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So FAQs seem to be be part of the past with none for a good many months now.....

Do we think thats it - GW just wont bother any more?

If so is there anything that can be done to deal with the ongoing issues in the game that should be adressed by the FAQs? It does not seem an easy thing as interpretation varies on many subjects and causes quite explosive arguments......

There is a strong possibility that the dev team just doesn't have the time to answer any questions with the ramped up release schedule (and of course that's assuming they're the ones who usually answer said questions).

I do hope that perhaps with GW's new site launch on the 7th we'll see some updates there, but I'm not going to hold my breath there.

Months!

There hasn't been a FAQ answer in a year. They updated some errata on the days that a codex is released. (which shows poor quality from the start)
AND they changed the spacing (yes just the spacing) on the BRB entry in September, but that's all we've been given.

I wonder if the newest FAQ will be: just 4+ it!

They deleted the old Tyranid FAQ, so they are aware that they exist.

NamelessBard wrote:
They deleted the old Tyranid FAQ, so they are aware that they exist.

That's why I feel it's more likely that they just don't have the time to handle them right now more than a outright ignoring of them.

Yeah, but couldn't they have directed 1 guy to write the FAQs? I mean, they are supposed to be a large company, right? They have to have more than 6 guys writing.

 CthuluIsSpy wrote:
Yeah, but couldn't they have directed 1 guy to write the FAQs? I mean, they are supposed to be a large company, right? They have to have more than 6 guys writing.

The main dev team has never been really big. Most of the company's employees are tied up in manufacturing or sales more than anything else.

I understood they recently fired the guys that complied the FAQs?

 Mr Morden wrote:
I understood they recently fired the guys that complied the FAQs?

This is the first I've heard of that. Where'd that news/rumor come from?

I heard we're getting a new rule book in june. it's either a cleaner version of the current rules or a new edition. so we probably won't see anything til june

sirlynchmob wrote:
I heard we're getting a new rule book in june. it's either a cleaner version of the current rules or a new edition. so we probably won't see anything til june

Take that with some salt.
That's only a rumour.

Edit: On the subject of FAQs; I was thinking that they might update them in April. (I noticed it seems to be every April and September) so if they don't this month then I'm giving up hope.
We'll just have to house rule the way things work, or roll off! Our LGS house rules (Store ruled, really).

sirlynchmob wrote:
I heard we're getting a new rule book in june. it's either a cleaner version of the current rules or a new edition. so we probably won't see anything til june

Ah yes, the 6.5 Ed or 7th Ed rumors (depending on who you ask), that mostly gained popularity in being real after GW's mid-year financials came out. Honestly if it's a 6.5 book I expect it to just be the rulebook we have with all the Escalation and Stronghold stuff added into the rules and no other changes (I'm setting the bar low so I can be pleasantly surprised if I'm wrong and I'm ready for the worst if I'm right). And I don't think it's been long enough since 6th came out for us to see a 7th edition and if we did see a 7th edition I can't imagine it'd be that good being spat out after only 2 years.

Basically I'm not holding my breath for either to exist, and if it turns out they do, I'm not holding it for them to really change much, if anything.

 CthuluIsSpy wrote:
Yeah, but couldn't they have directed 1 guy to write the FAQs? I mean, they are supposed to be a large company, right? They have to have more than 6 guys writing.

The actual design studio of GW is not very big, no. There's, what, eight authors and a dozen modellers or something like that? That's the people that are actually making the product. The rest are support staff that are required for any business to operate, but are not part of the creative team.

 ClockworkZion wrote:

 CthuluIsSpy wrote:
Yeah, but couldn't they have directed 1 guy to write the FAQs? I mean, they are supposed to be a large company, right? They have to have more than 6 guys writing.

The main dev team has never been really big. Most of the company's employees are tied up in manufacturing or sales more than anything else.

Many speaking in defense of GW have made much of the fact that the studio staff have been expanded significantly in the last year or so. It can't really cut both ways, they might still be busy, but the release schedule hasn't ramped up massively, sure, we've seen new books more often, but things are now spread out weekly rather than as a monthly lump, perhaps giving the impression that more is being released than really is.

The optimist in me wants to believe that they're just sat on all the issues waiting for the rumoured update to the core rules and come the release we'll see a huge info dump and a genuine attempt to get things on track. The cynic, however, just thinks they don't care about the quality of the product they're releasing and are just desperately churning out volume to try and generate cash to inflate the end of year report.

 azreal13 wrote:

 ClockworkZion wrote:

 CthuluIsSpy wrote:
Yeah, but couldn't they have directed 1 guy to write the FAQs? I mean, they are supposed to be a large company, right? They have to have more than 6 guys writing.

The main dev team has never been really big. Most of the company's employees are tied up in manufacturing or sales more than anything else.

Many speaking in defense of GW have made much of the fact that the studio staff have been expanded significantly in the last year or so. It can't really cut both ways, they might still be busy, but the release schedule hasn't ramped up massively, sure, we've seen new books more often, but things are now spread out weekly rather than as a monthly lump, perhaps giving the impression that more is being released than really is.

The optimist in me wants to believe that they're just sat on all the issues waiting for the rumoured update to the core rules and come the release we'll see a huge info dump and a genuine attempt to get things on track. The cynic, however, just thinks they don't care about the quality of the product they're releasing and are just desperately churning out volume to try and generate cash to inflate the end of year report.

