| Post/Author/DateTime | Post |
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| #1NyarlathotepFeb 24, 2009 9:59:09 | This morning I asked myself exactly WHY I am so irritated about the lack of the VTT etc. And the answer that I came up with is their evasiveness about it. If WOTC were to say "Yes, we are DEFINITELY still working on the game table and other apps, we just don't have a release date yet" I would be ecstatic. If they were to come out and say "All that other stuff isn't happening and what we have is what you are going to get. Sorry to get your hopes up. Our bad" I'd be disapointed but I would probably still keep my subscription because I amokay with what I have for the money I am currently paying. Plus my respect for them would go up several notches. But they do neither and THAT, I think, is where they cause a lot of acrimony towards them to be generated. Every time they address the issue they give a really evasive answer to the effect of "Ummmm...Hey, look at all the other good stuff we have. Can't talk about the rest now. Maybe in the future. Sorry. Bye." Which comes across as really evasive to me, it sounds like "HEY! LOOK! A MONKEY!" to me. The problem with being evasive is that people like me can't help but wonder what you are trying so hard to evade. And therein, ultimately, lies their problem. They really ought to say something unequivocal about the status of the other projects. Even if its bad news, I think it would calm things down and assuage some tempers. |
| #2alretheFeb 24, 2009 10:31:57 | Wizards is a company that wants to make money. So with that said a vast majority of liked companies will keep launch dates or even a status of a project secret until it’s ready. There are many reasons for this. One is so a competing product keeps guessing as to what features are really in this up and coming version. If you know your competition plans to have widget x and everybody starts talking about it. Then you quickly go to the dev team and say “Do the same thing but have it done two weeks sooner”. Wizards would lose their edge. Another reason which might be more the case. If they come out and say sorry we had to cut back on developers and all our time is currently focused on the character builder. So the Dungeon Designer will be delayed for a year. Then all the subscribers that are playing a monthly fee complain and quit the subscription. Resulting in less money to develop the current project which is the Character Builder. With less developers on hand because of the lack of subscribers the Character Builder slowly degrades. Causing more subscribers to get upset and quit. At some point the finance teams talk to the DDI project managers and say “Why are we doing this? It’s making us no money!”. And they cancel the DDI projects. Now I understand you said you would keep paying the subscription. Even if they said the other projects won’t see daylight for another year. But you’re in the minority. Most people don’t think like that. They’d quit paying for their subscription to DDI. So Wizards is doing what most companies do. Slowly release information and give a teaser to generate subscribers. Then hope that the subscriber rate maintains a nice level to pay for the development of new features/projects. This is how most MMO’s work. I’m happy with the character builder. Compared to the etools products this has great potential. So I’m paying a subscription in the hopes that enough people also pay to keep the development rolling. Which will in turn result in better DDI projects and more subscribers. Pay it forward but with cash. |
| #3thellarenFeb 24, 2009 10:32:18 | So, whether they tell you or not, you're going to keep paying for your subscription? Works for them... I'm not sure where all of the D&D fans got the idea that WoTC was a top-rated software publishing company. D&D software has always been hit-or-miss; some of their games and tools have been fantastic, some of them have stunk to high heaven. Remember the 2nd Edition Core Rules DVD? Came out about a month AFTER 3.0 came out. I think they sold about four copies. Remember the character builder that came packaged free with the 3.0 PHB? Yeah. People are complaining that they don't know, to the hour, exactly when the Character Builder will get its monthly update. Dude. Be glad it works at all. We're paying what, $15 a month, for Dungeon, and Dragon, and downloadable articles and content, and updates to the Character Builder, and the online tools... granted, it's not as much coolness and content as a subscription to World of Warcraft gets you for the same price (minus the $100 or so startup cost...), but then again, they probably don't have 11 million subscribers, either. They really ought to say something unequivocal about the status of the other projects. Even if its bad news, I think it would calm things down and assuage some tempers. Why, exactly? Who do they owe what and why? What do they stand to gain if they release confidential information like that? Some gamers won't stamp their feet and stalk away? |
| #4therealridikFeb 24, 2009 10:51:27 | Wizards is a company that wants to make money. Perfectly Said... |
