Cloud subscriptions

[einhager]

Hello,

I've been following Realm Works since I heard about it after the Kickstarter campaign ended and I was reading the Sept. newsletter that LW is working on the Realm Works cloud server.

I was wondering if Realm Works will be able to access or be setup to access different cloud servers, either existing online cloud services like Dropbox, Box, etc that utilizes group (aka company) based cloud access (just an example) or personal ones that exist on local boxes not just LW's. Will there be a separate server-side setup for Realm Works to facilitate that kind of setup on local cloud servers that sits apart from the planned "subscription" base model that I saw being offered to early adopters on Kickstarter?

Are there any early details about the subscription levels and possibly estimated pricing for those levels?

[llothos]

For full functionality the answer would be no. But you can save the files to various cloud storage and depending on file structure it may be possible to have a "player" folder. But to have them go to a Web client and view player data the gm had revealed that will require team works cloud service. Sounds like pricing starts at free but I don't think they have indicated any specific pricing model yet or what each plan would include.

I'm looking forward to this product and depending on the pricing I would gladly pay $5-10/month if I can simply share with my players on their own devices via Web client.

[eponette]

Originally Posted by llothos

I'm looking forward to this product and depending on the pricing I would gladly pay $5-10/month if I can simply share with my players on their own devices via Web client.

Personally, I wouldn't... This is the new gold mines of software... Asking you to pay for having your data on the cloud. And at the end, without knowing it, you spend 50+ $ par month... and your data are spread on different servers. therefore I prefer to have all centralized (on a dropbox or similar). Cloud computing doesn't mean mist computing.

[llothos]

Originally Posted by eponette

Personally, I wouldn't... This is the new gold mines of software... Asking you to pay for having your data on the cloud. And at the end, without knowing it, you spend 50+ $ par month... and your data are spread on different servers. therefore I prefer to have all centralized (on a dropbox or similar). Cloud computing doesn't mean mist computing.

...i'm not sure how a monthly sub of $5-$10 would turn into $50??? But i do agree that monthly subs are pure profit for the company but it does of course cost something to maintain the servers though that they intend to run for this.

It's not the data storage that i'd be paying for it's the ability to link that data so my players can see that I'm interested in as well as being able to edit my campaign from a simple web interface. If that part is free then I'll likely not sub but I need to see what the various tiers offer before I determine anything.

Something like dropbox won't allow me to do that, sure I can backup my data and have it on my desktop and then open the campaign on my laptop for the gaming sessions but with the cloud service all integrated in that works too. (i'll likely save the files to my dropbox as well though) but really wonder how the editing when away from home (and all you have is web client) will work and how that will sync with your computers???

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...s/posts/400671

[eponette]

Originally Posted by llothos

...i'm not sure how a monthly sub of $5-$10 would turn into $50???

No, But 5 'cloud' subscriptions (Dropbox, Realm works, ...) would.

[Zaphod Beebledoc]

Originally Posted by einhager

I was wondering if Realm Works will be able to access or be setup to access different cloud servers, either existing online cloud services like Dropbox, Box, etc that utilizes group (aka company) based cloud access (just an example) or personal ones that exist on local boxes not just LW's. Will there be a separate server-side setup for Realm Works to facilitate that kind of setup on local cloud servers that sits apart from the planned "subscription" base model that I saw being offered to early adopters on Kickstarter?

I believe that Lone Wolf discourage use of cloud services because it will interfere with their own cloud service leading to potential data loss.

Originally Posted by einhager

Are there any early details about the subscription levels and possibly estimated pricing for those levels?

Not yet. I believe Lone Wolf are waiting to see what sort of data usage the Beta testers and the Early Access users have before they set charges/levels. Though of course this is my own understanding and you'd best wait for official confirmation of this.

Originally Posted by llothos

I'm looking forward to this product and depending on the pricing I would gladly pay $5-10/month if I can simply share with my players on their own devices via Web client.

Part of the aim of Realm Works is to be able to show what characters know, so the players will be able to view what their character knows online for free.

There will also be an option to download the Realm Works client and view the info on their own computer(s). As far as I know, this will not be free.

[lifer4700]

Originally Posted by llothos

For full functionality the answer would be no. But you can save the files to various cloud storage and depending on file structure it may be possible to have a "player" folder. But to have them go to a Web client and view player data the gm had revealed that will require team works cloud service. Sounds like pricing starts at free but I don't think they have indicated any specific pricing model yet or what each plan would include.

I'm looking forward to this product and depending on the pricing I would gladly pay $5-10/month if I can simply share with my players on their own devices via Web client.

Wait a minute...

If I understand you correctly, you are saying that Realm Works will REQUIRE me to host my files and server logic on a computer outside my home?

Why?

Security is the only answer I've heard so far, but honestly, I trust my own server's security more than anyone elses'. Playstation Network anyone?


Please tell me that I've misunderstood!

[pyremius]

The storage of the data is trivial. The part that's not trivial is the manipulation of that data - filtering the data so the user only sees what they are approved to see, syncing the data so that changes made on one system aren't overwritten by changes made on another system (unless they are supposed to), importing data purchased from other users, selling our own creations to be imported into other player's Realms (without sending them the parts of our data we're not selling), etc. That is all server-side code which represents what the cloud is doing for us. If it were only about storage I doubt they'd have bothered because the other services you list already do that - but it's really about how that stored data can be manipulated for us by their servers.

[Nikmal]

Why would you need 5 subscriptions??

[eponette]

Originally Posted by Nikmal

Why would you need 5 subscriptions??

Ok, I was not clear...

Let me start again. With this new technology (named 'cloud'), many software companies propose for a small fee (5 to 10 dollars, sometimes more) to host the data you create with their software (like Real works's cloud will host Realm Works data). If you use RW and nothing else, OK, you pay 5-10 $. But if you use many other software that propose the same thing (aka cloud), you end up paying 5-10 $ times the number of software you use. (i.e. one for RW, one for your cooking application, one for you car tuning application, ...)

That was my point (but not very important, just my 2 cents about the 'cloud' subject)