Developer’s Journal: Realm Works Update

[liz]

Rob has written a new "Developer's Journal" to let everyone know what the team has been up to following the Player Edition release, and our plans for the immediate future.

You can read the update here on our website.

[Pollution]

Sounds great!

This is my first Dev Journal, since I missed the KS and couldn't join in on the fun earlier (though, I did buy on day 1, you bet your life I did).

Very excited. Hoping to see the content marketplace in the next 2 months or so. (ambitious, I know). Very excited to see what happens with that. I've got a few projects of my own that I want to toss on the marketplace.

it sounds like you're planning on doing
1) QoL/Key Features releases
2) Marketplace
3) Survey results
(in that order)

All about it, though, I'll be honest, I really want that marketplace ASAP. lol. I wanna buy RotRL from you guys and get my realm cleaned up (it's ugly, not gonna lie).

[Exmortis]

Good stuff, very well written and very informative.

I am very much looking forward to the survey.

[Dark Lord Galen]

Originally Posted by Pollution

.................it sounds like you're planning on doing
1) QoL/Key Features releases
2) Marketplace
3) Survey results
(in that order)

To usurp Pollution's list (enter pirate ARRGUH here) & Expand on it Its nice to see a bit more transparency by issuing this, then what we have in the past few months. The article was informative, from a 10,000 ft view. I can (& do) appreciate the challenges any small team can face with such a large undertaking.

Here's the BUT part.....

For a developers journal (as titled)

Originally Posted by Rob

For those of you who haven’t seen one of these before, it’s an opportunity to skip the marketing and offer a candid look at what we’ve been doing, what problems we’ve faced, and where we’re going to be focusing next.

Originally Posted by Rob

we’re taking this opportunity to re-assess everything and put together a solid plan for the upcoming months

Eh, to quote a certain Hollywood Raccoon, "That's not a plan", "that's like 12% of a plan...." Howabout less "marketing" here and more "plan". I get leaving the techo babel off for most (myself included here) would certainly get lost in the quagmire of nuance details. But we need more than "working on things, "The Plan" & Stuff.....

To take Pollution's List (Arrugh)
1) QoL/Key Features releases
To me this means "things" we are going to work on regardless of the survey. But what are "THINGS"? Other than marketplace & webshare, what does that list of "regardless what the survey says" look like?

2) Marketplace
Surely there is some idea of rudimentary structure? How things might be handled? Even a screenshot of possibles? We have all heard about marketplace for many months, but no one but LWD has any idea what that may look like, and based on this "developers view" are we to assume the developers don't either?


3) Survey results
I get two "things" from this
A>The survey is unlikely to be acted on before the end of 1st quarter of next year.
B>other than "pie in the sky" (which is there in any wish list when dealing with a client) we really didn't get "the developers view" of what this list might look like or consist of.
For example, "things" could be
We have:

• 2000 cosmetic requests
• 340 various print / export features
• 950 PE-RW to GM-RW requests consisting of :

  • 200 reveal options
  • 100 mapping modifiers
  • 300 technical code
  • 50 messaging and sync related

These are just arbitrary lists, and I certainly don't claim to know how LWD "piles" the various requests while they assemble the survey, but from a developer point of view.... I would hope to have more than "things" are coming.

Don't get me wrong, I am a firm defender / backer of the Success of LWD products (herolab with all its warts, and Realmworks with all its promises)

And I understand not giving us the "true developers view" for fear that the community at large would either misconstrue/ not understand, the techno speak, or worse. But this is... really.... a marketing post.
Please, Please, Pertty Please.... alittle more transparency than "The Plan" "Things" and "soon".....

Humbly & with best respect...
DLG

[meek75]

Does anyone remember the last projected delivery date for the survey? I was expecting to be out this week. I tried to check the last newsletter, but the LWD web site only has then posted through October. I'm sure there was one in November, and maybe one in early December.

[liz]

Originally Posted by meek75

Does anyone remember the last projected delivery date for the survey? I was expecting to be out this week. I tried to check the last newsletter, but the LWD web site only has then posted through October. I'm sure there was one in November, and maybe one in early December.

Well, that's my bad. I failed to put the November newsletter up onto that page. However, it's up there now.

Regarding the survey, the culling is done. I want to give an estimate, but knowing my luck there will be some sort of emergency and I can't follow through. However, since it's mainly on my plate now, I'll say soon.

[liz]

Originally Posted by Rob in the "Developer's Journal"

We’re taking this opportunity to re-assess everything and put together a solid plan for the upcoming months. ... Once we’ve completed this process, we’ll be able to provide greater clarity for everyone regarding what to expect in the months to come.

That's the current plan. Yes, it's not a "these are the features we're tackling next" plan. However, as Rob explained, that's because we're assessing everything so that we can put together a more specific plan to share moving forward.

If we shared anything right now, it would likely lead to some nasty "anticipointment" (one of my favorite non-existent words), as the plan would likely change at the end of our assessment. I hope that explains a bit as to why there wasn't the plan that I think you were looking for.

[enrious]

Originally Posted by Dark Lord Galen

To me this means "things" we are going to work on regardless of the survey. But what are "THINGS"?

Unselected Picks. See, it's sorta like Gizmos and Obje...

Ok, someone had to. I'll be here all week, please tip your waitstaff.


In thinking about all of this and all of the feature requests I've wanted and discussed since the Kickstarter, it strikes me that there's one element I would personally wish for (but doubt it'd be doable) on the survey - sort of a grading scale as to the difficulty/expected time to complete relative to other options.

Putting aside the biggies that I *think* have a fairly solid consensus, like the calendar and printing, I'd sort of like to know the weights of other options.

For example, if it's thought that Item A should be fairly easy and take half the time of Item B, then maybe I'd want A more than B. Obviously I think there are strong objections to this, given past history, which is why I'd not want to see metrics expressed in real terms, but only relative to other options.

Of course, I'd expect that such guesstimates have already filled a sheet or two internally and I get that LW may not want to share those estimates, but still I think it'd help me be a more informed voter.

On the other hand, I'd hate for people to interpret those as concrete promises of delivery expectations, which may make it the most strenuous argument against the notion.

[AEIOU]

I'd also like to see "families" of things. If its going to require A to do B to do C anyway, group them together to make a package. A whole slew of little things may be more appealing than one monumental thing.

[ShadowChemosh]

Originally Posted by enrious

Unselected Picks. See, it's sorta like Gizmos and Obje...

Ok, someone had to. I'll be here all week, please tip your waitstaff.

Sweet! I got a good laugh out of this!