I'm sorry size means little in this case. CGL out sources almost all the writing for Shadowrun and instead act as an editor/publisher so a mess up like this is just plain incompetent on a major level. Many book publishers and magazine company have similar staffs and jobs and they manage to get it right.
You talk like the fact they're not making tons of money is an excuse but they're either doing this for the money or because they love the game and I'm not seeing much love these days.
The plain fact is as cousumers we have the right to expect a quialty product and we're not getting it. Don't get me wrong I love S5 but I remember the old days before all the word processors and 5 billion small 2 person game companies with games printed on newsprint and they managed to do a better job than CGL is.
That's some rose colored glasses you are wearing there! Where can I get a pair??
Lets see.....
Palladium books: Robotech (1986-1990 printings) Missing stats for several vehicles and Mecha. Missing weapon systems clearly shown in 13 episodes missing from the Alpha fighter, and clearly shown in 3 episodes missing from the Beta fighter. Miss categorized several power-armor and battloids in Southern cross. Miss printed the damage from fighter pods to be 3d4x100mdc...Ship weapon systems listed as doing 1d4x1000, All of which wasn't errata'd until the 1992 FOURTH reprints of the books.
RIFTS: Multiple errors when quoting their own previous released material.
And lets not talk about the Nightbane/Nightlord legal issues that lead to can actual lawsuit by Clive Barker.
White Wolf: Vampire the masquerade: Many consistency errors among the clan stats in the core books that flew in direct contradiction to the clan books, and even the clan books contradicted other clan books!
Steve Jackson Games, GURPS: multiple errors in their own rules and page reference numbers.
TSR: DnD line. Multiple consistency errors all through both the 1ed, 2dnd books where there was errors in charts, errors in the consistency of spells and saving throws, and just general lore and world problems (most notably in Greyhawk). Marvel Super Heroes: HUNDREDS (yes hundreds) of characters published multiple times with different stats for attributes and powers and that in just 16 released books (both by them and licensed outsourcing)
FASA 1e and 2e Shadowrun errors, Battletech errors, Crimson sky errors...
Should I go on? I have about a half dozen more general examples from smaller AND larger publishing houses...
And lets see if we can find any thing outside of the Games media.... How about Gawker? You know, that online 'News" media empire of over a half dozen webpages? You know, the one sued into bankruptcy due to their LACK of journalistic practises??
What about Salon webpage that backed a KNOWN and PROVEN plagiarist, refusing to remove his articles with proven stolen content??
******
The only thing that has changed over the years in the availability of the internet, both as a source of fact checking, and as a platform for people to whine and cry. Nothing has really changed in the publishing world, except for the political leanings of the content and the overall general decline of journalistic standards.... be that in News reporting, fiction, science reporting, ethics, or even in the grasp of the English language...
.... And don't even get me started on the "new age" cancer that is Social Media (be that twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, myspace, (or whatever fuck-tard-trending platform of the week!)
Is Catalyst perfect? HELL NO. They make mistakes, and in some cases huge ones. Could they, should they do better? I would say yes, they can, have, and I hope, will do better in the future.
But it is amazingly frustrating to me, to listen to a bunch of (what I am assuming) cry baby assholes who have never worked a day in their lives in this media dump on the people that actually DO, and with all the gusto and bravo and courage that the internet allows them to draw up while sitting safely behind their keyboards. I have done writing, in fact a full 1/4 of my job is writing! And while I do not write fantasy, I write something far harder. I write technical updates for field construction changes and user operational and service guides for multi-billion dollar construction works. These take MONTHS of time and effort, and are often times made incorrect by the time I am finished due to OTHER changes that had to be implemented. (And that's before you take into account by piss poor language and writing skills)
I Challenge you ALL to sit down and write up a Shadowrun-esk sourcebook (don't care what it covers) and then post it on these forums to let the community rip it to shreds and call you weeks to months of effort "Fucking useless, hack-filled drivel" and other wonderful comments.
Many of us old timers on this site (and there is NOT that many of us left!) Remember the days when Jason Hardy used to post fairly regularly. When other freelancers would come by and answer questions and when other members of Catalyst would do the same.....
That's just not the case any more. Jason Hardy hasn't said anything in a LONG while (not that I blame him!), Many other freelancers have given up coming here. And many of the most knowledgeable forum members have walked away. And I point my finger at the reason squarely at some members of these forums.
You want answers.... Then you shit all over the people who give you answers, then wonder why they don't come back to give you more answers!!!
If you can't figure out why, then my retarded-fuck-wit friends, I suggest you look in a God Damn Mirrior!!! Cause you are NOT helping the situation.
Be happy that there are people like AJ, Critias, Wak, Patrick and the select other few who are willing to come here and help and share. Treat them with some respect, or they too will end up waving the middle finger at you/us and walking away.
End Story is: The errata changes were supposed to be in the book, but were not, we currently have no idea how this error happened, but it has. Until it gets sorted out, save your vitriol until you know where is should be spewed.
<To the mods: Yes I used harsh language, yes I directed it at the community. And yes I will happily take any censoring/banning without complaint. But sometimes, shit has to be said.>