@Ellri and anyone else that might have an idea for this:
Alright, let's say I finish tweaking /me/subscriptions so that you can mute/unmute each thread.
That means that "Archived Subscriptions" are only for stuff you just want to bookmark so you aren't scrolling past them every time you refresh /me/subscriptions, and they are always muted.
An unmuted subscription will give you an on-site notification as they currently do.
But what about when I implement an (opt-in) email-notification system? It's one of the most requested features every time I ask for feedback in that feedback box on the homepage.
It's too noisy to send an email for every post in every unmuted subscription. It makes sense that people would only opt-in to email notifications for the subset of subscriptions they particularly don't want to miss.
So maybe next to each subscription on /me/subscriptions, you can choose one of these options:
Okay, I have some ideas for consolidating the Subscriptions vs Archived Subscriptions tabs.
Putting them on two tabs was just the easiest thing to implement in a day.
But I think the next iteration will be to merge "Archived Subscriptions" back into the /me/subscriptions page, but instead of "archiving" subscriptions, each subscription is either muted or not. Obviously when I implement this change, all your existing archived subs will carry over as muted subscriptions.
@Grimhildr Good idea about having a "Players" tab. That's the most natural place for it.
First-class character support would be dope.
For example, would be pretty cool if the "Players" tab also showed the characters that each player was playing, and you could choose which character you were posting as when writing an IC post. That's the kind of data I'd love the Guild to know about.
It would take some serious research to design this system well though. I started roleplaying recently on a secret account to get a feel for roleplaying again and regain an intuition for how things should work.
In the meantime, maybe something as simple as a textfield for "Posting As: <Name>" (like in your mockup) would be sufficient.
@Lady Amalthea Yeah you're probably right. The bell-count made sense back when the Guild only had the bell, but now it's smart enough to also know how many PM notifications and Sub notifications you have. So it makes sense for the bell to only show you the count of notifications not already reflected on the other buttons.
For fun, here are some mockups from 2013 on my imgur account.
The Guild has made some decent progress towards some of these ideas.
Groups, also known as factions, are individual people working together for common goal. This is not only an option, but a suggestion! Expanding Horizons as a setting is at its best when characters and their players are working together to build something. The entire goal of the universe is to be collaborative and inclusive! With that in mind, we suggest forming official groups.
At minimum a group needs five individual Roleplayer Guild members not to exceed ten if possible, the completion of the template which you will find below, and an approval by Staff. These official groups, because they are recognized as an actual faction in Expanding Horizons, get some pretty nifty bonuses that unofficial groups otherwise lack. However, a character can only be in one official group at a time.
First of all, an official group can come up with up to three group specific powers that - while other people might be able to use from time to time - the faction you and other members are in are considered masters of. These benefits don't need to be part of the "Big Three" - Magic, Technology or even Mundanity - but that is a good place to start. Regardless of what you choose, it is unique to the group and theirs alone. While it could eventually be stolen, duplicated or even made obsolete with time, it still belongs to you and can only have those things happen to it in the story, or more likely, in a fight.
Each member of a group has access to it, just by being in that group, and is allowed to partake in that power so choose wisely! The possibilities are endless, limited only by your imagination and what the Staff believes to be appropriate without being overwhelming. So then feel free to create whatever you can and communicate its ability and potential clearly. The Staff are much more likely to approve groups that have more information and that which is specific. Being too vague means a chosen power might be just too powerful now and get declined!
Once a group is approved it will be granted a territory such as a planet or ship, but feel free to request something specific to your faction; just know you cannot take what others already have by doing this. This territory, like their power, belongs only to them. In it, they have complete say and dominion, able to use it as they see fit so long as they do not break the rules. They also have three critical points, or locations, items, technologies or similar themes that are extremely important to them. The only way to have more than three critical points however, is to take them from another group in a fight or through diplomatic relations and share them. If you capture a critical point through player versus player conflict, you get that critical point to add to your group and then of course can alter the lay of the land that applies to it.
