Pre-buy Question about 2.0

[janiv]

I've already a purchased a full licenese for FantasyGrounds to play around with and see if it would work for my group. I've liked what I've seen and the ability to create new rulesets and customizations via modifying the XML.

In learning to modify the ruleset, I've read a lot about 2.0. I was considering buying serveral lite licenses for my players but wanted to first know how the upgrade pricing of 2.0 would work (if there's any information available for that yet). Will 2.0 be given out as a free patch? Will there be a small upgrade free for each client? Or will we be required to purchase a new licenese at full price?

Also, does any sort of floating license exist? Meaning, the DM can buy the license and they stay with his client. Players can use the demo client and connect to a DM that has floating licenses and their demo will act as a lite license until they disconnect from the DM. This would allow a DM to shell out the cost for players but retain control of the licenses.

Thanks for the excellent product! The ability to create new rulesets is wonderful. I'm currently working on the XML for World of Warcraft and Faery's Tale (for personal use only, of course).

[Ged]

Will 2.0 be given out as a free patch? Will there be a small upgrade free for each client? Or will we be required to purchase a new licenese at full price?

Also, does any sort of floating license exist?
2.0 will be a free upgrade for old license holders :). And no, we do not have the option for floating licenses.

[janiv]

2.0 will be a free upgrade for old license holders :). And no, we do not have the option for floating licenses.Excellent! Thanks for the quick reply. More orders coming in shortly!

[cybernetic]

2.0 will be a free upgrade for old license holders :). And no, we do not have the option for floating licenses.

Hmm...thats too bad. Any plans of integrating something like this in the future? I'd be willing to pay full price for a Lite Licenses to add to my Full license in order to let non-FG owners in on my games.

(FYI, it seems like this is the only thing that other virtual table tops have over FG. FG rules in all other things though.)

[Jingo]

Or you could just be generous and buy your group the lite licenses. ;) That's what I did. If you buy things as a bundle pack, it's actually a pretty good deal.

[Snikle]

cybernetic has a point though, for example, the open gaming table over at FUM, if we could have floating licenses, we could run a game to complete noobs and once they say it, I am sure they would purchase at least a lite version. It could serve the purpose of pushing people stuck on the fence on purchasing, to dive right in and get a license.

[Oberoten]

*grins* Soooo... We'd get a "Full, Light" and a "Extremely Light" version that might work as a Demo when not connected to a Server with an extra "key"?

I think I like that idea... I think I like it a lot. That way my players could download the Demo and I could hold a single extra-key on my computer and I could demo the living daylights out of them with what is basically a light-version as long as they are connected and demo only when they are not.

It is a beautiful thought which would make it easier to show newcomers what the product can really DO.

[janiv]

I agree. I've been having a hard time getting members of my group to try it out and so haven't purchased any more keys yet. However, if I could buy floating licenses, they'd be more than willing to give it a go and more than likely buy a license after trying it out.

If they didn't like it, I'd still have a license I could try with another person to see if they would enjoy it more. I wouldn't be out the money I bought for the first person with a lite license that can only be used for that one system. I think it would really help the growth of Fantasy Grounds and make buying a license less of a hurdle to joining in on the fun.

[Ram Tyr]

I do not believe this would result in more people buying a license. People that won't buy a license after trying out the demo, won't buy it after playing on a floating license that they can keep playing on.

I believe this would result in the DM buying more licenses. I've always appreciated that FG doesn't make the DM pay the cost for the group's gaming unless the DM wants to. DMs do enough without further having to subsidize the players' habit.

I also like that players have to put up some cash, despite how minimal, because it ensures more buy in from each player. I've often touted this as a benefit. The group that I took the plunge with cited that as an explicit reason to buy FG. This is a benefit that we all currently reap, whether player or DM. The sociological / psychological usefulness of being able to understand human nature! :)

janiv, have you tried running the demo for your friends? Using the demo works wonders...

Later.
Ramza

[Snikle]

Perhaps, but I wasnt talking necessarily about an entire group that is looking for something and stumble upon FG as a group. Sure, a DM getting his players to spend the money is a great idea, gets them investing in the future gaming of the group. I was speaking more in terms of the person here and there that wanders upon the site, doesn't have a group and is looking for some game to join, he might teeter on the edge of purchasing without seeing it in action. That is something we are trying to promote over at FUM with the Open Game Table, to try to draw others into the games using FG.
Better yet, get an official FG game ran through Smiteworks where anyone can download some version of the game to join the 'demo' game and see if they like the program or not.

[Verdauga]

I'm in that "teeter on edge" point with this software. Seems really nice, but hard to tell without acutally playing. ALthough the main guy I'd use it with owns a Mac.....

[Griogre]

This is a Windows only application.

[Verdauga]

Yeah, i saw that, probably gonna wait until the next Mac release with Bootcamp, so he can run it anyways

[Natai]

I am creating a pen & paper RPG called Proteus. As a RPG designer/publisher, I believe that the current package deals offered are excellent. However, I would love to have the option of purchasing floating licenses, even if they were more expensive. This option would be particularly useful to me for two reasons. First, it would allow me to introduce players to Proteus by playing a game without requiring them to first purchase the game or the software. Secondly, it would allow me to work with playtesters over the internet without requiring them to purchase software they might never use outside of playtesting for me.