| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Dark Wizard |
Posted - 01 Nov 2014 : 03:55:54
A couple of days ago, Wizards announced (Link) they were ending their relationship with Trapdoor Technologies and thus canceling their slated DungeonScape digital tools (formerly known as Project: Morningstar).
quote:
Originally from WotC annoucement, Wizards.com
Wizards of the Coast has ended its relationship with Trapdoor Technologies and their DungeonScape application. If you participated in the beta and have questions regarding the application itself, please contact Trapdoor directly.
It’s never easy to end a relationship with one of our business partners, but we remain committed to creating great tabletop and digital gaming experiences for Dungeons & Dragons players and DMs around the world.
Trapdoor Technologies issued their own press release (Here):
quote:
Originally from Trapdoor Technologies press release
Greetings friends,
Today, we have news that is both sobering and hopeful. Wizards of the Coast and Trapdoor Technologies will no longer be working together to develop DungeonScape for Fifth Edition D&D, and we will not be releasing the product in its current form. The beta program on all platforms will be shutting down at noon (MST) on Friday, October 31.
Although we can’t reveal all of the details regarding the future of DungeonScape, we are happy to say that there is indeed a future—so fear not!
This project, 100% internally funded, conceptualized, and built by our talented team at Trapdoor, has been a labor of love from the very beginning. We set out to change the way RPGs are played at the table—making our game night more about enjoying the adventure than searching for rules. We still hold true to that quest. We believe that our Story Machine™ is a powerful tool for converting information into something more useful and rich.
We’re working hard to solidify the details of what’s next for DungeonScape, and we’ll share that information with you when it’s appropriate.
The bolded emphasis is mine, from which it seems the initiative was never WotC's to begin with. It doesn't even seem Wizards provided funding, in fact Trapdoor Technologies possibly had to pay for a license (and that seems like the sort of arrangement that makes sense in this context).
Perhaps at the time Wizards was shopping around for digital partners and Trapdoor Technologies happened to strike the right chord. During the first news of these digital tools, Wizards was one a Next/5E announcement frenzy and wanted to saturate the venues and media all the licensed products would appear in following the release of the new edition, but that was all in the past, a year or more ago.
The license agreement might not have worked out and/or Wizards found out what they want to do with the digital aspects of D&D. Perhaps it is something built around their integrated digital account: https://accounts.wizards.com/ |
| 9 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Derulbaskul |
Posted - 25 Nov 2014 : 10:43:52
Good point, Dark Wizard.
Salaries are so low in this hobby that you're never going to get good developers and, when you couple that with WotC's patented brand of mismanaging digital initiatives, it's no surprise that yet another digital initiative has failed.
They would probably be better off paying one guy a decent salary and then getting him to oversee a team based in India or even the Philippines. (Hmmm, and there is a fanbase in the Philippines and massive unemployment. This could actually work....) |
| Dark Wizard |
Posted - 03 Nov 2014 : 02:32:26
The buggy prototype seems to be the answer. Reading comments on other forums, some people more familiar with software licensing chimed in to say WotC probably had to exercise a termination clause when the program didn't meet specifications within the allotted time table and was no where near attaining the functionality as proposed and contracted. Whatever the reason, sometimes these things happen.
I recall two years ago, Paizo announced they were getting a virtual tabletop together (as a backburner side project apparently), but I've lost track of news on that. Checked just now and it seems that stalled as well with resources redirected elsewhere and pending hiring developers. That's the thing about any software development in the TTRPG industry, other industries pay better. |
| Zireael |
Posted - 02 Nov 2014 : 19:59:21
From what I heard, DungeonScape was really buggy and in no shape to be ready when 5e premiered completely. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 02 Nov 2014 : 01:15:12
I am tempted to once more put forth my position about WotC's need for a simple, rules-neutral virtual gaming table...  |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 01 Nov 2014 : 20:10:43
WotC has never been digitally savvy. They are at the mercy of outsourced bidders. Remember that - big as they might seem in our minds - they are a small company focussed on small revenues in small markets, and they must produce and perform well enough to not displease their Hasbro overlords. They just cannot afford to risk a lot in swimming away from shore towards the deep and monster-infested stormy waters of Large Video Games. So they buy into whatever digital book publishing contract terms they must. They have kneejerk paranoia about hackers and pirates taking bread out of their mouths. Their website is - forgive the blunt insult, here - a cantankerously unreliable kludge which in itself advertises a behind-the-tech-curve company trying to appear like a world-class publishing house.
You can see my bias against companies who require constant innovation and an endless cycle of new (or continuuing) product offerings to sustain their growth - yet who are timid about changing their existing dog-minded (always worked before, formula for success) approach while they scrabble not to diminish, while the world moves onwards and changes without them. The French proverb is that if you only stand still today then you have already fallen behind tomorrow.
Methinks the only way these sorts of online D&D ventures will succeed - in a way which WotC views as a synergy rather than a threating piece of IP-violating competition which needs stamping out - is through an independent venture. A small startup, a kickstart, something which can be acquired (cheaply!) by Wizbro, something which is robust enough that the platform (and people who built it) can bring an infusion of tech in dusty oold WotC. |
| Delwa |
Posted - 01 Nov 2014 : 19:58:20
quote:
Originally posted by xaeyruudh
I googled it, and it looks pretty spiffy. The idea seems to have been putting all the rulebooks online with indexing for easy reference, streamlining character creation/customization, automating dice rolls, and whatever else a DM or player could hypothetically need. Customers then pay for what they want to use... it sounds pretty modular -- if you just want the online rulebooks, you can purchase only that functionality. Available for PC and various hand-held devices. At least that's what I got from reading about it. Great idea, and it sounds like Trapdoor was excited about making it happen.
Yep. It was supposed to be a character/monster builder kind of app. It was not supposed to replace in person, table top gaming, but be a gaming aid to players and DM.
The Beta was so far behind being useable, I think that was a big part of the issue. They hadn't even gotten multiclassing working yet, and what character generation they did have working was quite glitchy. That said, I did love the layout and the way things worked (or were supposed to work.) If they'd been able to finish it, it would have been nice to have. But if what Trapdoor's press release says is true, that they were basically doing this with spare change and their free time, it's understandable why they weren't able to finish quickly. No fault on their end, imo, but deadlines are deadlines. But that's my speculation. |
| xaeyruudh |
Posted - 01 Nov 2014 : 16:22:33
I googled it, and it looks pretty spiffy. The idea seems to have been putting all the rulebooks online with indexing for easy reference, streamlining character creation/customization, automating dice rolls, and whatever else a DM or player could hypothetically need. Customers then pay for what they want to use... it sounds pretty modular -- if you just want the online rulebooks, you can purchase only that functionality. Available for PC and various hand-held devices. At least that's what I got from reading about it. Great idea, and it sounds like Trapdoor was excited about making it happen. |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 01 Nov 2014 : 12:31:08
What was DungeonScape? Was that the virtual gaming table that had some nifty graphics? |
| xaeyruudh |
Posted - 01 Nov 2014 : 04:35:43
Hm. I know nothing about it so I'm not even going to speculate. Just noticed that WotC's announcement seems brief and terse. Bummer. |
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