DDI Will Take Your Lunch Money Now

pathar · August 08, 2008, 05:01:08 PM

Quote from: StormBringer;233626To be fair, you can play graphics-free online text games for about $13 a month. Assuming they deliver, all the features of DDI are a bargain.

As of this point, I am unwilling to make that assumption. It should also be noted that these subscription prices are for the features that are available right now - please see the last line of my quote, "We aren’t ready to discuss our medium or long-term pricing plans, but this is what the short-term looks like."

Come to think of it, why are they offering their "short-term" pricing in one year increments? Crap and crap again - are they implying that it might actually be a year before the other features are up and running? I really hope that's just me reading too much in to this, but they have had some setbacks lately ...

StormBringer · August 08, 2008, 05:55:51 PM

Quote from: pathar;233648As of this point, I am unwilling to make that assumption. It should also be noted that these subscription prices are for the features that are available right now - please see the last line of my quote, "We aren't ready to discuss our medium or long-term pricing plans, but this is what the short-term looks like."

Come to think of it, why are they offering their "short-term" pricing in one year increments? Crap and crap again - are they implying that it might actually be a year before the other features are up and running? I really hope that's just me reading too much in to this, but they have had some setbacks lately ...

Certainly. I am not saying DDI is a great deal, by any means. I mean, there would be no WoW today if the first people paid to move their characters around a small area and had no ability to fight anything, while they frequently got stuck behind a tree due to a collision detection glitch, which was corrected by logging off and logging back on, except you end up losing your equipment and turn into an orc everytime you do that.

But in comparison to $13 a month for online Zork, you could do worse.

walkerp · August 08, 2008, 06:39:08 PM

Quote from: Spinachcat;233642But the only thing I care about with DDI is the Online Game Table that kicks utter ass and brings the D&D community together in ways that has never existed before. Anything less than that would be a moronic shame. Hasbro has a freaking goldmine in their hands and they are treating it like shit. Its fucking stupid to the point of aggravation.

Yes.

Hasbro should have cut WotC out of the mix from the get-go, except maybe in some kind of creative content advisory role, and done a deal with Blizzard or someone like that who has real expertise in software and online gaming. Gotten them to make a game with a good balance robust graphics and speed and tons of modifiability, where the GM is the designer and then sold that. You don't even target the tabletop gaming community, but go directly for the MMORPG crowd. "Make your own World of Warcraft for you and your friends to play in! Your kingdoms! Your Quests!" or something along those lines.

We would have come along anyways.

RPGPundit · August 08, 2008, 07:05:21 PM

This is hilarious!

"You know all that AWESOME stuff we had promised you? Well, we have exactly NONE of it yet, and it looks more and more like we never will, but we want you to give us money now anyways, so we're going to start charging you for all the stuff you could get for free anywhere else."

RPGPundit

Koltar · August 08, 2008, 08:19:04 PM

They just give us back the hardcopy print magazines for frak's sake!! At least with those I stea...uh BORROW maps for use in games that weren't D&D.

We NEED a REAL hardcopy RPG print magazine again!!!!!!

- Ed C.

mhensley · August 08, 2008, 08:23:10 PM

I'll be surprised if they can ever figure out how to get their login system to actually work and how to take credit cards online. Speaking of which, who is crazy enough to actually trust these guys with their CC info? Their site is childs play to hack at the moment.

Zachary The First · August 08, 2008, 08:27:27 PM

This is still a mess right now, but I hope they get it figured out. At least the price went down from where folks were projecting.

walkerp · August 08, 2008, 09:15:10 PM

Quote from: Koltar;233727We NEED a REAL hardcopy RPG print magazine again!!!!!!

I repeat, Knights of the Dinner Table Magazine.

Koltar · August 08, 2008, 09:27:24 PM

Quote from: walkerp;233748I repeat, Knights of the Dinner Table Magazine.

....If It was better, bigger and Slicker - yeah I'd agree with you.

- Ed C.

(Better, bigger & slicker?, damn ! Sounds like like a guy who's a cheap date ...calling Jack Harkness???)

JamesV · August 08, 2008, 09:40:18 PM

Quote from: Koltar;233750....If It was better, bigger and Slicker - yeah I'd agree with you.

Welcome to the beginning of the RPG fanzine era! Although I kinda agree that it would be nice to have a full professionally produced RPG mag, I think this vacuum can, and even will, be filled in with a variety of specifically flavored POD 'zines. Some of them will even be really good.

If you ask me that's something that by stimulating fans to contribute, can be good for the hobby.

Zachary The First · August 08, 2008, 09:45:25 PM

Quote from: walkerp;233748I repeat, Knights of the Dinner Table Magazine.

I've got my copy! :emot-cheers:

Most of it suitably system-generic or portable--I've grabbed some great ideas from KotDT.

And I live about 30 minutes from Muncie (tours available!)...

TheShadow · August 08, 2008, 09:57:50 PM

I still think that pulling the print versions of Dragon and Dungeon will go down as a major milestone in the decline of the hobby. Those mags were the only visible presence for the hobby in many places. Never again will RPGs have that sort of exposure. And they were still profitable! Grrr...

Abyssal Maw · August 09, 2008, 06:13:29 AM

You guys realize there is an online version of Champions RPG coming out...I think this year or next. It's based on the City of Heroes software, but uses conventions from HERO in the game.

http://www.champions-online.com/

pathar · August 09, 2008, 09:34:02 AM

Quote from: StormBringer;233662But in comparison to $13 a month for online Zork, you could do worse.

I really want to make some joke about getting eaten by a grue, but I can't think of anything.

Quote from: RPGPundit;233698"You know all that AWESOME stuff we had promised you? Well, we have exactly NONE of it yet, and it looks more and more like we never will, but we want you to give us money now anyways, so we're going to start charging you for all the stuff you could get for free anywhere else."

What bothers me the most is that people are actually going to go ahead and give them said money.

Quote from: Zachary The First;233734This is still a mess right now, but I hope they get it figured out. At least the price went down from where folks were projecting.

Again, that's just for now. They aren't even willing to guess what they might wind up charging when they finish things.

jeff37923 · August 09, 2008, 09:35:06 AM

This opinion will probably be unpopular, but as far as I'm concerned this news is just another chapter in the Epic Fail which is 4E.