[MENTION=40810]Mirtek[/MENTION]: The problem here is that the "community" takes every word ever transmitted by a member of the WotC staff as a promise. Much the same as is done with the "community" in MMOs, etc. Even your suggested response at the end would be viewed as a promise to deliver those goods within a "short" amount of time.
Making matters worse, is that WotC is now both a publishing company and a software development firm, two industries that are notorious for being unable to deliver goods by a given date. You do realize, that a large portion of WotC's content contributors are freelancers right? This means that WotC has relatively little control over them. Sure, they can not pay the freelancer if the work is not submitted in time -- which likely happens -- but that doesn't make quality work magically appear. I guarantee you that Random House, for instance, will not be able to tell you every book that is going to be published by them next year. In fact, they probably wouldn't be close. As they get closer, they'll get a better idea. If they can't tell you what's coming next year, they certainly can't tell you what's coming in 2016 -- again, because much of it is out of their control. Remember the clamor when "too much" time went by without the next "Harry Potter" book. People are complaining that George R.R. Martin still hasn't finished the "Game of Thrones" series, etc.
I'm certain that WotC does have a business plan for the next several years. In fact, I'm willing to bet that WotC has a target date for 5th Ed., or 4.5, or whatever they decide to call it. However, they cannot possibly pinpoint exactly what is going to be published when because of the nature of the business. Ironically, this is no different than any other magazine either. Sure, they try, but they cannot guarantee results. Its just not possible. It isn't simply a matter of making sure that X widgets are manufactured by Y date.
The unfortunate thing is, if WotC gave the answer you suggested, they would at best be playing with fire in a giant pool of gasoline, in no small part due to how vocal their internet community can be. This isn't a matter of bad business practices by WotC. Frankly, it would be bad practice to do what you are asking them to do because they simply cannot guarantee any specific content by a specific date unless said content is already finished. Even then, they can only really guarantee it if its an online offering. If its a print offering they are at the mercy of the printer, etc. If the printer has a problem, that could again delay things without WotC in any way being at fault. Yet it would be WotC that takes the hit because its generally bad business to throw your business partners under the bus. Even if they did, there'd be people who would claim that WotC should have had the content to the printer sooner or gotten another printer to take care of it in time, etc.
Is it frustrating not knowing exactly what WotC will release in August or November, etc.? For some I guess it is. But there's simply no way to guarantee that content. No other periodical would do the same either. Oh sure, its a fairly safe bet that Sports Illustrated will have an article on baseball in October, but they won't be able to tell you what all of their articles will be, nor even the nature of those articles. Even a periodical like Mad Magazine which doesn't necessarily rely on current events won't be able to guarantee it either.
Now I will agree with you that WotC could have done better in the past. I think they did make some notable mistakes, particularly in the realm of communications -- especially last year. However, its also clear that they are learning from those mistakes. Unfortunately though, as a publisher, its just not possible to guarantee what is released when. They can "hope" but that's all they can really do. What they have done here is given us a pretty specific piece of their business plan for the upcoming year. Business plans in any company though are always subject to change. Its why they are called plans and not guarantees.
Making matters worse, is that WotC is now both a publishing company and a software development firm, two industries that are notorious for being unable to deliver goods by a given date. You do realize, that a large portion of WotC's content contributors are freelancers right? This means that WotC has relatively little control over them. Sure, they can not pay the freelancer if the work is not submitted in time -- which likely happens -- but that doesn't make quality work magically appear. I guarantee you that Random House, for instance, will not be able to tell you every book that is going to be published by them next year. In fact, they probably wouldn't be close. As they get closer, they'll get a better idea. If they can't tell you what's coming next year, they certainly can't tell you what's coming in 2016 -- again, because much of it is out of their control. Remember the clamor when "too much" time went by without the next "Harry Potter" book. People are complaining that George R.R. Martin still hasn't finished the "Game of Thrones" series, etc.
I'm certain that WotC does have a business plan for the next several years. In fact, I'm willing to bet that WotC has a target date for 5th Ed., or 4.5, or whatever they decide to call it. However, they cannot possibly pinpoint exactly what is going to be published when because of the nature of the business. Ironically, this is no different than any other magazine either. Sure, they try, but they cannot guarantee results. Its just not possible. It isn't simply a matter of making sure that X widgets are manufactured by Y date.
The unfortunate thing is, if WotC gave the answer you suggested, they would at best be playing with fire in a giant pool of gasoline, in no small part due to how vocal their internet community can be. This isn't a matter of bad business practices by WotC. Frankly, it would be bad practice to do what you are asking them to do because they simply cannot guarantee any specific content by a specific date unless said content is already finished. Even then, they can only really guarantee it if its an online offering. If its a print offering they are at the mercy of the printer, etc. If the printer has a problem, that could again delay things without WotC in any way being at fault. Yet it would be WotC that takes the hit because its generally bad business to throw your business partners under the bus. Even if they did, there'd be people who would claim that WotC should have had the content to the printer sooner or gotten another printer to take care of it in time, etc.
Is it frustrating not knowing exactly what WotC will release in August or November, etc.? For some I guess it is. But there's simply no way to guarantee that content. No other periodical would do the same either. Oh sure, its a fairly safe bet that Sports Illustrated will have an article on baseball in October, but they won't be able to tell you what all of their articles will be, nor even the nature of those articles. Even a periodical like Mad Magazine which doesn't necessarily rely on current events won't be able to guarantee it either.
Now I will agree with you that WotC could have done better in the past. I think they did make some notable mistakes, particularly in the realm of communications -- especially last year. However, its also clear that they are learning from those mistakes. Unfortunately though, as a publisher, its just not possible to guarantee what is released when. They can "hope" but that's all they can really do. What they have done here is given us a pretty specific piece of their business plan for the upcoming year. Business plans in any company though are always subject to change. Its why they are called plans and not guarantees.
