Gleemax Q&A

[keterys]

With D&D Insider Beta testing not far off, the approach of the online game portal, and 4E only two and a half months away, ideally Gleemax will become a fully functional and appealing resource.

Yes, it isn't yet. It's in Alpha. It's got code issues. Boy, does it... and I empathize if they bother you. Let's face it, however - the technical issues are a lower priority than getting online D&D working and 4E out the door, and there's clearly a lot of room for Gleemax to grow and you have the ability to influence that growth.

Is there anything about Gleemax you would like to know?

What constructive feedback or suggestions do you have for improving Gleemax?

What does it need to make it worth using for you?

What doubts, fears, and uncertainties do you have about Gleemax... assuming that _every last bug gets fixed_?

This is a good opportunity to get any questions answered and to give serious and constructive feedback on the process. Pretty please don't threadcrap - I'm not part of code development and I don't work for WotC. Just trying to help.

 

[Haffrung Helleyes]

Well, they could start by changing the name of the site.

Then they could adopt a cleaner approach to web design. I am personally a big fan of the minimalist approach -- www.d20srd.org to me is a way better website design than gleemax, for example.

But realistically, I think that EnWorld, Necromancer Games, and Paizo will continue to be my websites of choice.

Ken

 

[keterys]

I don't think the name is changing... and really, if 'paizo' or 'enworld' are okay, then I suspect gleemax can be. Necromancer, of course, just has an awesome site name

Website design is feedback I can give (have given), yep. Thanks.

I suspect that there's a lot more that _could_ be said that might make it more useful, such as when D&D Insider is live and the D&D Game Table is operational. Your current excellent website choices aside... I'd like to get a list of what would make Gleemax good enough for people to want to use it. Then present that list to WotC. And they can delve into their endless money bags and make it happen.

Okay, maybe not... but the more constructive and detailed the feedback, the better.

And any questions. Any at all, would be good. Any serious question will go into a Q&A and get answered, is the plan.

 

[VBMEW-01]

Probably sounds silly, and I bet it did to them too when I sen my email a while back, but I'd like a more personal area within Gleemax for me and my circle'o'dnders. Top this off with a Campaign Setting area for homebrewers, and maybe even original content sections, and I'd love the place.

 

[keterys]

Can you go into more detail on 'more personal area'? Do you mean just more customizable?

Good call on the area/sections idea, on the list that goes.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

They first need to fix the bugs and make it work right. Sure that is listed as a given but with the track record I can't agree that is a given.

It needs a overhaul in the looks department. There are few uglier sites. Drop the neon color scheme and go with more muted neutral colors.

It needs to be differentiated from the WotC boards. It claims to be a home for all gamers but as long as it is the WotC official boards it can not and will not be seen as anything other than a WotC promotional arm. It also needs a seperate and independant moderator force. WizOs and VCLs are WotC based, Gleemax needs an independent moderation force or it will also continue to be seen as a WotC product.

The terms of use need to be changed. As long as WotC claims the right to reuse for free anything posted to Gleemax it will not get the independent support it wants. I for one will never post there because of this rule. I understand WotC's need to protect itself but this can be worked out in a way that isn't completely onesided.

The game portal needs to launch with a LARGE number of non-Wotc games. If it doesn't it will be seen as a platform for WotC and its products and not a place for all gamers.

If these changes are not made, WotC needs to admit that it will not be a place for all gamers like they have stated and that it just another WotC brand for people who want to talk about or play WotC games.

Edit: P.S. I would love for them to change the name but they have basicly come out and said that won't happen so I did not origionally list it.

 

[nolifeking]

Yeah, a personal area would be great! Imagine if you and a group of friends started a campaign, and the DM gets a small message board linked from his profile that he could post messages, notes, synopses, campaign world info etc. and players could talk and post character info. Wouldn't need to be a big board. Obviously there is a lot of stuff missing, so I'm not sure how feasible that would be.

Also, I can never find dev blogs. Maybe I just don't know where to look, I dunno

 

[VBMEW-01]

Yeah, a personal area would be great! Imagine if you and a group of friends started a campaign, and the DM gets a small message board linked from his profile that he could post messages, notes, synopses, campaign world info etc. and players could talk and post character info. Wouldn't need to be a big board. Obviously there is a lot of stuff missing, so I'm not sure how feasible that would be.

Also, I can never find dev blogs. Maybe I just don't know where to look, I dunno

Exactly,justmake it a bit customizable for your setting

For example

Our Old Site

We made this for our group, though we haven't used it in forever.

 

[Simplicity]

Featured articles, perhaps? Some way of determining when one of your features of interest has new articles?

I can never find the blogs of the developers. I just gave up. It's annoying to navigate. Part of that is the fact that the back button works only half the time last time I used it.

Some sort of lobby? Some way to build community? As is there's nothing.

 

[keterys]

Thanks for the responses so far. I can say that board separation is in the works. The VCLs for Gleemax are solely Gleemax (and not part of the other forums, I don't even read them myself) but I'll pass that on.

I had an idea on the terms of use thing that I meant to try them on, where they'd still be protected from parallel development but they could only directly reuse if you clicked a box or somesuch. It will be brought up.

The game portal needs to launch with a LARGE number of non-Wotc games. If it doesn't it will be seen as a platform for WotC and its products and not a place for all gamers.

This would be _great_, but actually requires other companies involvement. Other companies are extremely unlikely to participate at launch, until it's proven that it works. Once it's proven that it works (ie, via Avalon Hill, Hasbro, and WotC games), I'd imagine other companies will be more on board.

I'd love to see other companies (Fantasy Flight, Rio Grande, Games Workshop, etc) get involved, but I suspect the amount that can be done for launch is minimal.

I understand a bit better on the personal area now, and it will be passed on.

As far as dev blogs go... some of that is code (RSS, etc). In the meantime, the Compendium updates once a day with reasonable blogs from the previous day and the all WotC blogs can be found under 'Industry' or 'Wizards of the Coast' headers/footers.

My thoughts on a lobby / color scheme / etc are to ask them to make it all customizable. Those who want minimalist could cut out things, and set up appropriate links and such, while others could go another route.