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Hasbro laying off Wizards of the Coast staff is baffling

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Re: Hasbro laying off Wizards of the Coast staff is baffling

#271

Post by baud147258 »

drxzcl wrote: post #249
csydas wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They also sell so many overpriced kits with not much going on in them (just a few pieces of paper, not enough dice, sub par instructions ). Or really expensive character toys. For me this is the most telling part that Hasbro doesn't quite get what you're actually selling if you have a tabletop company; it's not the ruleset, that will be leaked as soon as you sell a single copy and people actually play the game. It'…

For me the naive part is focussing on player options. I understand that groups generally have one DM and 4 players, do if you include player options you might sell 5 books instead of one. But that's the shallow, cash-in-now-fuck-next-decade mentality. Meanwhile they haven't put out a decent adventure in a decade. The internet is awash with people trying to glue their ramblings back into coherent campaigns and running…

> WOTC: support your DMs or die.

good thing WotC isn't the only company writing adventures for D&D 5, then?

Re: Hasbro laying off Wizards of the Coast staff is baffling

#272

Post by mcv »

solardev wrote: post #109
DonHopkins wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's like Oracle buying Sun. We just need to move on from Java to other languages at this point.

If you ever want another huge, ancient labyrinth of a language that also kinda sorta runs everywhere, the Javascript world welcomes you with open tentaces! Here we're controlled by an evil older than Oracle itself (Microsoft and Typescript), with upgrades and crossgrades and cross compilers that deliver astounding 15% improvements in performance in exchange for a mere few animal sacrifices and a lifetime of misery. I…

Not that I want to defend them, but Typescript is probably the best thing Microsoft ever created.

Re: Hasbro laying off Wizards of the Coast staff is baffling

#273

Post by mcv »

DonHopkins wrote: post #181
solardev wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you ever want another huge, ancient labyrinth of a language that also kinda sorta runs everywhere, the Javascript world welcomes you with open tentaces! Here we're controlled by an evil older than Oracle itself (Microsoft and Typescript), with upgrades and crossgrades and cross compilers that deliver astounding 15% improvements in performance in exchange for a mere few animal sacrifices and a lifetime of misery. I…

Sure, but the JavaScript world won, and the Java world lost. A long long time ago, last century. The war has been over for decades, since the demise of Netscape Javagator in 1998. And C# was released 23 years ago, specifically designed to do to Java what Java did to C++, and it did. It's like you're trying to still fight the Civil War. https://www.wired.com/1998/02/whither-crawls-netscapes-javag... >WIRED Magazine: F…

In the browser. Javascript won in the browser, which was indeed Java's original target platform. They lost that, but they won nearly everywhere else.

Re: Hasbro laying off Wizards of the Coast staff is baffling

#274

Post by mcv »

cxr wrote: post #259
realusername wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never seen a large js codebase without typescript and I'm not even sure how you could realistically manage one without.

> I've never seen a large js codebase without typescript So you're explicitly identifying yourself as a non-authority (but in a weird tone that tries to suggest the opposite?). https://searchfox.org/ > > I'm not even sure how you could realistically manage one without Pretty simple: write boring code.

> write boring code.

But who wants that?

Re: Hasbro laying off Wizards of the Coast staff is baffling

#275

Post by mcv »

seabird wrote: post #177
dragontamer wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The alternative systems flourished with DnD 4.0 back in 2008, since that system just wasn't as good as 3.5 or the new 5th edition. Wizards of the Coast did a great job with the balance of customization vs simplicity of 5e and that's why DnD did so well recently. But the alternatives always were there. Its a big community of literal house-rule makers (everyone plays DnD with their own houserules). Its a community used…

Was 4 really worse than 5? Everyone I've heard speak on it is pretty hesitant to say 5 is better, and that a lot of of great design choices (martial classes not being completely outclassed, less frustrating saving throws, rule clarity, better handling of numbers on enemies, better rest mechanics, etc.) were thrown out in 5 because 4 caught so much shit for being "not 3.5".

4e was a very different kind of game. They did fix the balance problem, but they did it by making every class work in pretty much the same way. Also, the focus was so strongly on the battlegrid that it felt more like a tactical skirmish game than a roleplaying game.

Re: Hasbro laying off Wizards of the Coast staff is baffling

#276

Post by nextlevelwizard »

freilanzer wrote: post #260
nextlevelwizard wrote: post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If people are still going to pay money for D&D then they truly do not care about the hobby. I must admit before the OGL fiasco I didn't see much of the allure of other systems, but that really pushed me away and the world of TTRPGs is so much brighter and better than crappy D&D. I still play in one D&D campaign, but it was started before the fiasco, but I have already decided that at least I won't be running another…

As someone thinking about getting into Pen and Paper games, I'm surprised to read all this. What are the alternatives?

It definitely ain't everyone's cup of tea, but my current favourite system is Mörk Borg and other "old school" rules-light systems like it. My next game will be run in either Mothership or Death In Space.