| #5MockFeb 24, 2009 10:55:40 | I think the just genuinely don't know.* They're getting a combination of feedback, surveys, and (I'm sure) management directive that will dictate what gets done next. Because they don't appear to have more than a big-picture-only rollout plan, they can't make any positive statements on a) when anything will be finished, or b) whether some things are going to get backburnered or flat-out canceled. Couple with an embarrassing first pass on hitting their release dates, WotC is twice-shy. Why bother saying anything but "we don't know?" It's evasive and frustrating, sure, but it's probably honest. This software suite is way outside their "core competency"** and they (and we) get to experience exactly what that means. I don't like it at all, but it's not a hill worth dying on. * And if they do know bad news, they're probably not permitted to say anyway. ** BUZZWORD BINGO! |
| #6whitebaronFeb 24, 2009 10:56:59 | WOTC did a bad job communicating. however, what they did communicate, turned out pretty bad. that they are reconsidering handing out that much information is only natural. However, their conclusion is completely wrong. People don't get out their pitchforks for delays. They take that because of mis-communication, mostly. if WOTC does not want to make any exact date, this is reasonable. Up to certain points, at least. They did not even give an exact date 3 days before the CB was up. This, however, is unacceptable and shows they are pretty unsure of themselves. After that, there was only silence. Which is even more unacceptable. People like to know what's in the works, even if they never get updates on how much it is completed or when it will be ready. A Glimpse of hope is a lot compared to what WOTC offers of their tool-plans. This can be so easy: "We are currently working on the [XXX], and we do not know when it will be ready." Since they are not even stating that, they either are currently not working on anything else (most likely), or they want to cover up about something they'll change later on. --- oh, and @alrethe: although many companies will keep release dates a secret for a _long_ time, it's not like they'll do it until 1 month before the SW comes out. half a year is about standard for a date, precise street date maybe only 3 months, most of the time more than that. |
| #7celloshaneFeb 24, 2009 10:59:07 | Remember the 2nd Edition Core Rules DVD? Came out about a month AFTER 3.0 came out. I think they sold about four copies. Hehe, I bought one of those four copies. I thought it was for 3.0 at the time, and couldn't return it after the fact. I think it's still packed up in the belongings I haven't moved out of my mother's house yet. Anyway, I just wanted to state that I would be heavily swayed to subscribe if there was a clear outline of how they intend to improve and progress with DDI. As it is now, the whole project reeks of mismanagement. I stated in the website poll that until they can prove to me that DDI is being managed competently I will not bother investing. At this point in my life I don't want to put money into a project without a confirmation that it's going to develop into something that actually fulfills my needs. |
| #8itarakoturoFeb 24, 2009 11:41:44 | We're paying what, $15 a month, for Dungeon, and Dragon, and downloadable articles and content, and updates to the Character Builder, and the online tools... No, we're not. An Insider subscription costs $8 per month if bought for a single month, down to $5 per month if bought for an entire year. I'm not sure where you pulled your number out of. |
| #9PaulonFeb 24, 2009 11:55:48 | No, we're not. An Insider subscription costs $8 per month if bought for a single month, down to $5 per month if bought for an entire year. I'm not sure where you pulled your number out of. Probably from what the final DDi subscription cost was supposed to be on a per monthly basis. |
| #10whitebaronFeb 24, 2009 11:57:45 | hmm, the thread did not even survive first page on his initial topic: nya*something*othep was talking about WOTC not telling anything, and evading information. this is not about payment schemes or unlucky users who happen to not be able to use some stuff. it's sole purpose is to stress these 4 words: WE WANT MORE INFORMATION |
| #11therealridikFeb 24, 2009 12:05:58 | Well we where getting information, in fact we got it all the time. Those day's people complained that we didnt get enough information, not stopping to think that THIS will be the alternative. |
| #12whitebaronFeb 24, 2009 12:15:27 | Well we where getting information, in fact we got it all the time. where, pray tell, have you been getting those? on randys column? he was sacked due to giving out a hint of information. on bills column? they scrapped that due to no information. generally on the website? surely not. from the forums because wotc is a buzz of activity here? definitely not, as it seems the devs and programmers are all on a very short leash. |