If a group loses all three critical assets, it ceases to have its unique power and its territory. It is still an official group, but in order to gain those benefits again, or develop new ones, it will need to capture three critical points, be them new or those they lost. Critical points will be the main topics of Expanding Horizon, in which battles or alliances take place between existing groups. As such the write-up for the territory, as well as its critical points, should be as detailed and specific as possible for the sake of everyone involved.
The guidelines for writing up a group, their abilities, and their territory are below. If you are still uncertain and have questions, use our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page here.
Overview
Faction Sheet for (Your Group's Name Goes In Here)
Name: (Your group's name goes here again. Think about who they are, what they represent, what their goals or identifying qualities are. Are they the Dominion of Solitude? The Destroyers of Hope? Give it a nifty name no one else has or could be mistaken for, just like a character's name.) Graphic: (Your group's logo, insignia, flag or standard goes here. Try to picture a symbol that makes them immediately iconic to everyone else. Make sure it reflects who they are too, just like a name. The graphic is more or less the first impression others are going to get from your group other than what it is called.) Motto: (Your group's creed, ethos or moot. What words do you live by? Are the inspirational? Intimidating? Compassionate? That's for you to decide, but try to live it out in everything your characters do while they're in the faction. They reflect it and it reflects them!) Leader: (Your group's leader or leaders. Who takes responsibility for the group and its actions, if at all? Who is their figurehead that people recognize outside the group? What makes them the leader? How long have they led the group? Think along these lines for this part.)
Description: (Your group's description. Try to write this as an outsider looking in, attempting to catalogue or write them down. Alternatively, you could write this section for your faction from the eyes of its members and how they perceive it - just be sure that whatever vision you go with, it is accurate.) Goals: (Your group's goals, desires and drives. What motivates them to work together as they are? There has to be a reason, so elaborate how it came to be and where it is going in the future. Be precise too, because mixing messages makes it hard for others to know how to react.)
Unique Abilities: (Your group's specific powers. You only have a maximum of three of these. With each additional ability unique to the group it will make it much harder to justify them all and gain Staff approval. Try to start small because you can always grow later and request to have new ones added.)
Territories: (Your group's controlled territories. First and foremost is the group's official territory, but list any other areas of influence or even outright control they have. Describe what people see or feel in each of them and try to imagine a day in the life of such a place. Remember, you only get what is approved by Staff, so later additions require speaking with them just like you would for new unique abilities.)
Critical Point: (Your group's most important and vulnerable asset. Losing this critical location or resource, be it a ship, a planet, a technology, a magical ability, an item or the sort will hurt your group the most.)
Critical Point: (Your group's second most valuable asset. If you lost this it would hurt more than your very last one and not nearly as much as the first, but it would still badly affect your faction.)
Critical Point: (Your group's third and last most important asset. The last and "least" important of the three most important objects, locations, people or the sort to your group. Like the first two, harm to this is going to significantly affect you.)
Allies: (Your group's allies. Does your faction have anyone it associates with and considers a friend? They can be individuals outside the faction, as well as other groups. Try to limit these to other actual players or player groups. If they have no allies, just state they have none.) Enemies: (Your group's enemies. Is there anyone who is a sworn enemy of your group? If so, who are they? Why? Are they just competition or are they legitimately out to take or destroy everything you have? Like with allies, try to fill this section out only with actual players' creations. If your group is neutral to all others, just state that or say they have none.)
Members: (Your group's most important members. You need to provide a mention to each of these Roleplayer Guild members, then list their character or characters afterward. You must have at least five members, but cannot have more than ten.) [@(Username)]'s Characters: (Your group's members who belong to this user.) [@(Username)]'s Characters: (Your group's members who belong to this user.) [@(Username)]'s Characters: (Your group's members who belong to this user.) [@(Username)]'s Characters: (Your group's members who belong to this user.) [@(Username)]'s Characters: (Your group's members who belong to this user.)
Template
The template contained in the hider below is in code. All you need to do is copy and paste it into your post, fill it out, then submit it. Make sure every area is completed and feel free to add more to it if you wish.
