In April 2009, I posted a wish list of features I wish existed slash were available to us at A.O. And a year later, some of these wishes have come true! I’m pretty amazed.
1. Log on with one account and be able to Post As Character Blank.
Wish granted! We now have the amazing SubAccounts mod that works exactly in this way. Not only can you switch from account to account without logging in and out, you can edit posts to change which account posted them. Here’s a guide to using this feature.
3. Be able to fully integrate web page style information pages with forum-style threads so that information threads don’t have to ‘settle’ for thread format when a wiki set up might be better.
Wish granted! We’ve found a mod called Baker’s Dozen which gives us an easy way to add up to 13 webpages to our top navigation bar without having to reprogram the .php files by hand which not many of us really know how to do well. If anyone. Check out our evolving Rules & Info format that should consolidate all the important information in an easy-to-find, easy-to-navigate format.
11. Small date interface for role-play threads so that threads are automatically dated and added to a timeline.
12. Characters & NPCs can be tagged to help search for threads.
With the sweet Tagging for Threads system, these two features are well in hand and being used to great effect. How to Tag at A.O. It’s not always ideal, but when we finesse it just right it’s pretty amazing. It’s a simple thing to link a new member to all previous First Year Flying classes, or pull up another character’s thread list. I often Control-F to search the Tag list and find what I need. It’s also helping out a great deal with the A.O. Lexicon wiki project.
So those wishes have been granted – what’s on the way? What rpg technology wishes would you like to be granted a year from now?
Ooooo that is so neat! I never realized that before.
A list of my wishes for the future (this could be long!):
- I love using Evernote to store information about AO, but it would be really neat if a document system like that were built into the board, and I could easily share or PM information to members. And it could include a preview function with BB-code so I can save a draft without posting right away.
- Because I’m addicted to chat… an AO instant messaging system. Some people have AIM, some people use MSN or another service, but this way, the username would be tied into the chatboxes, and people could have private chats with each other too. And the chats could be easily saved and posted on the board (say if someone RPs through that format). Like the private chatango chats we used to have, but more advanced.
- Bookmarks! We’ve tried installing a mod for this but it’s never worked quite right for some reason.
- A way for each user to create custom profile fields for themselves, with links. I know not everyone has a network, or a plot tracking page, but there are other things they might like to show off, so it would be nice if every person could customize it for themselves and link them from their profile.
- Integrating things like the wiki and the blog so that the user only has to sign onto AO to access these features. But the wiki and the blog would still have all the nifty extras we like.
- a tool that automatically backs up every thread you start onto your computer for you. Or… it gives you a box to check each time you post, asking if you want to save the thread to your computer
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- Sarah and I have dreamed about this before, but a way to mark a character as inactive or active in one list, and for that to show up on all the lists in the board, rather than doing each individually.
- Something that’s sort of like bookmarks, but a way for everyone to customize what links that want available in the welcome box up top, or the toolbar section.