Some Information on Gleemax social networking

[Mike_Lescault]

P.S. Mike, I love your username, Gamer Zero. I only wish I had thought of it first!

Thanks! I wanted to go with "Mike the Ungainly", but luckily cooler heads prevailed. =)

I don't think I have heard anyone complaining about the premise of the new site (or very very few). The problem all along is the horrible promotional site that exists now that is turning away potential future users. Well that and the name and they seem intent on keeping that despite the outcry. I think what has some people worried, myself included, is that if this is what they do to launch the initiative (bad timing with having the promo site ready when announced and a horrible looking website) then our expectations are lowered for how they will be able to pull off the final site (no matter how cool the premise is).

Perhaps it's a sad commentary about how predictable us gamers are, but the outcry over the Gleemax name faded away after a week so, as many predicted. Everyone's getting used to it after only a few weeks.

The Gleemax promotional site is built upon bailing wire and duct tape. We're hard at work on an entire software system that will support the social networking side of Gleemax, as well as all of our other digital offerings. Our plan is to be able to show off the initial phase of this software at GenCon, although I remain only cautiously optimistic given the ambitious nature of what we're building and how quickly GenCon is coming up on us.

So I don't think it's wrong for anyone to worry that the promotion site will be indicative of what we'll do with the real Gleemax site, in this case I can tell you that they're apples and oranges.

 

[Dragon Snack]

I've previously posted the exact sentiments that Brown Jenkin has, so I'll skip that part...

Perhaps it's a sad commentary about how predictable us gamers are, but the outcry over the Gleemax name faded away after a week so, as many predicted. Everyone's getting used to it after only a few weeks.

I appreciate your enthusiasm and I realize you are doing your job, but don't fool yourself - the outcry has 'faded away' because the people that find the site annoying have said their piece and left (or just left).

I personally am NOT "getting used to it", I am "ignoring it"...

 

[Draumr]

I personally am NOT "getting used to it", I am "ignoring it"...

Same here. Terrible name.

 

[I'm A Banana]

I'm tentatively interested.

Part of my lack of interest is because my free time and income doesn't allow for all the gaming interests Gleemax supports. I'm not addicted to Magic, I'm not hardcore about any boardgames ...but I *am* into videogames, and RPGs, and "party games." It seems like Gleemax won't be doing much support for half of my interests, and I won't be supporting half of it's.

The idea of a wiki, character and campaign display all really interest me, but making them system-neutral would seem to be challenging (CCG's other than Magic, RPG's other than D&D, etc.)

So I'll see what it is before I really judge it. If it's useful enough for my RPG machinations (including FFZ, I'd hope...), and perhaps allows me to kludge in video games, I'll pounce on it.

...otherwise, it's just another timesink I don't need.

 

[Nikosandros]

T
So I don't think it's wrong for anyone to worry that the promotion site will be indicative of what we'll do with the real Gleemax site, in this case I can tell you that they're apples and oranges.

I understand that, but wouldn't it have been better to just wait for a more functional site, before going online?

The other week I was talking with one of my gaming groups about Gleemax and it was kind of awkward... yeah, it's supposed to become this cool place, but if you go right now, you will find something completely different...

 

[Mike_Lescault]

I understand that, but wouldn't it have been better to just wait for a more functional site, before going online?

The other week I was talking with one of my gaming groups about Gleemax and it was kind of awkward... yeah, it's supposed to become this cool place, but if you go right now, you will find something completely different...

You're right that it raises some issues, but I disagree that it would have been better to wait. This is one of those classic cases where it's easy to cite the downsides of a decision, without acknowledging the worse situation that would have happened with any other course of action.

If we hadn't announced Gleemax until the site was ready to launch:

- The first people to show up would see that it was empty and devoid of any form of critcal mass.
- Our first month would have been spent with people saying they refuse to use it because of the name.
- Tons of people would be totally confused and would have countless questions about what the heck this Gleemax thing was.
- We would have designed and launched the site in a vacuum without taking suggestions and feedback from customers.
- Customers would be very upset that WotC sprung a major change in direction on them without any notice.
- There would be a huge outcry about how "This is the End of (insert product) as we know it!"

So while I agree that there are plenty of downsides to the launch of the promotional site, I think they far outweigh the alternatives.

 

[smootrk]

Any chance someone from WotC will comment on the apparently across-the-board dislike of the color-scheme and overall graphics of what is being presented?

 

[IanB]

I actually like the color scheme, personally. Probably because it massages the part of my brain that has fond memories of the Fallout games (which had a very similar UI.)

 

[smootrk]

I actually like the color scheme, personally. Probably because it massages the part of my brain that has fond memories of the Fallout games (which had a very similar UI.)

I smell a poll in the making... I won't make it but maybe someone else could come up with a poll on opinions on the visual displays from gleemax....

 

[CharlesRyan]

I personally am NOT "getting used to it", I am "ignoring it"...

I'm getting used to it. It's not that I like it. I've just stopped not liking it.