[h3][center][b]Faction Sheet for (Your Group's Name Goes In Here)[/b][/center][/h3][b]Name:[/b] (Your group's name goes here again. Think about who they are, what they represent, what their goals or identifying qualities are. Are they the Dominion of Solitude? The Destroyers of Hope? Give it a nifty name no one else has or could be mistaken for, just like a character's name.) [b]Graphic:[/b] (Your group's logo, insignia, flag or standard goes here. Try to picture a symbol that makes them immediately iconic to everyone else. Make sure it reflects who they are too, just like a name. The graphic is more or less the first impression others are going to get from your group other than what it is called.) [b]Motto:[/b] (Your group's creed, ethos or moot. What words do you live by? Are the inspirational? Intimidating? Compassionate? That's for you to decide, but try to live it out in everything your characters do while they're in the faction. They reflect it and it reflects them!) [b]Leader:[/b] (Your group's leader or leaders. Who takes responsibility for the group and its actions, if at all? Who is their figurehead that people recognize outside the group? What makes them the leader? How long have they led the group? Think along these lines for this part.)
[b]Description:[/b] (Your group's description. Try to write this as an outsider looking in, attempting to catalogue or write them down. Alternatively, you could write this section for your faction from the eyes of its members and how they perceive it - just be sure that whatever vision you go with, it is accurate.) [b]Goals:[/b] (Your group's goals, desires and drives. What motivates them to work together as they are? There has to be a reason, so elaborate how it came to be and where it is going in the future. Be precise too, because mixing messages makes it hard for others to know how to react.)
[b]Unique Abilities:[/b] (Your group's specific powers. You only have a maximum of three of these. With each additional ability unique to the group it will make it much harder to justify them all and gain Staff approval. Try to start small because you can always grow later and request to have new ones added.)
[b]Territories:[/b] (Your group's controlled territories. First and foremost is the group's official territory, but list any other areas of influence or even outright control they have. Describe what people see or feel in each of them and try to imagine a day in the life of such a place. Remember, you only get what is approved by Staff, so later additions require speaking with them just like you would for new unique abilities.) [list][*] [b]Critical Point:[/b] (Your group's most important and vulnerable asset. Losing this critical location or resource, be it a ship, a planet, a technology, a magical ability, an item or the sort will hurt your group the most.)
[*][b]Critical Point:[/b] (Your group's second most valuable asset. If you lost this it would hurt more than your very last one and not nearly as much as the first, but it would still badly affect your faction.) [*][b]Critical Point:[/b] (Your group's third and last most important asset. The last and "least" important of the three most important objects, locations, people or the sort to your group. Like the first two, harm to this is going to significantly affect you.)[/list] [b]Allies:[/b] (Your group's allies. Does your faction have anyone it associates with and considers a friend? They can be individuals outside the faction, as well as other groups. Try to limit these to other actual players or player groups. If they have no allies, just state they have none.) [b]Enemies:[/b] (Your group's enemies. Is there anyone who is a sworn enemy of your group? If so, who are they? Why? Are they just competition or are they legitimately out to take or destroy everything you have? Like with allies, try to fill this section out only with actual players' creations. If your group is neutral to all others, just state that or say they have none.)
[b]Members:[/b] (Your group's most important members. You need to provide a mention to each of these Roleplayer Guild members, then list their character or characters afterward. You must have at least five members, but cannot have more than ten.) [@(Username)]'s Characters: (Your group's members who belong to this user.) [@(Username)]'s Characters: (Your group's members who belong to this user.) [@(Username)]'s Characters: (Your group's members who belong to this user.) [@(Username)]'s Characters: (Your group's members who belong to this user.) [@(Username)]'s Characters: (Your group's members who belong to this user.)
First, you will have to build your character. Every character that is approved here will then be submitted in a specific thread designed expressly for the topic's owner to review and either approve or deny. If your character is approved in that topic, you may roleplay with them there, but note a character can only ever be in one place at a time. If your character is disapproved in that topic, you can attempt to play elsewhere in Expanding Horizons or collaborate with that thread's owner so you can join.