All in all I feel like D&D has too many rules (but crucially not enough to not leave details up to interpretation) and too many artificial limits on the characters one can play. The good thing about D&D is that many people are familiar with it, but again in various degrees, which will often (at least in my tables) leave into unexpected outcomes when either the GM or the player is not familiar with all of the nuances of the system. Ranging from simple stuff like using wrong skills for actions (using perception to find a hidden door instead of investigation) or having/expecting spells to penetrate walls when a foot of stone i.e. any stone wall will block most magical effects.

Re: Hasbro laying off Wizards of the Coast staff is baffling

#277

Post by nextlevelwizard »

ZiiS wrote: post #254
concordDance wrote: post #247

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What system would you recommend?

Pathfinder is DnD but better; most others focus on different settings so it depends on your interests I have always liked Cyberpunk 2020.

In my experience (which is limited to Pathfinder 2e without any extensions) Pathfinder is by far inferior to D&D 5e.

The classes _are_ more interesting, but you pretty much have to maximise your character's potential if you want to keep the game going or you just have to be willing to re-roll often and let characters die and just abandon quests. i.e. it is not good for heroic fantasy.

Then again Pathfinder isn't gritty enough for me to be interesting as "bunch of peasants who try to be adventurers" either.

Re: Hasbro laying off Wizards of the Coast staff is baffling

#278

Post by jmcgough »

chaostheory wrote: post #248

Reminds of when Rockstar laid off Red Dead Redemption staff despite great sales figures.

Game dev is pretty different though. There's huge internal shifts in need for headcount since everything is often tied to development of a specific game. It's pretty common to lay off employees after a game gets shipped.

Re: Hasbro laying off Wizards of the Coast staff is baffling

#279

Post by DonHopkins »

mcv wrote: post #273
DonHopkins wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, but the JavaScript world won, and the Java world lost. A long long time ago, last century. The war has been over for decades, since the demise of Netscape Javagator in 1998. And C# was released 23 years ago, specifically designed to do to Java what Java did to C++, and it did. It's like you're trying to still fight the Civil War. https://www.wired.com/1998/02/whither-crawls-netscapes-javag... >WIRED Magazine: F…

In the browser. Javascript won in the browser, which was indeed Java's original target platform. They lost that, but they won nearly everywhere else.

JavaScript won the war of running the same language on both sides, because it runs in the browser, and you can run any language you want on the server. You can't practically run any language you want on the browser, only one, and it's JavaScript, so it's not possible for Java to run on both sides now. And in case you didn't notice, people run JavaScript on the server all the time, because they can share the same frameworks and libraries and data structures on both sides, like easy server side rendering. The cost of developing and deploying and running and maintaining two different languages and implementations of everything and incompatible frameworks on each side is just too high, and a huge waste of energy and time and human effort. Java usage is declining and stagnating, and JavaScript/TypeScript usage is rising rapidly. And JavaScript's and TypeScript's future is not controlled by Larry Ellison.

https://experttal.com/blog/top-programming-language-trends-i...

>Top Programming Language Trends in 2023

>Java Won’t Be as Popular as It Was

>In a similar vein, Java — a language central to the emergence of the software industry as we know it today — increasingly appears to be past its prime.

>Java slipped out of the top spot on the TIOBE index — a position it had held for nearly two decades — a couple of years ago. As of 2023, there's every indication that Java won’t recover the top spot.

>Although Java will likely remain widespread over the coming year, it's hard to imagine it returning to its former stature as one of the most popular languages. On the contrary, we suspect Java will continue to decline in popularity over the coming year and beyond.

https://marketsplash.com/javascript-statistics/

>50+ JavaScript Statistics For 2023 Trends & Facts

>Microsoft introduced TypeScript in 2012 as an extension of JavaScript, incorporating optional typing. This adaptation retained the syntax and essence of JavaScript while implementing supplementary features essential for developers. The contrast between JavaScript and TypeScript is noteworthy, as the latter presents heightened productivity and simplified maintenance for expanding codebases.

>For this reason, TypeScript transcends being merely a fleeting JavaScript trend; it has evolved into an established language. The most recent survey from 2022 indicates that JavaScript stands as the most utilized programming language, boasting a considerable 78% adoption rate among developers. This survey stems from the State of JS Survey.

Re: Hasbro laying off Wizards of the Coast staff is baffling

#280

Post by drxzcl »

baud147258 wrote: post #271
drxzcl wrote: post #249

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For me the naive part is focussing on player options. I understand that groups generally have one DM and 4 players, do if you include player options you might sell 5 books instead of one. But that's the shallow, cash-in-now-fuck-next-decade mentality. Meanwhile they haven't put out a decent adventure in a decade. The internet is awash with people trying to glue their ramblings back into coherent campaigns and running…

> WOTC: support your DMs or die. good thing WotC isn't the only company writing adventures for D&D 5, then?

Yes. But more importantly, there are lots of creators making excellent stuff for systems that are not compatible with their bullshit player option supplements.

No Steve, you cannot be extra-planar half-staplerkin half-mongoose demi-lich paladin/sorcerer with a lemming patron. I don't care what Tasha's Bulging Cupboard of Crap or Volo's Yard-sale of Absolutely Everything has to say about it.

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