Steve Geddes |
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Here:
http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/news/dragonplus
Not sure what to think.
Looks like a sensible part of their strategy - unfortunately the whole 'multiple platforms' approach is really not my thing. Fingers crossed there's a dungeon+ on the way (though as usual, I'm disappointed it's electronic).
My first thought is continued puzzlement that WotC seem to think springing surprises is a good way to market stuff. I'm a casual browser of the wizards' website at best - the more lead-in time they give me, the more likely I am to be ready to buy something. When I see a product release like this, especially if it's come out a month prior, I feel like I've missed the boat and have no real interest in getting it.
Adjule |
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Well, Steve, it says it is free on iOS (and soon Android), so there's no purchase. Of course, that's for the app. Seeing it electronic only sucks, and the only Android device (I have no ipad or such) is my tiny little phone that makes looking at things other than text messages annoying.
I would much prefer a reboot of Dragon (and Dungeon) magazines, in print form.
Steve Geddes |
Well, Steve, it says it is free on iOS (and soon Android), so there's no purchase. Of course, that's for the app. Seeing it electronic only sucks, and the only Android device (I have no ipad or such) is my tiny little phone that makes looking at things other than text messages annoying.
I would much prefer a reboot of Dragon (and Dungeon) magazines, in print form.
Fair enough on the free thing - my purchase-phobia is irrelevant then (though I'm still puzzled at the "Surprise!" approach they take).
For my part, I'm happy enough with Print-On-Demand (which seems to be an economically viable thing nowadays). I dont mind having to jump through some hoops to get things printed.
Forever Slayer |
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This is pretty good for a free e-magazine.
Granted, there's a lot of marketing. Nonetheless, it's hard to go past free and there's some very nice artwork. It says it offers in app purchases, though I couldn't find any yet. Maybe there'll be some pay-to-view material in later issues?
Im not a fan of the micro transaction route. I would rather pay a monthly fee and get everything in good quality.
Bluenose |
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Well, Steve, it says it is free on iOS (and soon Android), so there's no purchase. Of course, that's for the app. Seeing it electronic only sucks, and the only Android device (I have no ipad or such) is my tiny little phone that makes looking at things other than text messages annoying.
I would much prefer a reboot of Dragon (and Dungeon) magazines, in print form.
There are several ways to run iOS/Android and other apps on your PC. If you find the PC satisfactory for reading on you should be able to use that rather than a phone. Arc-Welder for Chrome, though it's still a beta, is what I use.
As for print, we keep getting told that print magazines are dying and can't stay in business. Though seeing the number of hobby magazines that manage to stick around, I can only assume the tabletop RPG market is extremely small indeed considering what other hobbies support multiple magazines.
R_Chance |
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Additionally (to ios and Android) there are plans for a PC / Windows version as well. Should be made simpler by Windows 10. It will apparently be dead simple for developers to port their code to Windows 10 from ios or Android. And anything that runs on Win 10 will run across the whole spectrum of Windows devices from phones to tablets to PCs. Good thing, I'm not a fan of reading on tiny screens...
The news on apps came out of Microsoft's Build developers conference btw. The long term plan for a Windows / PC version is from WotC.
Steve Geddes |
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Steve Geddes wrote:Im not a fan of the micro transaction route. I would rather pay a monthly fee and get everything in good quality.This is pretty good for a free e-magazine.
Granted, there's a lot of marketing. Nonetheless, it's hard to go past free and there's some very nice artwork. It says it offers in app purchases, though I couldn't find any yet. Maybe there'll be some pay-to-view material in later issues?
As I say, I'm only speculating. Everything in this issue seems accessible for free.
I think it's nicely done (albeit about half of it is marketing/promotion - even those bits are interesting).
Lorathorn |
Forever Slayer wrote:Here:
http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/news/dragonplus
Not sure what to think.
Looks like a sensible part of their strategy - unfortunately the whole 'multiple platforms' approach is really not my thing. Fingers crossed there's a dungeon+ on the way (though as usual, I'm disappointed it's electronic).
My first thought is continued puzzlement that WotC seem to think springing surprises is a good way to market stuff. I'm a casual browser of the wizards' website at best - the more lead-in time they give me, the more likely I am to be ready to buy something. When I see a product release like this, especially if it's come out a month prior, I feel like I've missed the boat and have no real interest in getting it.
If they are trying to make us hungry for content, then they are succeeding. If they are trying to get us to search for that content ravenously, I believe their goal has been achieved. I suppose that we are being appropriated as news hubs.
