So a while back FFG quoted Profundity would be out Q4.

With it still in Dev (and I'm in the UK) and the normal FFG lead time, they got my hopes up again, only to spoil Christmas.

Bad FFG. Stop promsing then disappointing. (Should really have learnt by now TBH, after many delays of XW, IA and Eldritch Horror stock.

Would you prefer it the Games Workshop way where they send in the Inquisitors if a staff member even hints at something coming out in three weeks time.

Both ways have their downsides...

I'm with Mad Cat. I'd much prefer a company that's casual and "real" enough to say "here's what we're shooting for, and we are going to try our best" because I believe it, and you know what, their best is good enough for me.

That's what happens sometimes. FFG isn't always on the ball on updating their info. Right now I think the meta is in a good place in terms of what I see on the table.

Now if we could get a bit better conversation / back and forth when it comes to rules clarifications, that's be nice. If love to be a fly on the wall during a roundtable or something.

FFG is pretty awful with fan communications. I'm not particularly angry about it, and I'm not over here furiously gnashing my teeth and wailing that I'm done playing Armada, but how in the WORLD do we get half a preview article 6 weeks ago and nothing at all since? It's like they're not really trying.

6 minutes ago, FoaS said:

Now if we could get a bit better conversation / back and forth when it comes to rules clarifications, that's be nice. If love to be a fly on the wall during a roundtable or something.

They should just stream that s***. I know I'd watch it.

2 minutes ago, JauntyChapeau said:

FFG is pretty awful with fan communications. I'm not particularly angry about it, and I'm not over here furiously gnashing my teeth and wailing that I'm done playing Armada, but how in the WORLD do we get half a preview article 6 weeks ago and nothing at all since? It's like they're not really trying.

While lack of communication is pretty standard for FFG, I'm fairly certain that there's been some kind of unexpected delay this time around. I just can't see any way that they weren't shooting for a before Christmas release.

I know its just business at the end of the day and plans go out the window as soon as you start following them, but this latest wave seems way behind schedule for Armada. HotE for IA took a ridiculous amount of time from first announcement. I seem to remember things like the K-Wing taking forever to hit UK shops as well. They're obviously concentrating on getting their shiny new game Legion (Squads) out there.

I'm not really that upset but it just seems a little of over promising and under delivering on release dates. It doesn't take a lot to give honest delivery projections. I wouldn't critisise them on under delivering on product content though.

I suppose patience is still a virtue and all that....

22 minutes ago, Megatronrex said:

They should just stream that s***. I know I'd watch it.

I used to play EVE Online. I don't anymore, but I still follow news about it because it's fascinating. I've really become a fan of the company that makes it: CCP. They actually hold two conventions per year in which players can come and watch panels about upcoming things, roundtables to give constructive feedback on what features have been added, and of course - party. CCP has been extremely engaged with their community to the point where I feel like I could just tweet at CCP Fozzie with a good idea and if it measures up, I could see it in game in a year - even better than I had suggested it. They're very open about what's coming and are willing to explain why they've made the decisions that they have.

CCP is my model when it comes to community and client engagement. I feel like every company, FFG included, could take notes about how CCP operates themselves in those terms. I feel like the only real engagement I have with staff is reading articles that they publish, and hearing stories about people who occasionally get semi-official rulings via email.

7 minutes ago, FoaS said:

I used to play EVE Online. I don't anymore, but I still follow news about it because it's fascinating. I've really become a fan of the company that makes it: CCP. They actually hold two conventions per year in which players can come and watch panels about upcoming things, roundtables to give constructive feedback on what features have been added, and of course - party. CCP has been extremely engaged with their community to the point where I feel like I could just tweet at CCP Fozzie with a good idea and if it measures up, I could see it in game in a year - even better than I had suggested it. They're very open about what's coming and are willing to explain why they've made the decisions that they have.

CCP is my model when it comes to community and client engagement. I feel like every company, FFG included, could take notes about how CCP operates themselves in those terms. I feel like the only real engagement I have with staff is reading articles that they publish, and hearing stories about people who occasionally get semi-official rulings via email.

That would be truly awesome if FFG did something like that. The lack of communication and interaction with their player base has been my only real complaint about FFG. If I made some of the great games they do you'd have a hard time getting me to shut up about them.

The larger issue is that the there is a release, and probable FAQ update that are now going to occur in the midst of regionals. With the new strategy with regionals, there being less of them and not overlapping dates, I am also kind of expecting some sort of change to the tournament format as well. Wasn't there a whole debacle with xwing, testers, and a faq update one time?

Kind of.

But that was more to deal with the Ethics, and lack thereof, of some of the Playtesters themselves.

1 hour ago, AdmiralYor said:

The larger issue is that the there is a release, and probable FAQ update that are now going to occur in the midst of regionals. With the new strategy with regionals, there being less of them and not overlapping dates, I am also kind of expecting some sort of change to the tournament format as well. Wasn't there a whole debacle with xwing, testers, and a faq update one time?

To elaborate a little... a lot of the X-wing playtesters leak like a sieve. But the information flow was far from egalitarian; Instead, you got a clique of folks who were "in the know" about upcoming nerfs and mechanics, while those who didn't know a leaking playtester were left in the dark. A few months ago, one playtesters broke NDA completely and posted a list of nerfs being playtesters to Reddit because they felt that if some of the tournament players were getting advance notice of upcoming changes, all of the X-wing community should, lest some tournament players practice with lists that were about to become illegal.

