My simple prediction about Gleemax

[Dav]

Well... now that they've migrated all of the WotC forums over to Gleemax, dragging over all of those existing users whether they like it or not, they can now say that its an instant huge success. Never mind that you have to keep on logging in to stay in, unlike the old boards. What a pain in the ....

Denis, aka "Maldin"
Maldin's Greyhawk http://melkot.com

The logging-in thing is only temporary.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm starting to get the same feeling. I'm actually hoping that 4E isn't OGL - that would be the fork in the road that would lead the other publishers in a different direction, and my players and I will follow.

There's no way 4E will be so different that it can't be reverse-engineered under the OGL. Whatever one may think about WotC -- and given all the people who are sure that 4E will actually just be DDM 2E, lots of folks apparently don't think much of them -- they're not likely to release a new version that's close to 100 percent incompatible with 3E, which is what it would take to "break" OGL D&D-like games.

 

[crazy_monkey1956]

In reference to paying for content, as MerricB said, most of Gleemax is indeed going to be free. The only folks who have to pay for something initially are game stores and other game companies who want increased functionality for their personal profile pages...at least that's my understanding of it.

There will also be a game portal where you can pay to play things like Roborally, Vegas Showdown and Uncivilized: The Goblin Game (the initial pickings here are pretty slim, but this part is going to expand as well).

The D&D Digital Initiative, which includes the online versions of Dragon and Dungeon, has yet to be unveiled. I think there's going to be some info on that at Gencon, but I don't know for sure.

The current forums you see at www.gleemax.com are not Gleemax. Gleemax, at least an early alpha version, will be unveiled at Gencon, with, at the very least, the personal profile page aspect up and running.

 

[Solice]

The logging-in thing is only temporary.

Temporary, yet still frusterating we know.

 

[johnnype]

I've been listening to the Gleemax podcast and found it to be interesting enough to keep listening. At times it does come across as VERY corporate in the way they talk about the business and listening to some of the WotC employees is about as exiting as reading an prospectus. I understand that in working for a public corporation there are many things they can not tell us and they are trying to assuage any fan fears by having some of these "important" people talk but I don't think it comes off with any real success. Some of the employees have a slight condescending tone with their comments about how little they can tell us and how great their products and ideas are not to mention how hard they work. After 4 or 5 podcasts of that I can't but feel resentful. Wait and see only grants you so much good will and I'm afraid taped out at the moment.

Like I said there is enough there for me to keep listening and reading for a while longer but unless this DI delivers by Gen Con I will hammer that last nail into the coffin myself and drop WotC completely. Time to put up or shut up.

 

[Vocenoctum]

My prediction is that Gleemax could never offer content to match the more refined tastes us better people here at ENWorld have.

I don't frequent the WotC boards because they're too big and compartmentalized. Finding a thread I'm interested in once I've posted, was just too much trouble. I don't need to have a forum for every book, or one for classes, etc.

ENWorld is smaller, with fewer interesting topics for me, so it's easier to keep up with.

It is sometimes hard to have a good D&D conversation on a board filled with folks that don't like D&D though, so depending on how Gleemax goes, I might spend more time there once it's done.

Plus, paying for some content? In what kind of deluded world do WotCers live? Way to run a business ..

On one hand, Search hasn't worked on WotC for a while, on the other hand, it's a PAY feature here, so I don't have it either. I haven't seen Gleemax posting that they'll be closing soon if they can't find the money either...

That might seem a little mean, but I think you're misrepresenting Gleemax's "pay feature" and looking at the rest of the internet with a different gaze. I've bought memberships in plenty of forums, and Gleemax doesn't charge for everything.

 

[Vocenoctum]

I've been listening to the Gleemax podcast and found it to be interesting enough to keep listening. At times it does come across as VERY corporate in the way they talk about the business and listening to some of the WotC employees is about as exiting as reading an prospectus.

When Office 07 was coming out, MS had a deal for companies where you could get one free (or Vista) for watching some presentations.

I had to watch 3 hours of MS tech presentations for a free office, and... wow...

At least you can stop watching the pod casts

Like I said there is enough there for me to keep listening and reading for a while longer but unless this DI delivers by Gen Con I will hammer that last nail into the coffin myself and drop WotC completely. Time to put up or shut up.

I'm not sure the DI will be ready by GC, but either way I hold that seperate from the books. I'll give Gleemax a look at some point, and I'll check out the DI, but I buy the books depending on whether I want that book or not.

I'm not the average ENworlder though I suppose, since I had already let my Dragon/DUngeon subs lapse since the magazine was not to my liking. I don't hold a grudge for WotC ending the Paizo deal, though I'd have liked to see Dragonlance continue, since I picked up the occasional DL book. I will still buy WotC books on their own merit.

 

[Scribble]

I'll check it out...

I like digital game aids... Like pdfs and such. It makes DMing soo much easier for me. (Or game prep I should say...)

The guys I game with have access to PCs so maybe if there are some campaign centered things (like a place where people can check on things about the campaign, what books are aproved and such...) I might be wilkling to "use" it aside from the content...

I have a myspace page but I rarely ever go there or update it... so I'm guessing the social parts of it for me won't be all that enticing...

Why DID they decide to call it Gleemax anyway??? (if it refers in any way to maximizing your glee I will slap someone at WOTC...)

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Why DID they decide to call it Gleemax anyway??? (if it refers in any way to maximizing your glee I will slap someone at WOTC...)

It's a fan joke turned into a MTG card.

 

[Wik]

Hunh. So, Gleemax ain't really the DI, eh?

News to me.

Still ain't a fan.

And Hitler did cause Slavery. He also kicks puppies.