REFERENCE: LIst of Goals for the Reforging

MarkGiguere
MarkGiguere
edited May 2013 in General Archive
Here is a list of goals for the reforging for reference. I have used the text on the Kickstarter site as much as possible to describe the goals.

* Initial goal: (August 2013)
** We want to revitalize the existing Obsidian Portal by increasing its functionality, adding new features, and cleaning up the design.
** We’ll revamp the most frequently used parts of the site and rework them so that they’re easier to use. We will be examining every page for ways to make them flow better, provide the information you need, and allow you to navigate and manage your campaign faster and easier.
** The redesign will add more features to enhance your gaming.
** We’ll take our current site and give it a consistent look and feel that will make it more intuitive to use—not a button here and a link there, but a cohesive design strategy.
* Stretch goal #1: Reworking the maps: (August 2013)
** Deeper zoom levels for Ascendant maps - 5 instead of the current 3
** Higher resolution images - 4096x4096 pixels instead of the current 1024x1024
** A library of map markers - Different colors and shapes. Imagine dropping crossed swords to mark a battle, a tower to mark a wizard's abode, and a cave for...a cave. That's the idea.
** Better connection with the rest of your campaign - Add markers for specific characters and/or wiki pages, instead of only the general purpose markers we have now.
* Stretch goal #2: Name Generator (August 2013)
** A variety of different naming "genres". You'll be able to quickly switch between Elven-ish, Dwarven, guttural Ork (think lots of Ks and Xs), and so forth.
** Fast! - It will be right there when you need it, ready to give you the name you need and keep your players in the game.
** Integrated - Instead of just spitting a name at you, you'll be able to create a new barebones character on the fly with the name pre-generated. So, when your players ask about that random new NPC 3 months later, they will be tracked normally in Obsidian Portal, just like all your other characters.
* Stretch Goal #3: File Storage Locker (September 2013)
** add a spot in every campaign to store and manage all your shared files
** increase the storage size limits for both free and Ascendant campaigns. The free limit will climb to 250MB and the Ascendant limit will rise to 10GB.
* Stretch Goal #4: Custom Campaign URLs (October 2013)
** Every campaign will get its own subdomain (ie. “mycampaign.obsidianportal.com”) and Ascendant campaigns can set up their own raw domain (ie. “mycampaign.com”).
* Stretch Goal #5: Natural Editing (December 2013)
** Modify the editor to show exactly what the page will look like when saved—in other words, WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editing.

Comments

  • Calion
    Calion
    Posts: 144 edited May 2013
    Excellent. I have a better suggestion for Stretch Goal #5 (besides the fact that "better" is misspelled):

    "Modify the editor to show exactly what the page will look like when saved—in other words, WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editing."
    Post edited by Calion on
  • MarkGiguere
    MarkGiguere
    Posts: 53
    uh...oops?

    Changes made.
  • GTB
    GTB
    Posts: 10
    I would just like to note that some of us prefer working with the html and css directly (though I don't think anyone likes Textile) and I hope that this WYSIWYG editor is optional.
  • Calion
    Calion
    Posts: 144 edited May 2013
    Actually, I've seen at least a couple of comments on the "Kickstarter site":http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/252020431/obsidian-portal-reforged/posts/456842/comments (and "one here":http://forums.obsidianportal.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=3011) from people who do in fact prefer Textile. What I've "suggested":http://forums.obsidianportal.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=2998 is that we follow "Blogger's":http://blogger.com model and have a simple toggle between Live and Textile views. Since you can currently forgo Textile and use HTML directly, that would also serve as an HTML view.

    Update: It was mentioned repeatedly by the OP staff on the "Kickstarter page":http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/252020431/obsidian-portal-reforged/posts/456842/comments that a major goal of Natural editing would be maintaining a Code view--probably HTML, not Textile. So I think you're safe, GTB.
    Post edited by Calion on
  • PalamarTM
    PalamarTM
    Posts: 5
    "We’ll revamp the most frequently used parts of the site and rework them so that they’re easier to use."

    I assume you will also try and understand why other parts of the site are infrequently used - is it because they are not needed/wanted, because they were difficult to use, or because they fell short of the need? I love maps, but the restrictions on maps put me off and I found MashupForge.com instead.
  • Calion
    Calion
    Posts: 144 edited May 2013
    Well, Maps is already scheduled to be fixed; any other areas you had in mind?
    Post edited by Calion on
  • Langy
    Langy
    Posts: 364
    The Items and Characters pages; as-is, they're pretty bad. No way to organize the characters/items, no short descriptions, everything stuck on the same page, tag-overload can screw with formatting and make everything hard to read, etc.

    Also, the forums, since the forum software isn't too good.
  • Micah
    Micah
    Posts: 894
    A good list, but please include timelines, also from the KS main page:

    * Original goal, names, and maps is slated for August 2013
    * File storage - September 2013
    * Custom URLs - October 2013
    * Natural Editing (WYSIWYG) - December 2013
  • MarkGiguere
    MarkGiguere
    Posts: 53
    Done
  • PalamarTM
    PalamarTM
    Posts: 5
    _ Calion Well, Maps is already scheduled to be fixed; any other areas you had in mind? _

    I am still too new to the site to know what parts I will use a little or a lot - but my earlier comment assumed that you were looking at usage statistics to determine "the most frequently used" and so I just wanted to say that if it did not have high statistics it still might be a great feature, just poorly implemented. I will post in other appropriate threads to help provide feedback beyond just my usage statistics, cause you can't judge a book by its statistics.
  • Calion
    Calion
    Posts: 144
    So I think it's time to mark those goals that have been completed, and update the timeline on those that haven't.
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