Multiple computer license

[EightBitz]

Originally Posted by MagicSN

Was there an official statement on the multiple login?

It of course would already help to have till then - as a workaround ? - a "You are already logged in on <name of the other one>. Do you want to logout the other instance?" Dialog (and if no it doesnt try to login).

There was a statement that was official in the context that it came from LWD. I don't recall if it was official in the context of being final. It may have been tentative. But so far as I know, we will be allowed as many logins as we have license keys.

[MagicSN]

Originally Posted by EightBitz

There was a statement that was official in the context that it came from LWD. I don't recall if it was official in the context of being final. It may have been tentative. But so far as I know, we will be allowed as many logins as we have license keys.

Sounds great for me! Hmmm, I wonder if the fact that in today's server maintenance ALSO the account servers go down might be a hint that good news await us? ;-)

[mithrandiryod]

Originally Posted by MagicSN

Sounds great for me! Hmmm, I wonder if the fact that in today's server maintenance ALSO the account servers go down might be a hint that good news await us? ;-)

Don't they do that every time since they're tied together?

[EightBitz]

Originally Posted by Toblakai

My point on this is that HL is a great product and LW deserves to get paid per user not per 5 users. I have seen plenty of forum and reddit posts that talk about a gaming group pooling money to buy 1 copy and 5 licenses and then share it. That is pirating and only allowing one login would eliminate that.

I understood your point. My point is that only allowing one login would also significantly reduce its utility for me and likely for many other users who have legitimate reasons to use multiple logins.

[MagicSN]

Ah hadnt noticed they go down also everytime, started
on PF2 just this week and was too lazy to check old threads

Anyways multiuser licenses are quite a normal
thing for good software and might be the thing to convince the whole
group to go for HLO

[Rone]

Originally Posted by MagicSN

Are there any news on this in the meanwhile? Thanks in advance!

We're working on a plan for multiple licenses, but you no longer have to authorize each device like you use to so you can log in to as many devices as you like.

[Toblakai]

Originally Posted by EightBitz

I understood your point. My point is that only allowing one login would also significantly reduce its utility for me and likely for many other users who have legitimate reasons to use multiple logins.

My main use case for multiple licenses was to be able to create characters/encounters on my desktop, GM on my laptop and play on my iPad. This use case still works with the single user model for HLO.

Secondary was to allow my son to use my second laptop to play.

Third was the occasional friend borrowing my ipad to play while I used my laptop. This friend has since bought a laptop (he already had HLC for his desktop) so this use case is no longer needed.

So my second use case is the one that this affects and if I have to buy a second Pathfinder license then I will.

[EightBitz]

Originally Posted by Toblakai

My main use case for multiple licenses was to be able to create characters/encounters on my desktop, GM on my laptop and play on my iPad. This use case still works with the single user model for HLO.

Secondary was to allow my son to use my second laptop to play.

Third was the occasional friend borrowing my ipad to play while I used my laptop. This friend has since bought a laptop (he already had HLC for his desktop) so this use case is no longer needed.

So my second use case is the one that this affects and if I have to buy a second Pathfinder license then I will.

I have hundreds of dollars invested in my current license, and I have neither the income nor the inclination to invest that much in a second license. And if I don't make an equal investment I can't share characters between the two accounts, and if I can't share characters between the two accounts, then why buy a second license?

Or, I'll have to fit the characters to the least, common denominator, in which case my investment in my first license becomes useless.

The math just doesn't work.

EDIT: If you have the expendable income to make a second license work for you, then I'm happy for you. Not everyone does.

[Toblakai]

Originally Posted by EightBitz

I have hundreds of dollars invested in my current license, and I have neither the income nor the inclination to invest that much in a second license. And if I don't make an equal investment I can't share characters between the two accounts, and if I can't share characters between the two accounts, then why buy a second license?

Or, I'll have to fit the characters to the least, common denominator, in which case my investment in my first license becomes useless.

The math just doesn't work.

EDIT: If you have the expendable income to make a second license work for you, then I'm happy for you. Not everyone does.

Your use case is fine for me, you own all the devices, they are used at your home. But how does LWD differentiate the person that owns 5 copies for personal use and those that buy 5 licenses and gives them to all their gaming buddies.

[EightBitz]

Originally Posted by Toblakai

Your use case is fine for me, you own all the devices, they are used at your home. But how does LWD differentiate the person that owns 5 copies for personal use and those that buy 5 licenses and gives them to all their gaming buddies.

That's the wrong question. The right question is "Acknowledging that there's a valid case to be made for multiple logins, how does LWD perform a meaningful risk/benefit analysis?"

I don't know. I do know that part of that equation is the understanding that with the groups who share a single account, how many of them would have purchased licenses for each member?

I don't know the answer to that either, but I am almost certain it's not 100%. It may even be, with some groups, that had they not been able to share a login, they would not have even purchased one account. It may be also be that otherwise legitimate users would forego purchasing should such a limitation be applied.

When I've sold others on HLC and RealmWorks, one of the main attractions was how non-draconian the DRM model was.

This isn't one, simple question with a simple, binary option. It's an issue of balance that merits careful consideration of multiple perspectives and various possibilities