Do you think 6 months are enough for playtesting?

[Tharen the Damned]

I don't know whether sales projections are forcing a quick timeline, Hasbro is leaning on WotC, or the designers are just so sure of their own work that they don't see any reason to plan for incremental revisions in the playtest process, but whatever it is the short timeline is very worrisome.

(embolded by me)

That might be the reason why 4th edition comes so fast. If that is the case -and i hope not- 4th Edition might be too rushed.
I really believe it is full of brillant ideas from what I read but again I am sceptical if internal playtesting and the short ecternal time is enough for so many changes in the mechanics.

There is still one chance: WoC can ask me to playtest 4th and all will be well
At least for me

 

[Thunderfoot]

I'm just concerned about Monsters can't have classes anymore...

Why? They didn't before 3.X.

 

[RFisher]

As others have talked about, it is important to remember that playtesting is about testing a design, not designing. (Playtesting may trigger a redesign, but playtesting's job is to uncover issues with a design, not to develop a design.)

Six month? I don't know. Run well with enough playtesters. I suppose it could be enough. I'm guessing it'll be better than what anyone else in the industry can afford.

 

[Mouseferatu]

Why? They didn't before 3.X.

More to the point, we don't know that you can't add class levels to monsters. I'm guessing, in fact, that you can.

 

[Shroomy]

More to the point, we don't know that you can't add class levels to monsters. I'm guessing, in fact, that you can.

If you can, I hope they figured out something better than associated vs. non-associated classes.

 

[Mouseferatu]

If you can, I hope they figured out something better than associated vs. non-associated classes.

Oh, God, tell me about it... :\

 

[Shadeydm]

I just really question how diverse and robust internal playtesting can really be. I mean how many people in total really got the chance to play with all of the new editions "fiddly bits" to see how they interact? Even if its 20 or 30 people (no I don't really know how many there are) is that really enough? Even with all the 3E playtesting which went on for a good long time there was still enough to fix to warrant 3.5 how will doing most of the playtesting internally yield better results?

 

[DaveMage]

It's Acting!

BSF? You've shortened your name?

Hmmm...I feel a slogan coming on...


"BSF: We don't make a lot of the things you post. We make a lot of the things you post...better."

/hijack

 

[Waylander the Slayer]

It's pretty obvious that the schedule for 4E got moved up, probably by a year for whatever reason. It's also been stated that most of the product development has been over the last year. Also, even the playtesting blogs are so vague; some of the playtesting is also bordering on the absurd (why are they "playtesting" classes that might not even be in the PHB for example?). A lot of sounds very inventive, but if 3E, after all that playtesting needed 3.5 E, I am sure that 4E is going to be worse regardless of whether most of the concepts have already been put out there in other books [no one can truly predict the interaction between concepts in IH/9S/SAGA for example). And also remember that we are supposed to get the "preview books" in a couple of months. Anything in it is not going to be play tested at all. I think playtesting and the related systems got thrown out of WOTC with the "releasing" of the old guard.

 

[Banshee16]

It's pretty obvious that the schedule for 4E got moved up, probably by a year for whatever reason. It's also been stated that most of the product development has been over the last year. Also, even the playtesting blogs are so vague; some of the playtesting is also bordering on the absurd (why are they "playtesting" classes that might not even be in the PHB for example?). A lot of sounds very inventive, but if 3E, after all that playtesting needed 3.5 E, I am sure that 4E is going to be worse regardless of whether most of the concepts have already been put out there in other books [no one can truly predict the interaction between concepts in IH/9S/SAGA for example). And also remember that we are supposed to get the "preview books" in a couple of months. Anything in it is not going to be play tested at all. I think playtesting and the related systems got thrown out of WOTC with the "releasing" of the old guard.

I wonder.....alot has been said about the fact that back at the convention in the spring (D&D Experience???) WotC had said it would be that conference at which major announcements are made....hence leading many to believe that it *wouldn't* be announced at Gen Con. But that was how many months apart?

What if the game wasn't planned until 2009, but sales numbers declined quicker than expected earlier this year, and Hasbro pushed WotC into releasing 4E a year earlier to compensate, and generate revenue?

Banshee