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Message: <blockquote data-quote="El Mahdi" data-source="post: 4682360" data-attributes="member: 59506">WOW! Talk about revisionism and spin. From my players handbook, first printing, June 2008:  Also every bit of advertising leading up to the release of 4E "promised" that these utilities would be ready at the time of 4E's release. That statement from the Players Handbook, and all of the 4E advertising, defines exactly what "promised software" is. Getting cute, combative, and putting corporate spin on it won't change the fact that those products were promised at a specific time. And to date, only a percentage of them are up and running at full strength. One could also argue that the most touted of those applications, the Crown Jewel of D&D Insider, D&D Game Table, doesn't even exist yet. And then to have the absurd gaul to ask in a poll whether or not "you trust WoTC to deliver quality digital products on time?"! Let's recap: Dragon Magazine / Dungeon Magazine - Up and running prior to the release of 4E, but did not truly reach the measure of a "quality" product until at least two or three issues in. The fact that customer feedback had to reach the point of aggressive combativeness on the part of would be customers before WoTC would listen and implement changes (i.e.: artwork galleries and keyed/unkeyed maps not being included, and people not buying subscriptions and being very vocally critical of WoTC until they were provided), is not a necesarily a mark against, but also definitely not deserving of Kudos either. All in all, delivered basically on time, with no more problems than would be expected. Not deserving of an outstanding grade, just a passing one. - B- (80%) Compendium - Late in being implemented and updated (late meaning not up and running at the time of 4E's release as "promised"), but functional. Passing grade due to being functional but "marked down" because of lateness. - C- (70%) Tools - Not specifically mentioned or advertised, so we'll consider this extra credit. - A+ (100%) Character Creator - As you so wonderfully spun it, "only seven months late". Spin it all you want. Tell yourself anything you want to make yourself feel better, but seven months late is not acceptable. - D (65%) Character Visualizer - Not realeased yet with no public acknowledgement of when, or if, it will be completed. - F or "Incomplete" (0%) Dungeon Creator - Not realeased yet with no public acknowledgement of when, or if, it will be completed. - F or "Incomplete" (0%) Campaign Tools - Don't know if that's the name for it or not, but I'm talking about the utilities meant to allow players and DM's to save characters, monsters, and campaign information. - F or "Incomplete" (0%) D&D Game Table - The Crown Jewel of the 4E sneakpeak at D&D experience in 2007. The most highly touted, advertised, and hype-inducing part of 4E. In all likely hood, probably won't be real, if at all, until the middle of 2010. Two years late. You can spin this all you want. You can say that these are expected and normal delays. But if these are expected and normal delays, they should have been factored into the equation when WoTC first decided to make a 4th Edition (in what 2004/2005?) and incorporate the aforementioned digital products. There is no "spin" that will change these facts. Delays of these sorts are not acceptable. - F or "Incomplete" (0%)  Overall grade for D&DI: 45% = F If this had been more of a weighted grade, with the most important utilities garnering a higher percentage of the grade (such as the visualizer and game table), this grade would be much worse.  You're absolutely right, "you can't please everyone", (although I'd say it's more than just a "few" people who have issues with this - was that simply a mistake or more "spin" - you know, purposeful understatement), but a good start would have been actually accomplishing what WoTC said it would, when they said they would. They did not, and now cannot, accomplish that. No amount of "spin" will change that. Because of the lateness of these products, even when (or if) they get released, they are looking at a grade, in probably most customers consideration, of at best a passing "B or C". Personally, if things do come out basically on time with our "revised" expectations, I'd only give them a "D" at best. And I feel I'm being generous. They can continue to move the goalposts all they want. And people can accept that, and let WoTC off the hook, all they want. But I won't. They have screwed up, no amount of spin or re-imagining of expectations will change that. Let's stop trying to make an argument that WoTC didn't screw up and didn't deliver on promised software. That train already left the station.</blockquote>

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