Outside of a few extremely powerful abilities that are too open ended, poorly explained, overwhelming or unfair to other players, we are not foreseeing any denied characters coming through. The only real way to get your character not approved is to not follow the format or the requests of the Staff; they will pose their questions, comments or concerns and ask you to respond to them if they need to. Otherwise, all you have to do is wait for an approval from any of them.
We welcome you to create your own character database systems to help better keep track of the characters you have currently inside our universe. It is our belief that this would be best done as a community effort, even if there are multiple threads - in different formats and by different factions - doing so. Think of it as a canon record that those character might have access to, but do your best not to metagame and use knowledge your character doesn't have, as that isn't fair to anyone.
The basic template contained below is for all characters and probably one everyone has used before. It isn't necessarily anything new or foreboding, but it is mandatory before you can participate in Expanding Horizons. All you have to do is give us the basic, need-to-know information included in the template. If you desire, you can always add more to it in detail, categorization or information, but please keep the general format and layout. If you aren't sure what that looks like, try to view a Staff member's character sheet for a sample... or ask someone for help!
If for any reason you change, edit, update or modify your character at a later date, such as due to the progression of the plot, please include those changes here and not just the most recent character sheet you put in another thread or in one of the databases. It would just be kind to the Staff if you did.
If you are still uncertain and have questions, use our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page here.
Overview
Character Sheet for (Your Character's Name Goes In Here)
Name: (Your character's name also goes here, as well as any nicknames, aliases or moniker's they are known by. Try to be creative with this because you are making an original character and explain why they are called these things. You don't want anyone confusing your character with someone else!) Title: (Your character's title, if they have one. Think of rank, position or prestige. It needn't even be real, it could be entirely made up, even by the character themselves. If it isn't obvious what it means, explain away.)
Height: (The height of your character, be them tall, short or otherwise. For the sake of simplicity, please at least include imperial or metric units.) Weight: (The weight of your character, large, small or otherwise. As with height, standards units included, even if at the end, are for the best.) Age: (The age of your character. This might get a bit complicated based upon race, but include something even as simple as old, young, adult, mature or the like. Numbers aren't so helpful here as they are above.) Race: (The race of your character, be them some form of human, alien, machine, animal, elf or anything. That's up for you to decide. Try to describe their race and people other than them so everyone knows exactly who and what they are. After all, like a name, you want it to be memorable.)
Tier: (There are "Normal", "Improved", "Medium", "Advanced", and "High". This is the relative "power" or "level" of your character. Are they an average person? Above average or exceptional? Superhuman or fantastic? Something else? Try to equate this to the average human being, no matter your choice. It helps when you explain what it is you mean and give examples. At minimum you need to choose one of those levels of power listed.)
Appearance: (The way your character appears. Just like race and name, this is a huge portion of your character's identity. Don't skimp out here! Explain whatever comes to mind or just feels right for them and their person. It could be everything from the way they dress, to their hair, their eyes - or even their lack of. Be creative.)
Personality: (The way the character acts and thinks. Describe your character as you would another person. Are they heroic or are they sinister? Are they thoughtful or reckless? Do they read a lot and like books or are they sort all about action? Why are they that way? What are the sort of things they do? Try thinking like them and writing it down even.)
Abilities, Talents, Traits, Powers: (The unique qualities of your character. What talents and skills do they have? What are they good at? If your character is above human in ability, list those attributes. Do they have superpowers? Can they wield magic? If they can, describe those as best you can manage. Be specific too! Being too vague isn't a good thing.)
Items: (The items, equipment or weapons your character has. What is in their inventory? What do they bring with them? What do they own? Just like an ability or power, explain what it is, what it does and what it looks like. If it is to big to carry, where do they put it? Consider points like these.)
History: (The history of your character. A brief overview is fine, but be sure to at least explain the basics of who they are, or even make a mystery out of it. This is the last area to fill out for your character, so don't leave it too open! Try to make a story for them that happened before they got involved in one of the roleplay topics.)
Template
The template contained in the hider below is in code. All you need to do is copy and paste it into your post, fill it out, then submit it. Make sure every area is completed and feel free to add more to it if you wish.
