# Is Code Monkey Publishing kaput?



## iwarrior-poet (May 28, 2009)

Code Monkey Publishing is the former maker of official D+D 3.0/3.5 datasets for PCGen/E-Tools and the forthcoming RPG Toolkit (currently a vaporware product). Their website (which has not been too stable over the last two years) has been out of commission for the last week. Here it is:
http://www.codemonkeypublishing.com/
It has a message saying it is upgrading software----but I really don't think it takes a week to do that. Does anyone have any info or thoughts?


----------



## Jan van Leyden (May 28, 2009)

No, I don't have any info. But in Monkey-land any changes, even repairs to the  site are a matter of months.

I've given up hope a long time ago, and I'm very happy that I didn't pre-order (and pay!) their announced product two years ago.


----------



## iwarrior-poet (May 31, 2009)

Getting close to two weeks now... Anyone got some actual info?


----------



## iwarrior-poet (Jun 4, 2009)

*Close to three weeks now*

Not looking good...


----------



## Nylanfs (Jun 4, 2009)

Me either, I haven't been able to get ahold of either Bryan or Rob via email. 

My next step would be to try calling Rob since I can't seem to find Bryan's number.


----------



## dragonier (Jun 5, 2009)

I know a few folks over at the Piazza have been watching the Codemonkey site and also the Blackmoor MMRPG site for any hint about the forthcoming Blackmoor releases.  The last news heard seemed to indicate the latest Blackmoor book had been sent to be printed.  That was a while ago though and there's been no news since.  It's very disappointing.


----------



## sfield (Jun 5, 2009)

*The Monkeys*

Having benefiting from them actually fixing E-tools I had high hopes for them.    But I think they are going the way of Duke Nukem Forever pure vaporware.

I purchased almost 400.00 worth of their etools / pcgen stuff and it did work.   

There website was the absolute worst layout I have ever seen and the use of terminology for there page links might have been funny to them but as a consumer It drove me nuts trying to find something.

They never backed up there sight and the last major upgrade they did if they had read the documentation had known issues with the application modules they were running on the site.

If they had tested anything out priot to doing a live upgrade they would have know it wasn't going to work.   

These guys did some great stuff in the past but they are the worst business owners I have ever come accross.


----------



## iwarrior-poet (Jun 9, 2009)

Still down...
Anyone have any news?


----------



## Nylanfs (Jun 9, 2009)

I sent Bryan an email and he just got back with me.




			
				Merton Monk said:
			
		

> It's the curse of trying to straighten one issue out, forcing an update of some software, which destroys other things, only to find out that your backup has been corrupted. Sigh. I'm no help with those things and Rob has been going in circles with the support teams for the various pieces of software we use on the site.
> 
> -Bryan


----------



## iwarrior-poet (Jun 10, 2009)

Thanks Nylanfs. Good to hear they are not TKOed, but it doesn't speak too well of their ability to manage their site. It has been pretty inconsistent for the last two years.


----------



## DumMetlHed (Jun 10, 2009)

Nylanfs since you have a Merton Monk's email maybe you could suggest that they update the "under construction" page with something like what he mentioned in the email to you and maybe a list of things that are still being worked on with the promise of a full State of the Monkey once the website issues are straightened out.

Or if they don't want to go that in depth maybe just a little note near the bottom to let people know they are alive along the lines of 

06/09/2009 Still trying to beat the website software into submission with the WBoP.

every once in a while if this takes too much longer with whatever the date of the "post" is

That way people that stop by and see the same graphic up for the last few weeks don't just give them up for dead.

I don't know, you may not feel comfortable suggesting to them what they do and I could understand that I'm not trying to tell them how to run their business either. I just know that warrior poet seemed to think they were done with and I was starting to think the same way, (based on the lack of updates on RPGF and other projects followed by a prolonged downtime of the site itself) and if we were thinking like that I'm sure others that didn't think to check EnWorld for monkey info may be thinking that too.


----------



## RogerWilco (Jun 11, 2009)

The last time I visited their site I left a post that it looked void of activity (last news like 4 months old), until you got a hint from the "tracker thingy" and got yourself a new forum account and only then could you see the forums and know they were alive.

Now I'm not even getting that, and I end up here.

It's typical for the monkeys, but by now 99.73% will have assumed they are no longer operational in any shape or form.

Their inability to maintain and backup a site has always boggled me, especially because they presumably are able programmers given their ambition level with RPGT. And I do have a clue about what it means to maintain such a site: www.conclave.cc

Thanks Nylanfs for providing the update. This thread is now the second hit in google if you go looking for CMP.


