Foundry Temporarily Off

elvalianon · February 2017

hustin1 said:

As for making the Foundry profitable, here's just one idea straight off the top of my head: reintroduce BiS companion gear (e.g. Loyal), but only in "unrestored" form in certain featured Foundry quests. Then introduce the materials to restore them in the Zen store.

BOOM.

No!

That's making it more pay to win. They can add the resources elsewhere, just keep it out of the zen store.

iandarksword · February 2017

Actually, many ideas have been floated towards the Dev team in the past. RNG chests with marks (similar to those found in the Dread Ring), seals for new gear, AD in the same fashion as dilithium in STO, and many more. Rewards are the biggest hurdle with a reward-driven player base. Give the players a reason to play Foundry quests again, other than as a novelty.

elvalianon · March 2017

I'm not letting this thread die >:)

iandarksword · March 2017

Well done @elvalianon, well done.

hustin1 · March 2017

*tap* *tap* *tap*

Is this thing on?

@nitocris83 can we please get an update on a fix? Is anyone even looking at it?

torontodave · March 2017

this thread started in december 2016. "temporarily" means 3+ months.

beckylunatic · March 2017

Technically, it was only "off" briefly. Maybe less than a day.

The fact that it didn't actually work either before or after the outage wasn't relevant to this announcement.

hustin1 · March 2017

Today is March 13, 2017. The last response from @nitocris83 on this thread: February 13, 2017. Am I the only one who thinks that we shouldn't have to keep prodding for some sort of response on this bug? It's been what...three or four months? This isn't a bug on a particular class power, it's a bug that has rendered an entire game feature unusable.

@nitocris83 , @mimicking#6533 , @terramak , (and anyone else): is anyone working on trying to fix this? Is anyone even looking at it?

hustin1 · March 2017

@mimicking#6533 @nitocris83 @terramak

Come on, guys. This is not rocket science. Some of us do this for a living. You've either got a mismatch in how you're serializing objects or somehow they're failing validation when you try to deserialize them. The fact that we can duplicate and copy assets and produce a working quest rules a lot of things out. You've got objects serialized one way but somewhere your Foundry code thinks they're serialized in a different way. Just as clearly, the problem is limited to the code that builds your UI list from whatever source data is feeding the rest of the editor (unless, of course, each Foundry quest actually contains whole duplicates of every type of object that was previously placed in them, which I highly doubt -- the fact that asset changes breaks quests pretty much rules that out).

Or, it could be even much more trivial than that (and less excusable) -- a zero count being passed to whatever code is building the lists.

Seriously. From what I'm seeing, this shouldn't take more than a day to fix. Just get on it already.

elvalianon · March 2017

@nitocris83

Any more news on when the broken foundry editor is going to be fixed?

simplyshawn · March 2017

Maybe they'll have a clever marketing scheme linked to "Day of The Dungeon Master?"

You know, "You've played Respen’s and Portobello’s campaigns, now create your own! Updated Foundry coming on X/X/X!"

I mean... I can dream, right?

comolhiek · April 2017

Will the Foundry's assets coming back with the new Shroud of Souls update?

iandarksword · April 2017

Here's what we can still do:
-Edit existing dialog text
-Change existing custom hairstyles, eye color, existing clothing color
-Manipulate facial features on existing custom costumes
-Move existing assets and details, (don't delete them however, you can not access the library to replace them.)
-Change waypoint types
-Save existing quests
The list is likely a little longer, but this was just a quick function test.
(I published an unfinished, but previously not published quest. Waiting to see if it was successful. The end chest is out of reach.)

We still can not:
-View the asset libraries (creatures, costume pieces, encounters, details, etc.)
-Customize creature costumes (appearance) from the asset library
-Select new maps, or build indoor maps using the Room Creator.

So, to be clear, the editor is semi-functional but incapable of creating completely new quests. Existing unpublished quests can be edited, but essentially only the dialog, move details around not adding more, and maybe change some coloring on custom creatures.

I know I've played a few quests in the last few weeks, not daily sometimes not weekly, but I've at least attempted to in some fashion. Some have been broken, some are still able to be completed. By no means does anything above signify any sort of progress in addressing the missing asset libraries, it's simply a quick observation of what is and is not possible at the current time.

phoenicianson · April 2017

If the developers decide to reintegrate the Foundry, and I surely hope that they do as that was one of my favorite attributes and options of NWO, to push more interest than just the niche why not incorporate some type of Campaign and Boon structure into participating the Foundry. Perhaps boons based on playing through certain categorized Foundry quests, or based upon the length of time the quests take or in total by campaigns.

I think doing something to get the entire player based focused into participating will help rebuild interest in the Foundry, and if it isn't RAD, then perhaps Boons and Campaign tasks may make for a good alternative.

comolhiek · April 2017

Are you guys still working on bringing back assets? No pressure, I just wanted to know if you guys are still working towards it and an estimated release date for the assets update. Thanks.

eldarth · May 2017

comolhiek said:
Are you guys still working on bringing back assets? No pressure, I just wanted to know if you guys are still working towards it and an estimated release date for the assets update. Thanks.

They have said they have no time scheduled this year for any work on foundry.

robzilla45 · May 2017

iandarksword said:
It appears to be an edict from above, or a budget-type issue currently. @Eldarth has continued to have a dialog with @mimicking#6533, he's on our side, mentioned he is still playing our quests. He hinted that he continues to advocate for Foundry to get some more attention than it is currently receiving. Whether that means more manpower or more work hours wasn't revealed. It would be great if we could find some way to assist @mimicking#6533 to convince the powers that be, though I'm not certain how. The lack of rewards and editor down time have likely distorted the perception of whether there is continued interest, at least on paper. Aside from our non-stop advocacy here, which at times has fallen quiet, save for the usual suspects, we currently don't have many options at our disposal as a community to show.

