and loyalists. If they are or are not going to do something, they should transparently address that to the community... even if it's not what we'd like to hear, being as transparent as possible makes me respect them a lot more.
THIS TOOL IS *A*W*EUS*O*M*EM********
bravo!
It's full of good news if you own a PC. I'm still very disappointed that I can't use the excellent-looking character builder.
Mac support is desperately needed and I hope that's being worked on. I haven't heard anything about that. Yes, I could install windows on my mac, but that would blow.
IMHO, the products release with DDi and the two magazines are an incredible value for the price. Even at a higher price for future subscriptions, and some products that I will not use, I can't see anyone complaining about the cost. These have been some quality products and extremely good magazines. I used to pay over $80 a year just for two magazines subscriptions. These guys deserve a lot of credit for what they are doing. They got my support.
The character save UI is a bit different in the full version. Hopefully it will solve the issues you are having. Thanks for this feedback.
Ah, thx for giving us a chance to test it. While the installer seems to have the most issues - which is totally acceptable for a beta of course - the application itself runs really smooth, looks great and has very few issues.
Good work!
P.S.: I ahve created my share of installers myself and I totally *hate* them because they seem to hate me :D
;)
For instance, if I want to make a new race that is similar to the Dwarf race (actually in this particular case, I want to make a prehistoric caveman type version, as one of the characters in the campaign I'm running is supposed to have been trapped in stone for eons.)
In this particular case, I only wish to use the "wild" race template from 3rd edition dragon magazine to modify the existing race. (I later plan to implement the "throwback" feat and idea that was outlined in an article about playing as characters who are in different ways ageless or from a different time from one of the last printed Dragon issues)
also even if I try to start from scratch I can't figure out how I'm supposed to assign racial abilities to the new race I create.
I have not yet looked at whether I can do something like this with any of the other items (i.e. Weapons, Feats, etc.)
my second question is, is there a way to alter the order that the saved file portraits appear in the start menu?
the last question is, in the full version will all of the character portrait artwork from the rulebooks be available? (I was very happy to see the sampling that came with the beta, and hope that this will be expanded upon)
I'm having a problem with the installation. The microsoft .net framework installer hangs and will eventually cancel out. Anyone else have this issue?
try this http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=1111559
Want to give my :D here, since my only problem with the char builder is that it ain't the full version!
I completely agree. Not only that, the but the character builder has definitely cleared up some parts of character generation that I was kind of fuzzy on.
Really nice job...
-George (who really wants to be able to print up the Paragon tier characters in his campaign.. soon!)
Thanks
Anyone know how to change the available points in the point buy system. We started a campaign shortly after 4E came out and used a different total for our point buy.
Thanks
I couldn't find a way to change the total point-buy numbers, but you can manually enter your scores as a stopgap. I would assume you can alter the points in the full version, though.
First I must say I am impressed with the Character Creator! I was fighting with the new rule set, trying to figure out how to create a character and pulling my hair out. (This from a 30 year vet of D&D.) And the ease of creating a character with the app was amazing!
It installed smoothly, ran like a champ and in less then 2 hours I had a fully created character that was RPGA legal! Kudos to the design and R&D teams. One thing I would have liked to see is a way to save the character data in a text only format, to post on boards. Other then that.. well done.
Second, the pricing as stands right now is not bad. 60 dollars a year can hurt, but being able to choose 20 dollars every quarter was smart. I drop 20 dollars on a new DVD about every 3 months. So I had no issue setting up my access that way.
Thou I am a bit worried about this price hike I am reading about. As your current pricing goes, with access to the online tools & the online Dragon / Dungeon files. It is a good deal, one I would be happy to keep. BUT if your planning on raising the price to 20 dollars a month aka $240.00 a year! Then you will lose a long time player of the game!!!!!
To me that is just Hasbro's greed showing, and following in the footsteps of Bill Gates. And you can see what is happening to him. People are leaving the Windows platform in droves. Linux is growing by leaps and bounds and Redmond Wa. is in a PR campaign to try to save face.
I have been looking forward to the virtual table and online content for sometime now. I was a bit upset that when I bought the books I was not able to access the online content via a code that was to be printed in the books. (Those that were around before the release of 4.0 will know what I am talking about.) And for a long time was not going even give the D&DI a chance. But I got over my anger... and I am pleased so far. But if you go upping the price once you got it all ready. I will be very upset. So Wizards should take a hard look at what is being said here... these people are the pulse of your future.
And there is an old saying... The Future repeats itself, because nobody listens.If WotC is smart, they will listen... and not follow in the footsteps of another Washington based company.
actually the price is $15 a year iirc. If the developers keep as active on ALL applications as they are right now the $15 a month is totally worth it. However, if the devs fall off after the CB goes full live, and stop adding new features and content... (note the difference between dropping a project and focusing on another, I know once the CB is out, focus will shift) the attention that we've been getting really makes me confident in my DDI subscription.
