Obsidian Portal Launch Feedback

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  • Langy
    Langy
    Posts: 364
    "You mentioned, "I will say that I don’t think a ‘long-term solution’ is going to be needed, once the reforging is finished." I'm not sure what you mean - I thought the reforging was finished, other than the obvious bugs and inadequacies? Do you mean that to reforging is incomplete because the site wasn't really finished when they relaunched it and thus they're still finishing it... or is there some other shoe waiting to drop? Some other additional new functionalitites that are going to be unveiled?"

    Both other new functionalities that are going to be unveiled and they're going to be releasing a number of updates to fix issues people have, like they've been doing over the past few weeks (addition of the new 'campaign width' option, fixing a number of bugs, etc).

    Remember that the reforging was intentionally going to be a 'staged rollout' and they're intending on releasing more things as we go, like the WYSIWYG wiki post editor ('natural editing') and updated maps. I won't consider the reforging 'complete' until all of that is finished and all the bug fixes/new features put in due to popular demand are in place.

    The form editor for CSS - I don't think that's a good idea, mainly because it would be a _gigantic_ project. Instead, note that the 'inspect elements' feature of Chrome (and possibly other browsers) includes an editor like that, though it doesn't explain what everything does and it isn't forms with drop downs but a text editor with auto-complete and dropdowns. So, for example, it includes color pickers and the ability to see a dropdown for all (or at least a lot) of the potential values for what each argument can be.

    That said, again, CSS is extremely complex if you want to account for even a minority of all possible options, and making an editor that allows you to change things directly like that would be a terribly large project. Simple templates and options would probably be a much easier thing to make - and thus more likely to occur and, frankly, more helpful to most people.
  • dr_venture
    dr_venture
    Posts: 32
    DreadGazebo: Thanks - that would go a long way towards helping people feel like they know where we are, and where we're going.

    Langy: The CSS for editor is only a huge project if you make it so - it can be a simple or complex as it is designed to be. The purpose wouldn't be to solve all problems for all people or be anywhere near full-featured, nor to replace the free-form CSS editing field, but rather to aim for a subset of common OP-specific containers that directly relate to common OP problems. Most of the solutions I've seen posted here deal with a handful of containers, and an equally small number of elements/attributes. Just having them in one place with a few contextual drop down menus is what I'm talking about. I've built such things myself, and it can be done in a small, targeted fashion. After all, it's just outputting small, highly formatted text snippets into another text file.

    That said, I don't want to argue the merits or scope of work - I'm fine with disagreeing. I *do* think that a wiki containing structured and easily navigable info regarding customization of your OP site, including CSS container names and scope (for instance, I used a smnippet here to turn my editing fields to black on white, and it also changed the save button on at least the CSS editing form - bug or scope issue?) would be extremely useful for the long term, and would require little more effort to maintain than answering all of these questions over and over. It would also leverage your hard work to answer questions from new OP customers before they ask them (hopefully). It's proactive customer service, instead of reactive.

    Thanks again, bud :)
  • MarkGiguere
    MarkGiguere
    Posts: 53
    @Dreadgazebo: if I may make a suggestion, make sure you send EMAILS out to ALL your users with your update information and make the updates regular (every 2 days or so). Only a tiny percentage of your users frequent these forums and many, many of your users must be wondering what the heck is going on. Worse, without any information from you, many must have simply given up and left.

    A basic component of good client service is constant feedback. Acknowledging the problem and disappearing for 6 months to say "FIXED!" is not enough. You need to keep ALL your users (forums users and the rest) appraised of what is happening or you will (and have, in many cases) lose them. While the Reforging has not been perfect, many of the issues are simple, specific mistakes and just need a fix and they go away. For example, the white text on grey background for the editor. However, the lack of communication is an ongoing issue that you need to deal with asap or it will bite in the @ss. If done right, it will also help a lot in getting rid of the bitterness from certain users.

    Sorry for the lecture, but I feel you really need to include emails in your communications (to reach ALL your users) and you need MORE communication, even if it drains 5% of your cycles from the actual "fixing".

    My 0,02$ CDN.

    :-)
  • DreadGazebo
    DreadGazebo
    Posts: 218
    Normally I'd be all over communicating everything with everyone (please see my initial response to this thread an the frequency of the updates), however I have had two sick kids and gotten sick myself in the past week/week and a half. I've been doing the best I can and no one is planning on disappearing for 6 months.
  • dr_venture
    dr_venture
    Posts: 32
    I'd like to second the call for emails. I have to remember to proactively come over here to check on things - it'd be really convenient - and appreciated - if I got updates via email.

