Hey,

someone is interested in updating this forum?
Leichity, what do you think if we upgrade this forum with something more ... up to date and a theme more "medieval"?

SMF is a good platform and can be customized a lot, without security holes.
From there we could create some web tools, like shop, pricelist or a "Harn battle" between forum members.

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Si vis pacem, para bellum
I Signori della Guerra: http://www.isignoridellaguerra.com

Why?

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Plots and schemes are the same thing..

A new look? More appealing to new players and old ones?
Some useful webtools?

_________________
Si vis pacem, para bellum
I Signori della Guerra: http://www.isignoridellaguerra.com

And changes are always positive

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Si vis pacem, para bellum
I Signori della Guerra: http://www.isignoridellaguerra.com

And somebody's job security too?

Not got this one ...

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Si vis pacem, para bellum
I Signori della Guerra: http://www.isignoridellaguerra.com

Does "medieval" mean less easy to read and less compatible with low res mobile devices?

What do we have to sell in a shop? Lythia.com downloads seem to work.

Web tools are not the greatest of use to me, and as Harn Battles, MUDs / online games have been done before.

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··<SableFox>··
AKA Jonathan M Davidson

An unsubstantiated utterance if ever there was one.

A shop selling what, T-shirts and coffee mugs? And call me unimaginative if you will, but what's a 'Harn battle' anyway?

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«Fair is what we see, Fairer what we have perceived, Fairest what is still in veil.»
—Nicolaus Stenonius

That's not always the case.

However, it might be more productive to identify the problems with the existing forum and how a new forum would improve on them.

First medieval doesn't mean unreadable, just a little more in the setting.
I like the idea.

Second, in the way of "attracting" new players a new look could be more appealing than the one in place.
While it's functional, it feels aseptic.

Third I see many "upset" replays.
I have make a proposal, I'm not in charge here and I'm not able to change a thing.

_________________
Si vis pacem, para bellum
I Signori della Guerra: http://www.isignoridellaguerra.com

RPG players are generally extremely conservative.

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"Corpora lente augescent cito extinguuntur" - Tacitus
Fenhorn's Hârnpage

I wouldn't say I was upset, but I am yet to be convinced of the need to change.

This forum has served the community well. It has become a "brand" in it's own right. I've yet to see anyone saying the are leaving just because the skin is conservative in style. I'd argue that this forum more successful achieves it's goals than the websites of the two publishing companies.

In terms of a more medieval skin, do you have one in mind? Do you have the skills to develop a new skin? If "yes" to either question then I'd like to see it.

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··<SableFox>··
AKA Jonathan M Davidson

There may be some truth in this; people/corporations must engage in re-branding for a reason. Other than to make me hate them that is.



I actually really like the style and feel much more than the CGI or Kelestia Websites. Or Drive-thru. I have no experience of other websites really...I looked at the D and D On-line and it looked awful. Like-wise world of warcraft etc. Do you have anything out there that you are thinking of/like DFA?

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Plots and schemes are the same thing..

Corporates rebrand in the hope that the public will forget the misdemeanour they've just been caught out in.

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··<SableFox>··
AKA Jonathan M Davidson

There are two parts to this website; the blog area which uses Wordpress, and the forum area which uses phpBB. