NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JoelF" data-source="post: 3717075" data-attributes="member: 8829">Mike,I have two big concerns about DDI.  First of all, it's all bundled together from what I can glean from the various posts, Gen Con announcements, etc.  What if I want the DM Tool suites (mapping tool, digital minis through the maps, and character gen tools) but don't really care for the Dungeon and Dragon on line content?  (Say, maybe because I think Paizo does a better job with Pathfinder than WOTC does with the new Dungeon and Dragon content.)  I strongly urge that there be a separate and reasonably lower fee for the tool and the magazine content, or a discounted combined subscription.  That way, if one or the other proves way more popular with the fan base, it can thrive on its own merits, without the lack of enthusiam for the other dragging down the overall subscription numbers.My second concern is: why make the tool suit subscription based at all?  I much prefer the model which Code Monkey used.  Buy your data set, and then it's yours, you own it, and can use it forever.  Under the subscription model, I have to pay a monthly fee forever to use a tool which in reality I may use a lot less some times than others, and is simply a piece of software.  I know that there's talk of a pay as you go plan, paying per session, but that doesn't sound economical unless someone's just sampling the tools for the first time.  Can't there be a way to pay some fee ($40-50, similar to a computer or console game) for the tools, and then pay to activate the new content from new books, and not have a monthly fee set up?  Also, what happens if you subscribe for a year, then decide it's too expensive?  You have nothing.  If you buy the software outright, you own it and can use it forever.  Sure WOTC will make more money per subscriber with a subscription model, but how many less users will there be compared to a purchase model?</blockquote>

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