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People should try my strategy for a while -- go forget about the strip for a month or so, go do a bunch of other things, and when you make your way back to it, you're pleasantly surprised with a half-dozen new strips at once!
Works for me, anyways...
That's how I read Dr McNinja!
__________________ Psionics are too sci-fi, not like the traditional method of spell casting that has existed only in D&D, involves research, laboratory work, and formulas, and was cribbed directly from a series of science fiction novels. I mean, come on, calling forth the power to alter the world from your own center of will? That's not magical in the slightest! Not at all like my wizard's spell "Telepathy!"
I agree with Carmachu. I like OotS, I still read it. But it's gone down the crapper steadily the last year or so, and it's just not as good as it used to be. Compunded with that, the updates are terrible. The last few have been what? A week or so apart? So like Car said in his first post, another 3 weeks isn't much different from what's become the norm. So, whatever. Rich originally used the comic to just try and attract people to his website and/or entertain them, so they'd look at his work in game design, or so I've been told. Early on, I would surf around on his forums, read his rules updates, go the the site regularly. Now...why bother? The content is so infrequent, I might as well just look for the new oots threads here, click the link, and go back to whatever.
It'd be one thing is the long-awaited strips really were "masterpieces." By all means, I'd rather wait a few days for a great comic than get a regularly scheduled mediocre one. But lately they've been infrequent AND mediocre. And yes, I know he's got illnesses, and that's a shame. And yeah, I know it's free, I can't "demand" anything. But you should still be able to criticize free entertainment and products if they're lackluster.
Oh well, I think I'll go climb into my bunker now before the atomic bombs start launching.
My online gaming group, Torch of Spirit (Contains all information for the current game I'm co-DMing as well as lots of houserules I'm using or considering for the future. Feel free to check it out.)
It looks, to me, like a view of the northern portions of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms of the world of Azeroth (see also: WoW), though the presumptive ice sheets are a bit large and there is neither Northrend nor the Great Maelstrom.
Compunded with that, the updates are terrible. The last few have been what? A week or so apart?
Although he no longer releases m/w/f he still puts out nearly 3 full pages per week. (This was most obvious during parts of V's arc which had 1.5 page releases twice a week.) Sometimes this means he goes a whole week with nothing and then a single release has 3 pages. But if you actually do a page count the number of pages has not really diminished significantly since the m/w/f days.
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Rich originally used the comic to just try and attract people to his website and/or entertain them, so they'd look at his work in game design, or so I've been told. Early on, I would surf around on his forums, read his rules updates, go the the site regularly. Now...why bother? The content is so infrequent, I might as well just look for the new oots threads here, click the link, and go back to whatever.
This is perhaps something worth being disappointed in. But I'm sure Rich wishes he could do more updates and write more strips and write more gaming material but the chronic ailment he has apparently makes that an unlikely reality.
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It'd be one thing is the long-awaited strips really were "masterpieces." By all means, I'd rather wait a few days for a great comic than get a regularly scheduled mediocre one. But lately they've been infrequent AND mediocre. And yes, I know he's got illnesses, and that's a shame. And yeah, I know it's free, I can't "demand" anything. But you should still be able to criticize free entertainment and products if they're lackluster.
My only problem with criticizing specific strips "Oh, that one is just filler" or "why was there all that text?" is that from past performance he usually delivers a surprise in a future strip that relies on setup found in these "clunkers." So, even disappointing strips give me reason to look twice to see if there's some piece of subtext I'm missing.
Still, you can complain they are clunkers. And some of them are. He's only human. The difference between your post and car's though is you aren't raging and so you are not likely to receive vitriol in return.
Regardless, I can't understand rage about a webcomic not updating. Most webcomics just stop suddenly with no updates ever or turning in domain-catcher search pages and you're left wondering if the artists are even still alive. So infrequent updates are always better than the alternative.
__________________ Joe Mucchiello, Head Honcho at Throwing Dice Games
Priority One: Fatherhood.
Priority Two: Sanity.
Down on the list: seemingly real close to releasing a notebook essential. It's in layout! Has been for months now. (Just nod politely so I won't cry about this.)
"I've never heard of the term Flavor lawyer..." -- Scribble
People should try my strategy for a while -- go forget about the strip for a month or so, go do a bunch of other things, and when you make your way back to it, you're pleasantly surprised with a half-dozen new strips at once!
Works for me, anyways...
That's what I do. Except lately I keep forgetting how long it's been, so I come back to only 1 strip :P
Exactly. Rich never explicitly said he wasn't switching to Pathfinder!
__________________ All role playing advice is given without knowledge of you and your group. Only you and your group knows what is fun for you. What you are doing is not badwrongfun. My advice is offered based on what I think might be fun for you to try.
"Art is the demonstration that the ordinary is extraordinary." - Amedee Ozenfant, Foundations of Modern Art
"I already have a place where I can get little recognition for my accomplishments, advance at a very slow pace, and have to work hard to eke out minimum rewards for my efforts. It's called work." - toberane.
That's what I do. Except lately I keep forgetting how long it's been, so I come back to only 1 strip :P
Ha!
Please understand: I don't particularly care whether people love or detest the strip, or somewhere in between. It's cool either way. What's weird to me is the continuing frustration from folks who don't read it.
Normally there should be no sense of entitlement for updates of a free comic. The artist can plan to do a lot and then have things change (interest drop, illness, computer problems, life changes, etc.). Dissapointing but nothing really owed to any fans.
Rich, however, did promise to do three strips a week from then on if at least 2,000 people paid money to preorder his book. He used that as part of his marketing for the book, an inducement to get people to pay him. 2,000+ people did. He then went to posting three days a week . . . then not.
It was a foolish and impossible thing to offer. However he did offer it and 2,000+ people paid him money to take him up on his offer.
So PirateCat's suggestion to ask for money back may not be just snark at someone disappointed in getting something less for free than they wanted (though that may be how he intended it). There are 2,000+ people who took Rich up on his offer to pay him for three strips a week they are not now getting. They are contractually entitled to a sense of entitlement with OotS.
__________________ We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming. - Werner von Braun
Right now you have no idea how lucky you are that I am not a sociopath. - A sign seen above my desk.
Never confuse movement with action. - Ernest Hemingway
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