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3 years ago ::
Jul 08, 2010 - 11:00AM
#101
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- I'm Geling Like Magellan!
Date Joined:
Sep 22, 2002
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I am not familliar with Apple/ mac computers at all. But are'nt all the newer apple computers coming out so they can run windows based stuff now? So in theory you can run the CB on a apple?
Intel based Macs allow you to either dual boot OSX and Windows, or run Windows in a virtual environment. Either option will allow you to use the tools.
However, both options require that the user purchases a Windows licence, which is fairly pricey purchase.
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3 years ago ::
Jul 08, 2010 - 11:13AM
#102
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Date Joined:
Sep 28, 2006
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PLEASE do not turn this into a MAC vs PC thread. You're mistaking marketing strategy with financial/revenue strategems. WotC took the route to keep costs low and not make the Character Creator multi-platform. They are trying to maximize the revenue received while spending less on upkeep and development. I admit that it is not a bad strategy from a financial point of view, but it isn't one from a marketting viewpoint.
From my understanding, one of the big things that they went with was development time. Let me pull out the quote:
This is from elf, one of the (ex)-devs on DDI tools and macs:
I would have love to have done a mac version. I have a mac. I also have an iphone.
When I originally joined the project though I was given a 6 month time frame to full release, 3 months to beta, and by the way, that includes the time I could spend hiring a staff. Staff was, fortunately, hired in short order, and I was lucky to get some great people on the team. With the short schedule though we were making decisions between releasing it as a web app, or perhaps winforms. We mocked up a web app and it wasn't responsive enough, we mocked up a winforms prototype, and it was slow and lacked the ability to do all the things we wanted to do so we ported to WPF which set us back a week but was so worth it. We were able to do more things, have better control of the UI and development time was very fast.
Given the short schedule that we had it wouldn't have been reasonable to make a multi-platform version. Once we were done with the initial build I did cost out what it would take to make a mac version, as I think it is short sighted not to make one. The problem being that Wizards just doesn't have enough mac customers yet. They would need something like 10 times as many in order for it to break even, and that's not counting the fact that the majority of mac users can run windows apps in some sort of vm setup.
It's also entirely possible that by the time there are enough mac customers there will also be either native osx support for wpf, or some sort of rapid development tool for mac/iphone that could be trivially ported too. It's also possible that with the coming release of windows7 that XP will drop in price so much that it doesn't make sense not to have a copy running in a vm with your mac.
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3 years ago ::
Jul 08, 2010 - 11:38AM
#103
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- I'm Geling Like Magellan!
Date Joined:
Sep 22, 2002
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@Mudbunny
Thanks for the quote, though I have read it before. Oh, and I personally have no desire to start any Mac vs PC "war". My only point is that it does represent a sizeable and vocal market.
The two things I want to point out are:
1 - It's a telling story of the initial development of the tool, but doesn't exactly explain the next two years where a port of the tool could have been done.
2 - His closing statement about the cheap availability of Windows XP is no longer accurate, as Microsoft no longer sells it retail. A Vista or Windows 7 licence are the only possibilites now.
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3 years ago ::
Jul 08, 2010 - 12:02PM
#104
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I respect that you are experienced, and respect your viewpoints, but I humbly decline engaging in this discussion at this time. We have differing opinions, and this is going to go down the path of semantics, which it already has.
Reflavoring: the change of flavor without changing any mechanical part of the game, no matter how small, in order to fit the mechanics to an otherwise unsupported concept.
Retexturing: the change of flavor (with at most minor mechanical adaptations) in order to effortlessly create support for a concept without inventing anything new.
Houseruling: the change, either minor or major, of the mechanics in order to better reflect a certain aspect of the game, including adapting the rules to fit an otherwise unsupported concept.
Homebrewing: the complete invention of something new that fits within the system in order to reflect an unsupported concept.
Default module =/= Core mechanic.
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3 years ago ::
Jul 08, 2010 - 12:35PM
#105
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- I'm Geling Like Magellan!
Date Joined:
Sep 22, 2002
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I respect that you are experienced, and respect your viewpoints, but I humbly decline engaging in this discussion at this time. We have differing opinions, and this is going to go down the path of semantics, which it already has.
Fair enough, I suppose we will simply agree to disagree. Thank you kindly for the polite reponse.
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3 years ago ::
Jul 10, 2010 - 12:34PM
#106
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Date Joined:
Aug 21, 2009
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Hum? I started this thread a while back, but forgot to check back in; Live sometimes interferes with having fun. Sorry
I've been playing D&D since the first edition. Back in 1983 I bought my first book, and I now own an entire wall full of books, including all the core books through 4e. So purchasing a subscription to DDI was a no-brainer.
I like many of you was blown away with the YouTube video of the VTT software, and promises made by WOTC with regard to DDI. I said that I've been playing D&D since the first edition, but to be more precise, the fact is that I rarely play, maybe just a couple times a year. Why? I'm an old crusty grognard that doesn't want to play with a bunch of young adults at the game store, and trying to get fellow grognards to play D&D on a consistent basis, with everything that an adult life throws at you, is really, and let me stress it, really difficult.
