No Macs? Holy crap did WotC do the math wrong!

[Glyfair]

I think the segment of the market that WotC should be concerned with is the segment that is online now.

The part of the market that games regularly online now probably shouldn't be WotC's primary concern. They likely already have bought into one of the other virtual tabletops out there and will have a harder time pulling them to D&D Insider, at least for the gaming tools.

What they probably should be targeting are the casual internet users, or the ones who use it mostly for non-gaming. Catch their interest by directing their attention to the concept of "getting the old group together."

Of course, I don't think that argues for or against Macs.

 

[Tanuki]

Is it just the VT content that will be Windows only, or will it be all DI content?

 

[Glyfair]

Is it just the VT content that will be Windows only, or will it be all DI content?

From the D&D Insider thread:

Q: Which D&D Insider elements require Direct X?

Answer

The only two Direct X based applications are the D&D game table and the Character visualizer.

The other D&DI applications (dungeon builder, Character sheet, Encounter builder) will be windows based, but not using DirectX.

Everything else should be either web based, PDF based or something similiar (Dungeon, Dragon).

 

[WayneLigon]

That means that somewhere around 50% of D&D game groups include at least one mac user.

I know around about nine groups. None of them has a person who uses a Mac. I've seen a Mac once that was not in a store. I don't know anyone at all who owns one or works on one, so WOTC probably has the right of it.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

The part of the market that games regularly online now probably shouldn't be WotC's primary concern. They likely already have bought into one of the other virtual tabletops out there and will have a harder time pulling them to D&D Insider, at least for the gaming tools.

What they probably should be targeting are the casual internet users, or the ones who use it mostly for non-gaming. Catch their interest by directing their attention to the concept of "getting the old group together."

Of course, I don't think that argues for or against Macs.

This has the potential for making the argument for Macs a little stronger. Many people who choose Macs do so because they want simplicity with functionality. The Virtual Game Table on D&D Insider seems to be indicating it would be a package with all the tools needed to play your game online. That might be just about the perfect thing to appeal to Mac users who aren't really techies (such as myself to some degree and my wife absolutely).

 

[Charwoman Gene]

I've seen a Mac once that was not in a store.

You live in the South.(Alabama according to your info.) The South is generally conservative politically. Macs are hippy-liberal machines in stereotype. Your experience is important to highlight the clumpiness of OS's but not to defuse the fact that Macs are significant.

 

[Glyfair]

That might be just about the perfect thing to appeal to Mac users who aren't really techies (such as myself to some degree and my wife absolutely).

And it wouldn't appeal to Windows users who aren't techies? (I'll discount the minute number of Linux users who aren't techies).

 

[JVisgaitis]

What they probably should be targeting are the casual internet users, or the ones who use it mostly for non-gaming. Catch their interest by directing their attention to the concept of "getting the old group together."

You might be right, but using that logic we're back to Charles original post:

Great. DDI can be a success with only 90% of the market.

But for DDI to work (or, at least, for the online tabletop to work), and entire group needs to access DDI. WotC is now building the game around the typical group of 6.

That means that somewhere around 50% of D&D game groups include at least one mac user.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

And it wouldn't appeal to Windows users who aren't techies? (I'll discount the minute number of Linux users who aren't techies).

I never said that, but in my experience in a PC household there is often at least one person who is pretty tech savvy and is willing to set things up for non-techies in the house. In Mac households it much more likely that nobody is.

 

[JVisgaitis]

I never said that, but in my experience in a PC household there is often at least one person who is pretty tech savvy and is willing to set things up for non-techies in the house. In Mac households it much more likely that nobody is.

I'm the techie in my household and I use a Mac and work at Network Solutions in Tech Support. A few other people I work with are just like me. This is just so subjective there is no way to back it up.