D&D (2024) When are we getting the second playtest document?

[Micah Sweet]

We've already had the ruleset for 8 years, thisnis just about new options on that chasis.

We are getting the pieces that they want tonsee reactions to, the overall picture is...5E, with new optional pieces.

Rules interactions aren't looked at in UA, never have been. These tests are about gauging public reception to an idea on a shallow level. Rules interactions get tested later.

That's my point: they don't want real feedback. They just want to see if a lot of people don't like it, and why doesn't seem to matter. That's the only reaction they care about, because its the only one that changes their actions. They should just tell people that's what they're doing.

 

[Parmandur]

I don’t think they really asked for much feedback on monsters back during the Next playtest either. There were some polls about iconic monsters’ lore and visual designs. And I think I remember one about monster stat block layout. But I don’t think the actual monster stats themselves were ever polled, and when people would ask about that, they would say they’d work that out later and they were more concerned with getting the core mechanics and PC options feeling right first.

Yeah, and in 8 years of UA, they have never tested a single Monster aside from some Summon stat blocks (which were about a Spell or Class feature). And rhey published a lookout of Monsters.

 

[Parmandur]

That's my point: they don't want real feedback. They just want to see if a lot of people don't like it, and why doesn't seem to matter. That's the only reaction they care about, because its the only one that changes their actions. They should just tell people that's what they're doing.

I mean...they have, repeatedly. And that is real feedback, it prevents things thst nobody wants from clogging the game and wasting deeper development time.

 

[Maxperson]

At the very least they'll want to wait until the current survey closes on the 15th, to prevent contamination of the results.

That's what I figured they were waiting on.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I mean...they have, repeatedly. And that is real feedback, it prevents things thst nobody wants from clogging the game and wasting deeper development time.

Then they might as well have their survey be, "how many stars would you give this?" And leave it at that. If they don't care about people opinions beyond that, there's no point to asking for them.

 

[Horwath]

Or a new take on 100 feats or so that we now have in the game.

you know, balance and stuff...

 

[Mephista]

Thursday drop, then?

 

[Sir Brennen]

Then they might as well have their survey be, "how many stars would you give this?" And leave it at that. If they don't care about people opinions beyond that, there's no point to asking for them.

Where are you getting that they don't care about opinions?

Any individual opinion will be taken into consideration with a whole bunch of other people's opinions. Not all opinions will agree with each other, so by necessity, there are some that won't result in changes. Doesn't mean they "don't care about" opinions.

However, it is a natural tendency to value our own opinion above others, and many players will think they're "being ignored" because their opinion/suggestion was in the minority, and so changes didn't go in that direction.

That is not the same thing.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

That's my point: they don't want real feedback. They just want to see if a lot of people don't like it, and why doesn't seem to matter. That's the only reaction they care about, because its the only one that changes their actions. They should just tell people that's what they're doing.

They are telling this for 10 years now... And giving the time to playtest UA and giving feedback, this is also what anyone could figure out themselves.

And this is the best way to handle it. They are game designers. We are customers (and armchair game designers). They want to gauge what we like and what we don't like, find out what is rejected and possibly, maybe have us find obvious flaws that slipped by and are menaingful for the average gamer.

So in a sense, it is partly marketing and partly getting around selection bias to get meaningful satifactory scores.
And still, they probably have found themselves and algorithm by which they weigh the answers to get us well liked books...

... and spelljammer, which might have suffered a bit because they were probably distracted from getting the core of A*D&D
ready for playtest.

*anniversary

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Then they might as well have their survey be, "how many stars would you give this?" And leave it at that. If they don't care about people opinions beyond that, there's no point to asking for them.

Isn't this nearly exactly what we are doing. With a few fields for own suggestions.
I think they will have an algorithm to funnel some of those suggestions to them. Probably some AI that finds often used keywords and then gives a sample of those answers.