Does a publisher/author's interaction here influence your purchases?

[JVisgaitis]

What's the schedule on the Digital Denizens? I'm definitely buying if this comes to pdf. I know the CR 1 and CR 2 are out, but I'd rather buy one big product that a bunch of smaller ones?

Well, doing Denizens of Avadnu as one big PDF is tough because the files I have are enormous. The book itself that we sent to the printer was over 5 GB. For DD, I have 3,4,5 and templates finished. We were going to release those today, but there were some issues with the layout. I had to send them back to my layout guy for corrections. They should be finished by the weekend. We're still looking into doing a full blown PDF of DoA. Probably sometime next year if I can get it compressed small enough.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Well, doing Denizens of Avadnu as one big PDF is tough because the files I have are enormous. The book itself that we sent to the printer was over 5 GB. For DD, I have 3,4,5 and templates finished. We were going to release those today, but there were some issues with the layout. I had to send them back to my layout guy for corrections. They should be finished by the weekend. We're still looking into doing a full blown PDF of DoA. Probably sometime next year if I can get it compressed small enough.

Do you think it's all that great full color art creating the size?

 

[philreed]

Do you think it's all that great full color art creating the size?

I wasn't asked but I'm going to say:

Yes, it contributes to the problem.

 

[JVisgaitis]

Do you think it's all that great full color art creating the size?

Definitely. Wizards sent me a PDF copy of the 3.5 Psionics Handbook way before release and that file was only 12 MB. I mimicked the settings they used, and the smallest I can get the book to be is around 150 MB. The problem is, every page in Denizens of Avadnu is a full color image plus with some creatures we had as many as 3 or 4 illustrations per entry. I have no idea how to make it smaller without cutting some of the content.

 

[GVDammerung]

Speaking for myself, I won't buy anything that has your name on it. Doesn't mean that I don't have some things that you collaborated on because I'm not anal enough to check the credits (maybe I should start), but anything with your name on the cover gets dropped back on the shelf ASAP.

You are, I suggest, cutting off your nose to spite your face.

My first impression of GMSkarka from these message boards is unprintable. Then, purely by accident, I ran across a product he worked on - Skull and Bones. My first reaction was similar to yours. My second reaction was, "Let's see if this so-and-so can walk the walk." Turns out Skulls and Bones is outstanding, with IMO the best naval rules for d20 bar none. I bought it, GMSkarka or no. Being then more familiar with GMSkarka, I then noted more readily when he would post or publish something. I do read the credits. Funny thing happened. His work continued to impress, in the next instance with support for Northern Crown as well as Skull & Bones.

Just because someone may be _really_ offputting at first encounter, does not mean their designs can't make a seriously good contribution to your game. What are you after? A good game or a pen pal?

And as it happens, since first encountering GMSkarka's postings, I have seen him post opinions that I _do_ entirely agree with, as well as ones I do _not_ agree with. Turns out he is not the bogeyman, even if he can do a real good impression of one if he feels moved to it.

I suggest you give GMSkarka's work a chance, irrespective of authorship or publisher. I think you will find a good game therein at least as often as not, even if you don't decide you want the man as your pen pal.

When I see GMSkarka's name attached to a post or a game I know this - it is worth a look. It may infuriate. It may fascinate. It will not be boring. I ask for nothing more from anyone. YMMV, of course.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Definitely. Wizards sent me a PDF copy of the 3.5 Psionics Handbook way before release and that file was only 12 MB. I mimicked the settings they used, and the smallest I can get the book to be is around 150 MB. The problem is, every page in Denizens of Avadnu is a full color image plus with some creatures we had as many as 3 or 4 illustrations per entry. I have no idea how to make it smaller without cutting some of the content.

And this will lead to the problem of doing work on a finished product and hoping it pays for itself even though the original work was done to spec (3.5).

Issues, issues, issues.

I think it'd be easier if everyone just went out and bought the hardcopy for $20.

 

[blargney the second]

Thank you, blarg, and Happy Holidays, to you.

Happy holidays!

I'm pretty sure that I'm only influenced in the positive direction by authors' posts online. I bought Explorer's Handbook solely because it has Richard Burlew's name on it and I love Order of the Stick. I started buying Dungeon when I read some nifty stuff by Erik Mona. If Piratecat or Sagiro ever started publishing D&D books, I'd be all over that like a dwarf on a tankard.

Interesting material that is well-written leaves a lasting impression on me.
-blarg

 

[jgbrowning]

Definitely. Wizards sent me a PDF copy of the 3.5 Psionics Handbook way before release and that file was only 12 MB. I mimicked the settings they used, and the smallest I can get the book to be is around 150 MB. The problem is, every page in Denizens of Avadnu is a full color image plus with some creatures we had as many as 3 or 4 illustrations per entry. I have no idea how to make it smaller without cutting some of the content.

Ok, here's some ideas that may or may not be good ones.

1. What dpi are you working in? You should compress all of your images down to around 100dpi for a PDF. Most screens won't actually go beyond 72 or 96 so there's no loss of resolution at 100%. You may want to up it to 125 dpi (which is what I normally do) so there's some squishy room even when zoomed in.

2. I'm afraid to say but it sounds like you laid it out wrong. I don't have my copy here so this is from memory. You have a generic background, yes? An image that is repeated on every page. If you don't you have a few generic backgrounds that you alternate depending on what's on the page? Over this background image you have images of monsters? My question is this, Did you use master pages for those background images or did you lay out every image on every page? If you use master images, your file size is vastly less than laying out every image as it only stores one copy of the background image while it will store the same image over and over if you layed out each page without masters.

That's the first thing that came to mind concerning such a big file.

joe b.

 

[JVisgaitis]

And this will lead to the problem of doing work on a finished product and hoping it pays for itself even though the original work was done to spec (3.5). I think it'd be easier if everyone just went out and bought the hardcopy for $20.

I do all of the layout work myself, so it isn't an issue of paying someone to do it. Its honestly getting enough impetus to do this myself, which I would like to do, but the product is over a year old and I don't know if the trouble will be worth my effort.

If I could guarantee that I'd sell 100 copies I'd do it tomorrow. However, I can't make that guarantee. Hence I continue to work on Broken Isles and the Primer, because it seems to make more sense to me to devote my energy to something "new." If i didn't have a family and had more time, I'd do both. Unfortunately, my 2 year old takes a lot of my free time.

 

[Teflon Billy]

And this will lead to the problem of doing work on a finished product and hoping it pays for itself even though the original work was done to spec (3.5).

Issues, issues, issues.

I think it'd be easier if everyone just went out and bought the hardcopy for $20.

Is it only 20 dollars?

, that's the deal of the century.

Here's my review of Denizens