- The announcement of a revised GSL
- Valuable errata releases
- Quick response from the CSRs
- Introduction of WOTC employees to the community with a commitment to listening to feedback and doing something about it (despite the often hostile environment)
- Announcement of a tiered pricing plan for DDI, an adjustment of the pricing model based on feedback, and some clarification about where pricing goes from here
- Some arguably great material in Dragon and Dungeon delivered on a timely basis
- Introduction of bonus tools
- Roll-out (initial?) of the Compendium
- Treasure of Talon Pass
- Additional info about the rollout of the rest of DDI, the priorities, and the end of Gleemax to, in part, help speed that up
- Probably a few other things I'm missing
Sure, there's more to be seen. Yep, the devil will be in the details on many of these developments. Absolutely, I'm still slapping myself for buying the Character Sheets.
Yes, nothing is guaranteed and not all of the above efforts still make everyone happy.But I really think it's worth noting that since the chaos surrrounding the immediate release of the new edition, once there was plenty of time to digest all of the feedback (positive and negative), and in between behind the scenes issues and vacations and prep for GenCon, WOTC has truly shown a commitment to involving its customers and partners, and moving forward in a positive way. For that, I feel they should be applauded before they pack up and head to GenCon.
This is entirely different from Ye Olde Tymes when I used to play D&D, before the digital age, when Company released product and Customer bought it, and that was the end of the relationship. D&D feels very much like a living and growing thing right now and, although I would agree that there have been missteps, it would be disingenuous to say that they aren't making an effort. I would go as far to say an excellent effort and I think the game, the company, and the community are going to look equally brilliant by the turn of the year.
I'm a new customer to WOTC, and on the whole I'm a happy one. I wanted to thank WOTC for taking some substantial steps to erasing my doubts that surfaced in June. Please keep it up!
I'm sure the killjoys will roll in quickly to poo-poo my list and dissect it, insult the employees, forum leads or me as the OP, scream about how X is not Y, and generally turn this thread to rubble in the same way they do with every positive and constructive thread on these boards. It seems to be the new hobby for some who simply have nothing better to do with their time. Grievances are fine, but I respectfully ask those who fit this description to go create your own threads to air them. Again.
- Compiled reports sent to WotC, from the community's reactions to give them perspective of what the forums communities have to say, published in the DDI General forums presented by Gamer_Zer0.
But...
Jimi Hendrix must be playing in the corporate offices...... :D
and i will clap my hands bloody when visualizer, builder & gmaing table launch...
or at least let me play test...
... although I would agree that there have been missteps, it would be disingenuous to say that they aren't making an effort...
You had me at hello with this post! :D It looks to me like the WotC folks are working overtime to address the needs of their community.
I want to give special kudos for the material that's been showing up in Dragon. It's good material, and it's going a long way with my group (to demonstrate that many of the things that the group cared about really are coming back over time).
(FYI, I tried to put this up this earlier, but the server issues caused the post to be lost.)
/applause
and i will clap my hands bloody when visualizer, builder & gmaing table launch...
or at least let me play test...
As will I... they're not off the hook yet! But I have a lot more faith over the past few weeks that they truly are working their butts off on it.
While I'm no longer anticipating DDI due to reasons I won't go into here, I'm still having fun with 4th edition and I am enamored with their model of releasing a limited number of books per year.
Good show, WotC.
I totally agree that WOTC, while handling the DDI delay poorly at first has really made an apparent effort to listen to user feedback. Not Just for DDI, but the GSL, and 4E as a whole.
I also have to say that as a gamer who has not played D&D consistently since 2nd edition, but has always followed the game, I am glad to be a part of the hobby again, and find 4E a great system thus far with lots of potential for the future of the brand.
Kudos Wizards, I hope you guys take note of those of us that appreciate all of your hard work to deliver a great new addition of D&D.
In addition, the prompt errata was a good sign, and, if it continues, I'm sure that I will be purchasing more 4E products *Cough*Eberron*Cough*.
Anyway, I'm sure that you are all working hard to make the game the best you can, and my friends and I apprecate it. We haven't had this much fun playing DnD, since... well... ever!
Thank you for your hard work, and keep it up!
hmm...looks like one of 'em showed up...
