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Down right Mad!!!

Q

Qkzap

New member
I am down right mad at the way the direction of Lone Wolf is going. I have been buying material for years now and have tried to spread the word about the system. This is going to stop. I refuse to use the pay to play type systems. Charging for the material, THEN....THEN....THEN have the audacity to charge to continue using the martial that I bought. Oh, it's just a little bit here and a little there. All I can say is they better make it available to original platform.

I will not make big threats. No, I will just stop my support and stop buying products. The game store I visit will know my feelings and the gaming conventions I go to as well.

I know I am only one, but there is bound to be more with the same feelings as I.
 
A thing to remember, before you really get a head of steam up here, is that HeroLab Classic still works just fine. All of the datasets that are currently available for it are still available. LoneWolf have stated no plans to stop developing content for HeroLab Classic and the game systems it supports. If you don't want to have a pay-to-play product, just don't buy it, and continue to use the excellent product(s) that you already have.

At present, the only thing that you won't get, if you don't subscribe to HLO, is Starfinder. We haven't been given any ETA for Pathfinder content in HLO that I know of, and your ability to use the Classic product hasn't been impacted ONE IOTA. If you prefer, you could simply ignore the fact that HLO has been created in the first place, and continue to enjoy your usage of the fine products you have already purchased, even telling others how excellent they are. Even when Pathfinder is released for HLO, they've said that content purchased on one platform will translate to the other, as long as that content has been produced for both. I suspect that it will take a while to get all of the HeroLab Classic Pathfinder content, along with the basics of the rule system itself, converted to a usable form in HLO because there's just so darned much of it (which is part of why we all love the product).

I'm also not thrilled by the ongoing subscription model, but they are planning an offline mode, and I somewhat suspect that we'll eventually see Starfinder content for HeroLab Classic (although I don't believe I've seen this as a specific promise from the company, so don't quote me on that).

While Lonewolf is asking for money for the product at this time, it's quite clear that it's still under heavy development, and I'm viewing my subscription as something akin to getting early beta access. The product really isn't ready for primetime, but I'm not letting that bother me. If it bothers you, you still have HeroLab Classic.
 
They've stated that Starfinder won't be offered at first, but have left the door open to the possibility later (without making any promises).

From the linked FAQ:

Q: Will Hero Lab Classic support Starfinder.
A: Starfinder is a unique system with various aspects that are much better suited to Hero Lab Online. Heck, that’s why we’re focusing on Starfinder first! Consequently, we will not be offering Starfinder in Hero Lab Classic, at least initially, as it wouldn’t be as powerful or enjoyable to use.
 
Qkzap said:
I am down right mad at the way the direction of Lone Wolf is going. I have been buying material for years now and have tried to spread the word about the system. This is going to stop. I refuse to use the pay to play type systems. Charging for the material, THEN....THEN....THEN have the audacity to charge to continue using the martial that I bought. Oh, it's just a little bit here and a little there. All I can say is they better make it available to original platform.

I will not make big threats. No, I will just stop my support and stop buying products. The game store I visit will know my feelings and the gaming conventions I go to as well.

I know I am only one, but there is bound to be more with the same feelings as I.
Click to expand...

$25 a year is dirt cheap. It's to keep there servers running. If you can't afford it then you probably should find a different hobby that isn't as expensive.
 
Qkzap said:
I am down right mad at the way the direction of Lone Wolf is going. I have been buying material for years now and have tried to spread the word about the system. This is going to stop. I refuse to use the pay to play type systems. Charging for the material, THEN....THEN....THEN have the audacity to charge to continue using the martial that I bought. Oh, it's just a little bit here and a little there. All I can say is they better make it available to original platform.

I will not make big threats. No, I will just stop my support and stop buying products. The game store I visit will know my feelings and the gaming conventions I go to as well.

I know I am only one, but there is bound to be more with the same feelings as I.
Click to expand...

There are other people, including myself, who would rather not see a subscription model like this. Lone Wolf knows that not everyone is going to be happy and that some people are going to leave. They also know that some people, including new customers, are going to be excited about the new features and functionality.

That being said, it's going to happen regardless. The harsh reality is that LWD has a financial bottom line. Every company does. They see this as the way forward.

As much as I don't like the change, I don't want to see them go under. So I hope this works out for them.

As far as making things available for the original platform, that's going to happen for games that are currently supported on the original platform. New game systems will not be added to the original platform, but any game that the original platform currently supports will continue to get new content.

And if you use both platforms, you only have to pay for that content once to have it available in both places.
 
$25 a year is nothing. I'll pay that for the benefits it will provide. The next day I'll probably blow twice that on junk food which won't give me anywhere near as much satisfaction or enjoyment.
 
daplunk said:
$25 a year is nothing. I'll pay that for the benefits it will provide. The next day I'll probably blow twice that on junk food which won't give me anywhere near as much satisfaction or enjoyment.
Click to expand...

This!

Plus $25/year is a very cheap subscription, I suspect it won't even pay for the costs of maintaining the servers to support this.