----------



## Nylanfs (Jun 14, 2009)

Merton Monk said:
			
		

> Apparently the site looks fine on Rob's local machine, and he's trying to figure out why it doesn't seem to work properly on the network. Should be back up shortly. -Bryan




Just got this this morning.


----------



## iwarrior-poet (Jun 15, 2009)

It is still down.


----------



## Nylanfs (Jun 16, 2009)

Just checked and it's kinda up, looks like Rob has a VERY generic format in the process of being installed. The forums aren't back up yet though.


----------



## iwarrior-poet (Jun 22, 2009)

Looks like they are down again. Around a month now. Disappointing.


----------



## Vascant (Jun 22, 2009)

In a strange way, I have to ask..  Does it matter?  As far as I can remember you have never had a nice thing to say about them..


----------



## iwarrior-poet (Jun 23, 2009)

Not true. 
When CMP started off I was a huge supporter. I posted regularly on their boards and other boards with very positive messages. I was so psyched about the pending RPGF that I bought $200+ of PCGen datasets---largely on the promise of getting those datasets converted to RPGF datasets when it came out. I convinced my gaming group to make similar purchases. Then we waited... and waited... and waited... 
The last two years have seen them break promises, mismanage their website and fail to provide any timely info or updates.


----------



## Vascant (Jun 23, 2009)

iwarrior-poet said:


> Not true.
> When CMP started off I was a huge supporter. I posted regularly on their boards and other boards with very positive messages. I was so psyched about the pending RPGF that I bought $200+ of PCGen datasets---largely on the promise of getting those datasets converted to RPGF datasets when it came out. I convinced my gaming group to make similar purchases. Then we waited... and waited... and waited...
> The last two years have seen them break promises, mismanage their website and fail to provide any timely info or updates.





Two years?  You have been on your Anti-CMP crusade for longer then that.


----------



## iwarrior-poet (Jun 23, 2009)

Possibly. 
The whole process has taken so long, and has been so frustrating, that I have lost track of time. How late is CMP on producing RPGF? Three years? Four years? Sure---they always had the caveat of 'not laid in stone so don't hold us to account'--- but seriously now. They are WAY overdue. And then they took on Blackmoor when they hadn't even produced any info/progress on RPGF?
Bad management.


----------



## iwarrior-poet (Jun 26, 2009)

CMP still only has a basic page up. No forums, store, or news. Anyone have any info?


----------



## Papa-DRB (Jun 27, 2009)

iwarrior-poet said:


> CMP still only has a basic page up. No forums, store, or news. Anyone have any info?




On the left side, about 2/3 of the way down the list, click on PNphpBB2. That takes you to the forums.


----------



## iwarrior-poet (Jun 28, 2009)

Got it. Thanks. Seems like no posts for the last month though.


----------



## Papa-DRB (Jun 28, 2009)

People have been posting. The dates are all screwed up again (as usual).


----------



## Nylanfs (Jun 29, 2009)

Hmm, not sure if Mynex did anything, but I cleared my cache to get the dates right and this morning the old monkey theme is back this morning. Or course it still says PNpnpBB2 for the forums on the sidebar but it's getting better.


----------



## dragonier (Jul 3, 2009)

*Blackmoor - The First Campaign*

I noticed in my latest Noble Knight Games newsletter that Blackmoor - The First Campaign is finally available.  I took a quick look over at the Codemonkey site and at the Blackmoor MMRPG site, but the only indication of the release is one small message buried in one of the threads that says it has been sent to distributors.  I want to give them the benefit of the doubt, but I have to admit without even an announcement here on ENWorld, what kind of sales can they really expect?

I hope my concerns prove unfounded.  I'd really like this product to do well so we have a half-ways decent chance to see the other products they're planning.


----------



## kilthar (Jul 30, 2009)

I haven't had any success logging-in to either the forum or store.
Trying to reset the store password does send a reset email, unfortunately when you click submit after entering a new password an error is generated (page not found) and the new password will not work.  I have submitted an email via the store web input screen but have had no reply after several days.
Trying to get my password from the forums no email arrives.


----------



## willmoor09 (Nov 30, 2009)

thanks for sharing

__________________
construction salary manager


----------



## realmaster (Sep 10, 2011)

the site has been down for quite a while. has anyone heard if they are still in business?


----------



## Mark CMG (Sep 10, 2011)

PCGen, anyway, had a booth at Gencon 2011 -

http://files.gencon.com/2011_exhibitor_list_alpha.pdf

And that PDF says their site is -

PCGen :: Overview

If that helps at all . . .


----------

