Will you be purchasing PDFs from DriveThruRPG?

[DaveStebbins]

I spend about half my gaming budget on PDFs. I will not be buying anything from DTRPG. While I don't like the idea of DRM making the files more difficult for me to use, I don't really know enough facts to support a strong opinion either way.

The real clincher that sours me is DTRPG requiring exclusivity agreements. Are they THAT afraid of fair competition? I could see maybe saying that in-print books also being offered as PDFs should be exclusive to them, but if they want exclusivity on all of a publishers products, well, I guess I won't be buying any more products from that publisher in the forseeable future.

-Dave

 

[Dimwhit]

The big test for me was transferring the file between computers. Guess what? Doesn't work. I would recommend to everyone to test it with your own scenarios so that you can comment from a viewpoint of experience. The arguments against this move are so much more effective if we all do so.

I'm curious to know how you did it, because on the second try, it worked easily for me. Did you get an error? Here's what happened to me:

1. Purchased/Downloaded the PDF on my work machine. Opened up fine, printed fine. I think dragged that file to my thumbdrive so I could put it on my machine at home.

2. I got home, copied the PDF from the thumbdrive to my computer. Wouldn't open. Tried opening it from my thumbdrive, same error. Said the file had an error and wouldn't open.

So I returned to work and...

3. When to My Bookshelf in Adobe Reader. Highlighted the pdf and selected Save a Copy, saving it on to my thumbdrive.

4. Returned home, copied that version to my computer, went to My Bookshelf and selected Add and browsed to the PDF I just copied over. The PDF was added and opened just fine. Prints, too. (This is all understanding that on both machines, I had to get Reader 6 and activate the DRM, including opening an account with Adobe--no more intrusive than when I opened this account on ENWorld.)

That was it. Easy to do (just slightly more tedious than dragging and copying) and worked flawlessly. And if I lose a copy, it's on the other computer. I'm going to try the same with my portable.

The only issue I may have, which I mentioned earlier, is that if, even after activating DRM on my PowerBook, I still have to be online each time I want to use a PDF on it. That will irk me. Other than that, this DRM just isn't intrusive at all. Don't know about the copy-paste, but I think you can do up to 10 pages per day from the PDF to something else. Doesn't seem too bad, though I don't ever do that anyway.

 

[SneakyB]

I'm curious to know how you did it, because on the second try, it worked easily for me. Did you get an error? Here's what happened to me:

1. Purchased/Downloaded the PDF on my work machine. Opened up fine, printed fine. I think dragged that file to my thumbdrive so I could put it on my machine at home.

2. I got home, copied the PDF from the thumbdrive to my computer. Wouldn't open. Tried opening it from my thumbdrive, same error. Said the file had an error and wouldn't open.

So I returned to work and...

3. When to My Bookshelf in Adobe Reader. Highlighted the pdf and selected Save a Copy, saving it on to my thumbdrive.

4. Returned home, copied that version to my computer, went to My Bookshelf and selected Add and browsed to the PDF I just copied over. The PDF was added and opened just fine. Prints, too. (This is all understanding that on both machines, I had to get Reader 6 and activate the DRM, including opening an account with Adobe--no more intrusive than when I opened this account on ENWorld.)

That was it. Easy to do (just slightly more tedious than dragging and copying) and worked flawlessly. And if I lose a copy, it's on the other computer. I'm going to try the same with my portable.

The only issue I may have, which I mentioned earlier, is that if, even after activating DRM on my PowerBook, I still have to be online each time I want to use a PDF on it. That will irk me. Other than that, this DRM just isn't intrusive at all. Don't know about the copy-paste, but I think you can do up to 10 pages per day from the PDF to something else. Doesn't seem too bad, though I don't ever do that anyway.

While it was open on my work machine, I selected File - Save a Copy. This is what I sent home via email. When I tried to open the file, this is when I encountered the first problem.

So I figured I would outsmart it. Tried to download the file from home, no dice. I think that this may be yet another one of their "protections".

It's not so much the DRM aspect within Acrobat that's obtrusive. It's the validation ('net connection required), along with the limited insight given when you encounter an error. This just speaks to the frustrations that will intensify with purchased products.

I'm glad it worked for you, Dimwhit. And thanks for the info on your steps. I guess I just see this as "pain to come" with respect to this shift.

 

[James Heard]

Not now, not ever, not anything. If your customer is assumed to be your enemy, and you're anti-fair use, nope. If the publishers involved want my money they better start killing trees, I bought a few Malhavoc products before. Not again. Bye Monte.

 

[Son_of_Thunder]

No!!!

