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Zho wrote:

Haha! I just checked my inbox and someone sent me the "clever trick" alluded to in this thread. Just click [EDIT: message me for details if you're running the mod and can't download it] and you can download the mod.

Sorry if posting that upsets anyone, but the game's supposed to be released already and people want to play.

Ok, can someone please share with me? I too had planned to run this today....and can't....

Mr_IndustrialPants wrote:

I think your missing my point from previously. The information that employees of WotC posses could have an impact on the company financially. To allow access to their database from an external source could compromise this information (ie: a book being leaked). This is perhaps why no one can simply be out of the WotC offices and send a "upload" command to release the SPEC 1-1 mod for access on the RPGA Judge site. There have been numerous stories of information being compromised (not WotC, just in general) because someone has had access to a company's server from their home (or other external source). In this current economic climate I'm not surprised that, in this instance, someone would have to physically be at the WotC HQ in order to simply hit "upload" on the SPEC 1-1 mod.

I think you're missing our point. I'm not arguing that WotC should let anyone do anything from home. If they really don't allow that, I can completely understand why.

My issue is that, IF nobody could activate the file for download from home AND they knew nobody was going to be in the office, then they never should have said the mod would be available on the 1st.

Say what you mean and mean what you say. If WotC would simply stick to this simple principle, there wouldn't be an issue and they wouldn't continue to alienate their customer base with a string of promises they fail to deliver on.

Mr_IndustrialPants wrote:

This is similar to having one store in town being out of (insert food here). One would think they would ask a neighbor or a nearby family member if they could borrow the food they seek.

Except that, whereas everyone I know has sugar; nobody I know has SPEC1-1.

Mr_IndustrialPants wrote:

I hope I don't sound snarky with this, as this is not my intent, however if I worked for WotC and was facing weather situations, and the holidays, I know that posting one mod would be the farthest thing from my mind.

I wouldn't, either. But the weather wasn't an issue with SPEC1-1, as it was with CORE1-4. Again, I'm not saying someone should have been forced to go in over the holidays to upload the mod. I'm saying the release date should have been set to a day when somebody would be in there to do so.

Mr_IndustrialPants wrote:

The last I remember this mod was legal for RPGA sanctioned regular play after 01-01-2009, which sounds different from "we will post this at 12:00am on 01-01-2009".

Well, the play can't be sanctioned without ordering the mod and the mod wasn't available on the event sanctioning page. Also, DCI assured me the mod would be available for download on the first. I asked specifically because I knew it was the holidays and didn't want to disappoint any of my players if it wasn't really gonna be available for any reason.

Mr_IndustrialPants wrote:

I'm sorry that this caused such an inconvenience, however in the grand scheme of things this doesn't even cause a ripple. WotC will get it posted. Give them some more time.

In the end, the degree of my anger isn't due to SPEC1-1. It's a string of problems from the quality of product WotC's been putting out to the failed promises and lack of information about DDI.

All of the hype from WotC pointed to DDI being fully functional at or within a few months of 4E's launch. Here we are 7 months later and we've got nothing but a character builder that will only go to 3rd level. Either they thought they were going to be able to fully create the game table and other applications in under a month or they intentionally misled us. Just how much time do you think we should give them before calling foul?

The LFR regional administrators have SPEC1-1 (and have had it since August when it first came out). Part of the Events Manager's duties is to help game play events in his region so if there is some snafu with the adventure download, check with him or her if they can send you the adventure. Now if it is a new release, the admins probably won't have it sooner than the scheduled release date as we tend to get the adventure when it is sent to the web gnomes.

Keith

Regardless of how things would go in a perfect world, it probably is better to have expectations based on reality. The RPGA does not have full control over the web-part of the game. Those who do control the web, have a lot of responsibilities to other parts of Hasbro, parts that likely generate more income and hence gain higher priorities. Besides the web people having problems, there are also be other things that can go wrong at other parts in the chain varying from spam filters eating documents to authors being late and everything in between.

In general premiering dates are met quiet well. There are going to be exceptions with each batch of adventures released due to various reasons. The RPGA gets even bigger complaints when they don't offer a release schedule. Never organize an event around adventures that are not yet available at the time without at least a backup plan. Never expect instant communications either for the exact same reasons adventures are not going to be updated. I know this is frustrating to event organizers, but it is a simple fact of life.


Pieter Sleijpen
RPGA LFR Global Administrators