    Dread: Horrible time for sick kids and self - sorry to hear it, bud. Hang in there. FWIW I do see things creeping back towards a sense of normalcy, and I'm sure that's due to you guys busting you humps behind the scenes... my thanks. I'm grouchy, but I'm still here, and really rooting for you guys. We'll get there.
  • MarkGiguere
    MarkGiguere
    Posts: 53 edited November 2013
    @Dreadgazebo

    No worries. I've been there, sick kids, very close call/sick wife and a brand new job that I took with no backup plan. Hang on, it DOES get better. :-)
    Post edited by MarkGiguere on
  • GamingMegaverse
    GamingMegaverse
    Posts: 2,998
    Also, @DreadGazebo- plenty of us out here that you know will be happy to help wherever you need- myself in particular.
    Let me know what I can do!

    Just trying to help out.

  • PhoenixMark
    PhoenixMark
    Posts: 90
    Hi all,

    I have taken a bit of time to read through some of these forums. I have to admit that my initial reaction was not pleasant, but now that things have progressed a couple of weeks, I am feeling much better. Sure, I have to go into EVERY wiki page and change some HTML code. But all in all, I have managed to hit the major pages, and with the help of some of you CSS guru's, Crimson Skies does not look all that terrible. That being said, I have other campaigns to fix too. I may not get to it all.

    I want to apologize for my initial reactions, and the drama as well. That was uncalled for, and I am sorry. I was not flaming, I just was disappointed. I am not so disappointed now, and looking back, I reacted poorly, without giving things time to settle.

    Thanks again for those of you who connected with me, either on the forums or via PM. It helped.

    Take care and keep up the hard work,

    "PhoenixMark":http://www.obsidianportal.com/profile/PhoenixMark

    "CRIMSON SKIES":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/crimson-skies
    "COTM June 2012":http://blog.obsidianportal.com/crimson-skies-junes-campaign-of-the-month/

    Also "Sactown Blues":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/sactown-blues and "Shimmering Kingdoms":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/shimmering-kingdoms
  • Haligaunt
    Haligaunt
    Posts: 18
    @ madartiste

    Thanks again for the help! My characters section now looks fairly close to what it used to. Does anyone know if there is a way to get the list of tags back, rather than simply rely on the tag search?

    Cheers all,

    Haligaunt
  • Langy
    Langy
    Posts: 364
    Click the 'search by tag' button in the character page? It spits out a bit list of all the tags your characters have.
  • SkidAce
    SkidAce
    Posts: 830
    Good words @PhoenixMark...thanks for staying...I check your sites consistently for tips.
  • gaaran
    gaaran
    Posts: 740 edited November 2013
    I don't know if this has been mentioned before (I've looked, but there are lots of comments), but I think the CSS that affects the wiki should be separate from the CSS that affects the dashboard. That's just my two cents, but there have been some things that work for fixing pages that screw up the layout of the dashboard that I've found (I'm at work right now, or I could provide examples). Is this a known issue/something that will not be addressed? I can understand it being a big fix to redo the CSS for the dashboard.
    Post edited by gaaran on
  • DreadGazebo
    DreadGazebo
    Posts: 218
    Quick blurb, recent updates:

    * Updating the title of an adv. log post will now reflect properly on the dashboard
    * Players can leave campaigns. Go to the Edit Profile screen and you'll see all your campaigns there, you can click "Leave campaign" on any given one in order to leave that one. Note: You can only leave campaigns where you are a player. You can't leave one where you're the GM. You have to promote someone else or delete it.
    * You can delete a character or item image now. There's a "no image?" checkbox underneath the area where you add a new image
    * We now have a "Standalone Password Reset Page":https://www.obsidianportal.com/reset_password

    ===Other Stuff Not Technically Fixes===
    * View all wiki pages is coming back. Not sure when or how exactly, but this was a big oversight, and we apologize
    * A new feature we can't unveil just yet ;)
  • MadDogMaddux
    MadDogMaddux
    Posts: 10 edited November 2013
    @DreadGazebo Also, I just got an email notification when one of my players posted in the Adventure Log comments! Thanks!
    Post edited by MadDogMaddux on
  • saethone
    saethone
    Posts: 153
    This is a fairly minor issue, and I have no issues with it being at the bottom of your list, but, would it be possible to have GM PC's listed on the sidebar on the home-page? It shows all the PC's that are assigned to players, but any that are assigned to the GM are not shown, where as they used to be with pre-reforge
  • twiggyleaf
    twiggyleaf
    Posts: 2,005
    Oooh, I second that request, saethone!!!

    twigs

    "I met a traveller from an antique land....."

