Why did you stop subscribing to DDI?

[Obryn]

I've just let mine lapse with the cancellation of upcoming books and compilation issues of Dragon and Dungeon. WotC has promised an increase and improvement of DDI content, but until I see it, I'm not believing it. I renewed for 3 months to check out the online CB, and found it lacking. The old CB justified my subscription money, but the new one doesn't. I honestly don't know if it can. So, I need to look at the other offerings instead.

At this point, the money isn't worth it to me for the content of Dragon and Dungeon. If that content significantly improves, I'll be back. (However, the lack of compilation issues means the bar is going to be much, much higher than it would be otherwise.)

I'm not holding a grudge, and I'm not making impossible demands. I just want it to be worth the money I'm paying for it.

-O

 

[ghaladen]

The really lousy thing of this whole matter of the CB not being offline is Silverlight (the technology used to build the online CB) supports an Out Of Browser mode. And with advances in .NET, there is an ability to have offline applications auto-sync with their offline applications once an internet connection is detected. The developers at Wizards simply have to enable it. The problem? They don't want to.

 

[shadzar]

The really lousy thing of this whole matter of the CB not being offline is Silverlight (the technology used to build the online CB) supports an Out Of Browser mode. And with advances in .NET, there is an ability to have offline applications auto-sync with their offline applications once an internet connection is detected. The developers at Wizards simply have to enable it. The problem? They don't want to.

Of course they wont do it, the entire reason for moving it online is so they would be able to charge you for its use at all times. Otherwise you are back to having the offline CB that has drawbacks for them:

1. You can end your subscription and still use it.

2. You could share it with other people as it would have to be stored on your computer to run in offline mode, which means you can give it to non-subscribers that never paid to use it, and you could save it to use later and let your subscription run out.

WotC is moving away from letting players be able to do anything with D&D without WotC getting some money from each player on a constant basis.

But off-topic, just had to laugh at the thought of them doing something FOR the gamers with this. Many replies have had to do with the online CB as opposed to the offline downloadable one, so it is obvious they will learn maybe too late which the customers want more.

 

[Serphet]

What was the turning point where you decided to cancel your subscription or let it lapse? :
The original DDI team clean out.
Was it an economic issue, content issue?
Personal Issue with the way certain events were handled.
And, what other issues have continued to influence your ongoing purchase of D&D material?
Nothing comes to mind.
Did a ruling anger you?
No.
Do you suffer from errata fatigue?
Nope.

Notably I was in the DDI closed alpha team through the early adventure tools stuff. Early on, the team was very open with us and discussion happened regularly. A bit into the early DDI era there were massive layoffs of the people we talked to most (recall the old 'what's up in ddi' type monthly articles?). From the way things went and felt, I decided I didn't want to give wotc any more of my money. I continued to play 4e until around the time Eberron's book came out (I was a 4e early adopter); another friend in the group forked out for a DDI sub for us to share after I let mine go.

 

[Vael]

I let my subscription lapse because of the new CB. I wasn't really angered by the move online, but I find the quality of the application seriously lacking, and I much prefer the offline app. It has its problems, but I've never found it as frustrating as the new app.

I miss access to the Compendium and Dragon/Dungeon ... but the loss hasn't affected my ability to run or play 4e, and I've gotten to the point where I don't feel the need for more products.

 

[Incenjucar]

The change to an online-only format killed it for me. I don't want to pay for something I can't keep - I still have my 2E and 3E books for a reason. The changes in Dragon to really bad fluff articles don't really help, and the focus on Essentials added insult to injury, since I personally do not care for them. I rarely lose internet access, but it does happen and I really don't like suddenly losing access to things I've paid for.

While I'm glad they're supposedly getting R&D involved in the magazines now, which hopefully means better editing and no more BS uber options, I was otherwise very happy with the status quo.

 

[SoulsFury]

While reading
So, if you were, but no longer are a subscriber to DDI...

• What was the turning point where you decided to cancel your subscription or let it lapse? Was it an economic issue, content issue?
• And, what other issues have continued to influence your ongoing purchase of D&D material?
• Did a ruling anger you?
• Do you suffer from errata fatigue?

What would WotC need to do to get you back?

#1 I signed up for one month to check it out. I downloaded the Dungeon issues and downloaded a few Dragon issues. I had planned to run Scales of War, and a few other adventures. I got the off line character builder and none of the other features or monthly content seemed good enough to stay subscribed for. I am running a Chaos Scar PBP game, and plan to stop it around level 10, and I have enough Chaos Scar adventures and with my homebrew stuff I plan on running, there is nothing on DDI I need.

#2 Since canceling, I have bought HS1 and Marauders of the Dune Sea. Along with some minitures. Nothing else has perked my interest that WotC has put out.

#3 Not sure what kind of ruling you are talking about.

#4 I don't know much of the errata, so if its not in the Character Builder, I pretty much don't know about it.

#5 A VTT, an update offline character builder, another adventure path, more Chaos Scar info and better articles. More random maps and epic locations would be cool.

 

[Holy Bovine]

As soon as the CB went online only I was done with DDI. The Compendium was nice and Dungeon was still worth a little a month for me but the rest of it wasn't worth diddly. It wasn't so much the online component (although that was a part of it) it was the fact that it was so badly screwed up in the process. I mean the CB was never fast or perfect but the mess they spewed out at us as the online CB was embarrassing.

 

[mach1.9pants]

Well I really don't like the online CB (the old CB was the reason I started to subscribe). But I thought it could improve and I'd already paid so I was going to just let it run and see what happened. then they stopped compiling the PDFs an it was the final straw. Like I want to DL everything, often twice for errata, then organise it myself? I used to DL articles I was really interested in otherwise I would wait for the compilation, so little effort required on their part ans such a PitA for me. So I cancelled with about 8 months left to run.

 

[Piratecat]

Herschel has been spoken with, and his posts deleted. Carry on, folks.