Roadmap please

[Greebo]

I must be the exception. I've made my own game session category, separate from the provided tool. Each session I make a new topic, and order them with a prefix. I record which characters were there, the real world date of the session, and the (numerical) start and end in-game days. Then I take notes in snippets during the session, and I can choose if the notes are player info or DM info. It's all linked, so I can easily find a record of interactions with an NPC or when an item was found, etc.

Since I run a sandbox without a pre-scripted story, I may be an atypical RW user. But it's fantastic for a game heavy on faction interaction and where the past sessions influence the next.

Same here. I log sessions both for the players reference and my own with a custom made topic category.

 

[kbs666]

Surprise? PF2's release date was announced over a year ago.

 

[Conandy]

Who wants to join forces and buy the IP for RW from LWD so we can turn it into the game changer it should be? Since it apparently isn't a money maker, we should be able to purchase it cheap.

 

[Farling]

Who wants to join forces and buy the IP for RW from LWD so we can turn it into the game changer it should be? Since it apparently isn't a money maker, we should be able to purchase it cheap.

The dev license cost for DevExpress might be expensive.

 

[Greebo]

Who wants to join forces and buy the IP for RW from LWD so we can turn it into the game changer it should be? Since it apparently isn't a money maker, we should be able to purchase it cheap.

Sounds like an idea, even though I am no software dev.

 

[Maidhc O Casain]

From BJ

Quote:
We aren't being quiet because we're hiding anything, we're being quiet because there is just absolutely nothing to report on the RW front beyond some PF1 society releases that released as I was heading to Gen Con and the already announced server time being available to purchase.

Realm Works is our passion project, but currently, we need to focus on the products that pay the bills. With the surprise of PF2 coming out and needing to get it all into place before PF1 sales drop off entirely we had to pull pretty much everyone off other teams to ensure it was even remotely close to done on time. We are still supporting Realm Works and have every intention of continuing to do so but at the end of the day we are a business and we have to make sure we take the steps to ensure all our products, Realm Works included, continue to be available for many years to come. Once things calm down, we hope to be able to reassign people back to working on Realm Works again and get fixes and new systems in place.

The problem is, there will always be enough to work on for their "money making" software that RW will get minimal (if any) time. Look at the history of HLC and PF1 - Paizo cranks out new material at such a rapid pace that LoneWolf struggled to "fully implement" many of the rules, because they were so busy partially implementing every new book that came out.

The Content Market was supposed to be the way RW makes money, but with such a limited selection it ain't gonna make much...

 

[Parody]

Surprise? PF2's release date was announced over a year ago.

They may have been surprised by the Playtest announcement just like we were, about four months before Gen Con 2018. Between then and the holiday/end of year break they'd be focused on implementing and keeping up with the Playtest rules. There'd be a pause at the start of 2019, perhaps just enough time to finally launch the Content Market, and then full-bore on PF2 again once Paizo had the rules finalized.

Even if LWD got word before the announcement, it probably wouldn't have been too much earlier.

Who wants to join forces and buy the IP for RW from LWD so we can turn it into the game changer it should be? Since it apparently isn't a money maker, we should be able to purchase it cheap.

I doubt they'd sell (it seems like a passion project for Rob) but you never know.

The dev license cost for DevExpress might be expensive.

Their website says the base cost is between $1,000 and $2,200 per year per developer on the project.

 

[Greebo]

The problem is, there will always be enough to work on for their "money making" software that RW will get minimal (if any) time. Look at the history of HLC and PF1 - Paizo cranks out new material at such a rapid pace that LoneWolf struggled to "fully implement" many of the rules, because they were so busy partially implementing every new book that came out.

The Content Market was supposed to be the way RW makes money, but with such a limited selection it ain't gonna make much...

Exactly.

I fully understand the need to make money and to prioritize accordingly. But, in my humble opinion, there will always be enough Paizo related work around to have an excuse to neglect RW proper. as well as other potential products for the Content Market.
And, I for one do not play Pathfinder, which means, I will not spend money on it.

Besides, we were promised regular updates, even if there was more or less nothing to report.

I doubt they'd sell (it seems like a passion project for Rob) but you never know.

Maybe it is time for another Kickstarter to collect funds to pay for another dev, who can focus on RW and RW alone.

 

[EightBitz]

So much for the previously solid and constant assurances of nothing being slowed down because of separate teams.

 

[BJ]

Exactly.

Besides, we were promised regular updates, even if there was more or less nothing to report.


Maybe it is time for another Kickstarter to collect funds to pay for another dev, who can focus on RW and RW alone.

My apologies for the confusion! The promise of regular weekly updates even when we had nothing to report was for the completion of the Kickstarter and getting the Content Market out, not for the remaining life of the product. I absolutely will continue to give updates when we have new items relating to the product to share and am excited to continue to do so. The best place to look for those is in our newsletter and various other locations where we communicate, such as here or social media.