Kthulhu |
Forever Slayer wrote:Steve Geddes wrote:Im not a fan of the micro transaction route. I would rather pay a monthly fee and get everything in good quality.This is pretty good for a free e-magazine.
Granted, there's a lot of marketing. Nonetheless, it's hard to go past free and there's some very nice artwork. It says it offers in app purchases, though I couldn't find any yet. Maybe there'll be some pay-to-view material in later issues?
As I say, I'm only speculating. Everything in this issue seems accessible for free.
I think it's nicely done (albeit about half of it is marketing/promotion - even those bits are interesting).
Given that there is a subscribe option, I'd wager the in-app purchase refers to that. If its like other e-magazines I have seen, it'l be punctuated with the occasional free issue.
LazarX |
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Well, Steve, it says it is free on iOS (and soon Android), so there's no purchase. Of course, that's for the app. Seeing it electronic only sucks, and the only Android device (I have no ipad or such) is my tiny little phone that makes looking at things other than text messages annoying.
I would much prefer a reboot of Dragon (and Dungeon) magazines, in print form.
There's no money in paper magazine for a niche market. I'm switching all of my paper subscriptions to digital so I don't have to deal with disposal.
Enevhar Aldarion |
Steve Geddes wrote:Given that there is a subscribe option, I'd wager the in-app purchase refers to that. If its like other e-magazines I have seen, it'l be punctuated with the occasional free issue.Forever Slayer wrote:Steve Geddes wrote:Im not a fan of the micro transaction route. I would rather pay a monthly fee and get everything in good quality.This is pretty good for a free e-magazine.
Granted, there's a lot of marketing. Nonetheless, it's hard to go past free and there's some very nice artwork. It says it offers in app purchases, though I couldn't find any yet. Maybe there'll be some pay-to-view material in later issues?
As I say, I'm only speculating. Everything in this issue seems accessible for free.
I think it's nicely done (albeit about half of it is marketing/promotion - even those bits are interesting).
That is just the way Newsstand works. It requires you to buy each issue for $0.00, so it is a microtransaction that costs no money to do.
Steve Geddes |
Steve Geddes wrote:Given that there is a subscribe option, I'd wager the in-app purchase refers to that. If its like other e-magazines I have seen, it'l be punctuated with the occasional free issue.Forever Slayer wrote:Steve Geddes wrote:Im not a fan of the micro transaction route. I would rather pay a monthly fee and get everything in good quality.This is pretty good for a free e-magazine.
Granted, there's a lot of marketing. Nonetheless, it's hard to go past free and there's some very nice artwork. It says it offers in app purchases, though I couldn't find any yet. Maybe there'll be some pay-to-view material in later issues?
As I say, I'm only speculating. Everything in this issue seems accessible for free.
I think it's nicely done (albeit about half of it is marketing/promotion - even those bits are interesting).
I subscribed, but it didn't cost anything. I wonder if they have to count it as an "in app purchase" even though it's free.
Didn't they cop some flak for giving people a U2 song they didn't ask for a while back? Wouldn't surprise me if they have to tell you when you're signing up for new stuff - regardless of price.
LazarX |
Didn't they cop some flak for giving people a U2 song they didn't ask for a while back? Wouldn't surprise me if they have to tell you when you're signing up for new stuff - regardless of price.
That was Apple who had bought distribution rights to a U2 album. In order to snag a Guiness record for music downloads, it had been set to auto-download on all IOS devices.
Kthulhu |
Didn't they cop some flak for giving people a U2 song they didn't ask for a while back? Wouldn't surprise me if they have to tell you when you're signing up for new stuff - regardless of price.
Yeah, the big difference is that there was absolutely NO decision making power in regards to the U2 song. You have to at least show an interest in the Dragon+ app to see the issue. The U2 song downloaded to everyone's iTunes account, automatically. No notification either. I didn't even realize it was on my computer until I read about it. Opened up iTunes, and there it was.
Steve Geddes |
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It's probably on mine, somewhere. :)
What I meant is that I wonder if they now require you to advise "in app purchases", even if it's free. As I say - I subscribed and there was no mention of a cost.
Perhaps, being more cynical, there's going to be a period of no cost so people get in the habit of checking it and then they'll introduce a nominal charge per issue "to meet costs we've been covering up until now".
LazarX |
It's probably on mine, somewhere. :)
What I meant is that I wonder if they now require you to advise "in app purchases", even if it's free. As I say - I subscribed and there was no mention of a cost.
Perhaps, being more cynical, there's going to be a period of no cost so people get in the habit of checking it and then they'll introduce a nominal charge per issue "to meet costs we've been covering up until now".