    CotM May 2016: Mysteria: set in Wolfgang Baur’s MIDGARD.

    Previous CotM Aug 2012: Shimring: High Level Multiplanar Campaign

    Inner Council Member

  • GamingMegaverse
    GamingMegaverse
    Posts: 2,998
    Awesome news on the all wiki page coming back, as well as the fact that payers and images can now go away.

    Just trying to help out.

  • DreadGazebo
    DreadGazebo
    Posts: 218 edited November 2013
    @Saethone, While I understand where you're coming from here we've all got to keep in mind that the reforging was exactly what it was, we aimed to change a lot of things. Obviously we've made our mis-steps and are doing everything we can to correct them, but if we add back in every single little thing about the old site back into the new we'll end up with two things:
    * An amalgam/mish-mosh of features that don't feel cohesive
    * The old site all over again

    Not that the old site was horrible, but we do have a vision here and we're trying to stick to it. Does that mean we aren't going to budge on certain things? Absolutely not, obviously we've made quite a few changes already. However we can't just go adding back all the old stuff, if anything we'd like to find a better way to accomplish the old things via the new site. I will still be passing this suggestion on to the team, regardless. It might be a simple/quick/easy fix that won't disrupt anything.

    I'm not sure If I'm making much sense here, or if I'm coming off wrong (I'm not trying to sound like a jerk), so please take it with a sleep-deprived grain of salt.

    Thanks guys, more updates soon.
    Post edited by DreadGazebo on
  • Bucketfox
    Bucketfox
    Posts: 1 edited November 2013
    First time posting up here, but a (nearly) three-year user of OP.

    First off, I applaud you guys for getting the update done and quickly too. Everything works, even if some of the features aren't quite right yet. That brings me to my problems with it; There aren't many, but I don't think that it's perfect.

    * *+The Edit Page Button+*
    You know, the little thing that makes it so you can actually edit wiki pages, as long as you're a member of the Campaign. Unfortunately, this thing is nearly impossible to see on the white background-- I had someone ask me where it was. Now, this is something that only happens on the Wiki pages, so it's not a huge deal, but it's still kind of difficult to see. My concern about this might be the only one here (I haven't kept up with this thread), but I still think that it's an issue. *+Suggestion:+* Tie this in with the color changing option, or make the button itself more visible. Also, adding the big [Edit This Page] button at the bottom would be nice to see, since that's where it was located PreForge, and would be handy if you're near the bottom of an article.

    * *+User Input Background Color (Focused)+*
    Alright, this I'm sure you've heard a thousand times. When you go to input text in a box, click, and suddenly you can't find your cursor anymore; it's the same color as the box itself, and it can be overridden with some simple CSS. But the rest of the site uses the same method as well. I'm using Chrome here, so I'm not entirely sure if this is browser related or something different, but I have heard others complain about it. *+Suggestion:+* Change the color; White is fine.

    * *+Campaign Background (Non-Ascendent)+*
    Actually, this was something that bugged me most. Unlike the PreForge campaign background, the new "default" background on a campaign is this sepia-toned picture of a village. While it's fine for some types of games, it lacks that same neutrality that the previous plain black and white look had. Of course, I don't have a non-ascendent account to really check into this with. *+Suggestion:+* -Either stick them with the pick of the background sets (without the option of their own background), or make a more neutral one for the standard account.- Just looked into this, and you do give some options. I'd still personally give them the choice of no background image, or just a plain single color one.

    * *CSS Campaign Lettering*
    While the sidebars are nice, sometimes changing the background leaves you with nearly unreadable text. Perhaps adding a "dark campaign" or "light campaign" button to change the color of certain text (mainly text found within the sidebar on the right side of the campaign).

    * *+Tables+*
    Another one I know you've heard before. I had a lot of things that relied on tables for pretty formatting, but now that's gone, sadly. I suppose that has something to do with how the main column changes in size, but... I'm not sure. Just count me as another signature on the petition to get the old tables back, or at least bring back correct centering. ^^;

    * *+Welcome "Insert Username Here"+*
    My only issue with this little button was that I wish that it would take you to your home/user page upon clicking, since otherwise it's behind the curtain.

    * *+Editing: Content (Buttons, Buttons, Buttons!)+*
    Since we have more content area now, I think that the editing page itself could use a lift. You've got buttons for header sizes, for basic text formatting, but what about the more advanced stuff. Underline, Text Color, Tables, Indents... stuff that should be there, but isn't. Sure, it's not that hard to read up on the Textile formatting guide... but still. But, this might be one of those planned things that comes with the Natural Editing.