As much as we would love to hire on a new dev to replace those we've lost, it's unlikely we will do another Kickstarter for RW anytime in the near future, too many things can potentially go wrong and we don't want to put that on our consumers.

So much for the previously solid and constant assurances of nothing being slowed down because of separate teams.

That was our promise to KS backers as we pushed to complete the Content Market for our KS obligations, which we've completed. I also promised the truth, I sadly can't always make that truth what everyone hopes it to be. Currently, we are focused on the future health and longevity of our business as a whole. While I do understand that may not be what you would wish, it is the path we as a company must take to ensure future support for all our products, Realm Works included.

Yes to what @Conandy said, for the most part.

My own experience has been that I only check back every six months to a year to see any updates. Part of the problem was expectations but my own realization of my style. In the end, I need something that lets me put in ideas and notes as I'm gaming, not a system that seems to require all data entered into it and during a session, I just click to reveal things.

64bit helped and it's faster. It's still not at a level where pen and paper is faster for me. It might never be? I don't know. or it needs a whole new area for notes that I can type as I game, like a scratch pad, to put someplace later? Or the ability to record and convert to text? Or something?

A dedicated section just for in game note taking sounds great! I'll add it to our list of potential ideas.

I think I was also really excited for the content market to have a lot of little one shot freebies, like an Inn or other buildings, including something that I could contribute to, over time but it seems like that's not the case, either. Or it's just that extra step of work.

Ah, well.

Rob and I both agree that small items in the Content Market such as buildings, inns, and one-shot dungeons would be a great addition. We have a few ideas on how to make this happen once we get back on that track.


We are still supporting Realm Works and have every intention of continuing to do so. Once things calm down, we hope to be able to assign people back to working on Realm Works full time again. The only thing close we have to a roadmap at this juncture is the intention to eventually add newer systems to the program and exterminate the bugs scampering around inside.

 

[Valyar]

Just don't shut down the product at least for the next decade and I will be fine.
If you are going to make paid upgrade to refresh the UI or do some major improvement - you will get my money.

 

[Farling]

The only thing close we have to a roadmap at this juncture is the intention to eventually add newer systems to the program and exterminate the bugs scampering around inside.

It's a shame that there's no new features waiting on the roadmap too.

 

[Greebo]

It's a shame that there's no new features waiting on the roadmap too.

Especially since there are promised features still unfinished, some of them advertised during the Kickstarter as "almost finished"....

 

[Acenoid]

If the content market flopped just switch to paid upgrades. I believe it would work. Surely a few supporters would jump ship, since they have been promised by kickstarter some stuff. But yeah, let's face it if the feature isn't ready I dont know how many years later it was not accomplished, buried and requires dev time. And you guys have to eat as well.

 

[kbs666]

If the content market flopped just switch to paid upgrades. I believe it would work. Surely a few supporters would jump ship, since they have been promised by kickstarter some stuff. But yeah, let's face it if the feature isn't ready I dont know how many years later it was not accomplished, buried and requires dev time. And you guys have to eat as well.

I suggested basically this a long time ago and was told the design didn't allow it.

After they spent years trying to attract customers who were never going to come, GM's who only use modules are going to buy RW and the CM why?, maybe they'll put the time in to allow modules to be added as the user wants/buys.

 

[Happydevil43]

If you are reading this Rob. People. Are leaving to try other tools simply because of the lack of communication....

Sadly I am one of those.

As I generally only play published adventures (ok, I started building my own homebrew campaign, but just gave up - I dont have the time to devote to it, between playing and DMing in 4 games a fortnight) , the shiny buttons of new actively developed toolsets such World Anvil and Arkenforge are calling me.

I will still have RW for any campaign type stuff... but for individual sessons and as those systems get more and more features like RW (really its only autolinking that holds me back).. I'll find that I'll use RW less and less.

I havent given up hope yet... but what I want from a toolset is changing.

 

[BJ]

It's a shame that there's no new features waiting on the roadmap too.

Of course there are! However, since I don't know at this juncture which ones will be practical and which ones won't, I wouldn't want to get anyone excited only to have to remove them. Once we have the time and resources to thoroughly investigate the incredibly long list of ideas and requests we have I can put together something more informative.

 

[Farling]

thoroughly investigate the incredibly long list of ideas and requests

That's where a Scrum-style agile approach helps. Forget about the thorough analysis of everything and prioritise some easy stuff while slowing working through prioritising/breaking down the more complicated stuff.

 

[kbs666]

That's where a Scrum-style agile approach helps. Forget about the thorough analysis of everything and prioritise some easy stuff while slowing working through prioritising/breaking down the more complicated stuff.

This is also a great way to get developers who aren't familiar with the code base up to speed. Give them easily accomplished tasks that require them to get to know the code to do. It might take them the whole sprint to do what an experienced dev could do in an afternoon but the investments in time over a few sprints serves to get them familiar with at least chunks of the code and how the whole hooks together.

 

[Lj Stephens]

Good thoughts Farling and kbs, I'll pass those along to the higher ups.