(Poll) Will the DDI delay influence your 4e purchases?

[Tewligan]

So, it looks like DDI will not be ready to start rollout any earlier than a few months from now, at best. Will this affect your decision to purchase the books?

Personally, I'm definitely not buying into it now. I was considering picking up the PHB - although this edition looks to be far from my first choice, I was going to get it so I could use the virtual table to play with my old game group in Kentucky. Without that, I've no reason to get it.

Plus, at this point, I can't say I find WotC to be too trustworthy, either in delivering all the promised DDI features, or even getting the damn thing up and running in the first place. We were told here not two months ago that the system was running and functional - now, apparently they were so busy working on it that gee, they just totally forgot to tell us it wouldn't be ready in time for launch! Until, of course, after the opening day rush when they sold so many they had to order a second printing. Wonder how sales would have been affected if people knew going in that they couldn't use the much-vaunted online features for at LEAST a few months after buying it? Nice. That's borderline deceptive BS, and I'm not going to support it.

So, yeah - has this news influenced your buying decision?

 

[Ander00]

I never expected anything from DDI. Even more so ever since they canned the idea of buying individual parts in favor of a (to me) really unattractive package deal.
So no, I am neither surprised nor does it impact my decision to switch to 4E in any way.


cheers

 

[Garnfellow]

I wouldn't exactly say it's a dealbreaker, but it doesn't help. 4e looks like a pretty fun game, but it doesn't look to be such an improvement over 3.5 to justify me converting right now.

The DDI, though, had the potential to sweeten the deal considerably. A really nice virtual tabletop would allow me to start up a new game immediately -- I've got a couple of regular groups going, but I've also got probably 5 or 6 additional players who, because of scheduling and distance, can't get a regular face-to-face game together.

The DDI could possibly allow that 3rd group to happen. And that would be enough to pull the trigger on 4e tomorrow. Without that virtual tabletop, I'm content to stand pat.

 

[WanderingMonster]

D) Too late! I preordered.

The promise DDI was very attractive to me, but I can still play without online tools. The tools would just make everything a whole lot less time consuming. Less prep, more play!

 

[Tigerbunny]

I've played for 28 years without DDi, I'll play without it now. What might be lost to the delay is luring me into playing online for the first time - this is the first interface for doing so that gives me enough bells & whistles and a good enough UI to interest me. IF it actually delivers. I am hoping that the delays mean that WotC is taking the time to make it work right rather than rushing something half-done out the door.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Bah. Nothing has convinced me that DDI is either (1) necessary or (2) anything more than vaporware.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

At this point, they took a BIG hit from me. Seriously.

Mostly the lack of communication.

But I've been around this block with them before, back when 3E was released. There was a grand plan for digital there, too.

I have a feeling this is going to get released 6-12 months behind schedule, it'll be over-budget, will be missing many features, and probably be something they'll be embarrassed and/or unwilling to bill for that's just going to drain money from the company and hurt Wizards and the D&D brand in the long run.

Really, this is bigger than the books. This SHOULD be their money-maker. The books are Old Media, this is the new frontier. This is continuing income. That's GOLDEN. I work in software, we have some aps that sit in the background humming and take a maintenance developer little time to run that produce tens of thousands in billing EVERY MONTH. Everything else we do, really, is to support that or to drive for more aps like that.

That's what they need. A platform that will remain relatively stable that they can charge a steady revenue stream out of. One year of subscription will make them more than the person buying the books. 3-5 years of people on DDI will show DDI to be the number-one cash crop they HAVE. You can't release a new edition every year, but the DDI SHOULD be making them that kind of money ... less money, but better overhead costs.

Unless they bungle the whole thing to death.

--fje

 

[BlueBlackRed]

DDI means 0.00% of my game to me.

 

[Jasperak]

I'm still pissed about not having print Dragon & Dungeon anymore.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

My choice:
Nope! I'm buying it or not buying it based on the books, not the online support.

By the way, fixed that poll option for ya. ^_^