Ultimate License Question

[CaptainToast]

(Hopefully this is the right place to post this.) I have been surfing around and have not been able to find the exact explicit answer to this question:

1.) If I purchase a lifetime ultimate license and the FGU server that authenticates the license goes down (for example, if fantasy grounds as a company grenades), will I be able to run games with demo FGU users on my own server?

2.) An extension of that is, if I am able to run it on my own server, will I have access to modules that I purchase such as the PHB or MM?

I like the FGU platform, but find it VERY difficult to justify tossing a few hundred dollars towards a license to content that I can not independently access.

Thank you so much if you could clarify this, it will give me some peace of mind before I invest.

[Ram Tyr]

On nomenclature, consumers have a choice between a subscription or a one time purchase when buying either a standard or ultimate Fantasy Grounds Unity license. I mention just to avoid people asking where can I buy a lifetime license. Obviously, if one is available somewhere feel free to link it.

Folks can review this thread on this question... What happens if FG goes away. (OP dated September 27, 2018 and continues through at least August 20, 2019.)

SmiteWorks may want to add this question to the FAQ. So there will be an easy answer to "how can I play FG if a massive asteroid strikes the earth and cripples our infrastructure?"

[LordEntrails]

1) Yes*. As it functions today the Ultimate license does 'phone home' to authenticate when free users join a game, but the CEO of SmiteWorks has stated that if they are ever going to go out of business, they will remove that check before they do so. (See thread Ram Tyr linked)

2) Yes, because FGU is always run from your own computer. Everything you own is downloaded to your computer, so if SmiteWorks goes away, all your content is still on your computer and you can access it. This confusion is often based on the "Cloud" option that FGU has and misunderstanding what this means. The Cloud option with FGU is a cloud brokered connection, where your players connect to you through a brokering service hosted by SmiteWorks, but your computer still is the server. If that brokering server goes away, you can still do direct connect "LAN" connections.

Finally, I would point out that FG is the most long lived commercial VTT there is and has been around since ~2004. Decades longer than most of the other commercial VTTs you hear about. Its one of the reasons I chose FG 7 years ago. Except for Rll20, most of the other commercial VTTs that were available then are gone or inactive. And now, most of the other commercial VTTs have only been around for a few years. Longevity is important to me, and the fact that all of the custom content I create for FG is stored in XML files on my computer is another factor in my decision to use FG. It means I will always be able to access, convert, and re-use all of my custom creations as long as I have access to my own backups.

If longevity is important to you, I strongly feel FG is far and away the most secure choice.

[JohnD]

CaptainToast it is likely most answers you get here will indicate that FG is a solid value for cost proposition/purchase. This is my opinion and has been for a long time (as per my join date).

Personally I am invested in FG for a non-trivial amount of money over the years, and with one or two exceptions, I consider every purchase I've made to be solid value for the money spent. The last time I did the calculation, even with the significant $ purchases I've made, my personal cost/hour of FG use is still under $0.45/hour... and I have quite a lot in my library.

Your other questions have already ably been addressed in the posts above mine. Should you still be unconvinced, know that SmiteWorks has a 30-day no questions asked money back guarantee on not only the software license, but all the DLC purchased from the FG website store (purchases from Steam or elsewhere have different policies).

[CaptainToast]

Just the answers I was looking for. Thank you!!