And then yesterday the new X-wing FAQ was released, with two of the changes being spot on and third being fairly close to the leak. So, be warned; The X-wing forum is kind of a firestorm at the moment.

7 minutes ago, Squark said:

To elaborate a little... a lot of the X-wing playtesters leak like a sieve. But the information flow was far from egalitarian; Instead, you got a clique of folks who were "in the know" about upcoming nerfs and mechanics, while those who didn't know a leaking playtester were left in the dark. A few months ago, one playtesters broke NDA completely and posted a list of nerfs being playtesters to Reddit because they felt that if some of the tournament players were getting advance notice of upcoming changes, all of the X-wing community should, lest some tournament players practice with lists that were about to become illegal.

And then yesterday the new X-wing FAQ was released, with two of the changes being spot on and third being fairly close to the leak. So, be warned; The X-wing forum is kind of a firestorm at the moment.

And thats why I avoid tournaments. Its just a game you're meant to enjoy, not a competitive live or die sport.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, Profundity is still under development and is looking more likely to drop out of my Christmas list ☹

I would like for them to have ffg have a zone for players of Armada to feild questions and ideas.

On the other hand I could see how that could turn into a s***storm, because if you don't have most of the Dev team on board for that kind of thing you can end up slanting a game real quick.

Most games are and should be designed by committee. Thus preventing bad or game breaking (in a bad unintended way) from occuring. Everyone has bias (playstyle, faction, random vs static) and without many you can understand up with something that only appeals to a few instead of many.

2 minutes ago, Noosh said:

I would like for them to have ffg have a zone for players of Armada to feild questions and ideas.

On the other hand I could see how that could turn into a s***storm, because if you don't have most of the Dev team on board for that kind of thing you can end up slanting a game real quick.

Most games are and should be designed by committee. Thus preventing bad or game breaking (in a bad unintended way) from occuring. Everyone has bias (playstyle, faction, random vs static) and without many you can understand up with something that only appeals to a few instead of many.

They have one for questions.

They cant have one for ideas due to copyright and other licensing ownership issues involving submissions.

12 minutes ago, Squark said:

To elaborate a little... a lot of the X-wing playtesters leak like a sieve. But the information flow was far from egalitarian; Instead, you got a clique of folks who were "in the know" about upcoming nerfs and mechanics, while those who didn't know a leaking playtester were left in the dark. A few months ago, one playtesters broke NDA completely and posted a list of nerfs being playtesters to Reddit because they felt that if some of the tournament players were getting advance notice of upcoming changes, all of the X-wing community should, lest some tournament players practice with lists that were about to become illegal.

And then yesterday the new X-wing FAQ was released, with two of the changes being spot on and third being fairly close to the leak. So, be warned; The X-wing forum is kind of a firestorm at the moment.

My thought was more of a possible problem than a complaint. Our last FAQ dropped after worlds, meaning that even having advance knowledge of it was useless. Dropping waves and FAQ mid seasons causes terrible problems, especially for the poor guys trying to gather statistics.

Just now, Drasnighta said:

They have one for questions.

They cant have one for ideas due to copyright and other licensing ownership issues involving submissions.

Well 50% to isn't bad

My expectation is that we will have an updated FAQ before regionals starts seeing as they have been working through Xwing and destiny. Though as has been observed I do not see any need for major changes.

28 minutes ago, jamie nasmyth said:

My expectation is that we will have an updated FAQ before regionals starts seeing as they have been working through Xwing and destiny. Though as has been observed I do not see any need for major changes.

Only major one at the moment is Sloane, I stay out of the scary threads so I don't think there is an official resolution on that? Other than that, it could be balance FAQ changes or tournament format.

4 minutes ago, AdmiralYor said:

Only major one at the moment is Sloane, I stay out of the scary threads so I don't think there is an official resolution on that? Other than that, it could be balance FAQ changes or tournament format.

I thought there was an official ruling on that for U.S. Nationals that was in favor of RAW, no? That old thread is here. Unless you are talking about something completely different?

4 minutes ago, GalacticFister said:

I thought there was an official ruling on that for U.S. Nationals that was in favor of RAW, no? That old thread is here. Unless you are talking about something completely different?

To some, "Official" doesn't happen until its first hand in an FAQ.

32 minutes ago, Drasnighta said:

To some, "Official" doesn't happen until its first hand in an FAQ.

RAI and RAW are irrelevant concepts in a game where cards can be given an errata for balance purposes. I don't have a problem with that, just means we can argue until we are orange or purple in the face and it doesn't really matter. The actual answer may be oranple or purange for a reason that won't be apparent for one or two "soons" in the FFG release cycle.

Just now, AdmiralYor said:

RAI and RAW are irrelevant concepts in a game where cards can be given an errata for balance purposes. I don't have a problem with that, just means we can argue until we are orange or purple in the face and it doesn't really matter. The actual answer may be oranple or purange for a reason that won't be apparent for one or two "soons" in the FFG release cycle.

They are not irrelevant concepts. Quite the opposite, they justify the concept.

They can be made irrelevant at such time as they are given an errata for balance purposes.

But for the vast majority of the time, RAW is how you play the game. Otherwise, what is the very purpose of rules? 90% of the Cards we have in Armada are subject to RAW.

RAW is the majority useage.

Until such time as that is changed, sure. There are RAI and Errata'd exceptions.

But they are exceptions.

and to have exceptions, you must have a "Status Quo" or "Normal".

RAW is that.