D&D 5E Here's to hoping for an iOS character generator...

[iwarrior-poet]

Just a license to let third parties do it would be the most amazing thing. You'd get a wide variety of awesome mobile apps (and a load of crappy ones). But I don't think that will happen. WotC will want to hold the chargen part close to their chest - it's such a powerful part of the package.

Agree. Just hope they get it right this time. I really think a really well done digital aide would make all the difference in gaming----and would bring D+D back (somewhat) into the mainstream (and profitability).

 

[Blackbrrd]

Yeah you must be right because that's how the character builder right now works... OH WAIT! Nope, it works the way I suggested! Despite your "guarantee"! Shocking.

Forcing every single player to spend $$ to simply get access to stuff they can get FOR FREE if they use a paper sheet or non-WotC char builder is simply asking for people to be pissed off and see WotC as penny-grabbers.

OH WAIT! You can't buy the current app, you can only rent it!

... sorry for the snark, I just couldn't resist.

But seriously, you can't buy the current app, you can only rent it. A much "nicer" business-model is to allow you to buy access pr book. A bit like the most successful F2P games out there, like DOTA, LOL and Guild Wars.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

OH WAIT! You can't buy the current app, you can only rent it!

... sorry for the snark, I just couldn't resist.

But seriously, you can't buy the current app, you can only rent it. A much "nicer" business-model is to allow you to buy access pr book. A bit like the most successful F2P games out there, like DOTA, LOL and Guild Wars.

It's not "nicer", because it's per-person, per book, and costs even if you have the physical book, and even if you only need a single feat or whatever from that book. Right now you pay $6/month for the group, for everything, effectively.

Also apparently you've never played Guild Wars 1/2. They absolutely do not work that way. Dota2/LoL don't either, but it's complicated.

 

[Blackbrrd]

Man, I am SO not an expert here. But I believe html5 apps/pages can be written to install themselves and run without a constant data connection.

Thaumaturge.

Someone, who knows what he's talking about, coming in to correct me in 5, 4,...

The easiest way to do this would probably be to wrap the html5 app in a native app. Anyway, I am relatively sure they will create a app that requires an internet connection.

 

[Blackbrrd]

It's not "nicer", because it's per-person, per book, and costs even if you have the physical book, and even if you only need a single feat or whatever from that book. Right now you pay $6/month for the group, for everything, effectively.

I find the current model very expensive: 6 years * 12 months *6$ = 432$, and if you stopped paying now, you lose access to everything.

It's not like you couldn't share an account with a pay per access to a book (with no payment pr month like now). WotC could just continue with the current regime of just a single user at a time per account.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I find the current model very expensive: 6 years * 12 months *6$ = 432$, and if you stopped paying now, you lose access to everything.

Cost =! friendliness. You're very confused if that's what your asserting. Hitting one guy in the group with a larger cost is infinitely smarter than attempting to nickel and dime every member.

 

[Blackbrrd]

Cost =! friendliness. You're very confused if that's what your asserting. Hitting one guy in the group with a larger cost is infinitely smarter than attempting to nickel and dime every member.

I think we might have a misunderstanding here. We are both saying that the group should share the same account, so one guy in the group takes the whole cost. The group gets one account, that one person can log into at a time.

• You are arguing for a subscription fee per month for access to all the resources (books)
• I want a one-time fee per book, no monthly cost

Comparing costs it would be a monthly cost of 6$, and I would assume a price of something like 15$ per digital book (you can get the physical phb for 30$, so not an unreasonable assumption?).
Comparing the two we could have something like this:
6$ a month = 72$ a year
15$ a book (you only do this), times 5 new books a year = 75$
After three years, the one paying a 6$ montly subscription still has to pay 6$ to get access, while the buying access to the books can stop using money, and still have access to the 15 digital books he bought.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I think we might have a misunderstanding here. We are both saying that the group should share the same account, so one guy in the group takes the whole cost. The group gets one account, that one person can log into at a time.

• You are arguing for a subscription fee per month for access to all the resources (books)
• I want a one-time fee per book, no monthly cost

Comparing costs it would be a monthly cost of 6$, and I would assume a price of something like 15$ per digital book (you can get the physical phb for 30$, so not an unreasonable assumption?).
Comparing the two we could have something like this:
6$ a month = 72$ a year
15$ a book (you only do this), times 5 new books a year = 75$
After three years, the one paying a 6$ montly subscription still has to pay 6$ to get access, while the buying access to the books can stop using money, and still have access to the 15 digital books he bought.

That's better, but I don't think that's what iWarrior meant. I guess he can clarify.

 

[iwarrior-poet]

Geez. I didn't think this conversation would get so far, so fast, and down such a particular topic (rather than say---types of interfaces).

Silly me, this is a forum after all...

I hadn't gone so far as a cost/benefit analysis---but in general I would prefer to own my datasets/PC Profiles---rather than rent.

And I would prefer to have added functionality when connected to the web (access to purchase additional data, or archived info) rather than be required to access the web in order to have any use for an app.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Geez. I didn't think this conversation would get so far, so fast, and down such a particular topic (rather than say---types of interfaces).

Silly me, this is a forum after all...

I hadn't gone so far as a cost/benefit analysis---but in general I would prefer to own my datasets/PC Profiles---rather than rent.

And I would prefer to have added functionality when connected to the web (access to purchase additional data, or archived info) rather than be required to access the web in order to have any use for an app.

What you personally prefer doesn't have much to do with what the best model is, though, or what will fly. We're talking about what actually matters - interfaces will be what they will be. Pricing models determine the success, not the interface.

A model which makes each and every player buy every single data set he/she wants any access to whatsoever, whether it's a single Spell or Feat, or entire class and accompanying spells and so on, is just not going to fly, because the physical books are such a better deal for a group - if one person buys them, essentially everyone has access.

You want people to buy this, you need to beat the physical books. A model where one person buys the books, or a sort of "group" model, where everyone has their own app and ownership profile, but the books are shared, those are valid, so long as reasonably priced. As is a sub-based model like the current one - people might not love it, but it's proven extremely successful. Even with the less-popular 4E and with literally no support for years it still rakes in fat stacks.