DDI for $7.95

[charlesatan]

Does this suggest to anyone else that the client applications are even further off than they thought?

Yes. I think it's pretty much an admission that some of the applications, like the virtual tabletop, still has a bunch of kinks.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

I'm actually quite surprised to see people being as keen as they are to pay for the digital product. While it is a comparatively low price compared to Dungeon and Dragon when they were in print, these aren't printed product, only .pdf, and I expect a much lower price for digital product.

Mostly though, regardless of price, this seems to be around about the same amount of material we were getting for 3.5 online anyway... For free. More adventure modules than "how to use our splatbook-of-the-month" sure, but I can't honestly say the adventures have been spectacular. Or, more simply... I wouldn't have paid money for them in a store, so buying them online by subscription still seems a bit off to me.

It's not just you. We used to get a good amount of online content free, and for paying about $6/month, I had subscriptions to print copies of Dungeon and Dragon. Now they best you can do is $5/month for both, without a print copy to hold in your hand?

Value for the dollar doesn't compete for me. Bring my print mags back, darn it!

 

[Charwoman Gene]

I actually think its a GOOD sign for the DDI. I'd rather them pull a blizzard and release it when it's ready.

 

[Vancian Magic]

I think what you're failing to take into account is that for some people, PDFs are superior to printed products. Print for me is one of the more archaic methods of publishing. That's not to say I don't like print. But PDFs do have advantages over printed products, although that's best left for people to decide which side of the fence they're on. (And it also helps that said PDFs aren't DRM-protected or some other method that counters the advantages of electronic products.)



Fair enough. If you don't like the current issues of Dragon/Dungeon, I don't think you'll like what's going to be released in the future.

Whether .pdf is the way of the future or a preference isn't the issue. I mean it's cool if you use it over paperback, but it's still a whole world of cheaper than dead tree is, and that kind of saving to the company ought to translate to the buyer. I am an rpgnow addict myself, I love access to random, odd and old .pdfs. I'm not in a position to use .pdfs easily (heaven knows I've tried to...) during play though, and I am one of those who really just loves to have the book in my hands.

But regardless of that, .pdf is cheaper to make, easier to store, quicker to 'deliver' to the consumer. Who wants to pay more for it?

And as for the dungeon adventures thus far... Well, I don't expect much of adventure modules, but these are not impressive. They are error-laden (particularly the adventure path which takes it well beyond reasonable) and hardly inspiring to date. Maybe that'll change.

I'm dearly hoping that along the way things improve all around with the DDI... But our 'free trial' hasn't inspired me to subscribe even if the price is fairly low.

I'm not concerned with the price, I'm concerned with the point at which I start paying and what I'm paying for. Can't put it simpler than that. What they have on offer now is not worth my money, and everything else that might be worth my money still seems a long, long way off!

 

[DaveMage]

Does this suggest to anyone else that the client applications are even further off than they thought?

Yep. Sounds like they're really starting to feel it on the economic side and need to have some revenue coming in or the entire project could be in jeopardy of getting the ax.

 

[JeffB]

Hmm.

The price is decent/affordable.

However, if the "magazines" remain at this current level, it's still not worth it to me-Overall these digital offerings are not even close to the quality of the former print magazines, and to get me to buy digital mags (I'm a firm non buyer of PDF RPG materials), they are going to have to step it up several notches- which I don't see happening.

As someone mentioned, go back and look at all the free content WOTC was giving us monthly in 3E's heyday, it's as good or better than the stuff they now want to charge us for ,and there was more of it. I understand the business model has changed, but between the GSL and these lackluster mags, I'm beyond dissapointed in WOTC at the moment.

Once (if) the virtual tabletop is released I'll see what the pricing is for the whole enchilada and re-evaluate the sitch.

 

[Runestar]

PDFs are superior to printed products.

I would likely prefer both. It is a pain to read a PDF version of a splatbook, so I will likely prefer the hardcover version which I can slowly pour over in the comfort of my own home. The advantage of the PDF is portability, I can just save them all in a tiny thumbdrive and bring it over to my friend's house, rather than having to lug along multiple splatbooks.

You are right in that PDFs have their pros, but I don't see them supplanting normal books anytime soon.

 

[charlesatan]

But regardless of that, .pdf is cheaper to make, easier to store, quicker to 'deliver' to the consumer. Who wants to pay more for it?

They are cheaper at what they're planning to sell it right now. It's around 50% of what the magazines costs, plus you're getting some other applications.

And as for the dungeon adventures thus far... Well, I don't expect much of adventure modules, but these are not impressive. They are error-laden (particularly the adventure path which takes it well beyond reasonable) and hardly inspiring to date. Maybe that'll change.

Again, as I said in my original reply, if you don't like the adventures, that's perfectly understandable and it's as simple as not subscribing to the DDI.

For some people, the adventures are good (and I expect future adventures will have less errors--Ari admitted in another topic as to why his adventures had errors--as designers grow more accustomed to writing for the system) and is worth shelling the requested amount.

 

[Drkfathr1]

Price doesn't seem to be that bad to me, but I'm not even going to consider taking the cup of kool-aid until I see consistant quality for a small period of time AFTER the subscriptions start.

I'd hate to sign up, start paying money, and then have some major snafu or delays in content release.

I've liked some of the articles in Dragon, but they're still very hit-or-miss for my tastes, and I haven't been real fond of the Dungeon content yet.

Hopefully they'll also offer some bundled pdf.s that can be purchases seperate from a subscription, that way I can buy issues that interest me instead of hoping the upcoming issue that I'm paying for is good.

 

[Vanuslux]

Don't get me wrong...that's about the right price point for e-versions of the mags with a few bells and whistles, but it does really cheese me that essentially they killed the print mags so that they could charge for slightly more content than what they used to have for free.

Regardless, I'm not going to be subscribing anyway...at least not until I actually have a group. I'll be moving to a less out of the way area in October, though, so maybe I'll have more luck then.