Big changes a'coming! Merging the D&D forums

Dannyalcatraz · Oct 16, 2012

For me: so far, so good.

Empirate · Oct 16, 2012

So far, I quite hate the forum changes. I have no hard numbers of course, but I'd guess a lot of people interested only in Legacy or Pathfinder feel crowded out by Next (that was my gut reaction, at least). Took me a while to notice you could click on the tags to filter threads - maybe some regulars won't even find out? Posts and new topics seem slower than before the change as a result. At the very least sticky a message at the top of the "D&D and Pathfinder" sub-board!

Furthermore, what the change did was not encourage synergy IMO, but encourage heavy usage of tags. So now I'm looking only at 3.x, instead of all Legacy. To look at earlier edition stuff, I have to do several clicks, each of which takes a few seconds. In effect, I'm not looking at more content at the same time, but less. You just split the forums further! Tags are just a different way of lumping threads together!

How about lumping "current" (Next) and "former" (everything up to and including 4E) editions of D&D each in their own categories, and do away with the tags? That way, I'd really look at more threads, and be tempted to post in more of them, at the same time. Also, bring back the "General" forum for topics like problem players, playstyles, theme music, story telling etc.!

crazy_monkey1956 · Oct 16, 2012

A handy dandy...

Index of Echohawk's Collector's Guides

Just in case you wanted one.

Dice4Hire · Oct 16, 2012

Re a couple of above posters, let's keep the number of stickied threads to a minimum, please. We do not need more than 4 and I would prefer one or two, or a lit I can collapse and that will stay collapsed.

Empirate · Oct 16, 2012

Dice4Hire said:
Re a couple of above posters, let's keep the number of stickied threads to a minimum, please. We do not need more than 4 and I would prefer one or two, or a lit I can collapse and that will stay collapsed.

I understand the sentiment, but I reckon a big change in the way the forums operate warrants a sticky to notify the regulars (and especially the not-so-regulars who peek in once a week or so). Not everybody frequents the Meta board to see what's up and how to deal with it.

I have nothing against un-sticky-ing the notification after a bit.

Deset Gled · Oct 16, 2012

Bug note: Choosing the "No prefix" tag in "Display Options" currently displays all threads with DND4E or PATHFINDER tags, in addition to threads with no tags.

JRRNeiklot · Oct 16, 2012

This new change makes it really hard to browse the forums. It's like going to the soup isle in the grocery store and finding paint. Yeah, the soup is there too, but you have to dig to find it. In the past, I go to the 5e forum and read, check out general when I'm bored, maybe a quick run through the Pathfinder board now and then. Now I get all that hurled at me in one forum, and have to dig 19 pages deep to read anything new. I am not amused.

billd91 · Oct 16, 2012

JRRNeiklot said:
Now I get all that hurled at me in one forum, and have to dig 19 pages deep to read anything new. I am not amused.

I have all of the threads updated with new content today on one page, so you must have set your threads/page to an absurdly low level - which I do find amusing.

The forum isn't that hard to negotiate, but it could certainly use some improvements in usability. The label icons should change to be more distinct. It's cute to include the graphic design differences between the editions, but utility is more important. They should be redone in a much simpler way and clearly incorporate the edition number or some other identification to make recognition easier. The board user should be able to recognize 1e's and 2e's icons without having to recall from memory that 2e's backgrounds were more likely to be white. Recognition > recall.