Enter the VTT? A godsend you ask? I'll be able to play at my convenience, perhaps just participating in a few pickup games here and there, and I don't have to get on a first name basis with every smack talking irreverent teen that has an answer to everything? Hum? Count me in.
That was the draw of playing DDO, which I still play, just not often. I waited a year for WOTC to fulfill their promise to me to complete the VTT, letting my renewal to DDI go through, and even purchased FG2, thinking that it would fill the whole until WOTC finally came to their senses. While FG2 is a great product for what it is, it isn't a replacement for what was envisioned with the VTT. FG2's major drawback is that it doesn't have a built in game room, something like DDO's dialog boxes to find a group to join. So it was a bust.
Apparently, WOTC has something BIG planned to announce at GenCon regarding DDI. If it's the VTT Phoenix rising up, I'll continue my subscription, if it's a slew of DM support software, I may still, but if it's just another small underwhelming addition then I'll let my subscription lapse in November.
The cover of the 1st edition Player’s Handbook by artist D.A. Trampier. A motley crew of adventurers, the bloodied bodies of lizard men, the hint of arcane malevolence surrounding the idol, the daring thieves prying the jewels from the statue. This is arguably the most iconic piece of art in all of RPGdom.
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3 years ago ::
Jul 10, 2010 - 12:47PM
#107
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Date Joined:
Aug 21, 2009
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Let me add one more thing . . .
I've read every single post in this thread, and what jumps out at me are the posts by the Apologist for WOTC. I can appreciate that many of you are concerned when someone is critical of something that you cherish, and you may be threatened by that, but, setting yourself up as the Apologist for WOTC, doesn't seem to me to be a very constructive means by which to protect or safeguard the hobby or WOTC.
Community members who feel the need to vent, should be supported by all. People who make critical observations about WOTC, or one of it's products, such as DDI, should not feel afraid to do so. They should not fear being drawn into some ridiculous argument by self appointed Apologists for WOTC.
It's the responsibility of the company to defend their actions and decisions, not your's or mine.
The cover of the 1st edition Player’s Handbook by artist D.A. Trampier. A motley crew of adventurers, the bloodied bodies of lizard men, the hint of arcane malevolence surrounding the idol, the daring thieves prying the jewels from the statue. This is arguably the most iconic piece of art in all of RPGdom.
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3 years ago ::
Jul 10, 2010 - 1:59PM
#108
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Let me add one more thing . . .
I've read every single post in this thread, and what jumps out at me are the posts by the Apologist for WOTC. I can appreciate that many of you are concerned when someone is critical of something that you cherish, and you may be threatened by that, but, setting yourself up as the Apologist for WOTC, doesn't seem to me to be a very constructive means by which to protect or safeguard the hobby or WOTC.
Community members who feel the need to vent, should be supported by all. People who make critical observations about WOTC, or one of it's products, such as DDI, should not feel afraid to do so. They should not fear being drawn into some ridiculous argument by self appointed Apologists for WOTC.
It's the responsibility of the company to defend their actions and decisions, not your's or mine.
LOL.
So people that support WotC and understand the situation they were in are now "apologists" and should not share their views?
Just because people don't share your opinion does not mean that they should not speak. If you don't want your opinion scrutinized, debated, or discussed, you're probably better off taking your own advice. These are public forums.
Reflavoring: the change of flavor without changing any mechanical part of the game, no matter how small, in order to fit the mechanics to an otherwise unsupported concept.
Retexturing: the change of flavor (with at most minor mechanical adaptations) in order to effortlessly create support for a concept without inventing anything new.
Houseruling: the change, either minor or major, of the mechanics in order to better reflect a certain aspect of the game, including adapting the rules to fit an otherwise unsupported concept.
Homebrewing: the complete invention of something new that fits within the system in order to reflect an unsupported concept.
Default module =/= Core mechanic.
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3 years ago ::
Jul 10, 2010 - 2:58PM
#109
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Date Joined:
May 23, 2005
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Let me add one more thing . . .
I've read every single post in this thread, and what jumps out at me are the posts by the Apologist for WOTC. I can appreciate that many of you are concerned when someone is critical of something that you cherish, and you may be threatened by that, but, setting yourself up as the Apologist for WOTC, doesn't seem to me to be a very constructive means by which to protect or safeguard the hobby or WOTC.
Community members who feel the need to vent, should be supported by all. People who make critical observations about WOTC, or one of it's products, such as DDI, should not feel afraid to do so. They should not fear being drawn into some ridiculous argument by self appointed Apologists for WOTC.
It's the responsibility of the company to defend their actions and decisions, not your's or mine.
Actually the forums are not the place to vent such frustrations. If you have a problem or concern it should be addressed to WOTC customer service.
Coming to the forums and venting does nothing more than setup flame wars.
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3 years ago ::
Jul 10, 2010 - 3:03PM
#110
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Date Joined:
Sep 24, 2002
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So people that support WotC and understand the situation they were in are now "apologists" and should not share their views?
They can share their views. My issue is that if anyone says anything bad about WOTC and DDi they get attacked here. These are public fourms as you have said. It seems to me the people that support WOTC and understand the situation are pretty intolerent of other peoples views if they don't think WOTC is perfect like they do.
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