We're coming up on 2 years since paid Insider went live. Many of us that signed up at the beginning at the introductory rates and renewed before rates increased are going to need to decide whether to continue as members with a 20% cost increase or give up on DDI.
As we approach that magic renew date, I must admit that I've been disappointed with the direction that DDI has taken:
* The Monster Builder is still in beta and has lots of bugs (such as incorrect calculations, extraneous -1s, etc...) * We saw no new Adventure Tools products in over a year. * Articles in Dragon and Dungeon containing 'crunch' seem to be growing shorter and fewer in number (as well as being spread out over more classes/races/etc... meaning a lower percentage is useful for a certain PC). * I've noticed a higher number of errors, inconsistencies and incomplete material in the Compendium, Character Builder and Monster Builder over the past 6 months. These problems range from simple editing mistakes to inconsistencies between different authors in how class features are supposed to be interpreted (Battlemind issues, etc...).
When I first signed up, I expected to be getting more for my money. Features like the game table and visualizer, which were arguably promised features soon to be released, never materialized. However, I considered the promised features to be worth well more than I was paying, and the actual features to be on the border between a reasonable benefit for the cost. When I renewed, I waffled on whether to do it, but decided that the initial 8 months of content, although less than promised, were worth the cost. Since I renewed, I've seen a decided decrease in quality and quantity of useful material. Less useful content, lower quality content, and higher costs.
As of now, I've decided to let my membership lapse. I turned off the autorenew a long time ago when I noticed a downward trend. I was really hoping that WotC was going to make an announcement at GenCon that would intrigue me and get me interested in renewing, but that has not occurred.
I'm not saying that Insider is useless. In the name of full disclosure, I will likely wait 4 to 12 months and then sign up for 1 month so that I can update the character builder, monster builder, etc... However, the reduction in quantity and quality of new services provides me with little incentive to renew at a higher cost for a full year of access. When I look at the most recent version of my PCs, only about 10% of their items, feats, and other options come from Dragon. The only use I've taken out of Dungeon has been a few maps I'll be using in the next campaign I might run, if I ever run the new campaign. That doesn't warrant the cost.
Would I reconsider? If WotC announced the Game Table, showed a plan for improving Dragon/Dungeon content back to acceptable levels, and/or made another step to increase the quality (or lower the price), I'd likely jump back on board. Compendium, when it is correct, is useful enough to justify some cost all by itself. However, I have heard no whispers in the wind that make me think any of that will happen in the next month.
Is anyone else in my boat? Anyone else letting their membership lapse at the magic 2 year renew date in October?
We're coming up on 2 years since paid Insider went live. Many of us that signed up at the beginning at the introductory rates and renewed before rates increased are going to need to decide whether to continue as members with a 20% cost increase or give up on DDI.
As we approach that magic renew date, I must admit that I've been disappointed with the direction that DDI has taken:
* The Monster Builder is still in beta and has lots of bugs (such as incorrect calculations, extraneous -1s, etc...) * We saw no new Adventure Tools products in over a year. * Articles in Dragon and Dungeon containing 'crunch' seem to be growing shorter and fewer in number (as well as being spread out over more classes/races/etc... meaning a lower percentage is useful for a certain PC). * I've noticed a higher number of errors, inconsistencies and incomplete material in the Compendium, Character Builder and Monster Builder over the past 6 months. These problems range from simple editing mistakes to inconsistencies between different authors in how class features are supposed to be interpreted (Battlemind issues, etc...).
When I first signed up, I expected to be getting more for my money. Features like the game table and visualizer, which were arguably promised features soon to be released, never materialized. However, I considered the promised features to be worth well more than I was paying, and the actual features to be on the border between a reasonable benefit for the cost. When I renewed, I waffled on whether to do it, but decided that the initial 8 months of content, although less than promised, were worth the cost. Since I renewed, I've seen a decided decrease in quality and quantity of useful material. Less useful content, lower quality content, and higher costs.
As of now, I've decided to let my membership lapse. I turned off the autorenew a long time ago when I noticed a downward trend. I was really hoping that WotC was going to make an announcement at GenCon that would intrigue me and get me interested in renewing, but that has not occurred.
I'm not saying that Insider is useless. In the name of full disclosure, I will likely wait 4 to 12 months and then sign up for 1 month so that I can update the character builder, monster builder, etc... However, the reduction in quantity and quality of new services provides me with little incentive to renew at a higher cost for a full year of access. When I look at the most recent version of my PCs, only about 10% of their items, feats, and other options come from Dragon. The only use I've taken out of Dungeon has been a few maps I'll be using in the next campaign I might run, if I ever run the new campaign. That doesn't warrant the cost.
