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

[JVisgaitis]

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.

I haven't messed with it in awhile. I tried 100 DPI and I also tried 96 DPI (I am a Mac user after all ). That shouldn't be the issue.

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?

Yes. That's correct. The same page background texture flipped.

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.

I don't understand how I could have possibly donethe layout wrong. I did it in Indesign CS using 4 master page spreads. Maybe I missed something, but I'm no slouch when it comes to Indesign.

 

[JoeGKushner]

Is it only 20 dollars?

, that's the deal of the century.

Here's my review of Denizens

And I count your review with my own!

 

[Vocenoctum]

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.

The thing is, there's plenty of good material out there, lots of great material... and most of it goes unused in my game. I don't want to buy bad material by any means, but I'm also in a position of having to choose between good materials.

When that choice is being made, my dollars won't go to someone whom I regard in a bad light. I don't care if they prosper or not without my sale, but I'm not going to hand that person my money. Since most of the people that act in such a manner also have the attitude that their bad manners don't affect them, we're both happy with that book not being in my hand.

 

[Crothian]

And I count your review with my own!

One of the few books most of the Review Staff reviewed. Psion is such a slacker.......

 

[Vocenoctum]

We have plenty left so there really isn't a rush. :\ Drop me an email. Weren't you supposed to start doing freelance for us in November?

I'm sure after this thread, you'll have a few less left. I'd heard of Denizens of Avadnu, but frankly the Avadnu thing made me write it off as too setting specific. It being a big, upper end priced book, it's existence fell from my mind. $20 + 7 for shipping for a big monster bookis worth a look though, so we'll see how I like it. I also got the art print thingee, they look neat and are worth $10.

Hope you ship soon though, it says on Saturdays, and this weekend if Christmas Eve...

 

[jgbrowning]

I haven't messed with it in awhile. I tried 100 DPI and I also tried 96 DPI (I am a Mac user after all ). That shouldn't be the issue.

Ok one idea down.

I don't understand how I could have possibly donethe layout wrong. I did it in Indesign CS using 4 master page spreads. Maybe I missed something, but I'm no slouch when it comes to Indesign.

Well, hell, I don't have anymore troubleshooting ideas then. What would cause it to be such a big file?

joe b.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Ok one idea down.



Well, hell, I don't have anymore troubleshooting ideas then. What would cause it to be such a big file?

joe b.

You know, I had the same problem with InDesign with Grim Tales-- greyscale image in the background on every page. GT was about 230 pages, IIRC, and I had to split it into two files both when I was working on it, and when I sent it in PDF form to the printer. While working on it (especially the gorram Index) it would crash. Often.

Slavelords was 256 pages and had no background (folks just complained about it anyway). Slavelords fit into one file, never crashed while I was working on it, etc.

No more background images for me, ever.

 

[Darrin Drader]

I'd go so far as to say that GMSkarka is one of five people in the industry who I haven't met in person, but that I would very much like to sit down with, have lunch, and compare notes and experiences.

 

[JVisgaitis]

One of the few books most of the Review Staff reviewed. Psion is such a slacker.......

I think I emailed him way back when too. I know we've discussed it in email before. Dunno. Kinda weird that he didn't...

 

[JVisgaitis]

Hope you ship soon though, it says on Saturdays, and this weekend if Christmas Eve...

I have to go to the post office for some eBay stuff anyway. It'll probably ship tomorrow or Friday.