I see that one did..... The marketing and failure to deliver are glaring mistakes in so much as the OP seems completely off base....unless you want to completely ignore Wotc and their performance to date.
The new edition aside....Wotc hasn't delivered what they promised on many fronts. And i hate the new trickle down system in place as far as new power sources/classes is concerned.
And please stop filling pages with huge fonts and even bigger artwork...this isn't a kindegarten primer you're printing for Gods sake....
I see that one did..... The marketing and failure to deliver are glaring mistakes in so much as the OP seems completely off base....unless you want to completely ignore Wotc and their performance to date.
The new edition aside....Wotc hasn't delivered what they promised on many fronts. And i hate the new trickle down system in place as far as new power sources/classes is concerned.
And please stop filling pages with huge fonts and even bigger artwork...this isn't a kindegarten primer you're printing for Gods sake....
Ok, I'm sorry but if you don't like how they make the books, you are not being forced to purchase them. No one is holding a gun to your head and saying, "Buy the book!" Sounds to me like your ****** cuz you didn't do the research before you bought the book online. I didn't either, necessarily, but I knew that no matter how many things I didn't like on an individual basis, the product as a whole was up to standard. I've enjoyed every minute I've spent playing the game as well as the minutes that I've spent pouring over the books (having looked each over multiple times by now).
I promise this isn't directed solely at you, I'm just tired of hearing all of the complaints that people have. It's a great product on the whole, so get over it.
Pssst - Ravenloft! :P
It's been a rough year for WotC with many missteps generating many hostile reactions. I am glad to see them taking corrective measures, wading through the chaos to "restore order to the republic". The 4e flame wars will die down eventually, the community will be restored, and 4e will get fleshed out. It just needs time, splatbooks, and a few rule sets revised (I'm not listing them here because it would derail the thread).
I will note that the FR fandom war is may be restarting though...
That's to be expected. The release of the book will add fuel and then it will die down, just as it did with the release of the 3 core books.
It's like this:
Off topic
Cycle of Reactionary Flame Wars over Change:
1- Announcement: total outrage and emotional outbursts.
2- The Wait: The slow release of new facts and information causes the flame wars to simmer down as each side gets disgusted and/or runs out of arguments. Die hards are still engaging in skirmishes, but mostly it's cold war.
3- The Release: War errupts again as a wave of new posters and i-told-you-sos from both side debate the official stuff by shouting past each others.
4- Post Release: The flaming simmers down again, untill the next announcement.
5- Go To 1.
Cycle of Reactionary Flame Wars over Change:
1- Announcement: total outrage and emotional outbursts.
2- The Wait: The slow release of new facts and information causes the flame wars to simmer down as each side gets disgusted and/or runs out of arguments. Die hards are still engaging in skirmishes, but mostly it's cold war.
3- The Release: War errupts again as a wave of new posters and i-told-you-sos from both side debate the official stuff by shouting past each others.
4- Post Release: The flaming simmers down again, untill the next announcement.
5- Go To 1.
Now all they need to do is realize that mythic rares will chase away more people than it will attract.
I actually don't mind what they do with MTG as long as it is fun...
?Being active about listening to its community is the best thing any company can do, and it definitely improves customer relations. I can't say enough good things about this fact alone, ATM.
(And for what it's worth, I don't think I ever doubted that the folks in Renton were working hard. Even though 4E is generally off to a great start, there's still a ton at stake that they seem determined to hold on to! Keep at it, guys and girls!)
The only thing they could improve is trying to get the game more mainstream, but that takes years of actual efforts so I don't expect anything soon. Endorsements from "cool celebrities" may help but I'm no marketing genius.
In any event, job well done so far, keep it up. Oh and 4e is great our group loves it, thanks.
WotC has always done the right moves in my eyes: M:TG 6th Edition rules; MTG 8th Edition card frame changes; 4th Edition paradigm shift. All three of these changes were unpopular to start with, but proved to be the right move in the long run.