Would I reconsider? If WotC announced the Game Table, showed a plan for improving Dragon/Dungeon content back to acceptable levels, and/or made another step to increase the quality (or lower the price), I'd likely jump back on board. Compendium, when it is correct, is useful enough to justify some cost all by itself. However, I have heard no whispers in the wind that make me think any of that will happen in the next month.
Is anyone else in my boat? Anyone else letting their membership lapse at the magic 2 year renew date in October?
D&D & Boardgames If I have everything I need to run great games for many years without repeating stuff, why do I need to buy anything right now?
* Articles in Dragon and Dungeon containing 'crunch' seem to be growing shorter and fewer in number (as well as being spread out over more classes/races/etc... meaning a lower percentage is useful for a certain PC).
You don't need to qualify that. I've proven I have no life over in General Discussion (link may not currently work because of ... another community site issue)
I'll repost that here:
I went through dragon 382 to current. When counting game elements, I counted powers, feats, PPs, background, items, EDs, and so on. I didn't "double count", so the 3 powers in a PP are not counted as powers... despite that being a better representation of the work they'd have to do for the builder.
For the first few issues, they included previews of PHB3 classes. Despite those previews being DDI exclusives, I did NOT count them in the player-content counts or the game element counts. So these counts are of new, Dragon only, stuff.
Notice the plummeting level of game elements starting at issue 388. The total number of pages of player content is also down, but not by as far.
Yes, this is my last month for a while... I've turned off auto-renew. I might get another month in December or so ... but I'm not paying full price at the current quality level. (And for me, the issue is PURELY Dragon. If it were at the 380-387 level, I'd re-up in a heartbeat.)
"Nice assumptions. Completely wrong assumptions, but by jove if being incorrect stopped people from making idiotic statements, we wouldn't have modern internet subculture." Kerrus
Practical gameplay runs by neither RAW or RAI, but rather "A Compromise Between The Gist Of The Rule As I Recall Getting The Impression Of It That One Time I Read It And What Jerry Says He Remembers, Whatever, We'll Look It Up Later If Any Of Us Still Give A Damn." Erachima
Don't think so. I think it's more of the change in the editor and a change in direction toward more flavor/less crunch. But ... there hasn't been more flavor, there's just been less crunch.
I don't have an inherent problem with the number of game elements. I'm actually more concerned with the pages-of-player content bit, which has moved less... but the high in the last 3 months is still lower than the weirdly-low low of the previous several.
"Nice assumptions. Completely wrong assumptions, but by jove if being incorrect stopped people from making idiotic statements, we wouldn't have modern internet subculture." Kerrus
Practical gameplay runs by neither RAW or RAI, but rather "A Compromise Between The Gist Of The Rule As I Recall Getting The Impression Of It That One Time I Read It And What Jerry Says He Remembers, Whatever, We'll Look It Up Later If Any Of Us Still Give A Damn." Erachima
I first got D&Di about 18 months ago. I have never particularly cared about the VTT or visualiser and I thought the CB, Compendium and magazines were good value for money but the lack of content has been annoying me over the last couple of monthl. I used to wait for the end of each month and then download and read the whole magazine, now I hardly bother with a quick look at the articles. Also the updates for the Tool(s) and CB constantly being shunted all over the calendar and D&Di getting the cold shoulder at GenCon all leaves me feeling the whole project is a dead man walking.
Because of this I have also switched off auto renew. My sub doesn't expire until the beginning of December and if WotC make an announcement regarding the future of D&Di sooner rather than later I will probably re-sub, but right now I really don't think it'll happen.
What you see is what you get. I am just going to try and forget anything that was in marketing. My ears are closed to what "might" happen as well with dndinsider.
I would be concerned if there were more and more player content. Because eventually it just bloats the system. I feel that you can expand on Dungeonmaster aspects of the game without bloat much easier. Things like this new "Curses" article are interesting to me because i see DnDinsider as a good DM tool. {Some one please make a nice poison article for us DMs? There aren't enough poisons to hand out as treasure.}
4e is easy to teach. But for myself it is harder to DM, I just don't feel that all the tools I want are there. Where is my Treasure Parcel Builder? Where is my Encounter Builder [A real builder not that slow and incomplete builder that is online, one that lets me use custom monsters]?
My subscription depends on what is actually there. That said i still wanted to renew my subscription but the Account Management is so bad.
I have found that the Account Management page (I have e-mailed wizards through their proper channel already) is very clumsy. It is buggy and even contains broken links. It makes it hard for people to change their subscription. From other E-commerce websites that I have used , dndinsider account management is archaic. E-commerce design has really evolved in the last 10 years and it feels like its stuck in the year 2000.
We're coming up on 2 years since paid Insider went live. Many of us that signed up at the beginning at the introductory rates and renewed before rates increased are going to need to decide whether to continue as members with a 20% cost increase or give up on DDI.
This is an excellent reminder. It's very easy to forget that people re-subscribed before the rate increase and have been very used to the current content for the introductory rate. While it can be argued you've been paying a discounted rate for a year it certainly won't feel like that when you re-subscribe.
