Unhappy about the VT Announcement.

Bagpuss · Nov 19, 2010

(cross-posted from Wizards boards)

Sorry but I'm not happy that yet again more resources are going to be wasted on a Virtual Table. Perhaps Wizards of the Coast have a really short memory, it's clear as a company they don't learn from their mistakes.

It was only April last year that the results of the D&DI survey were announced. Unfortunately those results appear to have since been removed from wizards site, but thanks to the power of the Internet I can quote them for you here.

D&D Insider recently conducted a large survey to both subscribers and non-subscribers to get more information on what new features and applications would best enhance the value of D&D Insider. Thank you for your feedback -- we received over 4,000 responses!
One message came across loud and clear – you want tools that will make it easier than ever to participate in and run ongoing D&D campaigns. We’ll call them Campaign Tools for now. Here’s what you said:

We asked subscribers how likely they would be to use various new features (they could choose more than one). Top responses included:

Tool to create and manage campaign info: 83% of subscribers

Tool to customize and print monsters: 82% of subscribers

Tool to customize and print pre-made adventures: 77% of subscribers

Tool to create character portraits: 69% of subscribers

Tool to play tabletop D&D over the Internet: 67% of subscribers

We asked non-subscribers what features would make them more likely to subscribe (again, they could choose more than one). Top responses included:

Tool to customize and print pre-made adventures: 56% of non-subscribers

Tool to customize and print monsters: 55% of non-subscribers

Tool to create and manage campaign info: 52% of non-subscribers

Tool to play tabletop D&D over the internet: 46% of non-subscribers

Tool to create character portraits: 41% of non-subscribers

Based on our analysis of the survey data and customer feedback, we have already begun work on applications for your campaigns. This includes monsters, encounters, maps and adventures.

As the applications progress we will bring you more detailed information about project specifics and timing. For now, we’re working hard to bring you what you want to enhance your 4th Edition game. To all of our current subscribers – thank you! We’re glad that you’re enjoying the benefits of Dragon and Dungeon magazines, theCharacter Builder, and the Compendium, and we’re excited to bring you this next application of D&D Insider as quickly as we can.

In response to that WotC_Trevor said...

I wanted to take a couple seconds to highlight the big points. This is the survey that we asked everyone to take a while ago concerning what you wanted to see from D&D Insider. Both subscribers and non-subscribers who took the survey had tools for managing campaigns, tools to customize and print monsters, and tools to customize and print premade adventures as their top three choices.

Based on that information plus the feedback we were recieving from all our other sources, we began working on applications for your campaigns. As the article states, "this includes monsters, encounters, maps, and adventures."

Now I know you want to know all the specific information about when the next tool is coming out and what exactly it will do, but we won't be releasing any of that information until we get closer to launching the application. We'll make sure to post up information in the articles and here in the forums whenever we have any new details to share, but I did want to make it clear that we are working right now to bring you these applications.

Thanks to everyone who took the survey for providing your feedback, and to all the D&D Insider subscribers!

They got as far as Monsters, and we got the Monster builder.... and eventually abandoned it in a half-working state. Now we've learned after doing that, they went back and redesigned the Character Builder (into a half-working state) so it could be online to protect their IP better. After that they've gone back to the VT, the VT that was 5th on the desires of subscribers and 4th on the wants of non-subscribers.

The only thing that has changed since that survey is that now there are multiple VT's available both for free and for one off payments, which have been getting better and better.

Where the heck is the encounter builder, map builder, and other campaign management tools they said they would focus on, because we said it was what we wanted?

Don't waste resources on the VT until you can actually get the stuff we want working.

davidthegnome · Nov 19, 2010

What I can't understand is why Wizards doesn't engage a third party or two for these tools. Several tools are out there, some of which are very good. If they had a deal with Wizards, or they simply bought the program from them, we could end up with an awesome tool.

Between Masterplan and Maptools or Klooge their work would essentially be done.

Keefe the Thief · Nov 19, 2010

I'm pretty sure they were working on the VT before that poll. They begin beta testing now because it'st that time in the development cycle. Did you expect that they immediately stop working on the VT once the poll results were in? They propably began to work on the campaing stuff, but that doesn't mean it will be the first tool to be finished.

