Do you DDI?

[TerraDave]

So they are making even more than $3,000,000 a year from the DDI and they still can't afford enough programmers to make one new tool a year and keep up to date with the updates?

That figure is just an estimation, and if I'm not mistaken it's estimated revenue, not profits.

And to add to ardoughter's comment, IMO we're still dealing with the repercussions from the Gleemax disaster in this case. Budget cuts, a small staff, management being wary (or even overcautious), bad PR, etc.

Yes, it sucks that WotC's progress on delivering digital tools is so slow, but there are reasons for that.

Its a guestimate...one thing I remembered was the disaster...and its cost. People sometimes throw up numbers in the low tens of millions. So there may be need to make more money, to pay back Hasbro.

 

[Scribble]

Would the announcement of a new tool make the subscription potentially worthwhile??

I'd say that depends on the tool, for most people...

Why... you got something to share???

 

[mudbunny]

I'd say that depends on the tool, for most people...

Why... you got something to share???

That was just an honest question!! No tapdancing around an NDA for me. Nope. never ever at all.

I swear.

For realz!!

 

[Stumblewyk]

That was just an honest question!! No tapdancing around an NDA for me. Nope. never ever at all.

I swear.

For realz!!

Assuming such an announcement might hypothetically be made, you know, whenever such an announcement would be in the hypothetical pipeline...when might we hypothetically anticipate that hypothetical announcement be hypothetically announced?

In the next 2 weeks? The next month?

Hypothetically speaking, of course.

 

[renau1g]

Would the announcement of a new tool make the subscription potentially worthwhile??

Oh, I have my subscription active until next summer so you (or rather Wizards) has until that point to convince me that the value is there. Also, for me it's only $6/month as I have a yearly sub active. If the new tool is a working monster builder than yes, if it's a character visualizer, then no. Oh, a VTT would be a big yes...

 

[Truename]

Quarterly subscription that just expired, here. Their software strategy has been one blunder after another, so I'm waiting to see if they can get their act together before I resubscribe. I'm also waiting for some more compelling content--I stopped reading Dungeon and Dragon months ago, and barely used any tools other than the Compendium.

Basically, they've lost my trust, and I'm waiting for them to earn it back with regular releases of things I care about. (And a more-restrictive rewrite of the character builder ain't it.)

 

[FabioMilitoPagliara]

I am just entering in my 3rd year of subscription

 

[the Jester]

If the new tool is a working monster builder than yes, if it's a character visualizer, then no. Oh, a VTT would be a big yes...

This.

...I'm also waiting for some more compelling content--I stopped reading Dungeon and Dragon months ago, and barely used any tools other than the Compendium.

Basically, they've lost my trust, and I'm waiting for them to earn it back with regular releases of things I care about. (And a more-restrictive rewrite of the character builder ain't it.)

And this.

My sub is up in like March or something. I'll discuss it with the group- despite WotC's current statements on the subject, I remember it being "understood" that groups would go in on a single sub, at least back in the beginning, and that's what my group does. Do I get enough value out of DDI to pay for it all myself? A year ago I did- but like many others, I've been disappointed that Dragon and Dungeon have less and less to offer. Too much of the mags has been turned into preview material! Seriously- I like preview stuff, but it should be in addition to other content, not in place of it. And that's what I feel like I've been getting the last few months.

Not to mention the quality of 4e adventure design in general. Ugh. Good encounters, mostly poor adventures.

I guess the solution to that one is obvious, though: send in some submissions.

 

[WizarDru]

Would the announcement of a new tool make the subscription potentially worthwhile??

Speaking for myself? Maybe. As others have said, it would depend on the tool.

I use DDI for three things:

• Quick Monster Stats/Game Prep
• Character Building
• Rules searches

And truth be told, it's just not worth $70/year to me for that functionality. I like Dungeon and Dragon, but they are significantly weaker than in the past, to me. I feel like the modules have become dull and just three or four encounters slapped together with a lot of fluff to get players to them; the character builder has always been something I feel like I've had to fight to get material out of; the monster builder has always been too much trouble to bother with.

So at the end of the day, the only features I use are the PDFs for the magazines and the Compendium. A new tool, if it were compelling enough, might change my mind.

 

[Nifft]

Would the announcement of a new tool make the subscription potentially worthwhile??

Well, of course. Back when I first subscribed, they implied I'd be getting a bunch of additional tools for my money, like a working monster builder, an encounter thingy, and a virtual table top.

I'm probably the only person in my group who still subscribes, and I keep it just in case we decide to kick around some 4e one-shots (like we may do if Essentials looks good).

Cheers, -- N