Howdy,

Wondering if it would be possible (or feasible) to take a look at the organization of the forums, and perhaps make some changes? They are looking pretty rough, and with 3.0 out, many of the categories are obsolete! For instance, the Lore category has Teaching, Animal Lore, etc. Those should be nixed or merged.

I think the boards are pretty confusing for someone who is uninitiated to these forums. Even folks who have been using the forums have issues finding the right folders at times. I think it would benefit players and GMs if the boards were easier to navigate and better organized. My ideas to streamline:

1. Drop all folders that have not been posted in for two years.
2. Use simple names for the main categories; save the cutesie names for the Social folders. They make the folders seem disorganized and makes it more difficult to navigate.
3. Each category should have a set of basic folders which are standard across the forums (see below).
4. Get rid of Complaints folders. I think they set the wrong tone for the forums and encourage nonconstructive feedback and conflicts.
5. I think all the Board Monitors should get a raise.

Thanks,
GENT

More specifically:

Discussions with Simutronics
-- rename: Discussions with Staff/GMs

HELP WANTED!
-- I’m thinking of a folder for new players to get answers to basic things like:
Etiquette
Death
Favors
Stats and TDPs
Training Skills
Making Money
Puzzles
Lost and Found
…more/less?

General Gameplay
-- for stuff that is more in-depth, but not specific to any one content area
Gweths
Mounts
Justice
Experience
Rumors
Tasks
…more

Magic; Survival; Lore; Armor; Weapons; Cities, Places, and Provinces; Races
-- each category has these basic folders:
GM Announcements
Responses to Announcements
General Discussions
Bugs
Suggestions
[Separate folders for each skill, race, city, etc]

Combat
GM Announcements
Responses to Announcements
General Discussions
Bugs
Suggestions
Weapons
Armor
Strategies
…more?

Creatures
GM Announcements
Responses to Announcements
General Discussions
Bugs
Suggestions
[Separate subcategories for different levels of hunting]
[Separate subcategories for each Province (as this seems to be a popular discussion)]
Undead
Constructs

Guilds
GM Announcements
Responses
General Discussions
Bugs
Suggestions
Guild-only Skill (Summoning, Theurgy, etc.)
Guild-only Abilities/Systems (Companions, Beseeches, Khri, Prediction, etc.)
Events
Titles
Conflicts
Real Life

These are boards I don’t use frequently enough to have much input, or that I feel are pretty well-off:
Premium
Social Side
Outside Elanthia
Official/Unofficial Player Organizations
Events
Dragonrealms Policies

Board featurds like search are outside of my control.

Take those sorts of questions over to the Simutronics folder for Boards.


Annwyl
Message Board Supervisor

If you've questions or comments, take it to e-mail by writing me at DR-Annwyl@play.net.

>>However it really wouldn't be hard to have the search either not index the private boards, or not show private results to people that don't have permission to see them.

I always find it amusing when people make statements like this with no knowledge of the underlying DB structure.

---

TG, TG, GL, et al.

"Disagreement with the fundamental plan at this point is akin to supporting Richard III vs the Tudors."
-Raesh

Can we please not derail this thread with (as has already been stated) a dead horse?

Any comment from the BMs on my request? Is there any chance of reorganizing the forums?

Thanks
GENT

>>Any comment from the BMs on my request? Is there any chance of reorganizing the forums?

Not a BM, obviously, but for whatever it's worth, I really like your ideas, GENT. Especially when it comes to simplifying the names and some of the structures of the forums. I'd love to know if something along these lines would be feasible. For that matter, a lot of the guild folders could use some standardization/cleanup of old folders as well.

Cheers,

~player of Gulphphunger

Do you guys actually look through the boards for info?

I just view unread, and check e-pedia.

FWIW, I agree that the structure of some of the folders is only exceeded in fail when compared to the forums as a whole.

Weapons for example, couldn't we just have one folder?

Guild folders could be shrunk considerably; why is there a conflicts folder in every guild folder?

However, if they're going to spend anytime working on the forums, I have to throw my vote in for a search function.

---

Player of Diggan, Ranger & Halfing of Aesry

>>I just view unread, and check e-pedia.<

^This.

________________________________________________________________


"Nope, I decided parry will remain completely and utterly useless. Try something else."

While a reorganization would be good just to shake the dust of some folders and maybe condense some of the information into an easier to dig through pile of drivel, it does not solve the real issue.

Any forum created in the 21st century, should have a search function.

---

Player of Diggan, Ranger & Halfing of Aesry

>>Isn't there like, an option that Google allows where you can slap a 'SEARCH THIS SITE' button onto your page? Pretty sure that would be like, 10 billion times better than nothing.

It's possible something changed, but I'm pretty sure that the last time this was tested people were able to access restricted parts of the forums.

---

The teeth lands a solid (5/23) hit that pokes the teeth into Turul's rear end (more embarrassing than painful!).

>And again, things like 'search functions' aren't a topic for this forum.

Can we get a folder for talking about the forums on the DragonRealms forums? Crazy request, I know, but...

In the DR folders you can measure response times with a watch, in Simutronics Folders you measure with a calendar.

---

Player of Diggan, Ranger & Halfing of Aesry

Boards tools are created by on-site, and not something the DragonRealms team has any control over. So, while you can type away here, the people who would be able to do anything about your request will not ever read it.

Folder reorganization is separate and something that's been on the 'to do list'. We're simply waiting for other priorities to happen before I can focus on the folder and category re-org.

Now this thread is done.


Annwyl
Message Board Supervisor

If you've questions or comments, take it to e-mail by writing me at DR-Annwyl@play.net.