Is there really any way to make June?

[JoeGKushner]

Unlike many publishers, WoTC, for the most part, still prints in USA. THis probably gives them a much shorter lead time than someone who has to worry about the stuff getting lost on the boat.

 

[Majoru Oakheart]

So they are still saying they're gong to deliver all three core books in June even though other designers are saying the core books are "in constant flux"? It sounds like they are still working on the core mechanics and classes. I worked in publishing and 7 months before you're supposed to land in stores isn't a happy time to not be well into the copyediting stage. Bets on when they are really going to hit stores?

I used to worry about the timeline, but due to recent events and a lot of real crunch appearing on the website, I now believe they will reach the release date no problem.

 

[Voss]

IMO WotC shouldn't even know the publication date. Rules snafus can crop up, that need to be fixed, or something surprising can happen during playtesting, etc. Alas, in the real world, deadlines matter. Only super-rich companies like Blizzard Entertainment can just say "when it's ready".

Paper games aren't like computer games though. You don't have to track down bugs buried in code (that the debugger didn't even necessarily write). If a problem comes up in playtesting, its easy to tell what the causes are.


My view is this. Release is still 7 months away. Thats a good 3-4 months to get things locked down before things absolutely need to go to the printers. It sounds, more or less that what monsters, races, class items, and general rules are pretty much worked out. Its now a matter of tweaking the smaller things- what individual spells and abilities do and is X a worthwhile feat and is item Y really a 8th level item. They may find a subsystem or two that just doesn't work, but frankly, they're in a position to dog-pile on a problem like that and subdue it. The tweaks are manageable with several months a decent team.


That said, I fully expect things to be 'wrong' with 4e. But its more a matter of unplanned user-optimization, where players find ways to use abilities in a way the designers didn't plan on, and it works out better than the 'standard' alternatives. But this is true of pretty much any technology or technique. A certain subset of users will come up with solutions that the designers simply don't anticipate.

We just have to hope that it isn't blatant stuff like Clerics and druids being better fighters than fighters. Hopefully they've got playtest groups that aren't just playing through an 'average game of d&d, but are actively trying to break the system.

 

[KingCrab]

Agreeing with Piratecat on this one

Considering that the sorcerer was shoved into 3e at the last minute, and they realized when the thing was about to hit the printers that they had forgotten to put the d12 in the game, it's no surprise things are "currently in flux".

I recall hearing about the sorcerer in Dragon magazine quite some time before the release.

 

[KingCrab]

I imagine the books will be out in June no matter what. If we don't get the most optimal rule for something because it was "locked" early, then we will just have to live with it.

I'm gonna quote you too, because I strongly agree.

We might get an imbalanced game by the deadline, but we will get a game by the deadline. I hope they aren't afraid to keep working on changes and incorporate them into an online eratta as soon as possible (if they need to).

 

[KingCrab]

Only super-rich companies like Blizzard Entertainment can just say "when it's ready".

How I love Blizzard for that. How I hope Activision does not drag them down.

 

[Sammael]

Initially, they were to be on sale in May. They now changed to June. They still have 6 months to work the kinks out if the playtesters found any.

Eh, no, they don't. They have 3 months, tops. I very much doubt they can send the finalized copies to the printers later than March if they want to achieve the June deadline.

 

[Nyaricus]

Initially, they were to be on sale in May. They now changed to June. They still have 6 months to work the kinks out if the playtesters found any.

Do you want them to release later than June? If quality is more important, then yeah. Many of my friends agree with me that we'd rather wait for the [corrected] Second Printing.

Good point, but still slightly off. Initially, the PHB was to be out in May, then followed by the DMG or MM (forget which) in June and the final book of the two in July. It all changed to June fairly quickly - but then again if 3e is any indicator most of the rules are in the PHB in regards to all of the complex d20 mechanics the game is based off of.

THUSLY, WotC looked at May, and said "nope, that's too early to get all the main 'meat and potatoes' stuff down by", and they moved it up to June, and brought down the third book to make it look more like they were trying to get all the books out at the same time, rather then trying to get another month of time in to fix the 4e rules.

OTOH, all this "rules in flux" stuff could just be something to make the hype even bigger, and make THEMSELVES seem like heroes once this all comes out on time and in great shape.


or I could be looking too far into this....

cheers,
--N

 

[Umbran]

I don't know how streamlined their processes are, but I've seen many a project get hung up more due to red tape and beuracracy than due to project complexities.

Red tape and bureaucracy are project complexities. Failing to recognize this fact is also a project complexity.

 

[Ranger REG]

Eh, no, they don't. They have 3 months, tops. I very much doubt they can send the finalized copies to the printers later than March if they want to achieve the June deadline.

Why not later than March? They're going to release all three core rulebooks at the same time (or month, June).