Most likely this is essentially a new way to subscribe to Dragon material.
Forever Slayer |
It's probably on mine, somewhere. :)
What I meant is that I wonder if they now require you to advise "in app purchases", even if it's free. As I say - I subscribed and there was no mention of a cost.
Perhaps, being more cynical, there's going to be a period of no cost so people get in the habit of checking it and then they'll introduce a nominal charge per issue "to meet costs we've been covering up until now".
I would say that the subscribe option means you will receive the mags which you will then have to pay a fee to get full access to each issue.
Steve Geddes |
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We'll see. It would surprise me if that's the case but they arent obliged to say so anywhere. Then again, as I whinged about above, Wizards seem to think it's clever marketting to announce things on the day they happen.
Anyhow, regardless of whether it's information one wants, it's hard to deny it's very high quality for a fee e-magazine. I really liked the snippets of game material (no crunch and more flavor is ideal for my tastes). And I didnt mind the behind-the-scenes stuff which wasnt about computers... :/
R_Chance |
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Steve Geddes wrote:
It's probably on mine, somewhere. :)What I meant is that I wonder if they now require you to advise "in app purchases", even if it's free. As I say - I subscribed and there was no mention of a cost.
Perhaps, being more cynical, there's going to be a period of no cost so people get in the habit of checking it and then they'll introduce a nominal charge per issue "to meet costs we've been covering up until now".
I would say that the subscribe option means you will receive the mags which you will then have to pay a fee to get full access to each issue.
According to them: "Dragon+ is indeed free, and our plan is to keep it that way... Yes, the content will be free but there are ads that point to our products and partner products."
So, you get free content and advertisement for other D&D related material that does cost.
The quote is off an article on EN World about Dragon+. From WotC.
Forever Slayer |
Forever Slayer wrote:
Steve Geddes wrote:
It's probably on mine, somewhere. :)What I meant is that I wonder if they now require you to advise "in app purchases", even if it's free. As I say - I subscribed and there was no mention of a cost.
Perhaps, being more cynical, there's going to be a period of no cost so people get in the habit of checking it and then they'll introduce a nominal charge per issue "to meet costs we've been covering up until now".
I would say that the subscribe option means you will receive the mags which you will then have to pay a fee to get full access to each issue.
According to them: "Dragon+ is indeed free, and our plan is to keep it that way... Yes, the content will be free but there are ads that point to our products and partner products."
So, you get free content and advertisement for other D&D related material that does cost.
The quote is off an article on EN World about Dragon+. From WotC.
I don't see why they couldn't just resurrect the old mag format and charge a monthly fee.
I believe the free stuff is going to be limited.
Steve Geddes |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Forever Slayer wrote:
Steve Geddes wrote:
It's probably on mine, somewhere. :)What I meant is that I wonder if they now require you to advise "in app purchases", even if it's free. As I say - I subscribed and there was no mention of a cost.
Perhaps, being more cynical, there's going to be a period of no cost so people get in the habit of checking it and then they'll introduce a nominal charge per issue "to meet costs we've been covering up until now".
I would say that the subscribe option means you will receive the mags which you will then have to pay a fee to get full access to each issue.
According to them: "Dragon+ is indeed free, and our plan is to keep it that way... Yes, the content will be free but there are ads that point to our products and partner products."
So, you get free content and advertisement for other D&D related material that does cost.
The quote is off an article on EN World about Dragon+. From WotC.
Ah, cheers. Well fingers crossed the ads aren't too annoying.
I did like the way they were basically quarantined in their own articles for this issue, at least - so I could skip the ads for stuff I have no interest in, but look into the ones I do. (I didn't know a spell deck was planned for the elemental evil spells, for example).
thejeff |
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R_Chance wrote:So, you get free content and advertisement for other D&D related material that does cost.So like any other magazine. Except free. And electronic.
You know, I'm pretty sure Dragon has always had ads. Even with that company with the golem logo was publishing it.
And, at least for the moment, only on the Iphone (or other I devices)
I can't comment on it because I can't read it.
You're giving it away for free. Put it up on the web where I can get at it.
R_Chance |
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Kthulhu wrote:
R_Chance wrote:
So, you get free content and advertisement for other D&D related material that does cost.
So like any other magazine. Except free. And electronic.
You know, I'm pretty sure Dragon has always had ads. Even with that company with the golem logo was publishing it.
And, at least for the moment, only on the Iphone (or other I devices)
I can't comment on it because I can't read it.