* The Monster Builder is still in beta and has lots of bugs (such as incorrect calculations, extraneous -1s, etc...)
This is the big one for me. The MB came and was left un-updated for almost a year, save the content updates. Really, the minimum amount of effort and the most minor of bug fixes. Then the MM3 update came (late) and broke what was a working program. It's one 'upgrade' caused a tonne of problems. Not exactly reassuring...
* We saw no new Adventure Tools products in over a year.
I'm willing to let this one pass. GenCon was a huge event and if they could have premiered the next tool they would have. Too few people, even with staff dedicated to new programming. Just too much gaming content is coming down the pipe, so too many man-hours are likely being spent just keeping-up.
* Articles in Dragon and Dungeon containing 'crunch' seem to be growing shorter and fewer in number (as well as being spread out over more classes/races/etc... meaning a lower percentage is useful for a certain PC).
I'm okay with less crunch. Dragon crunch was *great* early in the game when options were so limited, but now most of the classes and races have seen a couple books of content. You justify this when you comment that only 10% of your PCs' content comes from online. Ramping-up the Dragon crunch likely won't change that ratio, unless the new content succumbs to power creep or really meshes with a concept.
There's still room for new Dragon crunch. A few classes (seeker, runepriest, assassin) and races (the Dragon races and PHB3 races) need some love, we need generic themes, and the equivalent of psionic wild talents for other power sources/ worlds. But having the bulk of Dragon devoted to crunch is excessive.
* I've noticed a higher number of errors, inconsistencies and incomplete material in the Compendium, Character Builder and Monster Builder over the past 6 months. These problems range from simple editing mistakes to inconsistencies between different authors in how class features are supposed to be interpreted (Battlemind issues, etc...).
A result of the unending tide of content. They finish Monster Manual 3 and Demonomicon drops. They finish that and they're looking at Gamma World and the Monster Vault.
The Character Builder is where I wince. New feats and powers tend to be only partially integrated. And there are some bugs that have been known and unfixed for almost half a year.
I'm not saying that Insider is useless. In the name of full disclosure, I will likely wait 4 to 12 months and then sign up for 1 month so that I can update the character builder, monster builder, etc... However, the reduction in quantity and quality of new services provides me with little incentive to renew at a higher cost for a full year of access. When I look at the most recent version of my PCs, only about 10% of their items, feats, and other options come from Dragon. The only use I've taken out of Dungeon has been a few maps I'll be using in the next campaign I might run, if I ever run the new campaign. That doesn't warrant the cost.
I think alot of people – except those with lots of disposable income – will take the rotating subscription approach. It'll be interesting to watch the DDI subscription numbers for the next while.
Would I reconsider? If WotC announced the Game Table, showed a plan for improving Dragon/Dungeon content back to acceptable levels, and/or made another step to increase the quality (or lower the price), I'd likely jump back on board. Compendium, when it is correct, is useful enough to justify some cost all by itself. However, I have heard no whispers in the wind that make me think any of that will happen in the next month.
I expect when the next tool does drop we'll see a flood of re-submissions. Hopefully sooner rather than later.
Don't think so. I think it's more of the change in the editor and a change in direction toward more flavor/less crunch. But ... there hasn't been more flavor, there's just been less crunch.
If the page count has been more or less constant, but crunch has dropped so significantly, wouldn't something have to have increased? They're filling the pages with something.
I don't have an inherent problem with the number of game elements. I'm actually more concerned with the pages-of-player content bit, which has moved less... but the high in the last 3 months is still lower than the weirdly-low low of the previous several.
An editorial change is hard. People got used to the former style of the magazine, and most of the submissions were probably aimed at the old crunch-heavy yet ignorable content. Especially with the old "sends us crunch!!" submission guidelines.
It'll take a while for articles matching the new direction to be written and hit the magazine. The last time we had a content change they just cut-up articles into smaller segments. This time, that approach doesn't work.
Although, a new submission guide would probably be a good idea...
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If the page count has been more or less constant, but crunch has dropped so significantly, wouldn't something have to have increased? They're filling the pages with something.
Fiction, and previews of books due out later in the month, mostly. The number of pages of player content has dropped. The average for 382 through 387 was 66 pages of player content. From 388 to 390 it's 40. That's 20 pages, or 5 of the smaller articles.
"Nice assumptions. Completely wrong assumptions, but by jove if being incorrect stopped people from making idiotic statements, we wouldn't have modern internet subculture." Kerrus
Practical gameplay runs by neither RAW or RAI, but rather "A Compromise Between The Gist Of The Rule As I Recall Getting The Impression Of It That One Time I Read It And What Jerry Says He Remembers, Whatever, We'll Look It Up Later If Any Of Us Still Give A Damn." Erachima