Hello all.

I voted no. PDF prices too high... check. DTRPG.com website looks terrible... check. Slow loading time... check.

Son of Thunder

 

[The_lurkeR]

NO

DRM = No Sale from me ever.

 

[Sir Elton]

For the purposes of this poll, it doesn't matter whether you never purchase PDFs online, whether you previously did so but won't now, or whatever. Just out of curiosity, I only want to know one thing: will you be purchasing PDFs from DriveThruRPG?

No, because I prefer print. Print is better.

 

[Asmor]

No, on principle if nothing else.

The only thing DRM serves is inconveniencing legitimate customers. Let's look at some past methods of copy protection in software...

Dongles: Software will only run if a little tiny thing is plugged into your parallel port or something similar. Easily lost by legitimate customers, easily cracked by pirates.

Codes: Software prompts you for codes found in the instruction booklet. Frequently lost by legitimate customers, easily cracked by pirates or they include a text file with all the codes with their distribution.

CD-presence: CD must be detected in CD-rom drive or game will not run. Causes a hassle for legitimate customers who have to frequently swap CDs for no reason other than proving that they bought the game. Pirates, again, easily crack this. Frequently, legitimate customers crack this as well since it's so annoying, and in so doing expose themselves to the vulnerabilities inherent in downloading executables from sites which are by their very nature less-than-reputable.

Cd-keys: Software prompts you for a cd-key before installation. Similar to codes, but capable of uniquely identifying an install. Legitimate customers, again, often lose cd-keys. Effective at keeping pirates from playing on centralized online serves, but otherwise no more effective than any other method.

What's the lesson here? The only people who are at all inconvenienced by any form of copy protection are legitimate customers. Anything-- ANYTHING-- can be cracked, and often quite easily. Even more difficult things are only difficult at first and quickly become routine. The Xbox, for example, took a long time to be cracked, but now is easily modified with a reasily available ~$50 chip requiring no solder or electronics skills, allowing users to install a 120 gigabyte hard drive and install and run unsigned code. Ironically, this has proven a massive boon to Xbox owners who bother to do this, as the Xbox is quite frankly an incredible machine with entirely legitimate uses for any user once you install some homebrew software. I've got an easily portable media center with a 120 gigabyte hard drive that I can plug into any TV and play literally any form of media, from proprietary formats like .rm, .qt and .wmv to cutting edge freely available codecs like ogg and XviD. On top of that, I can copy the games I own to the hard drive and with the assistance of a standard feature known as in-game reset, I can change games without leaving my couch.

So here are the two options copyright holders are faced with...

Not use DRM, build a loyal base of customers, soak up the greatly-overstated effects of piracy by charging more to your customers.

Use DRM, costing you more for development, licensing, etc, inconveniencing and alienating legitimate customers and providing a quite frankly incomplete product, and still suffer from piracy.

 

[Alynnalizza]

Wow, what a crappy site. (And I know the commerce suite fairly well). Aesthetics are not pleasant to look at, WHY would anyone continue to delve further into their site?

I voted no. As some on who uses Linux/Mac/and Windows, I am keen on the idea of mingling of software across platforms. (I keep all my 'top' secret game designs on my Linux box... which is great for PDF's that copy and paste properly).

I am really appalled at the 'if you lose your copy tough snickers!' attitude. This is good customer service? I can't see this lasting for long.

DRM aside, because man that is a tightrope act some must make. I look for 2 things when going to website, or even designing one.
Friendly User Navigation, and Customer Service.

This OSCommerce site (or clone/similiar) is not friendly to the user's eyes, and like previously stated, too bad if you lose your copy. The greatest back-up is one that is OFF-SITE, preferrably the place you bought it.

Until they change their attitude from a brick and mortar to that of the information age, I can't see ever purchasing anything from them.

Thanks

 

[TheAuldGrump]

No.

I rather suspect that this will prove to be a temporary policy one way or another. Either they will change their minds about DRM... or they will go out of business. (I would bet on the latter, the security is too much of a piece with their core concept.)

I can understand that some, if not most, publishers are concerned with the rampant piracy that occurs with PDFs. (I am of the piracy equals theft persuasion myself.) But I don't think that this will prove a viable alternative. Heck I remember a few resounding debates on these very boards in regards to a few PDF publishers that tried using secured versions of their products. (And on the two that I remember the publisher released unsecured versions.)

And the prices are a bit elevated for a PDF product.

The Auld Grump

*EDIT* You know I suddenly have an urge to go to RPGNow.com and place an order with them instead...
*EDIT 2* 101 Collection is now mine...