You're giving it away for free. Put it up on the web where I can get at it.
It's up for ios now, soon for Android with PC coming later. Based on information about Win 10 it should be a simple port to it. Once you have the application it's dead simple to get the magazine. Just subscribe for free and you're good to go. There are a number of emulators that allow you to run Android apps on a Win PC for that matter (i.e. Bluestacks). I have an ASUS tablet I should update and dust off for that matter. I find phone screens too small for a good read.
thejeff |
thejeff wrote:It's up for ios now, soon for Android with PC coming later. Based on information about Win 10 it should be a simple port to it. Once you have the application it's dead simple to get the magazine. Just subscribe for free and you're good to go. There are a number of emulators that allow you to run Android apps on a Win PC for that matter (i.e. Bluestacks). I have an ASUS tablet I should update and dust off for that matter. I find phone screens too small for a good read.
Kthulhu wrote:
R_Chance wrote:
So, you get free content and advertisement for other D&D related material that does cost.
So like any other magazine. Except free. And electronic.
You know, I'm pretty sure Dragon has always had ads. Even with that company with the golem logo was publishing it.
And, at least for the moment, only on the Iphone (or other I devices)
I can't comment on it because I can't read it.
You're giving it away for free. Put it up on the web where I can get at it.
So the PC version will be a Windows 10 specific application? Why? There are plenty of generic ereader type formats.
R_Chance |
So the PC version will be a Windows 10 specific application? Why? There are plenty of generic ereader type formats.
No, they were looking at doing a Win PC port before the Build Conference made it obvious that porting Android apps would be about as simple as the developer clicking a button and recompiling the code. They haven't specifically mentioned which version of Windows they were considering outside of mentioning the PC. Given the free upgrade from Win 7 and 8.1 to 10 (and the good reviews on Win 10 RC / preview) I'd imagine a lot of people will upgrade in any event. I skipped win 8 myself, but am planning on upgrading to Win 10.
*edit* And apparently just as easy for ios mobile apps to be ported to Win 10. I hadn't considered that (since I don't have any ios devices) but I thought I remembered it being so for ios and it is. Nice.
thejeff |
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thejeff wrote:
So the PC version will be a Windows 10 specific application? Why? There are plenty of generic ereader type formats.
No, they were looking at doing a Win PC port before the Build Conference made it obvious that porting Android apps would be about as simple as the developer clicking a button and recompiling the code. They haven't specifically mentioned which version of Windows they were considering outside of mentioning the PC. Given the free upgrade from Win 7 and 8.1 to 10 (and the good reviews on Win 10 RC / preview) I'd imagine a lot of people will upgrade in any event. I skipped win 8 myself, but am planning on upgrading to Win 10.
*edit* And apparently just as easy for ios mobile apps to be ported to Win 10. I hadn't considered that (since I don't have any ios devices) but I thought I remembered it being so for ios and it is. Nice.
I'm running Linux. And Win7 at work.
I might be able to get it to run under wine, but I probably won't bother just to check it out.When it would have been cheaper and easier to make it in some ebook format that anything can work with.
LazarX |
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I don't see why they couldn't just resurrect the old mag format and charge a monthly fee.I believe the free stuff is going to be limited.
Ask the folks at Kobold Quest why they shut down their own magazine. And they'll tell you... for a market as small as gaming, you can't make your costs any more. Heck many folks here on this venue aren't willing to pay money for access to material they can get for free elsewhere.
LazarX |
Steve Geddes wrote:Didn't they cop some flak for giving people a U2 song they didn't ask for a while back? Wouldn't surprise me if they have to tell you when you're signing up for new stuff - regardless of price.Yeah, the big difference is that there was absolutely NO decision making power in regards to the U2 song. You have to at least show an interest in the Dragon+ app to see the issue. The U2 song downloaded to everyone's iTunes account, automatically. No notification either. I didn't even realize it was on my computer until I read about it. Opened up iTunes, and there it was.
It wasn't on mine, but then again I had turned off all auto-download options.
R_Chance |
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I'm running Linux. And Win7 at work.
I might be able to get it to run under wine, but I probably won't bother just to check it out.When it would have been cheaper and easier to make it in some ebook format that anything can work with.
I haven't run Linux since before Win 7 myself. I skipped 8 / 8.1. Win 10 is looking very good however...
I think they are trying to reach as wide an audience as possible with Dragon+. They are starting with an app aimed at phones / tablets (ios or android). They are, apparently, planning on expanding to PC and Mac. They wanted to minimize their format issues (hence an app to present the content and make "subscriptions" possible. The subscription relieves people of the minimal effort required to otherwise find / download each issue. It ensures the maximum audience for Dragon+. Given that it is free, and essentially ad supported, they want to maximize their audience. The ads are essentially targeted at their audience as it is...
