When is D&D Insider actually launching?

[Zulithe]

One statement I read on the forums made it clear that every application should be out, in some form, by year end.

Their plan is to roll out each product about a month or so apart, starting with the Compendium (which is already out, in uhh incomplete work-in-progress form)

The screenshots of the various apps look promising. I think WotC knows the kind of expectations people have and want the initial release to be pleasing to avoid all the bad press and negative user reactions. So hopefully they live up to the promises they've made this time.

Granted, it's a bit delayed. I'm especially disappointed since a year PRIOR to 4e launch they showed off demos that looked to be in a semi-working state, and here we are more than 13 months later, and still no release... I'm crossing my fingers.

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

The Core Rules 2 CD-ROM with the Expansion CD add-on was absolutely wonderful. Of course, right after they got the software right for 2E, they announced 3E.

IIRC, Core Rules 1 was a mess and CR2 wasn't really all that great until the expansion was released.

I'm a little fuzzy on those though.

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

Was there another software product besides Master Tools? Does Neverwinter Nights count?

NWN doesn't count because it had almost nothing to do with WOTC. It was developed by Bioware, and they are awesome.

So yeah...

Master Tools
eTools
Core Rules 1
Magic Online
their website
their attempt at entering the PDF market

...all colossal failures. If its software, WOTC doesn't have a clue.

 

[Dire Bare]

IIRC, Core Rules 1 was a mess and CR2 wasn't really all that great until the expansion was released.

I'm a little fuzzy on those though.

CR1 and CR2 was TSR. The expansion was WotC. Or more accurately, all versions of CR were done by Evermore Entertainment, but CR1 and CR2 was commisioned on TSR's watch, and the expansion on WotC's.

That leaves e-tools/Master Tools as the ONLY rpg "fiasco" by WotC. Everybody is upset and annoyed with the delays, but most people understand that game software RARELY is released upon the initially planned release date. Anyone who calls the optimistic "fools" is quite frankly the pessimistic fool IMHO.

 

[Dire Bare]

NWN doesn't count because it had almost nothing to do with WOTC. It was developed by Bioware, and they are awesome.

So yeah...

Master Tools
eTools
Core Rules 1
Magic Online
their website
their attempt at entering the PDF market

...all colossal failures. If its software, WOTC doesn't have a clue.

Magic Online is a "colossal failure"? WotC's initial foray (before any big rpg publisher) into PDF's was a "colossal failure"? You and I have very different definitions of "colossal" and "failure" my friend.

And their website has never sucked. It's never been amazing, but it's never sucked.

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

One statement I read on the forums made it clear that every application should be out, in some form, by year end.

One statement I read on the back of the core books made it clear that every application would be out on release day.



These days I don't believe a word they say about it.

 

[2WS-Steve]

Magic Online is a "colossal failure"? WotC's initial foray (before any big rpg publisher) into PDF's was a "colossal failure"? You and I have very different definitions of "colossal" and "failure" my friend.

I don't know about the colossal part -- but Magic Online 3 is certainly a failure for me. It went from being a game/interface I enjoyed and played in Magic Online 2, to something that's too annoying to use (and still missing key features).

And that example along with eTools seems to be the main evidence we have on which to base our expectations of future performance.

 

[Ashrem Bayle]

Magic Online is a "colossal failure"?

Admittedly I've never used it, but I've heard nothing but bad things.

WotC's initial foray (before any big rpg publisher) into PDF's was a "colossal failure"?

White Wolf was doing it before WOTC and was doing it with better prices. WOTC, until just recently, expected people to pay full cover price for PDFs.

There are more than a few threads that go over how ridiculous that is.

And their website has never sucked. It's never been amazing, but it's never sucked.

In my opinion, it sucks. It has sucked for years.
It's a cluttered and inconsistent mess.

 

[radferth]

This isn't really WotC's fault, per se, except that they chose to attempt it. For software of this scope, the odds of them getting it done on time, doing what they want it to do are next to nil. The odds of it every being ready the way they want it are not good, but possible. It's just the difficulty of creating software from the top down. I'd say: wait to see it before you pay anything. It may well be that they have to junk it because development becomes too expensive.

 

[Kzach]

And their website has never sucked. It's never been amazing, but it's never sucked.

I'm considering suing you for making me laugh so hard I hurt myself.