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<blockquote data-quote="Glyfair" data-source="post: 3733342" data-attributes="member: 53">See that's the trouble with speculation, people see different things (often what they want to see).&nbsp; Looking at the number of &quot;issues&quot; in 3E, one group sees the need for more, another sees that there is a point of diminishing returns where any more playtesting isn't worth the time.I'm definitely in the second camp (admittedly based on some experience).&nbsp; At some point in playtesting you reach the point where you make little progress.&nbsp;&nbsp; Until you open it to a hugely wide group, you won't see any progress.&nbsp; The point is basically release.&nbsp; Your whole customer base will find issues that any subset of the group won't find.Also, remember that playtesting costs the company money that is passed on to the customers.&nbsp; Sure, the playtesters are free.&nbsp; However, you have to pay the designers to look over the material, evaluate the feedback and make any changes.&nbsp; A playtest coordinator has to be hired to send out the material, gather the feedback, put it into a form that the developers can better evaluate, and deal with the minor management issues of those groups.&nbsp; Plus, you have to let distributors and retailers well in advance when they can expect a product to arrive.&nbsp; No product is ever released that is perfect.&nbsp; Indeed, with the varying taste of gamers and the nature of RPGs, it's pretty much impossible.&nbsp; After all the internal playtesting they've done (which we know has included some non-WotC people based on playtest reports), 6 months is probably enough to get the feedback they need.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Glyfair, post: 3733342, member: 53"] See that's the trouble with speculation, people see different things (often what they want to see). Looking at the number of "issues" in 3E, one group sees the need for [B]more[/B], another sees that there is a point of diminishing returns where any more playtesting isn't worth the time. I'm definitely in the second camp (admittedly based on some experience). At some point in playtesting you reach the point where you make little progress. Until you open it to a hugely wide group, you won't see any progress. The point is basically release. Your whole customer base will find issues that any subset of the group won't find. Also, remember that playtesting costs the company money that is passed on to the customers. Sure, the playtesters are free. However, you have to pay the designers to look over the material, evaluate the feedback and make any changes. A playtest coordinator has to be hired to send out the material, gather the feedback, put it into a form that the developers can better evaluate, and deal with the minor management issues of those groups. Plus, you have to let distributors and retailers well in advance when they can expect a product to arrive. No product is ever released that is perfect. Indeed, with the varying taste of gamers and the nature of RPGs, it's pretty much impossible. After all the internal playtesting they've done (which we know has included some non-WotC people based on playtest reports), 6 months is probably enough to get the feedback they need. [/QUOTE]

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