D&D Insider is constantly down!

[justanobody]

I can log on fine, but it logs me out after like 30 min (haven't timed it yet). Anyone else encounter this problem?

Mark A Jindra, one of the Senior Techs for WotC, explained that that is exactly how he wrote the system to work, to prevent you from walking away and letting someone else have access to your account by forgetting to log out.

after 30 minutes of inactivity your cookie expires. Now some browsers can keep updating this by refreshing pages for you to keep you logged into the compendium while gaming, but there is a limit still "hidden" to the length of time that it will work.

If I had an account I could put any of that info from the cookie itself, but am not a subscriber and copying a cookie with all the needed info is not that easy once it leaves the system it was created on.

So everyone should be logged out after your 30 minute session has expired of no activity.

Muddbunny offered a browsers plugin for firefox I think that refreshes pages to kep you logged in longer on the WotC forums.

 

[Oldtimer]

Works fine here. Maybe something is wrong at your end?

Yes, the forum problem could well be local. Not finding my DDI account, though, is likely at WotC's end.

 

[Jack99]

Did this happen right after subscribing?

If you have just subscribed to DDI and can't access the content, do the following:

1. Log out of DDI using the Log Out button.
2. Completely close your browser. (Every window for your browser you have open.)
3. Restart your browser.
4. Log back into DDI.

 

[garyh]

I can log on fine, but it logs me out after like 30 min (haven't timed it yet). Anyone else encounter this problem?

This is the sliding expiration on the session cookie.

What that means is, when you log in, the server sets a cookie for your browser to view, called a session cookie. It generally stores information about the site you are visiting, maybe your username, gives you a session ID and sets an expiration time for the cookie to expire, so that you are considered "logged out" after some idle time.

Each time you visit a new page, the server will send a small packet down to update the expiration of the cookie (generally set at 20min by default by Windows IIS servers). Thus, as you visit pages the expiration "slides" to always keep you good for another 20 minutes.

I get this problem, too, and it's very annoying. I shouldn't have to re-log into their site three times a day from my home PC.

 

[catsclaw227]

I get this problem, too, and it's very annoying. I should have to re-log into their site three times a day from my home PC.

I am guessing you meant "shouldn't".

Some sites have a "remember me" checkbox so that you can stay logged in, but this isn't implemented on the WOTC site. Probably by design, as justanobody noted the comment by a Senior Tech at WOTC.

Session timeouts are very common, but these days most sites allow for a user to mark their session and remember it when logging in.

Firefox keeps my email and password stored, so it's only a matter of clicking the sign-in button on the site.

 

[garyh]

"Shouldn't" indeed.

I'd *love* a "remember me" option. eBay has a "remember me for today" option, and that site could certainly get you in more trouble if you leave yourself logged in on a shared PC (which they do advise you of).

 

[Oldtimer]

Did this happen right after subscribing?

Thanks for the advice, but it actually happened a day after subscribing. I was able to access everything on saturday, but come sunday my account was gone.

I received an answer from CS - guess what, they suggest I enable my cookies...

I managed to reach the forums, but my account is gone there as well. I assume DDI also uses http://accounts.gleemax.com to authenticate.

Without an account I can't access DDI, the forums or Customer Help. And with a 9 hour time difference a day goes by every time CS mails me to suggest I enable my cookies or restart my browser...

 

[justanobody]

DDI should NOT be using gleemax.com for anything, nor should the CS website. DDI should be using cookies from wizards.com.

Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page gets you to DDI. If you don't have cookies working for there then something is wrong from saturday.

 

[Oldtimer]

DDI should NOT be using gleemax.com for anything, nor should the CS website. DDI should be using cookies from wizards.com.

Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page gets you to DDI. If you don't have cookies working for there then something is wrong from saturday.

It is not a cookie problem. It is a problem with the account. DDI, the forums and the CS website all use the same accounts database.

 

[justanobody]

It is not a cookie problem. It is a problem with the account. DDI, the forums and the CS website all use the same accounts database.

No they don't.

http://wizards.custhelp.com
http://www.wizards.com

Those are two different websites. They shouldn't be sharing a database across domains and states like that.

The CS website should have its own database, but it is a different account form your gleemax/forum migrated account, and your DDI account could also be separate from your forums account if you chose a new username and such.

CS is supposed to be separate for the purpose of NOT being connected in case of problems so that you can contact Wizards CS.

Also Digital River that takes money from subscriptions is another website and has their own database. So you may need to contact both CS to fix the problems.

I would say call Wizards in about 3 hours and ask to speak to CS, but you would eat some phone charges from Sweden to Renton, Washington....

You should be able to either open your wizards.custhelp.com account, or create a new on if you cannot and tell them, or create a new forums accounts on forums.gleemax.com and go there and tell them about the problems you are having with your account.

Scott Rouse posted a phone number on a thread somewhere for people to call if they are having severe problems getting in touch with CS, but I cannot find it to know if it is for outside the US to help cut customer costs down to resolve issues.

So you should be able to get into CS website...

WotC is dropping the ball bad if they have no way for you to contact them to get help about your lost money.