I disagree with you ... we do have options at our disposal. Unfortunately, it would most likely be found by pursuing litigation in the form of a class action lawsuit brought about by multiple state's attorneys On the grounds of false advertising... ie.. the foundry was initially advertised as one of the key features of this game. MANY people spent a lot of money on this product... only to have this company neglect this important feature. I believe that kicking them right in the money bags is the proper way to go about getting the product we paid for.... we really have been waiting quite a long time for the product they advertised and sold. ... and I really don't want to hear any of that HAMSTER about the eula .. that's just corporate mumbo=jumbo to scare the public into accepting an inferior product as if it were ready for market.

Give us what we paid for.

voidgift · May 2017

> @eldarth said:
> Are you guys still working on bringing back assets? No pressure, I just wanted to know if you guys are still working towards it and an estimated release date for the assets update. Thanks.

>
> They have said they have no time scheduled this year for any work on foundry.

That was last year, wasn't it? I didn't hear them say it loud this year, yet. But I could surely have missed it.

defaultdragon · May 2017

Is there anything you guys can share with us? Maybe an ETA or an explanation as to what exactly is happening on your end? I loved the foundry, and it was honestly the only thing that kept me coming back to the game. It's a shame to see such a wonderful feature be plagued with problem after problem.

iandarksword · May 2017

@nitocris83 (Julia) updated in the Maintenance stream (May 2) that they are still data mining. One issue she mentioned was that they are having to sift through a lot of "noise" concerning bots, which were an issue some time ago. I believe the issue was prevalent when Dragon's Hoard enchants still worked in Foundries (mod 4), if not well before that.

On a side note, there are many of us on here (and on other forms of social media) from various eras of the Foundry, if the Dev team would like to pin down certain time frames in the context of "what was working and what was not/where to look for issues" I'd encourage them to simply ask us on here for feedback. There are many who would be willing to help give some direction in what appears to be described as an overwhelming sea of data. Hopefully this is somewhat encouraging to @mimicking#6533 or whomever he has delegated the task to.

comolhiek · May 2017

Has anyone else noticed that the Foundry is currently disabled? What do you think that means? Could they be updating it or just completely removing it?

iandarksword · May 2017

Every module release/update causes the Foundry library and editor to go down. It has followed this pattern since launch. The protocol used to entail the quest library republishing, followed by the editor becoming active. This is likely the "hand cranking" process described by @mimicking#6533 during the State of the Game live stream. Given the data mining and missing asset libraries bug, it's not a sure bet that things will follow the same pattern. The only thing to do as players is wait and see when the quest library begins to reappear.

lyaise · May 2017

comolhiek said:
Has anyone else noticed that the Foundry is currently disabled? What do you think that means? Could they be updating it or just completely removing it?

Let's face it, the Foundry is a great idea that has never been allowed to reach it's full potential due to the lack of development team support.
It has got further and further down the food chain and currently has the status of an unwanted step-child.

Of all the features in the game, this was one of the most eye-catching. Most games have everything that Neverwinter's got - different class combat, story lines, crafting, dungeons, dailies, etc etc - but most haven't got the ability to create your own content, your own world populated by characters and story lines from your imagination.
Player's work brought to life with often unique takes on the D&D world.

Now? It appears like something loved by players, unloved by the development team. A feature some players really want to see brought to the foreground, against a perception that it is destined to fade further into the background with every 'temporary off' notification, until the temporary becomes permanently.

The foundry isn't a new set of lockboxes, it's not a new companion in the Zen store. It is the opposite of those zero content, merchandised only sparkles. Is this why it has been treated so shabbily over the years?

A fantastic idea, with the potential to be a jewel in the crown of the game. But the up front lack of immediate financial return of the feature has driven it to an increasing state of disrepair. Which is in itself a very poor reflection on the team's focus, sadly reinforcing a money content only perception.

elvalianon · May 2017

eldarth said:

They have said they have no time scheduled this year for any work on foundry.

Where have they mentioned this? I've only seen comments from @nitocris83 about how they were working on fixing it and other comments from a dev and community managers that they were hoping to get it back on the agenda. Not that I read the entire forum

I'm just curious.

Also any updates? @nitocris83 @mimicking#6533

gravman213 · May 2017

Never-winter we need some kind of response on this foundry issue?

dread4moor · May 2017

> @gravman213 said:
> Never-winter we need some kind of response on this foundry issue?

They have responded. Loud and clear:

Silence.

It says more about their real interest than all the half-hearted placating dev streams combined.

elvalianon · May 2017

dread4moor said:
> @gravman213 said:

> Never-winter we need some kind of response on this foundry issue?

They have responded. Loud and clear:

Silence.

It says more about their real interest than all the half-hearted placating dev streams combined.

You are right. I am so sick of waiting on the foundry to come back every time and seeing all these people asking and hoping on somewhat of a response that they rarely bother to/can give. I'm pretty sure this game dies sooner than they will ever fix the feature. Good job Craptic, I give up.

iandarksword · June 2017

https://youtu.be/0VkrUG3OrPc

Thanks @nitocris83 @mimicking#6533 and any others involved!

Foundry Temporarily Off

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