Thardferr Site boards

[Feff]

I'm not going to offer much but I'm going to have to agree with Rhade and even expand on what she just said. Everyone over here, both PC and DM alike have put large contributions into the Thardferr community. As far as I know, we are the community, we are just relocated to a different set of boards. The site and boards aren't what makes the community, it is the people involved and everyone here is involved with it in one way or the other. So to say that just since we are here that we aren't part of the community would likely offend many here.

[Vitriol Blue]

Hmm a post I made at like three thirty didn't turn up till about seven...thus making me look like a jerk.

Sorry teardrop you did answer my question...my post just got lost out there for a while and you happend to answer it before it got here?  don't know how that happend.

[Mnuxim]

Well, I hate to say it but it looks like we are at an impass here.  ST will not release an official copyright statement until they have finished recreating the site.  They will not be able to complete recreating the site until they know if we will be returning or not.  We do not know if we will return or not until after we have seen an official copyright notice.  Anyone else see the problem here?

Here is what I would like to hopefully see.  ST can create a bare bones site, and lay their claim to what is on it.  As well as including an official copyright statement so that we all know and understand what is going on with the material that is submitted.

Now before you get the chance to say it, I know the reason that you cannot make the site until you know if we are coming back or not.  You need to know what the site needs, what information should be on it, and what information belongs to who.  I understand this.  I am pretty sure that anything actually on the site is at the very least untracable as to who it belongs to, so I think I am pretty safe in saying that is fair game for ST.  The only thing I am not sure about completely would be the point buy system for character creation, although I am sure there will not be people coming out of the woodwork trying to claim it as their own.

In prior discussions we have said that things on the site are out of date, but have not been very specific, so perhaps ST is not the only person who has been vague.  We were doing it for the same reasons, we were not entirely sure.  I can tell you that anything about the gods is out of date, as they were just totally redone.  I can also state with relative confidence that the information on the orcs and goblins is also out of date.  I do not believe the site even has anything about the different guilds.  And I believe that even the map has been put offsite.

Ok, so now I am pretty sure you know, and we know, what it is that you have ownership of, and what is accurate on the site.  Perhaps some of us can exhaustively go through and try to figure out what is still good and what is not at some point to give you a page by page sort of thing, but at least you now have a general overview.

As far as things that the site would need...

I am all for a new layout, so long as it is not tasteless, but I know that you have at least some taste  I mean you went after Thardferr after all.

The character registration program needs to be updated to include all of the SPs created and modified during the religion rewrites.

There needs to be a way for players to modify their character's histories and descriptions without needing to delete the old information and create a new sheet.

There need to be places to house information about: Guilds, Gods, Classes, House Rules, Recent History, Races, Important NPCs, (possibly important PCs), and a Miscellany with things like Rainbow Wood, Vision Weed, Jitterweed, White Steaks, etc.

We also need to know, and see evidence that if we have things which need to be updated that they will be able to updated in a timely fashion, sure no one expects daily updates, but hey even knowing that at the end of the month the site will get updates to include whatever information is new in the past 4 weeks would be great.

Obviously message boards.

On the topic of messageboards, there are a few things which set this one apart from others, particularly the ones on the site now.

So much nicer of a layout firstoff, look at it, its pretty.

Avatars, now people know what Mnuxim looks like.

Signatures, not big, but hey nice.

Statistics, ok, not a really important thing, but great for tracking activity trends.

Cool smileys, or emoticons as they like to be called.

So many specialized boards, TC (public and private), Individual Group Boards, All of the OOC Boards needed, IC Board, Race Board, Religion Board, and hey even the Adult Roleplaying Board (big fan of that).



The long and short of it is that we would love to come back, but only if things are going to better for us than they are right now.  Honestly, we are prepared to live and play without ever going back to add.thardferr.com .  We have all of the information we need here and other sites, on our hard drives, etc.  The community IS here.  There is no community over at the old site.  We even have a webpage in progress with all the stuff I just suggested up there in the works.  Now please do not take this as a threat, its not.  We did not move off the old site until we, well had to really.  Lets face it, people, in groups, are pretty complacent, unless something really reaches out to us and says "I'm Cool!"  we are not going to go towards it.  We will return, if when we look at the site we see something functional and improving.  As long as we look at it and see the same thing we have for years, we don't need it.

