The Changing Face of Reading

[ThirdWizard]

I think tying the information to a presentation is not the way to go, and that moving away from that is going to be very important in the future. Web Services that can be subscribed to by various applications to display information as it is needed for different situations is probably the best format. This also alows shifting data to be seamlessly pulled as it is updated and for individuals to determine how best to describe the data in terms of display. I don't think PDFs are a good fit for that system.

 

[nedjer]

I think tying the information to a presentation is not the way to go, and that moving away from that is going to be very important in the future. Web Services that can be subscribed to by various applications to display information as it is needed for different situations is probably the best format. This also alows shifting data to be seamlessly pulled as it is updated and for individuals to determine how best to describe the data in terms of display. I don't think PDFs are a good fit for that system.

This is what html offers that the alternatives can't. We've a dozen+ Ajax interactive options sitting mothballed because html5 changes the game. Especially in terms of making it very easy for players to edit the content without ever seeing html or a tradtional web editor.

So before long WoTC and Pathfinder will sell you rules with basic images, then sell you a catalogue of plugin art for those who want the extras.

 

[Viking Bastard]

I think WotC may have shot itself in the foot when they set up their subscription plan in one way: Everything they publish is automatically added to the DDI. While there's always going to have to be a steady flow of new free content, they should charge for major expansions and even offer 3rd party content, of which they take a cut.

Think more of DDI as a platform, rather than just a bunch of generators.

EDIT: But they would have to be able to get the fluff in there effectively. I mean, that the DDI would have to be able to serve as a whole product, not just a supplementary service.

 

[IronWolf]

I think tying the information to a presentation is not the way to go, and that moving away from that is going to be very important in the future. Web Services that can be subscribed to by various applications to display information as it is needed for different situations is probably the best format. This also alows shifting data to be seamlessly pulled as it is updated and for individuals to determine how best to describe the data in terms of display. I don't think PDFs are a good fit for that system.

Would I be able to use this without an Internet connection? Can I make annotations to material as I see fit? Does it work on major platforms including Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and Linux?

The concept is interesting but I really like having my PDFs stored locally or in the cloud at my discretion. I like knowing I can access them from whichever OS I happen to be running today and I like being able to highlight, make annotations and add my custom bookmarks.

Sure - I give up a few things probably by clutching onto my preferred PDF form factor - but so far it is meeting my needs incredibly well.

 

[Viking Bastard]

Would I be able to use this without an Internet connection?

Probably not, or at least in limited capacity. Though, depending on how the client end manipulates the data, it may work. My iPhone still has all the tweets I've downloaded, even though it's wifi antenna is broken and I can't connect to the internet. But a website, not as much (although the emerging browser database standards may change that, over time).

Does it work on major platforms including Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and Linux?

Yes. Unless you tie it to a platform-specific plugin technology of some sort.

The concept is interesting but I really like having my PDFs stored locally or in the cloud at my discretion. I like knowing I can access them from whichever OS I happen to be running today and I like being able to highlight, make annotations and add my custom bookmarks.

Sure. That is the biggest drawback, for sure, and that both ePub and PDF have going for them, more than anything.

 

[nedjer]

Would I be able to use this without an Internet connection? Can I make annotations to material as I see fit? Does it work on major platforms including Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and Linux?

The concept is interesting but I really like having my PDFs stored locally or in the cloud at my discretion. I like knowing I can access them from whichever OS I happen to be running today and I like being able to highlight, make annotations and add my custom bookmarks.

Sure - I give up a few things probably by clutching onto my preferred PDF form factor - but so far it is meeting my needs incredibly well.

No idea how DDI chooses to handle or will handle this but its a basic with Treasure. The zip or installer places it where you want on your hard disc and it's yours forever. (Wouldn't be much point making it editable otherwise, short of getting more server space). The code's totally open too so it can be checked for any potential unpleasantness.

Come to think of it offline switching is already there as well - did a post on this a year ago mentioning Prism. I don't have a DDI account to try Prism on it, but the Firefox extension version works fine on suitable sites.

p.s. I seriously wouldn't recommend anyone try Prism on DDI unless you're on a daily backup and don't mind messing with the unpredictable. Might also be in against regulations?

 

[Glade Riven]

In electronic format, a properly designed website trumps everything else. It is quicker, for instance, for me to look something up using d20pfsrd.com than to use a PDF reader on the same smart phone. I would love, however, to have versions of my RPGbooks in ebook format because of the issue of needing an internet connection.

 

[nedjer]

Probably not, or at least in limited capacity. Though, depending on how the client end manipulates the data, it may work. My iPhone still has all the tweets I've downloaded, even though it's wifi antenna is broken and I can't connect to the internet. But a website, not as much (although the emerging browser database standards may change that, over time).



Yes. Unless you tie it to a platform-specific plugin technology of some sort.




Sure. That is the biggest drawback, for sure, and that both ePub and PDF have going for them, more than anything.

Yeah, you can annotate it as well, add video, put in animations - there are a few gifs in the Midnight style on Treasure - and way more, because its a web page.

Just connect it up to Evernote, Facebook, Twitter and you've campaign highlights, maps and briefings linked from/ to or in your rules, your social network and RSS feeds running in and out.

Sorry, but how can any social network user consider a web RPG somehow divorced from all the rest of their online experience of extensions, display control, linking to web apps, mashups, media storage?

 

[tenkar]

I'm not crazy about not being able to access my needed gaming material w/o an internet connection. For me, a website, no matter how good, will always be trumped by an ebook.

Just try to get a 3G connection from AT&T in downtown Manhattan during normal working hours... spotty at best, unusable at worst.

 

[IronWolf]

In electronic format, a properly designed website trumps everything else. It is quicker, for instance, for me to look something up using d20pfsrd.com than to use a PDF reader on the same smart phone. I would love, however, to have versions of my RPGbooks in ebook format because of the issue of needing an internet connection.

Typically it is faster, but last night d20pfsrd was very slow for me to the point that the local PDF copy of the rulebook would have been faster.