| #13rjdafoeFeb 24, 2009 13:03:34 | The funny thing about all the communication thing is that they can fix it. They CHOOSE not too. Compare these 2 statements: "We are dedicated to making DDI a success and will expand the application offerings in the future. Announcements will be made at a later date." To: "We are dedicated to making DDI a success. The Dungeon Builder, Character Visualizer, and Game Table will be available at a later date, and will be announced as they become closer to being released." The first statement is basically what they are saying now. What applications? The original applications that we were promised or are you going to add more flash tool applications? What about the 3 applications that were promised? How come you can't name them? Why can't you name them in your statements? I will tell you why they cannot name them. They are being evaluated and a decision is going to be made on wether each one of those will be delivered or not. I am not saying they are not coming out, as they all very well might. But to me, the way they are saying things is in a way were they can promise "applications", just not specific applications. I am not sure why this is the case, but it is now. I remember before 4th edition came out. There was this talk of how they are changing their back end to be more modern. When they create a book, it will be like building the book froma database. That way, from the creation process, it is just a matter of taking elements and publishign them to either book form or online form. It looks to me that they never went there. It also looks to me that they are ina decision making mode about wether to keep these applications in development, wether to cut them all, or just some of them. |
| #14therealridikFeb 24, 2009 13:04:38 | My point was, yes we got information granted it was hardly anything, but atleast we got some information. |
| #15lordpaik_dupFeb 24, 2009 13:19:34 | This is one of the reasons I am so opposed to the entire D&DI package. They said they'd have the Char. Builder (at least) launched when the books came out, and we only got Open Beta what, a month ago? While I still am salivating over the Char. Visualizer, my desire for Dungeon Builder has been blunted by MapTool, which seems to me to be much more robust and versatile. Yes, WotC needs to pull their heads out of the sand and realize: 1) The economy's in a slump, you may have heard, and 2) D&DI may not be offering enough yet to keep people from ditching it to save cash. Even if they released a super-buggy beta of the next app, it'd be better than constantly avoiding a release date. But that raises a question: what's the next app? rjdafoe makes a good point; almost all evidence of what the said they'd release is gone. End of the day, the only app I want is the Char. Visualizer, and I'm sure lots of other people do too. As long as we get that, my stress and frustration will be worthwhile. |
| #16whitebaronFeb 25, 2009 2:34:53 | *takes out his drums* rephrase with me: WE WANT MORE INFOR-MATION! especially about the plans they have, not the schedules, exact features or anything - just what is in the works, or currently happening. they have at least 3 software devs(dm,mdonais,cort) working on compendium and CB. that's clear from their posts and such. but what about the rest? is there any rest? what is the next step? |
| #17deyvantiusFeb 26, 2009 15:01:23 | where, pray tell, have you been getting those? Do we really know what he was sacked for? |
| #18GMforPowergamersFeb 26, 2009 16:41:11 | Do we really know what he was sacked for? since it was a lay off....no reason...it was just cutting X number and he got unluckey... Also if you feel you want a statement on what else they are working on...they made several...it was just months ago...they at no time have recended the plan, nor have they said they had to drop anything... absence of evadiance isn't evadiance of absence...not knowing what they are doing should not be the same as thinking they are working on nothing... Based on what has been said I would not expect more info until the mid to end of March...maybe even begining of April (Lets not trust anything comeing out on the 1st though*) becuse they want to make sure to finish kicking the tires of the builder and the new compandium befor ethey move on...I bet around then we will be told a beta for the visulizer will come out within 60 days...then when it is out in beta, another 60 days till it comes out full...then up to another 60 days without any info well they shore up it...then on to the next... * If I were WotC I would relase an anouncment on 4/1/09 about cancling DDI and 4e in genaral to move on to makeing 3pp pathfinder books :D |
| #19deyvantiusFeb 26, 2009 20:59:38 | Visualizer will come out next because it should be the easiest thing by far to do, even though it will be somewhat worthless without the Game Table. |
| #20ScrotokFeb 26, 2009 22:09:24 | I agree with the original post... WotC needs to work on PR. |
| #21whitebaronFeb 27, 2009 3:03:22 | Based on what has been said I would not expect more info until the mid to end of March...maybe even begining of April (Lets not trust anything comeing out on the 1st though*) becuse they want to make sure to finish kicking the tires of the builder and the new compandium befor ethey move on...I bet around then we will be told a beta for the visulizer will come out within 60 days...then when it is out in beta, another 60 days till it comes out full...then up to another 60 days without any info well they shore up it...then on to the next... as it stands now, not even the devs seem to be sure about what is going on there. mdonais indicated as much in a post on another thread. also, your timetable might hold. this would mean another year till they even start on doing the dungeon builder, and a release date of about november for visualizer. but, lets do the important chant again: WE WANT MORE INFOR-MATION! ps@ deyv: most likely he was sacked for a lot of all-the-wrong reasons. (ddi not being as successful as they wanted, being delayed, him sitting on a job that could easily be downsized, etc.) |