Community

Nov 4, 2010 -- 7:54AM, AsmodeusLore wrote:

Here is the cycle that I'm trying to get started...

1. WotC tells us about a change they are planning on.
2. Community responds with freakout or with approval.
3. Mudbunny, WolfStar, and I gather up community responses and deliver them to WotC.
4. WotC reacts. They proceed with plans that are met with approval, and change or drop plans that are not.
5. Repeat.

Here's how it will happen:
1. WotC tells us about a change they are planning on.
2. Community freaks out
3. VCs wade through topic after topic of flaming nerd rage
4. WotC reacts by shutting down a project that the community never knew the full details/technical aspects of, because they can't release that amount of information/aren't going to waste time developing a project to any extent before it gets ushered off for crucification by forums.  Or they go forward with it anyways, and people rage that they're not being listened to.
5. Repeat.

WotC is not your child, that needs your permission before it can buy/produce a new toy.  I think people are thinking they are entitled to way too much here.

I'd like it if WotC told us once they have the green light on a new project, or maybe even after they're a month or 2 underway of working on it.  That it will be put into development.  Keep us posted on progress, vague releases (no release should be said to be within the next 6 months, until you reach certainty).  Listen to various forums for ideas (through VCLs or in person if able), things that the players are looking for.  If they will work into the project work them in, if they won't let us know, and if you can why not.  That's all I expect, I don't expect WotC to play "Mother May I" with the flaming nerd rage of this forum.

There's an art to the communication, which didn't work for WotC at the beginning.  So they switched to communication by surprise.  I think they've got a good team going now (seriously, if Paolo is accurate that they've been working on it for 6 months that's an awesome turn around for what it looks like), so they should be able to go back to spoilers, screenshots, videos, as the program is growing.  As has been stated, if they had started laying the groundwork for this new character builder to be released 3-4 months ago, there would be a lot more sense of community involvement, and preparedness.  Saying in 2 weeks, your old program will no longer be available, and here's what we've got...  Surprise!  Well we've seen how that went.

Nov 4, 2010 -- 8:57AM, nightwalker450 wrote:

I'd like it if WotC told us once they have the green light on a new project, or maybe even after they're a month or 2 underway of working on it.  That it will be put into development.  Keep us posted on progress, vague releases (no release should be said to be within the next 6 months, until you reach certainty).  Listen to various forums for ideas (through VCLs or in person if able), things that the players are looking for.  If they will work into the project work them in, if they won't let us know, and if you can why not.  That's all I expect, I don't expect WotC to play "Mother May I" with the flaming nerd rage of this forum.

There's an art to the communication, which didn't work for WotC at the beginning.  So they switched to communication by surprise.  I think they've got a good team going now (seriously, if Paolo is accurate that they've been working on it for 6 months that's an awesome turn around for what it looks like), so they should be able to go back to spoilers, screenshots, videos, as the program is growing.  As has been stated, if they had started laying the groundwork for this new character builder to be released 3-4 months ago, there would be a lot more sense of community involvement, and preparedness.  Saying in 2 weeks, your old program will no longer be available, and here's what we've got...  Surprise!  Well we've seen how that went.

Snipped a bit of this for brevity but I'd just like to +1 this post.

The quoted poster* says it much better I think.  Still, let me see if I can put my own thoughts into words.  I think we sometimes expect communication to be very formal, very strictly monitored by both sides.  I say keep it less formal but keep it ongoing.  We can't decide what WotC works on and what they don't, ultimately that's up to them.  Still, they can listen and talk to us along they way I think.  As the quoted poster says, try to avoid Surprises!

/\ Art

* I it was possible to see the screen name of the poster that's being quoted.  All I see is a series of numbers.  I only see the actual name after I hit submit.

Nov 4, 2010 -- 8:57AM, nightwalker450 wrote:

WotC is not your child, that needs your permission before it can buy/produce a new toy.  I think people are thinking they are entitled to way too much here.

Nah.  On the contrary, these things are not indications that we demand too much from WotC, but rather indications that we are being incredibly generous with them.

This community of vocal "nerd ragers" is not a burden on WotC.  We are not an anchor around their neck.  We are a boon of immense value, the likes of which very few companies have the luxury.

Companies bend over backwards trying to get a glimmer of what their targets market want- and here WotC has a direct line to that information.  When fans come out in droves to post about what they like or don't like, they're not hurting WotC, they're doing WotC a huge favour.  They're providing a wealth of market analysis as a free service.  Many companies would kill to have such easy access to feedback from customers.