It's a Damn Shame about E-Tools (please read)

[Nathanael]

And as I said, it's not what we called for, but what they assumed we called for.

We wanted them to stop jerking around with the online gaming stuff and get on with the CG and campaign tools. I don't recall anyone saying anything about the interface. They took it to another extreme altogether, which they are want to do, being a big corporation where one change gets turned into 50 after it makes its way around the business managers offices.

But hey, for a more complete reason why big corporations make stupid business decisions, head over to MonteCook.com and read his new Rant. It's incredibly funny but frighteningly true...

 

[Davin]

And as I said, it's not what we called for, but what they assumed we called for.

We wanted them to stop jerking around with the online gaming stuff and get on with the CG and campaign tools. I don't recall anyone saying anything about the interface.

I'm sorry, but you're talking months later than when I am. All the interface stuff was settled long before any of the online gaming issues cropped up at all.

 

[bushfire]

We wanted them to stop jerking around with the online gaming stuff and get on with the CG and campaign tools. I don't recall anyone saying anything about the interface.

Actually the "tools not toys" argument started almost as soon as the demo in the PHB was released and happen right here (well, on Eric Noah's old, old boards). Most everyone on the boards was in agreement that while the CharGen Demo was cool looking and all, it grew stale and cumbersome after a bit. What people said they wanted was easy to use functionality not glitzy graphics.

As far as the online gaming stuff, the users never got a say in that. With every .plan release we keep saying "are you building an online tool? We don't want that" and Jim Bishop keep saying "no, that's not what were are doing, trust me" and keep on doing it until Wotc put Ryan Dancey in charge.

eTools/MT has a *long, long* history and there are quite a few of us who have followed it since the beginning.