D&D 4E 4E tidbits from WotC blogs (Updated:David Noonan on Social Interactions)

[Mark]

For those interested in D&D Insider info, Didier Monin has a blog post up.

It is also important to highlight the fact that the game table can be used for any RPG purpose. It will be particularly well suited to 4th Edition, of course, but not restricted to it.

I wonder if that will be in the TOS or just a general policy early on. I cannot imagine, if the demand for server time is high, not restricting this to their primary game system at some stage.

 

[Glyfair]

I wonder if that will be in the TOS or just a general policy early on. I cannot imagine, if the demand for server time is high, not restricting this to their primary game system at some stage.

I can't imagine tracking who is using which system is going to be easy or worthwhile.

 

[Mark]

I can't imagine tracking who is using which system is going to be easy or worthwhile.

I can only imagine they will have a mechanism in place to not only track what system is being used but also how it is used, rules being skipped ("no one grapples!"), types of spells/classes/races being more popular ("everyone is an elf!"), etc. They certainly will want to take advantage of a built in way to do market research with their captive audience.

 

[RFisher]

Doesn't Windows have something like 96% market share? I'm no spring chicken, but I've been using Windows since about 1992, when I finally switched over from Amiga.

Apple is on the rise again. I'm not sure what the current number is, but I won't be surprised if they top their old high (of around 15%?) in the not-too-distant future. & these days you have Linux actually claiming more & more of a decent share too.

Although, market share doesn't really mean much when you're a software developer. Installed base means more. Less competition in the Mac & Linux markets means more. The premium price that Mac users are willing to pay means more. That you may be able to claim a larger piece of the Mac pie than you can of the Windows pie. (How many of those corporate Windows computers are Wizards going to claim?) The higher loyalty of Mac users can mean a lot.

Your particular niche can mean a lot too. Since I've gotten back into music software, I'm amazed by how popular the Mac is in that space. (& I had pretty high expectations to begin with.) I wouldn't be surprised if the Mac's biggest niches don't line up nicely with the types who would prefer TRPGs. Likewise with Linux on the more technical than creative end of the spectrum. (Not to mention how those two overlap. As odd as it seems at first blush, I know a lot of people who are--like myself--Mac+Linux types.)

Then there's the fact that--despite the claims you'll hear from naive developers--cross-platform development isn't significantly more expensive than single-platform development. When you consider the benefits from cross-platform development, it's almost always a win. I know this from experience.

 

[Glyfair]

I can only imagine they will have a mechanism in place to not only track what system is being used but also how it is used, rules being skipped ("no one grapples!"), types of spells/classes/races being more popular ("everyone is an elf!"), etc. They certainly will want to take advantage of a built in way to do market research with their captive audience.

I don't visualize that level of control in the interface and being usable with other systems (as stated it would be). Still, until we know more it will be hard to say.

 

[Glyfair]

Apple is on the rise again. I'm not sure what the current number is, but I won't be surprised if they top their old high (of around 15%?) in the not-too-distant future. & these days you have Linux actually claiming more & more of a decent share too.

I read a very recent article (a couple of weeks old) that predicts that this is the perfect time for their market share to grow past 10% (predicting 15%, than 20%, than beyond) in a Mac magazine. It specifically predicts 12% by 2012. (Article here)

If accurate, that means the current numbers are below 10%.

This article pegs it at 3% worldwide at the end of 2006 and predicts 4% by the end of 2007.

Of course, like all statistics it depends on what you look at. Another article (specifically analyzing claims Macs market share was 21%) pegs the U.S. share at 6.3%.

What really matters is the market share in WotC's market. Since they have done surveys to determine this, I believe they would be the ones to have the best estimate of that market.

 

[JRRNeiklot]

I heard James Wyatt or Andy Collins saying that the wizard's role in combat is a controller, which means he try to control the battefield. That doesn't mean that outside of combat, he won't keep his "logistic" role, with spells like Teleport, Scrying, etc.

That is SO WoW-like. In Wow you have tanks, healers, dps, and crowd control. You need one of each in every party.

 

[JRRNeiklot]

Exactly. I wish sneak attack still involved, well, SNEAKING. It wouldn't bother me so much if thet called it arterial strike or some such, but sneak attack should involve more than throwing your pet hamster behind someone.

Uh, since when are Rogues not able to contribute when fighting undead or constructs or plants? Did I miss the line in the MM where under Undead creature type it lists "Damage Reduction vs. weapons wielded by Rogues"? They can't use their sneak attack, but sneak attack damage is a bonus, an extra, a nice thing when you can get it, not a guarantee to ever count on. If you're playing a Rogue, you shouldn't ever count on being able to get Sneak Attack off, it's nice, but it's gravy, not meat.

Then again, I don't see a Rogue's role as being a primarily damage producing character that is depleted if he can't do heavy damage every fight, they are secondary/auxiliary combatants that are primarily there to disarm traps and open locks, appraise treasure, sneak around and scout out the dungeon/battlefield, and help the party make underworld contacts and gather information/resources back in town, with being the backstab guy being another item among many on their job description.

 

[amethal]

Exactly. I wish sneak attack still involved, well, SNEAKING. It wouldn't bother me so much if thet called it arterial strike or some such, but sneak attack should involve more than throwing your pet hamster behind someone.

I'd hate to see how big your hamster is, if it threatens squares next to it!

 

[stripes]

Macs, virtual game table, Cider, et al

Doesn't Windows have something like 96% market share? I'm no spring chicken, but I've been using Windows since about 1992, when I finally switched over from Amiga.

Windows does have a pretty large market share (but not 98%, I think is still in the 90's though), but it is going down. Macs had 33% growth last quarter vs. Windows at 11% (or maybe that was over the last year, not sure which exactly). The Mac also has more of a consumer focus, so if you are in an office chances are high it is a Windows PC, if you are at a home, or in a dorm odds go up significantly that it is a Mac. I would hazard a guess that more D&D is palayed at home, or in collage dorms then in the office.


So it is sad that the virtual game table isn't supported on the Mac. More so since there is technology (Cider by Transgaming) out there that makes it pretty easy to port a Windows program (including Direct X), which is what EA seems to be using. It doesn't make it "feel" Mac, so it might not be as popular as hoped, but it is better then no Mac version (and as much as I love the Mac, given market realities, it is better to have a half assed Mac port of a Windows program then make the whole think Java and thus half assed on both platforms)