by the fans for the fans

It seems to me and I am probably wrong, that HG is waiting for the big cash-in from the RTLAM if there is one. Then we will probably get to see an updated website. I can't imagine trying to revamp that site all by yourself. That thing is going to need a team of designers and coders.

Just look how long it took for this one to get going and its a fan-based one. I try to do it on my spare time which is currently zero at the moment.

We can only debate now, all we can really do is wait on the outcome as with most things post-original Robotech.

SIGHUP wrote:

It seems to me and I am probably wrong, that HG is waiting for the big cash-in from the RTLAM if there is one. Then we will probably get to see an updated website.

Yeah, that was the impression I got too. The response we usually got when we proposed updates and even offered to do them ourselves was essentially "why spend money to fix a part of the site that doesn't earn us money?".


SIGHUP wrote:

I can't imagine trying to revamp that site all by yourself. That thing is going to need a team of designers and coders.

Well, I'm not talking about offering to revamp the site software of Robotech.com, I'm talking about updating the Infopedia's CONTENT. There's a ton of stuff it still doesn't cover, including literally EVERYTHING produced between 1988 and 2002. It's sad, really.

I have a small-ish team of web developers on hand who have been working with me on my Macross II project, so I don't foresee much difficulty in building an all-new site instead of working on the RT.com Infopedia.

I agree, I think they may be waiting for the results from a LAM before they do much, still kinda sucks to wait though.

While Steve Yun is the webmaster for Rt.com, it seem like only Kevin takes a remote interest in it and that is with regards to the various message boards. The site itself is dated and incomplete. It is almost as if the had an initial surge with Battlecry and From the Stars and then things have slowly deteriorated. Invasion seemed to blow up in their face and the Wildstorm comics kept selling less and less. TSC was met with mixed reviews the most widley available of which tended to be negative. The site reflects that attitude. It is almost like HG is standing back trying to catch it's breath wondering what to do next and how to go about. yes they may be waiting for the RLAM, but there is no guarantee of it comming or a time frame. Hg needs to support their product here and now so to speak. The official site is a gateway to their product. They need to realize that leaving it like it is can shun potential fans/customers. By updating, revamping,completing and even putting effort into the site, they may see a fan base more attracted to the RT property as they will be seeing something that a company actualy puts itself behind.

Yeah i think that is the best way to put it. I agree 100%.

Thank you, and I think many people feel the same way. It's poor thinking and also an "old way" of thinking. As people get tighter with their money in these harder times,companies have to do something to carve out a section for themselves, and HG has not done that. The things that seem to define Robotech as a franchise seem to be more negative than positive. Mixing three series(doesn't bother me as I like the story), repeated failures to follow up(i.e. Sentinels, 3000, Follow up to TSc...so far) and dated thinking. The site reflects that and that's not a good thing. Incomplete infopedia, no modern web 2.0 based content. Flash, web comic, just a dull feeling the site gives off. Make it ively make people turn their heads. Try show effort, it is all we ask for.

I doesn't help that they overcharge for some of their items. The Protoculture Collection is listed at $70 on Amazon.com and $120 on Robotech.com. That price difference has been unchanged for at least a year. Either they just don't care or are trying to weasel an extra $50 out of people who wouldn't think to check amazon.

Richardmvela wrote:

They need to realize that leaving it like it is can shun potential fans/customers. By updating, revamping,completing and even putting effort into the site, they may see a fan base more attracted to the RT property as they will be seeing something that a company actualy puts itself behind.

Yeah, I've tried pleading this case to "The Powers That Be" before... it didn't work. I got the same response over and over again... that they don't want to spend money to fight "nonexistent problems". So long as the store keeps working, they don't really care about the rest. It's also a fairly safe bet that the Shadow Chronicles section will go uncompleted for a while yet, since most of the info that would fill it is collected in a mediocre artbook for sale in the store.

Robotech isn't exactly Harmony Gold's meal ticket, so it's not like they're going to do a full court press on the site under any circumstances. They just don't feel that it's worth the time and/or effort to do it now.

Redbeardrum wrote:

I doesn't help that they overcharge for some of their items.

The lousy customer service doesn't really help either... I and a great many others have had trouble with them breaking stuff in the packing process, and heaven help you if you want to return something.

Ok, so I googled Harmony Gold and the top link was HarmonyGold.com(which isn't a very impressive site IMO) up at the top it says 'powered by Robotech.com' which is LOLworthy.
Honestly it looks like they don't have a lot going on, Heck their Entertainment Catalog(filled mostly with stuff that I have never heard of) page was last updated over 2 years ago. So I am wondering what is their meal ticket.

It's funny that you mention that Seto. When I purchased my
Blu-Ray copy of TSC, I ordered it from the store. Not a major complaint but the way they shipped it in the box had it so that the case became slightly worped. I simply bought an empty case from a local movie store and swapped the cover and disk. But I have heard of horrible customer service on their end. I think that HG needs to make a choice, either focus on quality and manage their properties WHILE AT THE SAME TIME planning for future installments...RLAM and what. It seems they are so busy looking forward that they have virtually abandoned the present state of Robotech......too much focus on the RLAM and not the property itself.