    I'm pretty sure those are the only issues I've got, but I'll certainly let you know as the process continues.

    *Bucketfox*
    "The Legend of Zelda: An RPG to the Past":https://the-legend-of-zelda-an-rpg-to-the-past.obsidianportal.com/
    "Dragonriders of Masai":https://dragonriders-of-masai.obsidianportal.com/
    Post edited by Bucketfox on
  • SkidAce
    SkidAce
    Posts: 830
    Still having a problem editing forum posts. Seems like I can edit others, but not mine.
  • Kallak
    Kallak
    Posts: 1,090
    @Dreadgazebo,

    I understand that the items page will not be officially supported going forward, but is it possible to get item-list-item, etc.. instead of just duplicating all the classes from the character page? I'm using :before elements to style on my character page, and having them ALSO show up on the items page (which I am using) is annoying. Small fix, would make the world just a little bit brighter.
    All the best,
    - Kallak
  • madartiste
    madartiste
    Posts: 328 edited November 2013
    Kallak, it's not as clean, but I think .character-index is unique to the character page body. You could add that as a selector. Alternately, the item page has .item-index.
    Post edited by madartiste on
  • Kallak
    Kallak
    Posts: 1,090
    Ahhh, oversight on my part. I didn't think to look that many layers back. Thanks Mad
    All the best,
    - Kallak
  • Bret_
    Bret_
    Posts: 18
    I have some feedback. Apparently any time you don't remember to uncheck the email notification from a GM only page, the new site now sends a notification to players, meaning they can read ALL THE SECRET GM PAGES. That's so stupid and I'm super angry right now. This website is rapidly becoming more of a hassle than a benefit.

    Extremely annoyed right now.
  • dr_venture
    dr_venture
    Posts: 32
    Dunno if this has been mentioned, but there's now no way to cancel or re-schedule a calendar event.
  • Morgus
    Morgus
    Posts: 19
    Is there any way to edit tags on a page without editing the whole page anymore? Was nice being able to tag pages made by my other players, or correct a mis-tag of theirs, without it showing a page update in the process.

    Also, visibility of tags, when viewing a page it cuts off tags and doesn't display them if you have more than one, or a particularly long one, is there a way to alter that display?
  • ketherian
    ketherian
    Posts: 203
    Hi dr_venture,

    I can delete and edit events on the calendar for my campaign.

    On the calendar page, if you click on the event - the details should appear to the right of the calendar.
    Click on the edit button beside the title of the event.
    On the event page, there's a delete event button and all the details are available to be changed.

    Are you trying to do this in a campaign that you're the GM of?
    --
    Ketherian
    "Signs & Portends":https://swtwc.obsidianportal.com
  • SanguinousRex
    SanguinousRex
    Posts: 3
    A little late to the dance but I wanted to comment as well that I don't like the new look too much. It's great for a tablet but on my PC I loved the original look and wanted more of THAT. There also used to be a link to the code you can add to the page that I can't see to find any longer, but I'll keep looking for it. Anyway, I'm sure you guys didn't expect a lot of people to NOT like it, but yeah... the original was better looking lol
  • GamingMegaverse
    GamingMegaverse
    Posts: 2,998
    @Bret- Have you verified that the players actually see the gm pages? I have a player that has all emails checked, but he does not get the secrets, even if I do not uncheck the box.
    killervp
    "A God...Rebuilt":https://a-god-rebuilt.obsidianportal.com
    "OP's COTM April 2012":http://blog.obsidianportal.com/a-god-rebuilt-aprils-cotm/
    Here to help anyone- Send me a PM

    Just trying to help out.

  • dawnhawk
    dawnhawk
    Posts: 113
    @killervp - I played around with this a bit on my campaign (had to fudge it...notifications are turned off by default on my account so I have to CHECK people to send when I create a new page...not a clue how I did that, I suspect I did it pre-reforge and it stuck), but here is what I suspect is the concern.

    If you create a regular Wiki page (not a GM Secret Area on a Wiki Page) and click the "Entire Page GM Only" box, and have a Notification set - the contents of the Wiki Page get sent in the email.

    Example (this got sent to my test account - the last line is the body of the wiki page):

    dawnhawk created the wiki page ‘GMONLYTEST’

    https://rippers-dubious-beginnings.obsidianportal.com/wiki_pages/gmonlytest

    ---- This is a test…just to see what gets emailed.
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