Okay. I officially miss paper versions

[webrunner]

I just bought a $70 laser printer just so that I dont have to worry about wasting ink (my old inkjet had 200 page cartridges, this one ranges from 1000-2500, depending on if it's the starter cartridge, regular, or high-yeild)

It also lets me print out four pages to a page and still have it readable, and prints a lot quicker.

 

[Echohawk]

Not everyone will agree with you if they just give things more time. Allot of people prefer paper versions, period. No amount of time will change things.

How do you know? If they don't yet agree, maybe they just haven't given the electronic versions enough time?

I mean that in jest, since I understand what you meant. But I should point out that I was a huge fan of the paper version, and quite skeptical about the electronic versions (especially given the few rather dismal 3ed eMagazines that were published before 4ed launched). However, I am now a complete convert to the electronic format, and would struggle to go back to the paper version. Being able to search and copy/paste from the digital versions has meant that the content gets used far more often than it ever did with the paper copies.

I feel a bit like a stuck record for posting this, since I'm sure I've said much the same thing in at least two or three other, similar threads. But I can't help myself. I really am getting so much more out of eDragon and eDungeon than I ever thought I would. In my case Jack99's suggestion to "give it time" does hold true.

 

[Jack99]

Not everyone will agree with you if they just give things more time. Allot of people prefer paper versions, period. No amount of time will change things.

Indeed. Which is why I suggested that he might give it some time. I never claimed he would change his mind. I merely told that I had changed my mind, after being in a similar position. I too did prefer dead tree magazines.

 

[Alikar]

I like to sit on the couch while the kids play or watch Handy Manny, right there in case they want to interact but at the same time having "my time".

Laptop.

 

[Imaro]

Indeed. Which is why I suggested that he might give it some time. I never claimed he would change his mind. I merely told that I had changed my mind, after being in a similar position. I too did prefer dead tree magazines.

I just think people might be getting a little tired of the "you really don't know what you like... you haven't really given it a chance" spiel that seems to have been used in connection with 4e alot over the past months. I know I'm starting to find it a little patronizing and irritating myself, though I don't necessarily think 4e fans mean for it to come off that way.

 

[Reynard]

Laptop.

I'll illucidate: "kids"=a 5 year old and a 2 year old.

Not a great combo.

Question: can you read them on a sony reader or kindle?

 

[caudor]

I have a DDI subscription, but my inkjet printer drinks ink like crazy. One option I considered is using a service like printme1.com (3.5 cents page) to print my dragon and dungeon pdfs.

However, I've been afraid to do so because I don't know if it is legal. Is it legal to have a printing service print these if we are DDI subscribers?

I like the digital versions of the magazines, I just wish there was a more economical way to print them on paper as well.

 

[Scribble]

I think the big thing is that Dragon and Dungeon are magazines designed for a different purpose then say, Wired or Time.

I have a subscription to Wired. I read it normally on the train to and from work, or on the throne. I sometimes pop over to the website if I'm bored at work. Once I'm done with the issue, I put it on a shelf or toss it in the recycling bin. The article was a neat bit of info, some of which is absorbed into my daily life, most of which, however, not so important. It's not my go to source for any real info on the subjects it covers. The entertainment is just in the reading really.

If this magazine went all digital it would loose a lot of value for me. I doubt I would bother with an online subscription.

Dragon on the other hand is much different. While there are SOME articles inside that I think are good purely for the sake of knowledge alone, most of the time when I like an article in Dragon it's because I want to use it in my game. When it goes on my shelf, I'm intending to refference it again int he future.

Having this info in a digital format makes it much easier for me to use. (Just like I now use wikipedia as my encyclopedia, and dictionary.com as my dictionary.)

I think back to when I had my paper copies and how many times I'd hope one of them had an index to all the articles. How many times I'd hope someone posted one once computers entered my world... And how much of an impact the dragon cd-roms had on me. Digital copies of the mag with an index of each article type... A dream come true.

I can see how someone not like me, and who doesn't use computers a lot in his game prep, character prep etc, would be in the oposite boat though. The digital copies might have made life harder.

I can also see that Dungeon, hwoever, is a weird case. I've almost never used Dungeon adventures (or just about any pre-written adventure.) I just can't get comfortable enough with them. Dungeon and pre-written adventures have almost always been a source just of new NPCs, new monsters, new maps and ideas. So for me, it works digitally really well as well.

But... if you DO use and adventure just as written I can see how having to print it out each time would be a big PITA.

 

[Rel]

I just think people might be getting a little tired of the "you really don't know what you like... you haven't really given it a chance" spiel that seems to have been used in connection with 4e alot over the past months. I know I'm starting to find it a little patronizing and irritating myself, though I don't necessarily think 4e fans mean for it to come off that way.

What I have found helps my sanity when I'm reading ENWorld is to always assume the best about a fellow poster even when what they are saying rubs me the wrong way. I didn't read any of Jack99's post to say, "You don't really know what you like". It sounded to me more like he was saying, "I didn't like it to begin with but I discovered that it had some advantages that I hadn't anticipated at first." That can be useful advice for some people.

I'm merely saying that, where another poster's motives are unclear, it never hurts to believe that they mean the best.

 

[Zaruthustran]

I vastly prefer the content in digital form. Easier to read, easier to store, easier to access. That content is available to me wherever there's a computer and Internet connection, so: pretty much everywhere.

What annoys me is that the content of Dragon and Dungeon is still in "magazine issue" format, even though it's posted online. There's no need for two editorials, and though searching for content is easier than flipping through a pile of paper magazines, it's still way too difficult.

It's early, though. WotC is still refining its online identity.