How big is the community?

[Verdauga]

How big is the community and how easy is it to get players/DMs?

I'm looking at the software and it looks great, but I don't want to buy into something if there aren't a lot of looking ppl out there. Sadly I do not have a gaming group already established.

[Lerithyn]

I'd say the community is pretty large and constantly active. At one point I was in 5 games at once. Truthfully, this has been a very good investment.

[Talen]

In addition to looking for games here, Four Ugly Monsters has a few OGT (Open Gaming Table) games running weekly that are essentially pick-up games that don't require a a formal committment. I'm running a Mutants and Masterminds game and there are a a few 3.5 games there as well.

[Dedeko]

I'm still a noob to the whole FG thing, but I have signed up for groups also using the calendar, and registered on the FUM (four ugly monster) forums to lurk and maybe post to join a game.

As long as you make a character and show up for an event/game you are set for a period of time for a D&D group.

[Verdauga]

Seems like FUM is a pretty active part of this, so reccomended to go there too?

[Lerithyn]

Seems like FUM is a pretty active part of this, so reccomended to go there too?

I never had a problem finding games solely through FG but if FUM is offering something to your liking, why not? :D

[BaldMike]

I was in the same spot when I was making a purchase decision. Took me about a week after purchase to get involved in a game that I have been a regular in ever since.

You will not regret your purchase. Also, re FUM, great group of people over there as well as more options for play using FG.

Buy the software and have some fun.

Mike

[longarms]

I'm looking for one more player in my campaign. www.pisian.com

Go buy FG :)

[BaldMike]

I'm looking for one more player in my campaign. www.pisian.com

Go buy FG :)

Verdauga,

I don't know longarms but I checked the website and some other links and it looks pretty good. If I were you, I'd jump on this opportunity before I do. :D Unfortunately, my wife would probably kill me if I did since I play on Sunday afternoons already...

Sounds like a real interesting campaign idea though longarms. Just curious, do you set up a time to roll up the characters with the player or do you use the honor method?

Mike

[Verdauga]

Oh BaldMike reminded me, is point buy common? Or do people usually roll for stats?

[longarms]

"Just curious, do you set up a time to roll up the characters with the player"

Yes, I do set up a time to roll up the characters with the player. Keeps everyone honest, plus its a good introduction session.

Verdauga - I would guess from my 1+ year here that point buy is probably more common here than the rollup method.

[Dedeko]

In theory you could ask the sales department how "big" the community is by how many sales they have made.

Of course, I wont lie, I have found this game in places that cause them to lose money

[BaldMike]

Of course, I wont lie, I have found this game in places that cause them to lose money

Maybe I'm a little dense, do you mean areas where people are getting it for free or some sort of bootleg type copy?

If so, that's a sad thing. Given the amount of enjoyment FG has enabled me to have, I would contend that the program is way too cheap. Then again, I'm long past the days of being a student scraping bucks together for munchies and the newest module.

Oh, on the question of roll vs. point buy I would say point buy seems to be the most common. Just my two coppers.

[Shadehawk]

Our former RPG group has become scattered all over Norway. We just recently picked up FG and, combined with Skype, it's almost as in the good ol' days when we sat clustered around the table! :) I can hearthly recomend it!

[heruca]

Yes, a high-end commercial video game does take more time, money, and personel to create than a program like FG, but your friend needs to consider that a video game may sell hundreds of thousands of copies. Something like FG probably only sells a few thousand copies (I'm guessing here). Selling less copies of something means you need to make a higher margin of profit per sale for the product to be commercially successful.

[Griogre]

When I went to work for a computer game company about 15 years ago you had to sell 20k copies to break even. By the time the company folded three years or so ago you had to sell 100k.

I would be shocked if FG has sold much more than a few thousand copies. Only Internet distribution gives them the chance to make some money at all and it can't be very much.

