4e Launch minus fanfare

[malraux]

Any word on when the GSL gets listed?

 

[mcrow]

I guess I'm a bit confused by what people expected.

We all knew DDI wasn't going live on launch. Did people want a parade? Maybe a world wide tour?

I was plenty excited to get in line at my FLGS lastnight at midnight to grab my new books are run out of the store squeeling like a school girl.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

I guess I'm a bit confused by what people expected.

We all knew DDI wasn't going live on launch. Did people want a parade? Maybe a world wide tour?

I was plenty excited to get in line at my FLGS lastnight at midnight to grab my new books are run out of the store squeeling like a school girl.

but only a couple of weeks ago they announced the character visualizer and the database would release on time.

 

[Festivus]

I'm not surprised that DDI isn't completed on Launch Day. I am suprised that it is so far behind that they couldn't launch any part of it on Launch Day. I'm hoping that they are building the various components in a very loosely coupled fashion, so new components can be added and existing components can be upgraded without requiring major changes in the other existing components. If that is the case, they should be able to release components as they are completed. If none of the components are in a launch-ready state, then the delay will probably be measured in months, not days. They didn't even manage to get a printable character sheet posted for launch day.

Well, the compendium feature was working last night (isn't now). I used it to do a couple searches, but it only referred you to the books for the answers.

I suspect that they will bring things online tomorrow, not everything but a few things. I agree with PC and the others, get it right -- not buggy -- or you will suffer the stigma of bad code from the get go.

 

[chriton227]

I guess I'm a bit confused by what people expected.

We all knew DDI wasn't going live on launch. Did people want a parade? Maybe a world wide tour?

I was plenty excited to get in line at my FLGS lastnight at midnight to grab my new books are run out of the store squeeling like a school girl.

Well, given that I've heard they have big ads in the back of the core books telling people to go to www.dndinsider.com for a free 10 day trial, I was hoping there would be something to try. Advertising something that isn't available can be a big turn-off for some people. Sort of like seeing an ad for an awesome car on TV, the ad tells you to test drive one at your local dealer, you go to the dealership and they tell you "Sorry, we don't have any, they haven't actually shipped any of them, I have no clue when we'll get one". That would guarantee my loss of interest in the car, and likely in the brand. To me it is just shy of false advertising or bait-and-switch tactics, telling people something is available when it isn't.

 

[morgul97]

Amazon.com is showing a backorder right now on the Core Rules Gift Set. Won't have any in stock until first part of July. I checked last night and it said June 20th, so they've pushed it back even further. Demand must either be HUGE or they simply didn't package enough of the gift sets.

 

[catsclaw227]

And to think that I canceled my three individual books to get the gift set for a few dollars less.

My says it is in shipping, so I hope it actually gets shipped out on time.

 

[Propagandroid]

Hey, to be fair, Dungeon 155 is here!

Oh, wait...it's just the table of contents? I guess it's not here? But, it says it's here! But it's not.

Look, DDI isn't a separate entity, it has been sold as part of 4e from the beginning, and we were specifically told that the compendium for each book would be available on release day.

Frankly, how is one supposed to trust their ability to update multiple times per week when they can't, after three years, even get something up on launch day, when presumably hundreds of thousands of people will be seeing ads for DDI all over their core books?

Or when they say something's there when it's not?

We knew DDI was delayed? Really? Where does it say that on the DDI site? All I see is a message saying they've been hard at work for months with nothing to show for it. It's not about whether or not the site is stable or buggy, it's the fact that they've had years to develop it and they have NOTHING on launch day. Not a single thing. Sure, I want a bug-free site, but that doesn't mean there isn't a legitimate disappointment at their inability to offer that, and a reasonable skepticism that they'll ever deliver anything worth paying for.

 

[Serensius]

I'm soooo disappointed. 4e launch is today and where is all the pomp and circumstance? All we got on the D&D site is a bunch of preview links for DDI and a coming soon. I thought today was supposed to be the soon part. You know, today, June 6th, 2008. The official release date of D&D 4e. The thing we've all been enamored with all these long months.

(sigh)

Agreed! Everyone's focusing on the failed DDI content, but what about the release date announcement? I expected some grand "4e is out!" banner or something like that, or at least a Feature saying something about the release. Are they waiting until tomorrow (the Game Day)?

 

[mcrow]

but only a couple of weeks ago they announced the character visualizer and the database would release on time.

I must have missed that release.