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www.warseer.com/forums/showthread.php

Stolen from Warseer:

"Hi,

In a recent thread I promised to speak to Alessio and Jerv regarding FAQs. I have now done so and have a clearer idea where we now are.

Traditionally the FAQ was the responsibility of a book's author. However, with some books' developers departing GW before the books were released this system obviously wasn't going to work. Alessio shouldered the responsibility, but simple time pressures (such as writing and developing the new Warhammer, amongst other things) seriously cut into the time available. Everybody involved is aware that the current situation is less than ideal, so we've recently changed the way the FAQs are collated, and as far as I know the schedule to catch up is currently being worked out. With luck* we'll able to put on a bit of a 'blitz' to get everything up to date. Speaking to Jervis and Alessio, who are the main engines behind the FAQs in the Studio, once this is achieved we should be able to provide a much more timely FAQ service in the near future.

Cheers,

GAV

*Or failing that, some planning"

Are you sure its wise to post something so optimistic here?

Hopefully this will prove truer than previous promises to release FaQ's more timely.

Sounds good. It would be nice to have timely, useful and accurate FAQs.

Let's see if they can get them into shape. Here's hoping.

Don't get your hopes up. They never promised useful or accurate FAQs, just timely ones.

Something specifically noting the rules changes between Codex printings would also be nice (Necrons, Chaos, etc.).

But it still boils down to actions versus words.

They have promised better FAQ support before. I suspect they will do so again.

But I'd love to be wrong.

Well, at least this time they've noted why FAQ's have been slow before, i.e., the book's author's were responsible. I mean, it might just be an excuse, but I'm a little optimistic that they've said why they were delayed previously.

Here's to hoping!

Please make sure JJ isn't on the FAQ team, I hate how he refuses to correct any of his mistakes.

Most FAQ questions do not require an accurate answer conforming to the original author's intention, they just require an answer that resolves ambiguity. (If it creates game balance, so much the better.

GW's conduct in the past has created the impression that they do not care. It isn't hard to assemble a list of FAQs especially when you have people like Yakface doing it for you (see the YakDakFaq.) So why the months and months wait and nothing is done?

I studied the new Tau Empire FAQ for a couple of months, wrote an FAQ list in a few hours and provided suggested answers as well. Got it reviewed by people on EoT. Sent it to GW last August -- so far, they have done a quarter-arsed one-side sheet which answers almost nothing. Wake up GW! Tau Empires came out 14 months ago!

Yeah, much as I hate to say it, their excuse for not getting FAQ's done is pretty lame. 30 minutes of surfing through various fan sites would find you all the questions you would need to answer in the first two months after a codex release. Then answering them shouldn't take more than a day for the ones that are merely clarifications, not more than a couple of days if it is truely a balance issue.

What is between the lines is simply this: it wasn't a high enough priority for them to bother with it compared to other things they wanted to do that would directly make them money (a new edition of Warhammer Fantasy).

Sal

Maybe they're just too busy with all their playtesting?

Posted By Abadabadoobaddon on 06/06/2007 2:22 PM

Maybe they're just too busy with all their playtesting?

Of pocketpool. Even when they play test an army the codex doesn't even get writen correctly as it was played.

Whoah guys, you are all too harsh on poor GW! Why, they have a brisk codex schedule to keep up with, all which need extensive play testing, revising and careful editing to ensure we only get the best possible product! I mean, gosh, this is a quality product here!

GW games development and playtesting is akin to the Adeptus Mechanicus.

First there was the Golden Age of Technology. Mankind ruled the stars and many wonderful feats where achieved. Some now revered to the great works of the true one Chambers of Andy....

Then mankind lost its way and the Age of Strife ensued. The great works fell into disrepair and ruin, all understanding lost...

Now the cult of the one true Empire douth chant

"Shake the Dice once - strike the rune of activation. Shake the Dice twice - burn the oils of change, Throw the dice - Pray to the all seeing one"

Understanding is Blasphemy

Experimentation is Heresy

Thus do the Forgeworlds of Codex churn...

 

Seriously, with all the time they don't spend playtesting, writing FAQ nor anything I really wonder what they do all day long. They don't play games either since they always do that during "lunchtime" and I doubt the management would let them paint during work hours. And they takes months to publish any single codex, while inserting background stories that have been written years ago and blatantly unplaytested units.

There's really a mystery regarding activity (or lack thereof) in GW Studio. It might be located in the warp, in an area where the flow of time is different.

The excuse about WFB is pretty lame - it came out, ooh, 8 months or so back? Which means it was done and dusted over a year ago! What have they been doing since? Sitting with their fingers up their backsides?

Obviously they must have been doing something, but WFB wasn't it surely!

Posted By Kotrin on 06/07/2007 12:45 AM
Seriously, with all the time they don't spend playtesting, writing FAQ nor anything I really wonder what they do all day long. They don't play games either since they always do that during "lunchtime" and I doubt the management would let them paint during work hours. And they takes months to publish any single codex, while inserting background stories that have been written years ago and blatantly unplaytested units.

There's really a mystery regarding activity (or lack thereof) in GW Studio. It might be located in the warp, in an area where the flow of time is different.

Maybe they spend most of the day editing their resumes and browsing Workopolis?

If so, they'd fit in great at my current employer.

