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4 years ago ::
Apr 08, 2009 - 8:34AM
#1181
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Ok, just finished reading the thread and getting caught up.
thanks to Steve W. for clarifying a few things for us. I've used his site many a time to purchase PDF files of various game products (not JUST WoTC material) and never had a problem with him or his company. Nice to see that he's responsive to the community.
*sigh*
Which brings us back to WoTC. I know the forum reps are working largely in the dark here and several times they've said that they're passing our concerns up the chain of command. Good job on that guys, hope you aren't catching hell just for doing your jobs. But that said - it's all very frustrating for the customers. This policy comes across as not very well thought out, heavy handed and just plain stupid. NONE of us can see the logic behind it.
In this economy now is not the time to rock the boat, and that's just what WoTC corporate leadership just did. I suspect they've just hurt their long term sales, and based on several emails from fellow gamers (to include a couple of game store owners) all I can say is that the universal opinion is one of puzzlement. If there's a bigger plan in all of this, now would be a good time to let us all in on it.
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4 years ago ::
Apr 08, 2009 - 8:37AM
#1182
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Date Joined:
Apr 17, 2008
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I've already sent them an email via "Contact Us" in the vain hopes that they will actually read it.
They might read it, after enough sales dollars are lost. (I suspect that people buying pdfs is a larger market than they thought) They just -lost- a source of revenue.
WTF were they thinking? People were BUYING PDFS EVEN THOUGH THEY CAN EASILY GET THEM FOR FREE. You don't screw these people! It does nothing to stop piracy. Infact it will make it worse as people have to get their pdfs elsewhere because they can't pay to get them legally anymore. So you've just made piracy -even bigger-.
And if they think people were pirating pdfs that were bought I can assure you if there were any that were doing it, it's a pathetically small number even next to the people that cut up books before scanning them in so people would have a very high quality scan. And that's to say nothing of the people that simply scan the book in and seed it.
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4 years ago ::
Apr 08, 2009 - 8:38AM
#1183
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Date Joined:
Feb 11, 2008
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If WotC wants to make sure digital copies of their published material is safe, maybe the best solution is a unique file format\reader? Partner it with their DDI service (which a subscription will get you all the rules in the Creator), or make it independant for sales, with a free file format reader.
Sad to hear WotC is pulling PDFs.
I will not pay for a "Unique Format". I only buy .pdf anymore. So no .pdf, no sale. Although I understand they may not care about 1 customer.
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4 years ago ::
Apr 08, 2009 - 8:40AM
#1184
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Date Joined:
Oct 29, 2008
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(...)
This makes DRM an extremely poor choice for any publisher. DRM inevitably restricts ease of purchase and ease of use, and anything that tips customer choice from legal purchase toward pirating is a bad business decision. DRM does nothing to prevent pirated files from being available, since the files will already be available anyway from scanned copy.
We already learned lessons on DRM the hard way in the past, so I know the issue intimately. For many years now, we have embraced watermarking as the preferable solution.
(...)
Steve
www.DriveThruRPG.com
www.RPGNow.com
Thank you, Steve.
I am one of those who would be affected by the return to DRM, as it does not support my ebook reader.
I am more than willing to pay for the hard work of others I am enjoying... but I am not going to pay for something I cannot use.
Of course, this also happens because eink is a brand new technology. But I do think that in a few years, ebook readers will be as cheap and common as mp3 players are now. I think we're on the verge of a revolution comparable to the invention of printing.
And until yesterday, I thought that WotC had been really smart to start off early with DDI - subscription-based digital material.
Until yesterday, when I heard of this step back.
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4 years ago ::
Apr 08, 2009 - 8:40AM
#1185
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Date Joined:
Apr 12, 2008
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Although I understand they may not care about 1 customer.
From the looks of it, they don't care about thousands of us. One doesn't stand a chance.
In fond memory of Mark "Wrecan" Monack.
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4 years ago ::
Apr 08, 2009 - 8:42AM
#1186
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Date Joined:
Apr 17, 2008
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From the looks of it, they don't care about thousands of us. One doesn't stand a chance.
