The place I work at has a 3D printer that could make a set of dice out of stainless. We have 3 axis CNC machines with CAM software that can do 3D surfacing. I am not trying to be a punk but... I could probably make my own dice set and it really wouldn't take that long to do. Whoever you guys went through is seriously taking a long time to hammer out a single set of dice for approval.
These dice probably are not made out of metal and I am sure there is some things involved that I am unaware of but 6 months is a really long time. One month is a really long time to knock out a set of dice. Even if you only work one day a week and your machines break down regularly. The hardest part would be making the 3D model in solid works so that it matches the design and making arrangements for the material stock so that it matches the look you are going for. Any company with a mechanical engineer worth a crap and a capable CNC machine could do this quickly.
If you are not molding the dice out of plastic it could take longer because you would need to make a fixture that can clamp the dice in place for two setups and lots of fine milling and then polishing. I believe this set has six dice and I am aware that it would need to be mass produced but from what Trent has said, they don't have a single set of dice that has been approved yet. I would think if a company cannot do this in a timely manor then they should not make a bid for a job like this. The company I work for gets fined serious cash if it doesn't meet the deadlines that our lawyers and our customers lawyers agree to before we take on a job.
I'd actually be quite fine with metal dice. That's exotic enough to be interesting, and they would make a compelling threat against my players when they start derailing a session with conversation about old internet memes and new video games. I'm just really afraid that they will be par for the dice I can get for 8 bucks a set on any given day at the local gaming store.
The dice better be the best set I have ever owned. I mean, after this long of a wait I'm afraid that no matter how the dice turn out it won't warrant the delay.
Building the dice out of metal would cost too much to mass produce but I think 3 months for a single set is too long regardless of what material they are made from or the method used to manufacture them . For affordable large quantities of dice they are probably using injection molding to do a large amount all at once. One small die can be used for testing puposes before the time consuming large molds are made.
If you do a google search for 3D printrd dice, they are going for about 100$ a set. Too pricey for a video game special edition box set. This is just a guess on my part though.
My guess is that the number of dices needed was not enough large to justify the cost of the molds, but producing them with an other method is too expensive. I don't know how many collector's edition pieces are planned, Beamdog's site told only of a very limited number, now it tells that it is sold out, I don't know if because the planned number was reached or due to the problems we are talking here. Beamdog told in this topic that they where looking for someone in China able to do the dices, but maybe, I am only guessing about things that I don't really know, even there the number was too small, so too priced dice or really bad made ones.
We also know for sure that Beamdog had some problems, in an other topic @TrentOster told that they had to drop 4 people, and it was not an easy decision but they had to do it. If requested I can give the link to his post or quote here his exact words. So is possible that, even if at that point is clear that there was some bad planning in this operation, they could not produce the dices loosing money, they are a little company trying to compete with giants. Even if a situation like that can have bad consequences on a company that inherited a strong fan base and is so careful to cultivate good relationship with it. The fact that they told of the dice problem, but never gave a probable delivery time, seem to me significant. If I am right in my guessing I hope for you, and for them, as my overall evaluation of Beamdog is positive, that they have found or will find soon a solution of this impasse.
Ya, but you are getting two full books. One is spiral bound and the other has a custom leather cover. The coin and necklace also have to be manufactured and the cloth needs to be purchased for the map and sent to a print shop that can print on cloth. The discs need to be bought and burned. Royalties may need to be paid to the artists and musicians involved. Even the box requires time and money to manufacture.
The price is high but everything is limited production. I can't complain about the price. No one pulled my arm to buy this set. I for one am very happy to even have a chance to buy something like this for a game this old.
I am playing through BG1EE right now and I have to say that I am satisfied overall with what beamdog has accomplished.
The water improvements have made the game look nicer on nearly every map. The night time lighting has added to the realism and style of the game. The character models look cleaner and the backdrops look the sharpest they have ever looked. The zoom option combined with a scalable UI and native resolution support is awesome. I don't think I have run into a single bug this time around either. The audio is uncompressed. The still art introductions for Candlekeep and Nashkel are more appropriate in my opinion. I have become addicted to the new LOB difficulty mode over the last few weeks. Now we have modding tools for the UI and a fantastic box set coming out for a solid expansion pack to this great game that is better now than ever before.
Yes the UI wasn't finished and the box set is taking awhile because of the dice manufacturing but still.
One thing I know is if you get involved with the manufacturing industry it pays to have a lawyer involved. We have customers that want to steal our designs so they will pay to get the project started and go over the machine design with us and then they will pull out. Sometimes they will wait till we build the machine and then refuse to take it or pay for it. Sometimes if you run into a shady manufacturer they will rip off the customer if they can't deliver what they promised. It always pays to have legal backing from start to finish in this corrupt industry.
Ya, but you are getting two full books. One is spiral bound and the other has a custom leather cover.
Has this been confirmed? Because I didn't see it in the description and if it is true I will need to cancel my order. Some might think I'm joking but I'm a vegetarian and I don't buy leather and neither do I like to touch it.
Oh, and what others have said. Mistakes happen but it has been a loooong time.
If you read the description on the collectors edition page is says this about the Bence Duncan book...
Delve into the mystery of the Shining Lady, Caelar Argent, in this detailed report by Flaming Fist Corporal Bence Duncan. This vital information comes bound in a faux-leather cover, inset with a special two inch coin.
Don't get me wrong. I'm very excited for this product. But that excitement is a bit broken after all the delays and time we have all been waiting. I know when it FINALLY gets here I'll be re-excited all over again...
