It seems that SmiteWorks, which makes the Fantasy Grounds virtual gaming desktop product has issued issued a Cease and Desist letter to WotC due to similarities between their existing product and WotC's DDI.
The letter is found here.
Screenshots of claim is found here.
Any speculations by the more legal eagle types?
I'm no legal expert, but I doubt Smiteworks is going to get anywhere with this claim. I like Fantasy Grounds a lot, and it's the only online tabletop I use, but Wizards gametable looks so much different.
As for the image linked. If Wizards did that, yes it was pretty dumb, but now their screenshot looks like this, which is quite a bit different from the way Fantasy Grounds looks.
Can't get the url tag to work right =\
http://wizards.com/uploadedImages/DnD/Insider/gametable3.jpg
It was copyright infringement, but WotC changed it when they cease and desist was issued, so I don't think it will go any further than this.
...what morons...
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This gives an insight in the requirements definition within WOTC. They are obviously using FGII as a template for their Virtual Tabletop. I mean the whole 3d dungeon thing is essentially a presentation layer and most likely wholy new whilst the rules/dice roller system is already well established in FGII and prime for lifting. Hasbro should have done the honest thing and bought Smiteworks or at least partnered with them.
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This gives an insight in the requirements definition within WOTC. They are obviously using FGII as a template for their Virtual Tabletop. I mean the whole 3d dungeon thing is essentially a presentation layer and most likely wholy new whilst the rules/dice roller system is already well established in FGII and prime for lifting. Hasbro should have done the honest thing and bought Smiteworks or at least partnered with them.
I guess that some people will be looking very closely at the underlying code when/if that part of DDI is released. Interesting times ahead, I say.
I guess that some people will be looking very closely at the underlying code when/if that part of DDI is released. Interesting times ahead, I say.
Agreed. Even leaving aside the issues of the Edition Wars, in the last few days we've gotten the GSL debacle and now this...
Contributor
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I started a thread about this yesterday, and was informed that it's old news...
WotC used the image, not the underlying code.
Apparently, it was supposed to be internal only placeholder art, but was accidentally released to the public.
Which is still pretty incompetent by someone.
The offending art has been removed by WotC.
The other thing this tells me is that WotC hasn't even developed their own dice-roller technology for the DDI, which is pretty sad.
The other thing this tells me is that WotC hasn't even developed their own dice-roller technology for the DDI, which is pretty sad.
Sad is right.
We found out many months ago about DDI -- given that Paizo found out about the revocation of the magazine license a year before that (or so), WotC has had DDI planned for a very long time. Unfortunately, for most of that time, they appear to have been doing little or no useful work on it, or even had software developers in place.
So absence of any dice-roller software wouldn't surprise me :/
The other thing this tells me is that WotC hasn't even developed their own dice-roller technology for the DDI, which is pretty sad.Sad is right.
We found out many months ago about DDI -- given that Paizo found out about the revocation of the magazine license a year before that (or so), WotC has had DDI planned for a very long time. Unfortunately, for most of that time, they appear to have been doing little or no useful work on it, or even had software developers in place.
So absence of any dice-roller software wouldn't surprise me :/
If it's not one thing - it's another.
WotC is seriously falling flat on its face with the DDI. I was 100% on board until June 6. After not having a release, that dropped dramatically. This news drops it even more. Now, I'm not sure if it's even worth considering.
WotC is seriously falling flat on its face with the DDI. I was 100% on board until June 6. After not having a release, that dropped dramatically. This news drops it even more. Now, I'm not sure if it's even worth considering.
Yeah - I like 4E, I was a bit miffed about the cancellation of the magazines and the apprehensive about the DDI.
As time progresses, I see more and more that WotC has some good writers/designers and completely incompetent managers - who don't know how to handle something as massive as the DDI - or simply their webpage.
Cheers, LT.
Actually this isn't such a big thing. The real fault lies in the Graphic designer who made the mockup of the dice roller. Stealing and making huge blunders in graphical design is pretty common nowadays. Go check photoshopdisasters.blogspot.com or any other of the sites dedicated to identify this sort of thing. you will be surprised about the huge blunders some of the big names make.
I suspect someone just got a big reprimand nothing else.
It's fascinating watching a slow motion train wreck just keep going for an entire year.
Edit: Oh, and I was going to check and see what they changed it to and... wizards.com is down. Rock ON!!
Yes... its been crashing continuously for several days now. <rolleyes>
I tried to maintain a small presence there after 'moving' here, but with the GSL announcement and the constant instability of their site, its really not worth my time anymore.
I know some web-types from several sites who are familiar with Gleemax/WotC, and all of them say its probably the worst organized mess they've ever seen. Things like their art section, which is hard to find because its listed under 'maps', and the fact that a lot of the art from the books is actually available in other areas then there (making it a crap-shoot), broken links everywhere, older content that is still viewable to people who have the old links, but not reachable in any way from the site itself, etc, etc...
The lack of organization, and any sort of progres in the last year, tells me that they are not only scraping the bottom of the barrel as far as designers are concerned, but also as far as tech people are concerned.
I 'tinker' with computers and websites for a hobby, and I know I could have taken care of at least 25% of that garbage in the past year by myself (the broken links, mostly), which leaves me to wonder... just what the heck is going on over there?
Right idea, wrong reason.
A friend in my gaming group who played a lot of Vampire the Mascarade the RPG, got his first look at the 3 core books last weekend.
He said 4th edition has more in common with Vampire than it does with 3.5.
Maybe the estate of Tolken can sue them for not borowing from him.
Actually this isn't such a big thing. The real fault lies in the Graphic designer who made the mockup of the dice roller...
If this were the only misstep, I'd agree. But WotC has handled a lot of things very clumsily -- where do you draw the line between a mistake (or two, or five) and incompetence?
As time progresses, I see more and more that WotC has some good writers/designers and completely incompetent managers...
My feelings exactly!
I've got to admit that I know what it's like to work hard and produce while surrounded by morons.
I think they have done some good work, but the f#~@ ups are just so numerous, and so glaring....
Hannabal would have defeated Rome if the generals of Carthage had let him do his job.
In other words I agree.
Actually this isn't such a big thing. The real fault lies in the Graphic designer who made the mockup of the dice roller...If this were the only misstep, I'd agree. But WotC has handled a lot of things very clumsily -- where do you draw the line between a mistake (or two, or five) and incompetence?
That's the main point behind most of the WotC vitriol here on the boards. Take any one or any two of the mistakes Wizards has made (clumsy announcement, pulling Dragon and Dungeon (sorry, my opinion that this was a mistake), bad online presence ala Gleemax, attitude, marketing, the list goes on...) and you're right. If everything else had been pulled off with precision and substance, most people would've grumbled but moved on. But when the comedy of errors kept rolling on and on and on....
:: Self inflicts Quivering Palm from 1st ed ::