If you use the product and think it worthwhile, I would hope you would support the creator by buying a legit copy when possible. Software one of the few things where people think it is ok to take because you are poor. Most people would not steal a car if you couldn't afford one and its the same with a TV set or sterio. It shows people in the worst light really, because it really shows that people steal things when it is easy to.

[Snikle]

Not that I use torrents **cough**, but I saw FG on there about 3 months ago. I didn't say anything because I didn't want someone to come here and see that then decide not to purchase the software.
I think it is weird that a computer game in Poland costs 100zl, but FG costs 111zl and yet here in the states the PC game will easily sell for $50-60 and a full FG license costs $34...... Some sort of screwy currency math or something? You get stuck with a VAT because FG is a European product or something (not sure how that all works)?

Personally, I think FG is a bargain compared to how much I used to spend on RPG books and given the fact that is allows anyone to create modules, maps, etc and import them in for use in the game, and that I can play with friends in Cali, Washignton, Georgia, Ketucky, etc.....well you get the picture.

D&D PHB...$30
D&D DMG...$30
Playing any game online with anyone in the world....Priceless. ;)

[Dedeko]

i bought the game i said! I am very happy with it too, cause its not just "one" game its whatever you want to do/make, NWN toolset is the only other comparasion i can make

[Griogre]

I agree that NWN is really the only other piece of software like FG and only because of the editor it's ease of use. I don't think it is a co-encidence that they are both based off D&D which is traditionally an open ended game.

[Ged]

You get stuck with a VAT because FG is a European product or something (not sure how that all works)?
Actually at the moment this isn't the case but in contrary SmiteWorks absorbs the VAT from EU purchases :rv:, i.e. the price of Fantasy Grounds is the same for everyone (from another perspective EU citizens get the software for less and enjoy the extraordinary value of VAT :D). Obviously the purchasing power varies between individuals (of different countries).

[skybluerob]

Anyone who steals software should hang their heads in shame.

There is no excuse for it, if people think it is too expensive, then they shouldn't use it. It’s that simple.

I have purchased FG and it is an excellent investment. I have already spent many hours on it and will do in the future.

Being poor is not an excuse, it is an insulting statement. If people have a computer with an internet connection, they are not poor and it is a joke to think that they are.

We can’t make the decision on how expensive things should be and we can’t compare it to other software. I don't think FG is too expensive, in fact it is very reasonably priced. The lite version costs the equivalent of 5 pints of beer down the pub, or 2 packets of cigarettes (this is UK pricing).

I wouldn’t want to play this game with people that have stolen it.

Rob.

[DarkStar]

I think it is weird that a computer game in Poland costs 100zl, but FG costs 111zl and yet here in the states the PC game will easily sell for $50-60 and a full FG license costs $34...... Some sort of screwy currency math or something?
Rather different prices for the same thing in different regions. Just as Microsoft Windows has different prices in the US and here. ;) It's part of a publisher's policy. $60 would be somewhere around 200zl, almost no one would pay so much for a computer game. Mind you, earning $6/h is considered a bad job in the US, isn't it? Now, it's a very good pay in Poland... Exchanging currencies is not enough. :) There are many other factors involved.

For example Neverwinter Nights 2 Collector's Edition will cost 180zl ($57) in Poland, how about the USA? "Usual" version without the extras will cost 130zl ($41).

[richvalle]

I wouldn’t want to play this game with people that have stolen it.

Rob.

I had this thought too. It would be nice if the full version could somehow tell if a client version had been hacked or not. Then we could just boot them off after telling them to come back with a valid version.

Though I'm sure this would only work for a little while till someone hacked it in such a way that FG couldn't tell.

rv

[richvalle]

Did some quick math... Dividing the number of hours we've used FG by my $40 price I'm currently at .19 cents per hour and counting.

[heruca]

The lite version costs the equivalent of 5 pints of beer down the pub, or 2 packets of cigarettes (this is UK pricing).

Ouch, cigarettes are expensive in the UK! You can get 17 packs for that money in South America.