"Super close"? They haven't even laid a finger on the dice yet, much less okayed them, initiated mass production, received them, packed them, and shipped them. Maybe I'm misreading it, but we're still in pre-production at this point. Given how slowly this step is going, I dread to think how much the manufacturers will drag their feet on actually getting the job done.
That said, I like that tweet. Informative, to the point, and displaying their own dissatisfaction with the progress. Communication is key, and valuable even if all you have to say is "I have no news yet and I think that sucks".
I just wish what communication we get wasn't second hand from Twitter. Granted, that's mostly because I refuse to use it, but then my status as an out-of-touch old luddite has been discussed extensively on this forum.
I say we roll up an adventuring party to set forth the decreed quest to hurry up the production of our CE boxes (that have been sold out) ! Definitely need Minsc and Boo in the party !!! Butt kicking for Goodness!
And of course you will need the unrivaled talents of Edwin Odesseiron. (Though why I would need these fools for anything beyond ablative shielding is beyond even me. It matters not. I have a pointy hat of my own, at last.)
I wonder if they could ship them out without the dice and then ship the dice seperatly when they are ready. It would cost Beamdog to do this though. This manufacturing company is damaging Beamdog's good name so I would be taking it out of the manufacturers ass if I were Beamdog.
When the supplier is so far past the due delivery date that the penalty clauses in the contract render the transaction non-profitable for the supplier - you then sue the supplier for breach of contract, they declare themselves insolvent and both sides lose (although I did once end up owning a small engineering company that way).
Moral of the story - vet the supplier thoroughly before placing the order.
Comments
I am seriously disappointed by this.
These dice probably are not made out of metal and I am sure there is some things involved that I am unaware of but 6 months is a really long time. One month is a really long time to knock out a set of dice. Even if you only work one day a week and your machines break down regularly. The hardest part would be making the 3D model in solid works so that it matches the design and making arrangements for the material stock so that it matches the look you are going for. Any company with a mechanical engineer worth a crap and a capable CNC machine could do this quickly.
If you are not molding the dice out of plastic it could take longer because you would need to make a fixture that can clamp the dice in place for two setups and lots of fine milling and then polishing. I believe this set has six dice and I am aware that it would need to be mass produced but from what Trent has said, they don't have a single set of dice that has been approved yet. I would think if a company cannot do this in a timely manor then they should not make a bid for a job like this. The company I work for gets fined serious cash if it doesn't meet the deadlines that our lawyers and our customers lawyers agree to before we take on a job.
If you do a google search for 3D printrd dice, they are going for about 100$ a set. Too pricey for a video game special edition box set. This is just a guess on my part though.
Beamdog told in this topic that they where looking for someone in China able to do the dices, but maybe, I am only guessing about things that I don't really know, even there the number was too small, so too priced dice or really bad made ones.
We also know for sure that Beamdog had some problems, in an other topic @TrentOster told that they had to drop 4 people, and it was not an easy decision but they had to do it. If requested I can give the link to his post or quote here his exact words.
So is possible that, even if at that point is clear that there was some bad planning in this operation, they could not produce the dices loosing money, they are a little company trying to compete with giants.
Even if a situation like that can have bad consequences on a company that inherited a strong fan base and is so careful to cultivate good relationship with it.
The fact that they told of the dice problem, but never gave a probable delivery time, seem to me significant.
If I am right in my guessing I hope for you, and for them, as my overall evaluation of Beamdog is positive, that they have found or will find soon a solution of this impasse.
The price is high but everything is limited production. I can't complain about the price. No one pulled my arm to buy this set. I for one am very happy to even have a chance to buy something like this for a game this old.
I am playing through BG1EE right now and I have to say that I am satisfied overall with what beamdog has accomplished.
The water improvements have made the game look nicer on nearly every map. The night time lighting has added to the realism and style of the game. The character models look cleaner and the backdrops look the sharpest they have ever looked. The zoom option combined with a scalable UI and native resolution support is awesome. I don't think I have run into a single bug this time around either. The audio is uncompressed. The still art introductions for Candlekeep and Nashkel are more appropriate in my opinion. I have become addicted to the new LOB difficulty mode over the last few weeks. Now we have modding tools for the UI and a fantastic box set coming out for a solid expansion pack to this great game that is better now than ever before.
Yes the UI wasn't finished and the box set is taking awhile because of the dice manufacturing but still.
One thing I know is if you get involved with the manufacturing industry it pays to have a lawyer involved. We have customers that want to steal our designs so they will pay to get the project started and go over the machine design with us and then they will pull out. Sometimes they will wait till we build the machine and then refuse to take it or pay for it. Sometimes if you run into a shady manufacturer they will rip off the customer if they can't deliver what they promised. It always pays to have legal backing from start to finish in this corrupt industry.
Oh, and what others have said. Mistakes happen but it has been a loooong time.
Delve into the mystery of the Shining Lady, Caelar Argent, in this detailed report by Flaming Fist Corporal Bence Duncan. This vital information comes bound in a faux-leather cover, inset with a special two inch coin.
That said, I like that tweet. Informative, to the point, and displaying their own dissatisfaction with the progress. Communication is key, and valuable even if all you have to say is "I have no news yet and I think that sucks".
I just wish what communication we get wasn't second hand from Twitter. Granted, that's mostly because I refuse to use it, but then my status as an out-of-touch old luddite has been discussed extensively on this forum.
Moral of the story - vet the supplier thoroughly before placing the order.