Wizards' DnD Downloads Dead?

[AllisterH]

Seems like there is more stuff newly unavailable -

http://www.enworld.org/forum/media-lounge-off-topic/76014-classics-fantasy.html

Wouldn't this be an indication that it is NOT so much "we're no longer supporting older editions" as a case of "*shrug*, we broke the links and never bothered updating it"?

I mean, those articles were pretty much edition neutral....

Honestly, it seems more of a case of the web-team not updating links and/or simply pruning server space.

 

[IronWolf]

Honestly, it seems more of a case of the web-team not updating links and/or simply pruning server space.

I would guess it is a case of "Ooops, broke those links, didn't mean to do that." At this point in time the files are still sitting on their server, so they haven't pruned the space yet.

 

[Mark CMG]

I would guess it is a case of "Ooops, broke those links, didn't mean to do that." At this point in time the files are still sitting on their server, so they haven't pruned the space yet.

That's my guess. How quickly they fix them, or if they fix them at all, might lend some to believe the worst but I doubt while moving into a big marketing push to gain both new and lapsed players that they'd relish having more bad PR with previous edition junkies. So, as I posted, we will see.


The adventures and cliffhangers are still there for now -

http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/154448-free-adventure-path.html

 

[ExploderWizard]

Guess what the big announcement of GenCon is

5th Edition in 2012?

 

[Hussar]

Wow, I had no idea that Wizards even hosted these. I mean, there's only FIFTEEN THOUSAND different places you can get the same books. Guttenberg project is your friend, as well as a bajillion other places to get OOP epubs.

But, WOTC drops links that are easily available in a bunch of other places and suddenly they're going to draw "more bad PR with previous edition junkies"?

Tempest in a teacup.

 

[Orius]

Seems like there is more stuff newly unavailable -

http://www.enworld.org/forum/media-lounge-off-topic/76014-classics-fantasy.html

I'm guessing it's broken links myself. Why would they put Classics of Fantasy behind the pay wall? I'll just say it's more of WotC's labrynthine webpage acting up again. Seriously, I hate trying to find stuff there that isn't bookmarked, or worse find the links again when they get moved.

As for "you should have downloaded it when it was still up", I liked the idea that they were there in case my files got corrupted or something. I downloaded the free Dark Sun .pdfs they originally had on the site (like The Will and the Way for one), only to lose the files.

It could also be that those pages just weren't getting visitied enough anymore to justify keeping them up. And the downloads might not have been getting enough attention to warrant server space anymore...

That's unfortunate.

 

[Mark CMG]

Wow, I had no idea that Wizards even hosted these. I mean, there's only FIFTEEN THOUSAND different places you can get the same books. Guttenberg project is your friend, as well as a bajillion other places to get OOP epubs.

You seem to have no real clue what is being discussed here. Please reread the thread and add links to the materials being discussed if you actually have a real legal source. Thank you.

 

[AllisterH]

So, too, as pointed out above, this was free support (and likely cost very little to store and allow for download, so that explanation doesn't really wash), so I am sure if they bring it back it will remain free. We will see.

Er, I would like to point out that this is false actually.

With many websites, maintaining ACTIVE links to pages (especially ones that run SEVERAL years into the past) can be non-trivial especially with how much information gets put up every day by WOTC. It's quite easy to maintain links with a relatively static website but WOTC is most assuredly not static.

There's also the fact that server space does have limitations and while that one page doesn't LOOK like a lot, the fact that WOTC probably has thousands of pages like that adds up over time.

 

[Stoat]

a) This is a bummer, but

b) Most of the old adventures available from Wotc.com were average to poor. They weren't giving away the classics.

 

[Hussar]

You seem to have no real clue what is being discussed here. Please reread the thread and add links to the materials being discussed if you actually have a real legal source. Thank you.

You also seem to be lacking in clue.

The books in the WOTC catalogue are all public domain. Lord Dunsany's? Book of Wonder to pick the first one off the list is available in a plethora of formats.

As an avid reader of epubs on my Ipod, I have some clue as to what's available. Every single book in that thread you linked to is available easily.

The Hobbit took me 15 seconds to find. I'd go through the rest, but why bother?

This is what I'm talking about. Massive leaps to conclusions, completely bypassing anything resembling actual thought. But, hey, feel free to continue berating anyone who disagrees with you and screaming at the top of your lungs about how evil WOTC is for not providing something that is freely available in fifteen thousand other places.

Your point is excellent. The way you've expressed it violates our simple "don't be a dick" rule. You remember that one; when you write something and think "wow, someone reading this is going to think I'm being a dick," then you shouldn't post it. Don't do it again. PM me if this is in any way unclear. - Piratecat