I also highly doubt that those who are against subscription services don't already have several of them, i.e. Netflix, cable/satellite, hulu, HBO, a music service, cell phone, etc.
 
Toblakai said:
This!

Plus $25/year is a very cheap subscription, I suspect it won't even pay for the costs of maintaining the servers to support this.

I also highly doubt that those who are against subscription services don't already have several of them, i.e. Netflix, cable/satellite, hulu, HBO, a music service, cell phone, etc.
Click to expand...

I have a cell phone and internet, because they're necessary for job hunting.

The rest is for food and shelter.
 
EightBitz said:
I have a cell phone and internet, because they're necessary for job hunting.

The rest is for food and shelter.
Click to expand...

Good luck on the job hunt, my company is in the process of being bought out so I may be in the same boat soon. Losing a job always sucks.
 
Toblakai said:
Good luck on the job hunt, my company is in the process of being bought out so I may be in the same boat soon. Losing a job always sucks.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I had a 2.5 hour technical interview last week, and that same company wants to schedule me for another round. They also have multiple openings, so it's not as competitive as other jobs I've interviewed for where they were just hiring one guy. It's not a sure thing by any means, but it's the most promising lead I've had so far.

Anyway, don't want to hijack this thread. I just wanted to offer a quick update as more than one person here has sent good wishes my way. And some have even given me leads and tips. Thank you.
 
Cost is a big factor when you truly add up in this world. As I said before the biggest thing that bugs me is I don't really own the copy of the material. I am renting with a initial down payment. If I don't pay the rent I don't get to take it with me when I leave. I even had an issue with World of Warcraft using this model...pay for a product that you have to only us online with $12.00/m fee.

Now I do have Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Internet Service, Cable, Cell phone, Rent, electricity, water, trash, misc others, and most importantly food for my family. So what is and extra $25 a year access? Another weight on the scale of bills that I have to determine if it's worth it.

The idea that it will not be enjoyable to use on classic is a cop-out answer. Upgrade the platform and/or develope a new one that we can use at home that doesn't cost use to use.
 
Comes down to a business decision and the case for or against the options.

1. Understand that your market share is not necessarily growing and that the market has shifted significantly to platforms you don't support. Assess how you can support the players that you are missing out on, understand the dynamic environment you work in and the limitations of your company and complete a business case on which type of customer will be better for your business. Based on your findings, implement the solution that will be better for your company in the long run.

VS 2.

Dont Rock the boat because a portion of your customer base don't like change and can't afford the subscription model.

LWD arent in this game for free. They are running a business and quite frankly... They need to decide it is it better for their business to support the needs of mass players or buckle to the wants and needs of a few.

Hero Lab users are a minitory. Sorry guys but it's true. There is a huge number of players out there using other products because they are simpler, easier on the eye and they work on the devices the players use. They have the most advanced product but they aren't appealing to the majority of potential customers.

I would have done the same thing.
 
If I had a Starfinder data package in Hero Lab Classic I'd be able to print out my character sheet for conventions because I don't have a tablet I can consistently get Wi-Fi on.

How soon can this be a reality?
 
Wageslave said:
If I had a Starfinder data package in Hero Lab Classic I'd be able to print out my character sheet for conventions because I don't have a tablet I can consistently get Wi-Fi on.

How soon can this be a reality?
Click to expand...
About 40 days ago. HLO has a print character sheet option. It works best in Chrome but that is not a LW issue its a Microsoft/Firefox issue to fix.
 
Attached is a sample character sheet from one of my players characters. I just used a free windows program called PrimoPDF to print to a PDF instead of a real printer.
 

Attachments

daplunk said:
$25 a year is nothing. I'll pay that for the benefits it will provide. The next day I'll probably blow twice that on junk food which won't give me anywhere near as much satisfaction or enjoyment.
Click to expand...

It's not going to be just 25 per year. You'll also be paying for expansions and upgrades and unlike classic, you're going to be paying it all FOR EACH SEAT. No secondary license deals here.
 
LazarX said:
It's not going to be just 25 per year. You'll also be paying for expansions and upgrades and unlike classic, you're going to be paying it all FOR EACH SEAT. No secondary license deals here.
Click to expand...
secondary license just let you use another pc though right? If that is the case, you have an unlimited seat license, its just 1 at a time since you can switch devices as necessary.
 
jlong05 said:
secondary license just let you use another pc though right? If that is the case, you have an unlimited seat license, its just 1 at a time since you can switch devices as necessary.
Click to expand...
It was mentioned for those that have multiple HLC licenses that in the future HLO will allow for multiple signons at the same time. This would allow a person to let "family" members in the same house use HLO at the same time.

I don't think we will see that feature until Pathfinder gets moved over to HLO though.
 
ShadowChemosh said:
It was mentioned for those that have multiple HLC licenses that in the future HLO will allow for multiple signons at the same time. This would allow a person to let "family" members in the same house use HLO at the same time.

I don't think we will see that feature until Pathfinder gets moved over to HLO though.
Click to expand...

This, and I agree. I forgot to mention that.
 
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