I find it almost laughably sad.
What's going to kill Wizard's isn't the quality of product. I always thought what would kill Wizards would be some hideously bad D&D edition followed up by a hideously bad Magic Edition. But no that's not the case... they made a stellar pair of products (Saga and 4e)... what kills them instead?
It's the Legal Department and the morons that think they are bean counters. Sounds alot like TSR.
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4 years ago ::
Apr 08, 2009 - 8:45AM
#1187
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I've already sent them an email via "Contact Us" in the vain hopes that they will actually read it.
They might read it, after enough sales dollars are lost. (I suspect that people buying pdfs is a larger market than they thought) They just -lost- a source of revenue.
WTF were they thinking? People were BUYING PDFS EVEN THOUGH THEY CAN EASILY GET THEM FOR FREE. You don't screw these people!
I just don't see the logic behind this move. none of us - and mean absolutely zero gamers - are buying the 'oh this will stop piracy' explanation. Not even TD believes that this move is entirely and only meant to stop online piracy of PDF copies of dead tree publications. In my opinion it was mildly insulting to even try to lie to us like that.
To tell the truth though, I highly doubt we will EVER get any explanation out of WoTC as to the real reason for this move. It was done suddenly, with a limp reason nobody believes is the REAL cause, wasn't thought out very well at all and is incredibly unpopular. In situations like that, executives tend to wilt and change the subject. Nobody in corporate america ever accepts responsibility for unpopular changes - they'll manufacture a scapegoat and throw them to the crowd while oozing out the back door during the distraction. Oh, and the unpopular policy stays in effect of course.
like it or not, legal PDF files are no no longer an option. For the foreseeable future, they are likely to STAY off the table. It remains to be seen if WoTC's actions and policy decision have the actions they desire - namely, stopping online piracy of their product. I believe that this decision will only encourage piracy. WoTC (and their executives) believe differently. Time will tell which of us is right.....
Good luck WoTC. yer gonna need it!
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4 years ago ::
Apr 08, 2009 - 8:46AM
#1188
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Date Joined:
May 19, 2004
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Thank you!
It's nice to see someone willing to pop in and let us know what's going on. I guess WotC couldn't be bothered...
It's crap like this that makes WotC easy to hate. They won't even do their own damage control. It takes a third party, posting on WOTC forums, to give the customers some insight on what's going on.
Again, thanks Steve. It's nice to know somebody is listening, and more importantly, responding.
You really didn't understand Steve's post at all, did you? Basically, he just admitted that his company screwed up, and screwed up pretty significantly. Sure, WotC could have sent a representative to post that another company screwed up, but that would be a horribly poor decision in corporate etiquette. Instead, WotC kept quiet and allowed Steve to save face for his company by making the post himself.
Punishing WotC for the mistake of another company is unreasonable. And denigrating WotC for its decision not to smear the good name of a corporate affiliate is similarly unreasonable. This is not a big bad conspiracy where one company is at fault. If you want to know who is at fault, find the pirates listed in my signature. The companies involved are all just trying to do what is necessary given the bad situation they were put in by a bunch of criminals.
-SYB
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4 years ago ::
Apr 08, 2009 - 8:48AM
#1189
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Date Joined:
Dec 17, 2005
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In this economy now is not the time to rock the boat, and that's just what WoTC corporate leadership just did. I suspect they've just hurt their long term sales, and based on several emails from fellow gamers (to include a couple of game store owners) all I can say is that the universal opinion is one of puzzlement. If there's a bigger plan in all of this, now would be a good time to let us all in on it.
If WotC's plan is to release their own pdf Store, then it would actually be better to hold off on the announcement for a few weeks, if not a few months and let all this rage die down. They wouldn't want the masses to view the new store as anything other than a new quality online shop.
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4 years ago ::
Apr 08, 2009 - 8:49AM
#1190
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Date Joined:
Feb 11, 2008
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Basically, he just admitted that his company screwed up, and screwed up pretty significantly.
They screwed up by not allowing one last day of downloads.. not really all that big of a screwup. The getting rid of .pdf sales done by WotC? Now thats a screwup.
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