Doesnt pass the smell test.

They've said they werent interested in doing FAQ's in the past, havent they? So now its becuase people's whose book it was wasnt around to do it?

What next, the dog ate my homework?

At least they are (re)committing to catching up and getting FAQ's out. Only time will tell if it pays off for us, the gamers, but its nice to see them publicly committing.

Ozymandias, King of Kings

An FAQ in the hand is worth two in the bush, or so I hear.

I wonder if they'll fix the Helion's Hellglaive rule and shed light on the Dark Eldar (eldar) jetbikes issue? Maybe GW needs a list.

I won't hold my breath waiting.

Posted By Ozymandias on 06/07/2007 4:22 PM
At least they are (re)committing to catching up and getting FAQ's out.

Yeah, this week.

How long until change that?

BYE

At least wait until they don't deliver before you start female dogging. It looks like they are realizing some mistakes and starting to take appropriate steps. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt (but you knew that already...).

Ozymandias, King of Kings

I remain skeptical, but at the same time at least they are promising to do something. Acknowledgement of the problem is the first step to resolving it. Now they need to carry though and actually do something in a timely manner. Let?s give them a bit of breathing room and see if they pull though before we burn them at the stake.

LoL. Gw's FAQ team have an "Engine". Think of your own punchline.

And your welcome to. But forgive the rest of us if we dont look over GW's history and go "uh huh, tell us another one."

Its not the first time they say they want to do something. There's an old saying of "Action talks, BS walks"

Posted By carmachu on 06/09/2007 9:13 AM

At least wait until they don't deliver before you start female dogging. It looks like they are realizing some mistakes and starting to take appropriate steps. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt (but you knew that already...).

And your welcome to. But forgive the rest of us if we dont look over GW's history and go "uh huh, tell us another one."

Its not the first time they say they want to do something. There's an old saying of "Action talks, BS walks"

I have to agree with Carmen here.

Its not like this is the third time I can source for this exact sort of promise.

Keeping your customer waiting for years holding their breaths is bound to cause a huge grave yard to become filled.

The skeptics have good reason, nay, bonafide proof as to why the words of Gav (though hopeful) are just another piece of hollow promises until we see results.

Do we want results? Yes.

Are we tired of GW crying wolf all the time? Of course.

Hence the more than nasty skepticism. Dont blame the skeptics for feeling the way they do, blame GW for promising such and never providing. If it wasnt for that, no one would have good grounds to be skeptical!

Personally, I would prefer if GW just spat on my face and told me they hate their customers/suckers. That I could respect.

What I cannot respect is someone promising me something, then being a flake and only coming through with their promises when it is convenient for them.

It would be very convenient right now for GW to follow through. I am sure their finacials next month will reflect that.

Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment.

Realistically they should be able to pump out at least 1 per fortnight.

A studio lackey sets up a FAQ submission point on their website with 'point and click' for each race (would also be helpful if they could gather already developed FAQs from fansites).

When all the FAQs are collated the lackey then presents it to the developer responsible (lets have a team of 3 for consistency) they then each go away and work on it in their spare time over a week and a half. Come back together for a 1 hour meeting. Pick the best options (and references would be helpful).

I think to begin with the FAQs should not be all encompasing for a race, as they have left it too long and it would take forever.
20 or so questions at a time until the backlog gets down to a manageable level sounds pretty good.

Not that GW would do that. I'm paid to solve people's problems for a living. GW designers are paid to dream and roll a d6 if something goes wrong...

Posted By Pariah Press on 06/06/2007 11:00 AM
www.warseer.com/forums/showthread.php

Stolen from Warseer:

"Hi,

In a recent thread I promised to speak to Alessio and Jerv regarding FAQs. I have now done so and have a clearer idea where we now are.

Traditionally the FAQ was the responsibility of a book's author. However, with some books' developers departing GW before the books were released this system obviously wasn't going to work. Alessio shouldered the responsibility, but simple time pressures (such as writing and developing the new Warhammer, amongst other things) seriously cut into the time available. Everybody involved is aware that the current situation is less than ideal, so we've recently changed the way the FAQs are collated, and as far as I know the schedule to catch up is currently being worked out. With luck* we'll able to put on a bit of a 'blitz' to get everything up to date. Speaking to Jervis and Alessio, who are the main engines behind the FAQs in the Studio, once this is achieved we should be able to provide a much more timely FAQ service in the near future.

Cheers,

GAV

*Or failing that, some planning"

So if I read Gav right they are starting over with the way they collate FAQs (or do they actually mean collect? since they haven't done either for a long time) and they are in the process of working out a schedule...  Doesn't sound like anything is in the near future to me...  Working out a schedule is a long way from actually doing any work on FAQs based on the timelines GW seems to be performing at.

How did they used to collate FAQs? Expecting the Codex writer to miraculously have a question pop into his mush cavity?  They certainly don't seem to be taking things like yak's FAQ or similar products from B&C very seriously or regularly... And their one word, snide answers on the previous half-a$$ed FAQs certainly haven't been very helpful in the past.

If Alessio and Jervis are the main engines behind FAQs, they should have that responsibility summarily removed and someone else should be thrown under the hood to see if they can manage to put themselves into gear...

They didnt for the most part lately...they let months, if not years, go by....which is why there is skepticism.