D&D 5E (2024) Mearls has some Interesting Ideals about how to fix high level wizards.

[EzekielRaiden]

They didnt know where to go.They listened to the fans.

WHICH fans?

Because "We listened to fans!" is like saying "We listened to forum-goers!" You could've picked the great ones or you could've picked the terrible ones or you could've gotten both and tried to please both or any of a zillion other things.

Their surveys were inherently driving away any voices that might have said other things, and inherently (and very obviously) courting only one or two specific groups. That's not a big tent. That's "we decided who we would listen to before we started listening".

 

[CreamCloud0]

it was expensive but better, and it could have been improved.

now we got the cheap version but less powerful.

new twinned spell is basically just a roundabout method of upcasting most of the spells it affects, i agree it's a downgrade compared to the old version which actually had something unique it could contribute to the sorcerer.

 

[tetrasodium]

WHICH fans?

Because "We listened to fans!" is like saying "We listened to forum-goers!" You could've picked the great ones or you could've picked the terrible ones or you could've gotten both and tried to please both or any of a zillion other things.

Their surveys were inherently driving away any voices that might have said other things, and inherently (and very obviously) courting only one or two specific groups. That's not a big tent. That's "we decided who we would listen to before we started listening".

My guess is the "fans" who happen to be in the personal table with someone high up at hasbro or wotc and were able to answer their questions so answers could be interpreted and sent back to the designers as the goals that really matter for the next book or edition.

 

[HatWearingFool]

Then that should be done in advance, no? Don't waste your INCREDIBLY precious design time on "what do people even WANT?" Get that part done before your design deadline is set in stone.

Like I don't understand why ANYONE would start a project, and only then, after they're already embarked, only then ask, "Okay, what should our project be?".

I’d say there are 3 big reasons for this.

1) if the player base gets a even a whiff that a new edition is being worked on sales of the current edition drop off a cliff. So you can’t afford to let people know 5 years in advance.

2) people are really bad at knowing what they want before they see it. The old if I asked horse riders what they want they’d all say a better horse, no one would suggest an automobile.

3) there always seems to be massive staff turnover before a new edition. So those people just don’t have years. The current massive turnover looks suspiciously like an edition change