Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Vraille Darkfang" data-source="post: 3390742" data-attributes="member: 16989">Again,I more annoyed than anything.I picked it up, expecting to judge it as a Replacment to my WoW Manual of Monsters Book.My initial judgement was wether it was worth spending 40 Bucks to replace a $30 Dollar Monster Book (I don't play WoW, I just like to have a lot of monsters to throw at my party).I was pleasently surprised to see there was only 1/3rd or so overlap between the 2.  (The Index has a bunch of the Original MoM Entries, they seem to have be reprinted in other WoW books already).Full Color, complements (rather than replace) an existing book.  Monsters seemed to stand on their own merit.Overall, I very pleased with what I got.  The Web "Extras" were just Extra Sprinkles on Top.Thus, when I got home and spent 10 minutes trying to find the bleepin' Web Extras on WW's Website, I got frustrated.Then, imagine my surprise, when I finally found it, or a Forum Thread detailing how WW wanted 4 bucks for it (as most of it was how SRD Animals fit into WoW, it wasn't worth my time to begin with, there was only a Handful of Creatures I really wanted.Here is why I'm annoyed:Page 6:  Web Extras.  Basically half a column detailing what got cut & where to find it.  Tey call it "Web Extras"  Not Additonal on-line only product.Page 16: Cloud Serpent Special type of "Wind Serpent (see web extras)"I can stop there to make my point.the say "(see web extras)"  EVERY other place they mention an ADDITIONAL Product, it is in BOLD LETTERS (Player' Guide, Lands of Mystery, etc).  Tey go to great trouble to let you whenever an additonal book is referenced.  Yet, the Web Extras is just throrwn in, like "no big deal, just download & print".It's very deceptive.  & that's what I have a problem with.  Not that they feel they want to charge for a web exclusive.  That they couched it in terms that had become industry stnadard to indicate free.  That they didn't even follow their own guidelines used throughout the book, detailing references to other books you were going to have to pay for.I'm going to call them on it.I even think I know what happened.1.  The Appendix was supposed to be in the book (Book seems to indicate this).2.  As main Page count grew, something had to get cut.  Animal Appendix was chosen.  Work stopped at whatever point that was (Before Artwork was commissioned, apperently).3.  Writers, figure they'll just post it a a web enhancement (pretty standard industry fare).4.  At some point management steps in.  They figure they've paid to develop the stuff, they need to charge for it.  There's no way they are going to give something they've invested money in for free.  We paid to develop, customers should pay to get it.  (From 10+ years of friends who are big WoD Players, I know this is what happened.  WW would charge people to watch a commercial, after all they did "Pay to develop it".  WW has shown a tendancy to not get how advertising works (a lot of small business owners have no clue).  Somebody at WW couldn't undestand why you'd give something away for free to people who've already bought the book, not realizing the real reason to have it free is to lure people into Downloading the Free Stuff, liking it & then going after the real thing).Or one other possibility.  The RPG Liscense they got for WoW prohibits giving stuff away for free (as other, free downloads exist for WoW, I doubt this).As a Monster Book, I'm pleased with my purchase.If I was planing on playing a WoW Game, being forced to lay out 4 bucks to know how normal animals fit into the world would tick me off.In the end:I am so not surprised WW took this step.  Dissapointed, but far, far, far from surprised.</blockquote>

Verification