We're getting a new book of some fashion (be it WFB, a mini-dex, a Codex-Supplement or a Codex) every month save December. We used to get 1x 40k and maybe 1x WFB book a quarter. I'd say that's an increase in output, as all the stuff in there (beyond the "two pages of rules" everyone harps on in the mini-dexes and the C:Supplements) has to come from somewhere and they're often juggling multiple projects at a time. From what I know the Dev Team is being run through the ringer to get stuff out.

And let's not forget that Matt Ward isn't a rules writer anymore either, he might do some fluff stuff but apparently his focus is working for the BL now instead last I heard. Which means that there are less people for the stuff to go around to now. And frankly I think that Jervis only works on stuff occasionally (like the Titans or some of the Altar of War stuff) with his primary focus being attending meetings, telling people to forge narratives and writing, now weekly, articles for WD.

Digital editions have been responsible for Inquisition, LotD and other digi releases, so they're not a part of the main studio, and yes, the extra stuff takes work, but iirc the design studio is now, according to something official, up to 28 bodies. I'm sure they're not all involved directly in rules authoring, but that is an awful lot of man hours to put into supporting 2 (and 1/2) games.

EDIT

Scratch that, just had a quick scan through the last financial report (up to June 2013) the employees listed as part of design and development were up from 115 to 145, so that element of the company was also not only bigger than anyone though, but also expanded by over 25%. I'm sure that includes casters, packing operatives etc too, but it is still a massive increase in the relevant department.

 azreal13 wrote:
Digital editions have been responsible for Inquisition, LotD and other digi releases, so they're not a part of the main studio, and yes, the extra stuff takes work, but iirc the design studio is now, according to something official, up to 28 bodies. I'm sure they're not all involved directly in rules authoring, but that is an awful lot of man hours to put into supporting 2 (and 1/2) games.

Those Mini-dexes are still written by the main GW team even if they aren't released in print (yet). That's like claiming the Sisters codex wasn't written by GW just because it's digital only. The only thing the digital editions teams has taken credit for was the dataslates/datascrolls and nothing else.

Most of the design team is actually the sculptors who make the models we play with more than the rules team (which seems to have always been a small group who largely agree on things as a group but leave writing the book itself up to only one or two people).

They'll release the FAQ's in something you have to pay for.

Has anyone asked Eddie on Facebook? I hardly expect an answer but it might be useful to know whether they are coming or just dropped.

Who is Eddie?

 ClockworkZion wrote:

NamelessBard wrote:
They deleted the old Tyranid FAQ, so they are aware that they exist.

That's why I feel it's more likely that they just don't have the time to handle them right now more than a outright ignoring of them.

No time? With 40 work hours in a week, and it's been over 2 months now, how much time do they really need to give a "NO" answer to nerd the Nids some more?

One of the two people that post on GW digital edition facebook page.

The GW digital facebook is dead isn't it like all their non store facebook pages?

 buddha wrote:
Has anyone asked Eddie on Facebook? I hardly expect an answer but it might be useful to know whether they are coming or just dropped.

Digital Editions was taken down last week as was Forge World's page. No clue on if they'll return of if it has anything to do with Facebook's new policy to start charging companies for the exposure they get through Facebook (other companies have pulled out of Facebook because of that reason).


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Davor wrote:

 ClockworkZion wrote:

NamelessBard wrote:
They deleted the old Tyranid FAQ, so they are aware that they exist.

That's why I feel it's more likely that they just don't have the time to handle them right now more than a outright ignoring of them.

No time? With 40 work hours in a week, and it's been over 2 months now, how much time do they really need to give a "NO" answer to nerd the Nids some more?

Actually in the past it's been mentioned that members of the dev team often too stuff home and basically worked on it off the clock to get things done for deadlines. I imagine that's only gotten worse since the release schedule stepped up.

I just want a FAQ for the friggin burning chariot of tzeentch already... is that SO much to ask?

chaos0xomega wrote:
I just want a FAQ for the friggin burning chariot of tzeentch already... is that SO much to ask?

What you want is an errata because if the WD rules for the Exalted Flamer on foot is to go by, they apparently don't understand why it needs to be Relentless (or at LEAST Slow and Purposeful).

How long does it take to write a FAQ ? They have all their notes from the design and test period , so it should be easy to check, if they play tested something different then it actualy ended up as.

Makumba wrote:
How long does it take to write a FAQ ? They have all their notes from the design and test period , so it should be easy to check, if they play tested something different then it actualy ended up as.

GW? Play testing? Hah!

I seriously doubt if they actually play test stuff, let alone in a competetive way.

All the codex have list of people that playtested the codex. Some like the nids one have a playtest team bigger then a football team. Why would they list a playtest team , if they didn't playtest the game .

Brother Michael wrote:

Makumba wrote:
How long does it take to write a FAQ ? They have all their notes from the design and test period , so it should be easy to check, if they play tested something different then it actualy ended up as.

GW? Play testing? Hah!

I seriously doubt if they actually play test stuff, let alone in a competetive way.

GW has laid out their playtesting as follows: they play some games between the devs, and then after they tweak things they have some other folks play some games (I assume that these games are played by the WD team since those guys do the battle reports and you basically get two birds with one stone that way) and they tweak things if needed. This is per their statements from the "Enter the Citadel" event last year.

So no, they don't do mass play testing nor do they have a large enough or diverse enough sample size to properly catch all the problems. It's one of the things I think could seriously be improved upon.