[center][h3][b]Character Sheet for (Your Character's Name Goes In Here)[/b][/h3][/center][b]Name:[/b] (Your character's name also goes here, as well as any nicknames, aliases or moniker's they are known by. Try to be creative with this because you are making an original character and explain why they are called these things. You don't want anyone confusing your character with someone else!) [b]Title:[/b] (Your character's title, if they have one. Think of rank, position or prestige. It needn't even be real, it could be entirely made up, even by the character themselves. If it isn't obvious what it means, explain away.)
[b]Height:[/b] (The height of your character, be them tall, short or otherwise. For the sake of simplicity, please at least include imperial or metric units.) [b]Weight:[/b] (The weight of your character, large, small or otherwise. As with height, standards units included, even if at the end, are for the best.) [b]Age:[/b] (The age of your character. This might get a bit complicated based upon race, but include something even as simple as old, young, adult, mature or the like. Numbers aren't so helpful here as they are above.) [b]Race:[/b] (The race of your character, be them some form of human, alien, machine, animal, elf or anything. That's up for you to decide. Try to describe their race and people other than them so everyone knows exactly who and what they are. After all, like a name, you want it to be memorable.)
[b]Tier:[/b] (There are "Normal", "Improved", "Medium", "Advanced", and "High". This is the relative "power" or "level" of your character. Are they an average person? Above average or exceptional? Superhuman or fantastic? Something else? Try to equate this to the average human being, no matter your choice. It helps when you explain what it is you mean and give examples. At minimum you need to choose one of those levels of power listed.)
[b]Appearance:[/b] (The way your character appears. Just like race and name, this is a huge portion of your character's identity. Don't skimp out here! Explain whatever comes to mind or just feels right for them and their person. It could be everything from the way they dress, to their hair, their eyes - or even their lack of. Be creative.)
[b]Personality:[/b] (The way the character acts and thinks. Describe your character as you would another person. Are they heroic or are they sinister? Are they thoughtful or reckless? Do they read a lot and like books or are they sort all about action? Why are they that way? What are the sort of things they do? Try thinking like them and writing it down even.)
[b]Abilities, Talents, Traits, Powers:[/b] (The unique qualities of your character. What talents and skills do they have? What are they good at? If your character is above human in ability, list those attributes. Do they have superpowers? Can they wield magic? If they can, describe those as best you can manage. Be specific too! Being too vague isn't a good thing.)
[b]Items:[/b] (The items, equipment or weapons your character has. What is in their inventory? What do they bring with them? What do they own? Just like an ability or power, explain what it is, what it does and what it looks like. If it is to big to carry, where do they put it? Consider points like these.)
[b]History:[/b] (The history of your character. A brief overview is fine, but be sure to at least explain the basics of who they are, or even make a mystery out of it. This is the last area to fill out for your character, so don't leave it too open! Try to make a story for them that happened before they got involved in one of the roleplay topics.)
Would it be possible to have archived or no-notification subs on the same page as normal subs? For example, if an RP has a lot of OOC chatter, I don't necessarily want a notification every few minutes, but I still want to be involved IC.
Yeah, that'd be better.
Current solution was just the simplest. I'd like to refine it once I work out the more kritical kinks.
Some favorites from the Guild's articles archive:
- [@BangoSkank]'s [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/184596-rping-aint-always-easy-a-collaborative-guide-to-the-stuff-that-makes-t/ooc]RPing Ain't Always Easy : A Collaborative Guide to the Stuff that Makes This Hobby Less Fun Sometimes And How to Make It More Betterer[/url]
<div style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Some favorites from the Guild's articles archive:<br><br>- <a class="bb-mention" href="/users/bangoskank">@BangoSkank</a>'s <a href="https://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/184596-rping-aint-always-easy-a-collaborative-guide-to-the-stuff-that-makes-t/ooc">RPing Ain't Always Easy : A Collaborative Guide to the Stuff that Makes This Hobby Less Fun Sometimes And How to Make It More Betterer</a></div>
Mahz is the Admin. He's the man with the plan and the Guild's head honcho.
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