IIRC?? What is that?
I do not know what you signed up for. But I am signed up in the D&D Insider. The choices were.. $60.00 for 12 months, $20.00 for 3 months, and $8.00 for one month. (rounded up to nearest dollar)
So even if they raise it to $15.00 a month, that works out to $180.00 a year! And in these times, I do not know about you, but I can not afford to throw away $180.00 a year on a computer site. That is a 300% mark up from current prices!
The Laws of Supply and Demand say: that when something becomes too expensive, people find other ways. Look at Windows.. it got too expensive and people are going to Linux, a free Operating System.
IMHO, I think you need to check your facts my friend.
IIRC?? What is that?
I do not know what you signed up for. But I am signed up in the D&D Insider. The choices were.. $60.00 for 12 months, $20.00 for 3 months, and $8.00 for one month. (rounded up to nearest dollar)
So even if they raise it to $15.00 a month, that works out to $180.00 a year! And in these times, I do not know about you, but I can not afford to throw away $180.00 a year on a computer site. That is a 300% mark up from current prices!
The Laws of Supply and Demand say: that when something becomes too expensive, people find other ways. Look at Windows.. it got too expensive and people are going to Linux, a free Operating System.
IMHO, I think you need to check your facts my friend.
IIRC = If I Recall Correctly.
The stated pricing for the full release of D&D Insider is as follows (subject to change, but this is what we were originally told)
1 month = $15.00/month ($15.00 charge)
3 months = $13.00/month ($36.00 charge)
12 months = $10.00/month ($120.00 charge)
(Source)
This isn't a 300% increase unless you go fro the current 12-month subscription ($5/month) to a month-by-month subscription ($15/month) when the full suite is available.
FWIW (For What It's Worth)
The pricing we're enjoying now has been mentioned as a limited-time pricing because the software tools most (potential) subscribers are most anticipating (Character Builder, Character Visualizer, Game Table) aren't yet available.
There are hopes (and much feedback given) in the hopes that the current "Magazines Only" subscription will still be an option when the full suite is available.
I do not know what you signed up for. But I am signed up in the D&D Insider. The choices were.. $60.00 for 12 months, $20.00 for 3 months, and $8.00 for one month. (rounded up to nearest dollar)
IMHO, I think you need to check your facts my friend.
you where complaining about the price going up to $20, I refuting your argument, then was backed up.
secondly the $180 is a huge improvement over the figure you brought up in your first post:
BUT if your planning on raising the price to 20 dollars a month aka $240.00 a year!
maybe you have bbs-post amnesia?
either way, maybe you should check your facts.
actually the price is $15 a year iirc.
You might want to edit this?
you where complaining about the price going up to $20, I refuting your argument, then was backed up.
secondly the $180 is a huge improvement over the figure you brought up in your first post:
maybe you have bbs-post amnesia?
either way, maybe you should check your facts.
I sent you a Private Message with the URL showing the prices I quoted. So this does not go into a Flame War.
It is the subscription page of the Wizards site. Just hit the link without being logged in, and you will see the same.
Have a good evening.
What ever happened to the good old days where you just bought a piece of software. Doesn't anyone remember the Core Rules CD from years past?
I think an a la carte option would be best. Perhaps something along the line of pick 3 options for one price, 4 options for a little more or go all out and get the whole suite. I know that I'll never use the stupid character visualizer (have you seen the faces?) and unless everyone I know and play with has a subscription, I doubt the mapping tool will be much use either. So if I'm faced with $120/year for a suite of tools where I only use one item, you can be assured that I'll find another solution. Successful companies like ADOBE sell application suites to those who need a bundled solution, but they don't leave other customers behind by limiting them to a "buy it this way or don't buy it at all" marketing strategy. They allow you to buy what you need when you need it and upgrade as your needs change. It really is a good way to do business.
Back to the Character Builder Beta, one downfall of the Beta version is that it lacks an export feature so you can't post your character online for others to see. Yes other subscribers could look at a saved and imported version of your PC, but this issue is going to reduce the application's value significantly. I'm hoping that the full version will come out with such an export to html option.
ok im confused. is the closed beta out? Im a DDI subscriber but when i downloaded it, the same old version appeared again. is there a special link im not seeing?
there have been no updates to the CB beta since december, so if you're searching for a newer version - there really is none.
The open beta went live mid december (the 11th of December I believe).
There were some changes between the closed- and open-beta versions of the programs, however since the start of the open beta, there have been no updates to the Character builder.
The program is supposed to be released in a full version sometime in the next two weeks, according to WotC.
Le - Sigh.