LazarX |
I haven't run Linux since before Win 7 myself. I skipped 8 / 8.1. Win 10 is looking very good however...
Unless you're trying to get brownie points with the Slashdot crowd, or get some use out of a computer that's a bit long in the tooth to run current Mac/Windows OS. there isn't a real compelling reason to run Linux as anything other than a dedicated server implementation such as a Plex media station for example.
Steve Geddes |
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Application instead of proper pdf/e-reader file to read? Meh. What the hell is with that obsession with turning to apps for things to read instead of just reading them? Not everyone want to crap his computer with tons of unwanted programs.
I don't really understand this stuff, but it shows up in an app called "newsstand" which I'm pretty sure was always there. As far as I know, I didn't have to add a program or anything (and now I'm subscribed, I presume a new issue will just download for me every couple of months).
thejeff |
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R_Chance wrote:Unless you're trying to get brownie points with the Slashdot crowd, or get some use out of a computer that's a bit long in the tooth to run current Mac/Windows OS. there isn't a real compelling reason to run Linux as anything other than a dedicated server implementation such as a Plex media station for example.
I haven't run Linux since before Win 7 myself. I skipped 8 / 8.1. Win 10 is looking very good however...
Well, I guess I'll just stop now that you've set me straight. :)
I like it. It does nearly everything I need, except for a few silly proprietary things like this. It frustrates me less than Windows does.
LazarX |
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LazarX wrote:R_Chance wrote:Unless you're trying to get brownie points with the Slashdot crowd, or get some use out of a computer that's a bit long in the tooth to run current Mac/Windows OS. there isn't a real compelling reason to run Linux as anything other than a dedicated server implementation such as a Plex media station for example.
I haven't run Linux since before Win 7 myself. I skipped 8 / 8.1. Win 10 is looking very good however...Well, I guess I'll just stop now that you've set me straight. :)
I like it. It does nearly everything I need, except for a few silly proprietary things like this. It frustrates me less than Windows does.
I've always found gaming to be more headache than it's worth on Linux. Fortunately most of the games I want to play run on Mac OS.
thejeff |
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thejeff wrote:I've always found gaming to be more headache than it's worth on Linux. Fortunately most of the games I want to play run on Mac OS.LazarX wrote:R_Chance wrote:Unless you're trying to get brownie points with the Slashdot crowd, or get some use out of a computer that's a bit long in the tooth to run current Mac/Windows OS. there isn't a real compelling reason to run Linux as anything other than a dedicated server implementation such as a Plex media station for example.
I haven't run Linux since before Win 7 myself. I skipped 8 / 8.1. Win 10 is looking very good however...Well, I guess I'll just stop now that you've set me straight. :)
I like it. It does nearly everything I need, except for a few silly proprietary things like this. It frustrates me less than Windows does.
Definitely some truth to that. Saves me from wasting even more time than I already do. :)
goldomark |
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Application instead of proper pdf/e-reader file to read? Meh. What the hell is with that obsession with turning to apps for things to read instead of just reading them? Not everyone want to crap his computer with tons of unwanted programs.
Data mining. With apps they can't get a lot of personal info on users and do market research.
Lorathorn |
houser2112 |
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Unless you're trying to get brownie points with the Slashdot crowd, or get some use out of a computer that's a bit long in the tooth to run current Mac/Windows OS. there isn't a real compelling reason to run Linux as anything other than a dedicated server implementation such as a Plex media station for example.
I can think of at lea$t one very real compelling rea$on to run Linux in$stead of Mac/Window$ O$.
R_Chance |
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LazarX wrote:I can think of at lea$t one very real compelling rea$on to run Linux in$stead of Mac/Window$ O$.
Unless you're trying to get brownie points with the Slashdot crowd, or get some use out of a computer that's a bit long in the tooth to run current Mac/Windows OS. there isn't a real compelling reason to run Linux as anything other than a dedicated server implementation such as a Plex media station for example.
Depends on how much your time is worth. I used to build my own rigs too, but my last couple of gaming laptops (including the one I'm typing this on) have been Sager (or before that Alienware desktops). I don't know the current status of Linux, but it used to take a lot of putzing around with it. Or a dual boot. And then you find yourself spending most of your time in Windows. I know they were trying to reduce the amount of annoying that went with Linux. It was fun when I had the time though...