Bagpuss · Nov 19, 2010

Before that poll they were working on the 3D VTT, which is clearly a different beast than this 2D VT they are now talking about.

Dice4Hire · Nov 19, 2010

Bagpuss said:
Don't waste resources on the VT until you can actually get the stuff we want working.

Frankly the differences in the percentages are not by an order or orders of magnitude. The VTT is something a lot of subscribers and potential subscribers want.

So are you saying WOTC should now drop what has been done on the VTT and go for other things, which may be far further from completion? If I did DDI or VTT playing, I would be pleased that this is coming down the pike and coming now instead of later..

Bagpuss · Nov 19, 2010

Dice4Hire said:
The VTT is something a lot of subscribers and potential subscribers want.

Well less than half of the potential subscribers, and home many of the ones that really wanted it have already invested in things like Fantasy Grounds, Maptools, D20 Pro and the like in the mean time?

Where as you are losing the subscribers you already had by not meeting their requests.

zoroaster100 · Nov 19, 2010

I was apprehensive about the news about the work on a Virtual Table. I would much rather that WOTC focus on improving the online character builder and monster builder (since they've chosen to go the online route) until those two tools are fully functional and satisfying to their customers.

ExploderWizard · Nov 19, 2010

My guess is this VTT is an attempt to distract people from the fact that we will probably not see another MB type tool (at least one that contains all official monsters with updates included with the DDI) I guess they realized that the old MB was a surefire way to shoot MM book sales in the foot.

I predict a future MB offering consisting of an online access tool with the monsters available for purchase in packages separately. The iconic staple "must have" monsters will be spread widely among the groups to ensure that all are purchased naturally.

renau1g · Nov 19, 2010

ExploderWizard said:
My guess is this VTT is an attempt to distract people from the fact that we will probably not see another MB type tool (at least one that contains all official monsters with updates included with the DDI) I guess they realized that the old MB was a surefire way to shoot MM book sales in the foot.

I predict a future MB offering consisting of an online access tool with the monsters available for purchase in packages separately. The iconic staple "must have" monsters will be spread widely among the groups to ensure that all are purchased naturally.

With the new MM's they've actually included useful/interesting fluff and that's how they'll still sell them. Just like any of the source books, the mechanics/crunch are nice, but if you see Monster X without a frame of reference it can be difficult.

jbear · Nov 19, 2010

Bagpuss said:
(cross-posted from Wizards boards)

Sorry but I'm not happy that yet again more resources are going to be wasted on a Virtual Table. Perhaps Wizards of the Coast have a really short memory, it's clear as a company they don't learn from their mistakes.

It was only April last year that the results of the D&DI survey were announced. Unfortunately those results appear to have since been removed from wizards site, but thanks to the power of the Internet I can quote them for you here.

In response to that WotC_Trevor said...

They got as far as Monsters, and we got the Monster builder.... and eventually abandoned it in a half-working state. Now we've learned after doing that, they went back and redesigned the Character Builder (into a half-working state) so it could be online to protect their IP better. After that they've gone back to the VT, the VT that was 5th on the desires of subscribers and 4th on the wants of non-subscribers.

The only thing that has changed since that survey is that now there are multiple VT's available both for free and for one off payments, which have been getting better and better.

Where the heck is the encounter builder, map builder, and other campaign management tools they said they would focus on, because we said it was what we wanted?

Don't waste resources on the VT until you can actually get the stuff we want working.

You are basing your ill feeling on the fact that they have announced this earlier than a campaign builder, but it seems like you assuming that they aren't working on that as well.
Which in short means you think he was
a) lying
b) mistaken
c) inept

I'm going to assume he was telling the truth. Which if you read between the lines means the following: If they said they were going to prioritise a Campaign Builder based on surveys but they announced a VT first, they are working on that as well seperately. The VT has reached a stage of development that in order to hammer out the bugs needs some rigourous testing, now seems like a good time to let the cat pout of the bag before we have no customers left to test it with.

It doesn't in anyway assume that the Campaign Builder isn't under production. It kind of hints that they may be announcing that soon too.

Just my take on things