OneBookShelf (drivethruRPG, dmsguild, et cetera...) Enshittified.

[Jacob Vardy]

OneBookShelf recently changed their website, ending batch downloads - unless you use their app. I am sick of my devices getting cluttered by scores of proprietary apps trying lock customers into corporate walled gardens. So i am not going to use it. Which means that purchases with lots of files takes a long time to download. I think the Owen's Cancer Charity Bundle took over an hour to manually download each file. Leaving aside if you loose your own library it would take forever to re-download everything.

So is there an alternative to drivethruRPG, or has one company gobbled up every RPG market? Like a mini Amazon, Google, or Sauron?

 

[Alzrius]

I'm not seeing the changes to DTRPG's site; checking in my library just now, the batch downloads still seem to be all there (i.e. you can download up to ten files at once).

Also, I thought the Fight Owen's Cancer Megabundle was only available on the Open Game Store, which is a different venue?

 

[Pedantic]

I have never really bothered with batch downloads, but I have gotten a "you've been selected to test our new website" alert and am getting a new interface. It does seem that I can't download multiple files without using their app at a glance, and I'm getting messages directing me to use their app to download/manage my files in one place.

 

[Jacob Vardy]

I'm not seeing the changes to DTRPG's site; checking in my library just now, the batch downloads still seem to be all there (i.e. you can download up to ten files at once).

Also, I thought the Fight Owen's Cancer Megabundle was only available on the Open Game Store, which is a different venue?

I just closely read the banner introducing the new website. Apparently it is only for "some" customers at the moment. With the implication that it'll be rolled out for everyone. I recall that for me the dmsguild shifted over several days after dtrpg.

I was pretty sure it was the Owen bundle but it could have been another one - it was about a fortnight ago. The point was that it was something with near a hundred files.

 

[The Myopic Sniper]

The changes still haven't rolled out to everyone. It would be a really good time to push back and let them know directly if you don't like the new changes. It seems like every company in the world picked 2023 to totally destroy their platforms because of "undermonetization" and "engagement." Unless you have someone like Elon Musk at the helm, these companies can be talked down from these changes if the customers speak up early and loudly.

 

[J.Quondam]

I just got "you've been selected!" thing a few weeks ago, and can confirm there's no way to do multiple downloads on the new version of the site. (Which it appears has just now become my default.)

That said, I've used the (desktop) app a few times now, despite being pretty paranoid about such things. Personally, I've found it to be more efficient for downloads than previously, insofar as there's no 10-file limit anymore. There's no malware/ads attached to the app, and it doesn't appear to modify the downloaded files in any way. So I'm not really seeing any "walled garden" issues.

I suppose it's irritating being forced to migrate like this, but in this particular case, it seems genuinely harmless, ymmv.

 

[Alzrius]

That said, I've used the (desktop) app a few times now, despite being pretty paranoid about such things. Personally, I've found it to be more efficient for downloads than previously, insofar as there's no 10-file limit anymore. There's no malware/ads attached to the app, and it doesn't appear to modify the downloaded files in any way. So I'm not really seeing any "walled garden" issues.

There's a small number of files in my library (something like 13% or so) that won't download when I use the app's "download all" function. It keeps returning an error in the process no matter what I try.

 

[J.Quondam]

There's a small number of files in my library (something like 13% or so) that won't download when I use the app's "download all" function. It keeps returning an error in the process no matter what I try.

Good to know. I haven't tried to "Download all" yet, and honestly probably won't ever. (Probably 80% of my library is stuff I've long forgotten and will never look at again. )

 

[Joshua Randall]

There could be technical reasons ‘download all’ is now (or will be) an app-only function. It’s not always because they hate you.

 

[Dire Bare]

The changes still haven't rolled out to everyone. It would be a really good time to push back and let them know directly if you don't like the new changes. It seems like every company in the world picked 2023 to totally destroy their platforms because of "undermonetization" and "engagement." Unless you have someone like Elon Musk at the helm, these companies can be talked down from these changes if the customers speak up early and loudly.

Do you have a reference to OneBookShelf deciding that DriveThru was "undermonetized"?

The previous website was old and clunky, it's way past time they updated their web stores. Now of course, if the new websites are less efficient or useful . . .