Do locked episodes make you unsubscribe?

[AlkseeyaKC]

My experience when I come across this. I just get really confused. Like "OH HEY NEW PAGE OF AWESOME COMIC!!" Clicks..... "WHERE IS PAGE!!! I DON'T SEE IT! (T A T) Is this even where I left off?" o n o
So then I start to ignore the updates from that comic because the experience was so annoying. I never unsubscribe though. I'll just catch up read it some day when I have time.

But I agree they should notify people when a page is available to read. Ink Blazers use to do this so I know its possible.

[ratique]

This actually annoys me as a reader (just a little). Why? Because following a comic on their own site is a pain. I'd rather have locked episodes here on Tapastic so I can at least get notified.

What I like about it is that I am able to choose to go to the website, knowing that I will get to see an extra page – but if I don't, no worries, since it will be updated on tapastic eventually. That is how I read Shadowbinders for example. Their website is often a little further ahead, but their tapastic account will be updated a little later.

Hiding the extra material from the majority of your readers makes no sense to me, especially if it enriches one's understanding of your story/characters!

I was speaking in very loose terms. Of course important material that enriches a readers experience should not be held back from the general public.

Personally, I don't see any of the perks as an incentive to support. It's more of the creator's token of gratitude. The quality of the comic should be the biggest incentive by FAR: it's so good, you want to support the creator even if you don't care for any of the perks.

The quality - hopefully - is the biggest incentive for most supporters. However, perks like receiving sketches or unlocking episodes early for supporters are definitely tools meant to draw in more "paying customers". (Even if the comic creator does not plan on using those perks for that reason.)

Of course this does not work for everybody - for me it obviously has the opposite effect, and for you it does not matter since you are choosing to support for different reasons. But if there are people like us who don't care about early episodes, there must be people who love it and decide that this is the reason why they will start supporting a certain comic.

That is also the reason why I would not unsubscribe to a comic that uses the unlock feature. Every comic creator has the right to use everything he has available to draw in more supporters. But it does not change that it annoys me.

---

In the end it boils down to the changes that Tapastic has been talking about. If their updated notification system takes care of messages meant only for supporters, then I can't wait for it to be here.

Until then some people will continue to be annoyed by it and some others might choose to subscribe because of it.

[Dranif]

Locked episodes don't really bother me very much, so I don't unsub when I encounter one.

However, if I ever managed to get into the support program (which would certainly be way off in the far future, given that I don't meet the requirements yet) I wouldn't lock episodes. Because I'd feel like I'd have to work double, making content for both supporters and non-supporters, and I draw rather slowly.

[apurviance]

Non-subscribers getting notifications about locked episodes seems like a bug to me. Plus, I haven't seen any of those lately so either it's fixed or all the comics I follow have taken steps like @keii4ii does.

As a reader, I'm happy getting to the last episode and seeing the "become a supporter" option. Although I'd love to know right then and there if it would unlock the next episode.

[ErithEl]

I'm gonna be perfectly honest here, I have only unsubscribed from one comic, and it was because of this reason. The thing is, though, that creator seemed to ONLY upload locked episodes, making is feel like they were telling all their followers: Support me, or you don't get to see anything. Believe me, if I could support every comic here, I would but you know...rent and food are also important haha!

I think the way most people are doing it, now, is having the episode unlock in 3-5 days, which is perfectly fine with me. None of the other creators I follow who have the support program have made me feel like an unwanted reader (and not paying supporter), so I would not even think of unsubscribing to their comics!

[Kura]

I unlock the last episode at the same time I upload a new locked episode, that way even though readers can't read the latest upload there is still a new page for them to read.

I do however got a LOT of complaints for having locked episodes, and this is not so much from long time subscribers but NEW subscribers that just read through the series and have hit the end of what I currently have available and find that last locked page. (usually included with long guilt trip messages on how or why they do not have money) Though I'm honestly used to that at this point because it happened to me on inkblazers all the time as well, and that one was a LOT worse for locking stuff away from readers than Tapastic is.

[Iron]

I didn't have this problem on inkblazers at all (but the system was a tad different too), that's why it was a bit of a shock here...
Well, lesson learned

[Seth_Phoenix]

How do you unlock episodes on desktop? I want to read a comic but I've been given no option to wait for a free key and I'm not downloading a retarded app on my phone to struggle to read it on a tiny ass screen.