Kudos to WotC for balancing respect of their customer with the realization that their customers have no
ing clue how games are designed or sold.I've loved D&D since the early 80s when I started out with a red box basic set and a crayon to shade in the nubers on the yellow, sharp-edged dice. I've played every edition. And- the key thing for me- regardless of which edition *I* like best, as a tool for getting new people to play, and attracting players who aren't rules crunchers, 4E has proven easily the most successful version. My gaming group had collapsed, and is now resurrected with new and enthusiastic players made up of friends who had previously been uninterested in playing a "complicated" game. And we're loving it!
And DDI content is very enjoyable- if the upward trajectory continues I will be very pleased to subscribe. Good work guys!
Don't forget
Compiled reports sent to WotC, from the community's reactions to give them perspective of what the forums communities have to say, published in the DDI General forums presented by Gamer_Zer0.
Well there went my praise for WotC out the door with Mike.Who would have ever thought GZ leaving would be in some way a bad thing for WotC and the forums?
I still see the forums offline more than they're up (being in an Australian time zone probably doesn't help that) and I'm still bitter there's no officially supported character generator (how many months after eTools wasn't renewed?)...
Anyway, I won't applaud yet, but your post actually tells me things that give me a little bit of hope again.
Thanks too to those who've made good on mechascorpio's list.
So maybe I just haven't been around long enough to see a lot of the problems others are having, but so far, I'm very impressed with WotC and they've certainly made me one of their sources of revenue in the coming months.
Over the past few weeks, we've seen (in no particular order):
- The announcement of a revised GSL
- Valuable errata releases
- Quick response from the CSRs
- Introduction of WOTC employees to the community with a commitment to listening to feedback and doing something about it (despite the often hostile environment)
- Announcement of a tiered pricing plan for DDI, an adjustment of the pricing model based on feedback, and some clarification about where pricing goes from here
- Some arguably great material in Dragon and Dungeon delivered on a timely basis
- Introduction of bonus tools
- Roll-out (initial?) of the Compendium
- Treasure of Talon Pass
- Additional info about the rollout of the rest of DDI, the priorities, and the end of Gleemax to, in part, help speed that up
- Probably a few other things I'm missing
As someone who has tried, but does not yet care for 4e (I'm leaving myself open to the future possibility that I will like it), I thought I'd chime in here.
(1) Changes to the GSL: it's way too soon to applaud WotC for this. We don't even know what the changes are going to be as they haven't been kind enough to tell us. So, at this point, I think we should all look at this item with hopeful optimism, but until we see the changes, we can't really celebrate them.
(2) Release of errata: they shouldn't be applauded for sending out corrections to mistakes. Mistakes happen (so I'm not being critical for that, because it happens in all game systems), but really, issuing errata is something they *should* do, so again, I don't think this is something that merits applause.
(3) Tiered pricing plan for DDI: I don't mind paying for the DDI. I think, if I were a 4e player, I'd pay for it. Again, too soon to say if the money is worth it as what I consider to be the most valuable piece (game table) isn't up yet, but I think the tiered pricing is indeed worthy of applause. Good move on WotC's part.
(4) Release of free tools: I think the encounter generator is pretty cool, actually, and the fact that it's free is even better. Good job to WotC for that.
(5) Compenidum: very cool feature, and seems to work well. Grats again.
(6) Gleemax, etc: They should be flogged for even considering Gleemax in the first place. If ending that means they can really focus on the missing DDI features, good for them, but really, they shouldn't even be in this position. Bad business decision on their part to even do Gleemax. BTW, I saw the demos for the character creation tool and the character visualizer at Gen Con - VERY nice. Once they get up and running, they might even help convince me to switch to 4e.
Based on everything I've experienced related to 4e, I'd give WotC a grade of C. Things are satisfactory, but there's plenty of room for improvement. They shouldn't be rewarded for doing the minimum - they should be rewarded when they achieve excellence, and while they have done some things exceptionally well, as a whole, they are just meeting expectations. Maybe they didn't count on the reaction they got from a pretty vocal part of the DnD community; maybe they really thought the DDI stuff would be done on time (but given WotC's track record with electronic products, they should have known better). Who knows? WotC is a good company, and I support them (I buy tons of their products and for good reason - they are generally solid and provide me with months of entertainment). But, in relation to 4e, they really have not done more than the minium, and that is just disappointing to me. I'm sure they'll come through in the end (I hope they do); it's just that, at this point in time, they have a lot of work to do to convince me they can get the job done.