[Dedeko]

nwn 2 the dvd version will be 49.99 + tax for in me in US $$$ plus the $5 i put down to reserve the game on the 31st when it comes out. Naturally i got the dvd version.

I wish xfire would pick up FG and count the hours/days/months people play. Or even if xfire played nicer with FG would be nice so i dont have to alt tab to a massage when i recieve it

[skybluerob]

Ouch, cigarettes are expensive in the UK! You can get 17 packs for that money in South America.

Yes, the tax man is a big fan of them! :)

[skybluerob]

I had this thought too. It would be nice if the full version could somehow tell if a client version had been hacked or not. Then we could just boot them off after telling them to come back with a valid version.

Though I'm sure this would only work for a little while till someone hacked it in such a way that FG couldn't tell.

rv

Maybe if official forum names were given out so that only proper purchasers could access the guild house forum to arrange games. It wouldn't stop it but it would give us some idea of who was thieving.

[Snikle]

Did some quick math... Dividing the number of hours we've used FG by my $40 price I'm currently at .19 cents per hour and counting.

LOL Man I never thought of doing that. And I agree FG is well worth the money I spent to buy it, hell I would even BUY FGII if I had to do so to get the upgrade. Well worth the price of the product if you ask me. And kudos to SW for absorbing the VAT, never really understood that whole VAT thing.
As for 'reporting back to big brother' I am sure this would be claimed to be spyware by someone and would be seen in a negative light by many users, I wouldnt care. Perhaps if there was an option the GM could set that only authorized users could connect to their game, but that said, if someone wants to pirate the software, they will find a way no matter what precautions SW was to install in the system.

[LordTomar]

I had this thought too. It would be nice if the full version could somehow tell if a client version had been hacked or not. Then we could just boot them off after telling them to come back with a valid version.

Though I'm sure this would only work for a little while till someone hacked it in such a way that FG couldn't tell.

rv

Most likely the only way to do this, would be for a central server that has all of the product keys stored on. The clients would have to connect to this server to get verified.

Only problem with this is if the servers goes down for any reason (crash/maintainence,) then no one would be able to start up a game session until the server is back up. This would also mean that if for any reason SW discontinues its service for FG that the program would no longer be useable.

[DarkStar]

Aw, why did you delete my post? You should have edited it. Now this discussion seems to come from nowhere. :| And I did nothing wrong, I think I deserve an explanation at least...

[Oberoten]

Most likely the only way to do this, would be for a central server that has all of the product keys stored on. The clients would have to connect to this server to get verified.

Only problem with this is if the servers goes down for any reason (crash/maintainence,) then no one would be able to start up a game session until the server is back up. This would also mean that if for any reason SW discontinues its service for FG that the program would no longer be useable.

Also, this idea makes sure I can't run the program in a lan etc. Nope... Bad to the core. Lets rather keep it the way it is, with a open user community and devs that are helpful and friendly. (If a bit quiet at times)

And if someone comes here lets just GUILT the bastard into buying a license proper. Or maybe let us supply our key when downloading upgrades?

[LordTomar]

And if someone comes here lets just GUILT the bastard into buying a license proper. Or maybe let us supply our key when downloading upgrades?

That wont work because if someone downloaded the software and liscense off the net somewhere, then he'll just download the patches off the net too... or get someone who has a liscense to send him the patch.

[Oberoten]

It'd still be a better thing than crippling the program so you need to have a internet connection to run it. I for one would have about half the use for the program I have now.

But lets find a middle ground in this... Verifying the key at update. When you install the patches they call hom to check if the key is valid. Rather like Windows update does it. It is not entirely fail-safe since there is always leaks, but it'd be less hassle for the legit users which is really what per example Microsoft has forgotten...

Any program that has to call home whenever running falls in under spyware in my eyes and will be treated as such even if I have payed for it unless such was/is stated as part of it's functionality.