Important: Please Read! Changes Are Coming!

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

The next adventure path is a way off yet, but it's highly likely that the Paragon subscribers will appreciate benefts there. Probably not art previews (since they're essentially advertising - we want everyone to see them!) As for favoured pricing - it'll come *with* the subscription.

I'm playing with ideas, including having the other AP in the Paragon subscription only, or with a 6-month lead. But I haven't settled on that yet.

I'm also talking to some folks about developing various tools - obviously the DDI Character Bulder is the killer app, but we can do other things, especially non-system specific things.

Maybe a kind of "patronage" project á la Open Design for Paragon Subscribers? Essentially, the ability to see the design process and give input and feedback?

 

[Morrus]

Maybe a kind of "patronage" project á la Open Design for Paragon Subscribers? Essentially, the ability to see the design process and give input and feedback?

Maybe to a very limited extent. I tend to feel that design by committee usually fails when compared to design by a visionary (if that's the right word - sounds too pompous; I mean someone who has a clear view of what he/she wants to do and is allowed the freedom to do exactly that).

 

[Jhaelen]

Well, as I mentioned the boards are now self-sustaining, and I now need to facilitate growth - not in terms of size, but in quality.

Why do you need to do this?
Have you been receiving an increasing amount of requests to improve quality?
To be honest this doesn't sound like anything that was triggered by the community.

I'm also talking to some folks about developing various tools - obviously the DDI Character Bulder is the killer app, but we can do other things, especially non-system specific things.

Imho, you're putting the cart before the horse.
If you want more money from me for something, I'd like to know quite well what you plan to do with it, so I can find out if I would be interested or not.

The thing is: ENWorld as it currently is provides everything I want from ENWorld. Or at least I cannot thing of anything that might be useful to me.

To elaborate and comment on one of your examples: I'm from Germany, so I don't have a use for a feature that shows me 'other players within x miles'. We don't even have 'miles' over here

 

[Morrus]

The thing is: ENWorld as it currently is provides everything I want from ENWorld. Or at least I cannot thing of anything that might be useful to me.

Then this thread doesn't really apply to you. I'm glad you have everything you want form EN World, and I hope you continue to enjoy it. Not everything available for sale appeals to everyone. There's absolutely nothing wrong with not wanting to buy something.

Why do you need to do this?
Have you been receiving an increasing amount of requests to improve quality?
To be honest this doesn't sound like anything that was triggered by the community.

Yes. Not a day goes by when I don't get emails about the current Gamers Seeking Gamers functionality. In fact, it's the one thing I receive by far the most emails about (along with the emails which ask me me actually tell people who's in their area, which I find mildly bizarre!)

 

[TheYeti1775]

Now that might be doable. If the software supports it.

Sig Sizes - Morrus it is doable with Vbull, I know several sites set up that way.


Yes the comparrisson to extortion will be there. After all you deal with the wave of 'NerdRage' with us.
You won't please everyone, don't try, you'll fail miserably if you do.

Set our plan and stick with it.
While I might complain / *itch about it, I would rather see the site succeed than fail. The site itself has value to me even though its not a value that I consider paying for.

One thing I take from this in suggestions:
Restricted Sigs - Agreeable
No Sigs - Not agreeable

Another idea to use:
Control Panel functions.
Think about it, everyone here loves being able to increase posts per page, etc.
This makes for a nice perk to offer to subscribers. Think about it, it takes nothing essentially away from the functionality of the site, but increases usability for those of us with higher speed internet service.
There are lots of little things you can do such as that before you effect serviciblity of the site to 'freeloaders' like myself.

 

[jbear]

The next adventure path is a way off yet, but it's highly likely that the Paragon subscribers will appreciate benefts there. Probably not art previews (since they're essentially advertising - we want everyone to see them!) As for favoured pricing - it'll come *with* the subscription.

I'm playing with ideas, including having the other AP in the Paragon subscription only, or with a 6-month lead. But I haven't settled on that yet.

I'm also talking to some folks about developing various tools - obviously the DDI Character Bulder is the killer app, but we can do other things, especially non-system specific things.

And what about subscriptions by way of barter?

A year ago or so I offered to do the new 'link icons' for the page in exchange for a subscription, but arrived late. I offer my art again in exchange for a subscription. If you are going to produce another adventure path or need more art for the future episodes of WotBS, I would be a valuable person to have as a community supporter, and considering the cost of a single DECENT sketch, not to mention a full colour page, far more valuable than $3 a month...

What say ye?

 

[Morrus]

Another idea to use:
Control Panel functions.
Think about it, everyone here loves being able to increase posts per page, etc.
This makes for a nice perk to offer to subscribers. Think about it, it takes nothing essentially away from the functionality of the site, but increases usability for those of us with higher speed internet service.
There are lots of little things you can do such as that before you effect serviciblity of the site to 'freeloaders' like myself.

Posts per page is a global setting only, unfortunately. There's no way to assign permissions to change it to certain usergroups.

Just glancing through the control panel, the only other obvious thing currrently set to "off" is Animated Avatars.

 

[Morrus]

And what about subscriptions by way of barter?

A year ago or so I offered to do the new 'link icons' for the page in exchange for a subscription, but arrived late. I offer my art again in exchange for a subscription. If you are going to produce another adventure path or need more art for the future episodes of WotBS, I would be a valuable person to have as a community supporter, and considering the cost of a single DECENT sketch, not to mention a full colour page, far more valuable than $3 a month...

What say ye?

Absolutely! We've traditionally always tried to thank those who help out with CSA accounts. It's a system I'm very much in favour of (and it helps those who are unable to purchase subscriptions).

The problem is the amounts of money we're talking is so low - a subscription isn't really worth much - that it feels almost insulting to offer one in exchange for more than an hour or two's work. So as a formal "payment" system, I don't think it's appropriate; but as a "thank you for helping out" goodwill gesture, it's the least I can do.

 

[Rechan]

Suggestion:

1) Increase the inbox pm load for subscribes. Having a 20 message max is annoying (especially when things you send add against your load). Hell, one of the moderators here has a full inbox so I can't even pmail him about a mod action.

2) As far as the next AP and the paragon model, why not give Paragons a bit of say in the AP? Not a lot of power, but voting or power of direction to guide the AP's development. A very (very) watered down version of Wolfgang Barr's Patronage model of adventure writing.

 

[Morrus]

1) Increase the inbox pm load for subscribes.

The $3 subscription already does that.