[ratique]

How do you unlock episodes on desktop?

Currently you can't. They are working on a desktop version but it is unclear when it will launch.

I'm not downloading a retarded app on my phone to struggle to read it on a tiny ass screen.

An in between solution: You download the app, unlock the episode and then read it on the desktop. As long as you use one account that should work.

[Seth_Phoenix]

I do suppose that works. Thank you for responding.

[YangKoete]

Quite easily.

Why post half of the work (Other than to get people to buy it out of interest) just to make it so that you get so many angrier than normal?

I find it just horribly annoying.

[kklekc718]

It depends on what kind of locked episode you mean.
Locked as in open next week, I'll stay.
Locked as in pay wall, I'll unsub.
I get that you want extra cash and all, but for a website that formally have the comics free to read, I feel cheated.
Like hey! I read three chapters of Sherlock, and it's super fresh! Annnd, paywall.
Oh! A nice romance Korean comic! Annnd paywall.
It limited my options, and I don't like that.
If you look at Crunchy Rolls, they have the shows easy to watch, with ads over it, unless you pay prenium that takes off ads. (PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DO NOT HAVE A REPEAT OF ONE COMERCIAL 80 TIMES IN ONE EPISODE!!!!!)

[Testaccount]

I don't mind supporting the comic artist if I'm really enjoying their work. I'll do the same for novels. However, I've found that most of the premium novels here are free on other websites or I can get the book from Amazon. Honestly, buying the book from Amazon is cheaper than spending coins on chapters.

[ratique]

I get that you want extra cash and all, but for a website that formally have the comics free to read, I feel cheated.

You still have the option of reading the comic basically free by watching ads and collecting coins. From what I hear, additional options of earning coins without paying will be added as well. So if you don't want to spend a few cents here and there, that's another option.

It limited my options, and I don't like that.

The comics in the premium section are added on top of the ones that are already on the site. It doesn't limit you, they are additional options.

If you look at Crunchy Rolls, they have the shows easy to watch, with ads over it, unless you pay prenium that takes off ads.

As mentioned above, this option is basically available. Watch ads, read comics for free. Pay money, don't watch ads.

However, I've found that most of the premium novels here are free on other websites or I can get the book from Amazon.

That's a good point. Maybe they will add more Tapas exclusive comics in the future.

[colonel_ressentiment]

I don't have a horse in this race, but now I'm paranoid - do "scheduled" updates notify subscribers when they're made, or when their scheduled post time happens? I usually schedule my weekly update a couple hours or a day in advance so I don't have to rush to meet my regular deadline, but now I'm worried that they might be alerting subscribers and annoying them.

[joannekwan]

No, subscribers get a notice only when the scheduled ep goes live.

[citybuilder]

How do you unsubscripted to a comic?

[Quinn_Li]

For me the issue with locked episodes is that I don't have the coins for it. I've had this problem for months now, that when ever I watch a video I never received the coins for it or even just not getting any ads available for weeks. I don't want to spend money on episodes (even if I badly want to) so I just either never read and hope for a free key to pop up or just unsubscribe.

P.S I did report the problem when it started happening and I heard other people were having problem so I thought it would be resolved as a whole. But as of now, my ads for coins don't work still don't work.

[ilustrariane]

not really, but i will think twice about looking on the next updates of that comic..

[Swamp]

Depends on the type of lock
Time Lock - Don't get at all annoyed. It's a way for the author to make money, but us broke fans still get the story. We just have to wait a bit longer for getting it for free. I can imagine it being more frustrating if I was in fandom and people were bad about spoilers though. (that said, I think I've accidentally unfollowed for this because I thought it was a permanent lock)
Locked Episodes - No judgement for cool extras I can't access, but I would probably stop reading if parts of the plot were missing.
Series Lock - When a series goes locked, I pretty much always unfollow. I support a few webcomic artists, but my money's stretched pretty thin, so I have to really pick and choose where to support. If I'm buying media, online or hardcopy, I pick something where I have a lot of trust in the author's work. Hopefully this won't always be true though.