Like that mysterious voice said "If you build it they will come."  If you build the site, I am pretty sure we will come.

[Endel]

I would have to second Mnuxim's post. And throw in a search engine for the site so we can find informaiton faster. I really believe if this can get rolling it could be great for both sides.
I could add way too many things to a wish list. Interactive maps, redundant linking of information, writer commentary, interactive timeline, guest art pages, links to player and DM sites, public character bios... *quivers* I have to stop, I think my vision might be a little too grand....

Sorry I am an organization junky and it makes me all giddy to put things in the right place and order with easy to find-ability.

[DM Rithas]

Before I begin, note this is not intended in an inflammatory manner whatsoever, but merely trying to get clarification.


OK...personally there are 2 things that I (and I believe this applies to most the other DMs as well) want either a yes or no to before we say officially whether we're "coming back".

#1: Whether a person, selected by us, will be given complete administration powers over the website to add, delete, change, modify, etc. as needed.

I know you've already commented on this, but I want to point out something...your last comment on this was, exactly:

I have already stated if someone applicable can be found they may be able to get the admin powers

(emphasis my own)

That to me sounds like a loophole, to be honest. What I personally want, and I think others will agree, is a promise that the person we choose will be given those powers.

We have not chosen such a person yet, because we don't want it to turn out to be a futile process.


#2: Copyright statement. I understand the impass on this...this is what I propose.

Have GenShadow or whoever the website builder is create the frame of the site. The Format they want, color scheme, whatever. Nothing but the bare backbone. Have the copyright statement on this (you yourself said that they didn't want to give a C/CAA until they had a site to put it on).

Then give the admin powers to the person we choose (as per #1) to fill in the site with the information. That way, it minimizes the work ST (or TS, whoever would be doing that) has to do on the site, and satisfies our (or at least mine) main points of conflict.

Tell me what you think, and if it sounds agreeble perhaps pass it on to wheover makes the decision to do this.

[teardrop]

It's not a loophole Rithas, it's just a matter that only Gen could make that call not me and he won't give a for sure until the person is found and he has talked to them.

Gen has posted on the other boards, there really is no more I can do.

And to cut down one key thing said a few posts up...maybe I was unclear earlier which is why this is thought.  ST is not waiting for the DM's and such to return to create the new site.  Simply if the DM's want to be a part of that new site then they must come back prior especially to give their input on the changes, and all that fun stuff.

If any of you is seriously considering joining back up then you will keep the questions going on the AD&D site if not then I bid you farewell.

[kluu]

Where are you talking abotu this on the other site? I havne't ran across it anywhere.

Maybe posting a link to where this discussion is being had will help a little. Then we can at least put our thoughts and suggestions there.

I check some of the registered boards  once a week or so and have never seen anything.

Like I stated previously, I never check the public boards so if it happening there or on the sretegic side, I would never see it.

[DMGralbor]

It is "conversation" sort of hidden in the Roleplaying Forum, under the thread "OOC Roll Call" (or something similar).  I've stopped reading it because it is the same double-talk that we've received here, prior to the site crash, and during last summer/ early fall.

[teardrop]

kluu,  it's on the public RolePlaying forums specifically "Questions about the site".  

Probably not the best place but it's the only place that has any activity on it and there was already a discussion on the site there so made sense to keep it there.

*brushes off the rudeness that always comes with any posts of Gralbor*

[Karec]

Well, I'll be the first to admit I don't know the half of what's going on.  Still being recently new to Thardferr and all.  What I do know is these forums work absolutely fine and I deffinitely prefer them to the old boards.

The key feature I think to making this site so much better is the fact that one of our own is in charge of keeping it up and running.  (Which I'm sure we all appreciate)

Not to mention information is much easier to locate on this new website, especially with the search function.  The only thing this site really lacks is a character generation function and information on the guilds.  Both of which I'm pretty sure could be added.

All in all, I just don't see why anyone would go back to the old site... This site is working fine and I for one deffinitely prefer it over the old one.  Now as I've said, I don't know all the details and all that, but that is just my opinion.