Do you DDI?

[mudbunny]

Assuming such an announcement might hypothetically be made, you know, whenever such an announcement would be in the hypothetical pipeline...when might we hypothetically anticipate that hypothetical announcement be hypothetically announced?

In the next 2 weeks? The next month?

Hypothetically speaking, of course.

Counts.

Keeping in mind that things may change, and that I am not fully aware of things going on *inside* of WotC...

Soon.

 

[fanboy2000]

I've been an annual subscriber for awhile. I don't picture that changing soon. At first, I subscribed only for Dungeon and Dragon. When I got Windows for my Mac, I added the CB and MB to the list.

Throwing more programmers at a project going off the rails does not speed up delivery, see the Mythical Man Month

Reading that entry made me think two things: 1) Wizards needs to read it. And 2) I need to read and adapt it to what I do.

 

[joebobodo]

I let mine expire at the end of last month. The announcement of the online character builder has merely positively reinforced that decision.

 

[Riley]

I was an annual subscriber 'til a few weeks ago. I let it lapse because over the last many months, there just wasn't enough of what I'm interested in (longer adventures, longer fluff articles, and online/offline tools) to justify the price any more.

I'm hoping they'll change my mind, but I haven't felt any regret so far.

 

[Jack99]

WotC is still my favorite charity.


Surprise!

 

[Bagpuss]

So they are making even more than $3,000,000 a year from the DDI and they still can't afford enough programmers to make one new tool a year and keep up to date with the updates?

Throwing more programmers at a project going off the rails does not speed up delivery, see the Mythical Man Month

The thing is there isn't really one project there are several related projects, Character Builder, and updates for it; Monster Builder and updates for it; Campaign Tools, VTT, etc. etc.

There is only one team and they seem to have spent there time redesigning the wheel doing a new Character Builder to combat piracy.

They didn't have enough people to also work on the update so that fell behind, they didn't have enough people to also work on the Monster Builder, so that never got updated or beyond beta. They didn't have enough people to develop a campaign tool or encounter builder, etc. etc.

I'm not suggesting they throw even more people into rebuilding the Character Builder, I'm suggesting if they shouldn't be taking people of other projects to redesign the wheel.

 

[Stumblewyk]

Soon.

Curse you!

 

[Lord Ernie]

The thing is there isn't really one project there are several related projects, Character Builder, and updates for it; Monster Builder and updates for it; Campaign Tools, VTT, etc. etc.

There is only one team and they seem to have spent there time redesigning the wheel doing a new Character Builder to combat piracy.

I remember from one of Paolo's posts on the WotC forums that they'd previous split the team between update and new tool work, something they now no longer need to do.

Also, to say 'they made it to combat piracy' is disingenuous. It was a big reason, but as has been stated elsewhere, the old Character Builder was coming apart at the seams. As a software developer myself, my personal observation was that they were straining to put all the extra options into the old Character Builder design. Ergo: it needed to be redesigned either way.

As I remember from that same post, they have about 6-7 people on their development team, which should be adequate for development and testing work.

 

[Bagpuss]

I remember from one of Paolo's posts on the WotC forums that they'd previous split the team between update and new tool work, something they now no longer need to do.

I'm confused, do you mean they no longer need to do updates or they no longer need to produce new tools?

As it is they haven't produced new tools they have just redesigned an old one. Seems to me they still need to...

a) update the web-character builder (ongoing).
b) finish the web-character builder (just to get it somewhere near as useful as the old builder).
c) redesign the monster-builder to make it web-based (not what I want but obviously what wizards want).
d) update the monster-builder (ongoing).
e) work on new tools.

Also, to say 'they made it to combat piracy' is disingenuous.

Wasn't me that said that, WotC did in their podcast, pretty clear that was their main reason.

It was a big reason, but as has been stated elsewhere, the old Character Builder was coming apart at the seams. As a software developer myself, my personal observation was that they were straining to put all the extra options into the old Character Builder design. Ergo: it needed to be redesigned either way.

Guess we'll have to take their word for that, seems the Dark Sun update wouldn't be any more challenging than the spellshard stuff they all ready added. Fair enough a redesign might well have been needed for Essentials as that changes the basics of how characters work.

As I remember from that same post, they have about 6-7 people on their development team, which should be adequate for development and testing work.

Perhaps for one package, but they have three, and they can't even seem to manage those, they are also meant to be developing new tools.

 

[jonesy]

I don't play 4E regularly, so DDI doesn't have any value for me. But if I did, I'd probably subscribe.

Yes. I am thinking this would give a pretty high estimate of % subsribing.

You do know that if the poll isn't set to be public you can cheat it?

Peoples comments on the thread itself are the ones that matter. The numbers as they are are meaningless.