Attention WotC: Drop the must-sign-in thing until it works, please.

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I've had to create my account twice in the past few weeks, and I now still can't log in to read articles.

I get that the people putting up content aren't the same people coding the site, and aren't to blame for its deficiencies. But your boss is, at a minimum, the equal of their boss, so pass the word: Until the registration system actually works, stop forcing people to log in to read articles. It's previewing DDI, Dungeon and Dragon in all the wrong ways, and I say that as a giant fan of digital media.

(And coding guys: There should be a link to register for DDI on every page, especially since your system seems to have a tough time keeping old accounts on the hard drive.)

 

[theredrobedwizard]

Maybe I'm the odd man out, but I haven't had a single problem accessing any of the Digital Initiative stuff. When the Gleemax forums went live, things were screwy for about 10 minutes until I figured out the "Forgot Password" workaround.

Just click that link on the sign in page, then type in the email address you used for your account. It should send you a new password, which should make everything work just fine.

-TRRW

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Just click that link on the sign in page, then type in the email address you used for your account. It should send you a new password, which should make everything work just fine.

Except this doesn't work for everyone. Please don't assume your experience is the way it works for everyone else, and that people having problems can't figure it out.

 

[takasi]

I also have had no problems accessing the content.

I would rather have them keep it up and help out all of you who can't get in NOW rather than later. If they don't require you to sign in then you won't sign in. If you don't sign in then you won't find the problems. I would rather have potential problems identified now while the content is still free rather than later when people have paid.

If there are problems, WotC should keep forcing people to use the broken system. If they let you bypass it, there won't be as much pressure to fix the problems.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

There's no form to report errors. The pop-up message tells you to go find the place to create an account, but doesn't forward you there.

After attempting to log in three or four times and getting the same useless Javascript pop-up, people are just going away and asking the articles to be reposted, to judge from threads around the Internet.

The system isn't working, in any sense of the word.

 

[hexgrid]

I haven't had any trouble, except for momentary confusion today learning that you now need to use your Gleemax login email address for DDI.

I think issues like this are inevitable when transferring such to a new log in system. It will work itself out in time.

 

[Jack99]

No issues here either, but I agree with Wizbang. If a large number of people have big trouble (and it certainly seems that way from the complaining around the boards), the drop the sign-in requirement for now, until you can figure out what is wrong.

On that note, is it okay legal to copypaste an article from WoTC to these boards?

 

[JohnSnow]

Well, I'll add my name to the chorus of "no problems."

Of course, I updated my sign-in to gleemax the day they made the switchover. The system informed me I now had to use my email to reconfirm my login name. I did that, and I've had no further problems.

Maybe there's some kind of statute of limitations on sign-in names?

I'm willing to give WotC the benefit of the doubt on this one. If their online implementation was flawless, I'd be worried they were spending too much time and effort on THAT and skimping on the products that really matter - the tabletop gaming stuff.

But maybe running a media business just makes me more forgiving than most.

 

[takasi]

After attempting to log in three or four times and getting the same useless Javascript pop-up, people are just going away and asking the articles to be reposted, to judge from threads around the Internet.

Well then they need to see that. If they don't get reports showing failed login attempts or a massive decrease in links to Dragon articles, they should make those reports. And they should have a link to a bug report somewhere, or at the very least people who want to see the articles should go to the Contact Us link.

And it doesn't look like it's broken for everyone; maybe you are a part of the very vocal minority? Again, I think they should get the sign in process working before they go live with the pay version. If we have to be the guinea pigs now, that's the price we pay for free content.

Or maybe, just maybe, there's a bigger conspiracy going on here. Maybe they are looking for people who are copying and pasting DDI content now, while it's free, to give them a heads up on piracy down the line. After all, this is exactly what's going to happen when they have a pay site. Someone on these boards will make a post saying "Anyone read this article" and start talking about it, and inevitably some people are going to come in and whine that they dont' have access to it. So someone will be tempted to post it.

Now on EN World I'm sure piracy of their content will be controlled, but what if they're trying to identify problem places now? They can search for their DDI content now on the web, and bookmark sites where potential lawsuits may come into play. Or they may be testing how well their own moderators do at policing their own boards....

 

[Zamkaizer]

For a brief moment, I had trouble logging, until I realized that it was asking - out of the blue - for my email address instead of my username.