D&D 5E Dungeonscape no more?

[aramis erak]

If I remember correctly however, Trapdoor said the focus on iOS was at the behest of WotC.

That's likely due to market forces... identical app, posted to both the apple store and play store on the same day, will make more money on iOS than on Android... depending on the app, anywhere from double to 10x, but have 2x to 3x the installed copies on android.

It's differences in the market.

1. Users per account: Apple is pretty close to 1 (about 1.2 was the last number I saw); Android is around 2.5 IIRC.
2. Hardware to test against: Apple has a dozen iOS device models to support; Android, over 200.
3. OS Versions: Apple has under 10; Android has around 18
4. Vendor Customizations: Apple has none; Android has dozens.
   EG: The Fire HD is a customized version of Android; Samsung has at least 2 different customization sets (one for phones, one for tablets) and an additional store.
5. dollars per user on IAP: Apple runs between 2x and 10x the amount spent per end user on DLC and other In-App-Purchases.
6. price per app: average prices are slightly higher on the Apple store, with similar markups.

The biggest drawback is the approvals process.
Android, they look to make certain there's no obvious malware, and virus check. That's about it.
Apple, they actually verify several other aspects as well, and it takes longer. It also means less risk.

Windows Phone and Blackberry don't have the market share. If WinPhone picks up, it may become pretty dominant, as it's easy to port laptop/desktop apps. And for the tablets, often, it's just a recompile from the desktop version

 

[Bugleyman]

All 4E books were digital. Didnt work out too well for WOTC. They are adapting to THIS industry's market realities.

It worked out fine for them; they just grossly misunderstand the market. As evidenced by the fact that nearly every other industry player of note releases their books in PDF to great success.

But you're right...let's just wait and see how DungeonScape-- oh wait.

 

[SilverfireSage]

Shameless plug here, but if you're looking for digital tools for your 5th edition game on iOS, check out Mod note: links removed. See above. They aren't official products. They only contain material from the basic rules documents, but they are open and customizable so you can add any material you're able to.

While I'm normally not a fan of shameless plug ins, the quality of these apps makes me wonder why WotC with all their money couldn't make something similar.

 

[DMZ2112]

... I'm not sure why you went with vestigial limbs there...

Really? I thought it was clever. Cancelling Dungeonscape now is a black eye. Not cancelling it would be a...?

Regardless, I think we can both agree that "being healthy" is by far the best alternative within the confines of the metaphor.

I just don't think this cancellation is a lasting blemish.

 

[i037]

While I'm normally not a fan of shameless plug ins, the quality of these apps makes me wonder why WotC with all their money couldn't make something similar.

I agree. I make these apps as a hobby in my free time. Imagine what a dedicated crew of 2 or 3 developers can do. Digital tools just seem to be an afterthought to them unfortunately.

 

[Umbran]

Well, an app that just uses the Basic rules isn't going to cut it for most folks, now will it?

Consider engineering an app that handles the entire ruleset, including all updates and supplements in the future, Do so without making your data too easy to pirate (so, say, plain-text files of the rules is right out). Do so on multiple platforms. Do so that it can be used by a few tens of thousands of people without falling over....

There is a bit of a difference, architecturally, between what a couple folks can do, for a small population of app buyers, and what a corporation can do for a flagship product. The support expectations of the customers will be entirely different.

Two programmers can make an app. If WotC does it, it has to be more like a piece of enterprise-software.

 

[mcbobbo]

While I might even agree that digital media is in the ascendancy, PDF's are not, and for me never will be, a decent alternative to a thudding great book with (caveat) a decent index.

Now, a fully interactive rules app, that's something else. It might even have been what Dungeonscape was aiming for. PDF's are not it.

Searching is a thing. Paper can't ever do that. I agree that PDF isn't the only answer, but there need to be two versions of the product:

One you enjoy reading and using.
One you can search.

So in my view book/pdf is almost perfect.

 

[Astrosicebear]

Searching is a thing. Paper can't ever do that. I agree that PDF isn't the only answer, but there need to be two versions of the product:

One you enjoy reading and using.
One you can search.

So in my view book/pdf is almost perfect.

When I read a PDF I have no idea the location of items of content. I might now its 75% of the way down, or 1/4 of the way down. But I have no gauge by muscle memory. Sure I could "search" but then im taking jsut as long, especially on a tablet to type.

When I open my PHB to look for a rule, a race, etc. I am usually within a few pages on the initial opening. I bet you a dollar many other can attest to this phenomena. There is still something to be said for physical media. Im not saying PDFs are the devil, or useless, far from it. But the "no pdf" policy is a marketing tool being used by WOTC right now. I think its separating them from the herd.

 

[mcbobbo]

Two programmers can make an app. If WotC does it, it has to be more like a piece of enterprise-software.

The best bet here would probably be taking an existing enterprise platform and bending/skinning it towards D&D. Like someone said upthread, the number of successful enterprise class RPG products is close to zero. So why believe you could be the first to build such a thing from scratch?

 

[JesterOC]

Is this news -- From the Fantasy Grounds website ultimate licence product description page.

* Included Rulesets: D&D 3.5E, D&D 4E, D&D 5E and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/store/product.xcp?id=SWK03