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- The Lone Wolf Development Team
A word to the wise for the complainers
- Thread starter Chemlak
- Start date
- Status
I think that's a fair observation.
In any event, I hope you stick around or come back when RW releases. I for one would be interested to hear your evaluation of it.
Of course I will.
Thanatos0042
New member
Greetings.
While I am newly registered, I have been ghosting around these forums off and on since early October or so, off and on.
Take what I have to say with a grain of salt of course, because it's just my personal opinion and observation and feeling on this whole subject.
I never got involved in the Kickstarter because it was LONG over by the time I was looking for a piece of software to help me outline and run a new gaming campaign.
I never saw any advertisements for it, I think I found out about Realmworks from some thread on either the WotC forums or Enworld forums. I'd have found it by googling for campaign manager software. I do visit the Enworld, WtoC sites, Giants in the Playground and a few others. If there wasn't obvious advertisement on some of those sites, I'd have never even seen a Kickstarter campaign for this software. In any event I missed the boat.
Up until pretty recently, I might have even still given money to support this project. I say up until recently, because the forums seem like a very hostile environment.
If you didn't give them money already, you are generally disrespected here...you are essentially told to STFU and not have an opinion. Even this thread title has a vague/subtle threatening inference to it. Some comments reek of an unhealthy fanaticism I find off putting. The worst part it, it seems like the makers of the software...support that sort of opinion/environment.
Yep, I did indeed sign up just to comment in this thread about that. I'm not a troll. I was a potential customer, the average kind, but one who does read forums, but usually remains faceless and generally doesn't have a stake in anything. It's not the first time I've been soured on something and ended up not supporting it with my money.
Perception is sometimes more important than anything else and between some of the forum fanatics and developers, I don't have a very good perception of this product. But, like I said...I didn't give money already, so I fully expect entirely negative responses from my post from developer's or anyone who DID donate.
I believe it is pretty fair criticism to say the developer communication hasn't really been the best and the constant delays hurt the perception of this product. The rabid forum protection hurts it as well. In a bigger community it probably wouldn't be such a big deal, but this isn't that. It would have behooved the developers to designate a community manager to help stem that a bit. It's off-putting.
Anyway, I'm not committed that I'll never purchase this product yet. The future may change my mind. 1 sale won't really matter in any regards to anyone. But like with written letters of complaint...1 letter that is the loss of a customer is often equated to many higher numbers that just don't bother to let the company know. It can work a bit like that with forum posts too and maybe someone important will take notice and implement some changes for the better.
I hope my post is taken a good way, because (again I say) it is meant in a good way, not in a trolling way. This was a project I was excited to learn about and anticipated buying...but now...maybe not so much.
I just felt it was only fair and maybe helpful to share.
While I am newly registered, I have been ghosting around these forums off and on since early October or so, off and on.
Take what I have to say with a grain of salt of course, because it's just my personal opinion and observation and feeling on this whole subject.
I never got involved in the Kickstarter because it was LONG over by the time I was looking for a piece of software to help me outline and run a new gaming campaign.
I never saw any advertisements for it, I think I found out about Realmworks from some thread on either the WotC forums or Enworld forums. I'd have found it by googling for campaign manager software. I do visit the Enworld, WtoC sites, Giants in the Playground and a few others. If there wasn't obvious advertisement on some of those sites, I'd have never even seen a Kickstarter campaign for this software. In any event I missed the boat.
Up until pretty recently, I might have even still given money to support this project. I say up until recently, because the forums seem like a very hostile environment.
If you didn't give them money already, you are generally disrespected here...you are essentially told to STFU and not have an opinion. Even this thread title has a vague/subtle threatening inference to it. Some comments reek of an unhealthy fanaticism I find off putting. The worst part it, it seems like the makers of the software...support that sort of opinion/environment.
Yep, I did indeed sign up just to comment in this thread about that. I'm not a troll. I was a potential customer, the average kind, but one who does read forums, but usually remains faceless and generally doesn't have a stake in anything. It's not the first time I've been soured on something and ended up not supporting it with my money.
Perception is sometimes more important than anything else and between some of the forum fanatics and developers, I don't have a very good perception of this product. But, like I said...I didn't give money already, so I fully expect entirely negative responses from my post from developer's or anyone who DID donate.
I believe it is pretty fair criticism to say the developer communication hasn't really been the best and the constant delays hurt the perception of this product. The rabid forum protection hurts it as well. In a bigger community it probably wouldn't be such a big deal, but this isn't that. It would have behooved the developers to designate a community manager to help stem that a bit. It's off-putting.
Anyway, I'm not committed that I'll never purchase this product yet. The future may change my mind. 1 sale won't really matter in any regards to anyone. But like with written letters of complaint...1 letter that is the loss of a customer is often equated to many higher numbers that just don't bother to let the company know. It can work a bit like that with forum posts too and maybe someone important will take notice and implement some changes for the better.
I hope my post is taken a good way, because (again I say) it is meant in a good way, not in a trolling way. This was a project I was excited to learn about and anticipated buying...but now...maybe not so much.
I just felt it was only fair and maybe helpful to share.
monsterfurby
Well-known member
Unlike you, I actually backed the Kickstarter but pulled out when I found out that I needed every cent I could get my hands on due to unexpected real-life events. Also, I have been using Hero Lab on and off in the past, so I am familiar with Lone Wolf's portfolio of products.
I admit that I am growing quite frustrated with the waiting time for Realm Works as well, especially since I originally backed the project. That, of course, is just an enthusiast trying to get what will hopefully the right tool they have been looking for for ages.
One would assume that I disagree with you due to being a bit more positively minded about the project and its creators, but in fact I definitely see where you are coming from. This whole thread is based on a flawed premise, namely that people didn't have the right to complain if release dates are not met. Lone Wolf have been very quick to respond on Facebook (kudos for that, by the way), but have offered little in terms of relief for people basically screaming "take my money!"
At the same time, I can understand if they are not comfortable with releasing their product to the public yet - that's a matter of quality standards, something increasingly rare in software development as a whole.
While I would like the devs to throw us a bone (canine allusion regarding "Lone Wolf" wholly unintended), I don't think they are entirely to blame here. Yes, communication and community management does not seem to be something they focus on primarily, but then again I doubt they have the team size for that.
This unfortunately leaves the forum to the somewhat elitist crowd you see right now. Now please keep in mind that I'm not talking about every forum member here, not even about anyone at all times. But there is a very negative sentiment here that is based on "I have the software, so the unwashed peasants can go
themselves." So guys, keep an open mind. If you backed the game - good for you. If you see this as an opportunity to consider yourself part of your own elite club, that's just weak. If however you have a decent reason to discourage complaining and encourage constructive criticism and dialogue, proceed.
Lone Wolf Development is not, I repeat, not EA Games. This company takes great pride in the software it makes, and takes great pains to ensure quality before releasing a product. If the product isn't finished, they don't push it out the doors like Mass Effect 3 and Battlefield 4. This is a company that makes good software and takes great efforts to hammer out bugs to ensure a quality product to the populace. I've personally used Hero Lab and Army Builder for years, and I can attest to the fact these are great products. Realm Works will be one the greatest accomplishments this coding team has done and if it takes a little longer for public release, I am fine with that. Quality over making an immediate buck is well worth waiting for. I no longer purchase any games published by EA Games as a result of their releasing unfinished, buggy software and not bothering to fix the broken software after it was released. Lone wolf has gone through a great deal of patches fixing the software during the beta testing, and these setbacks are going to make the software more stable in the end when it is released.
- Status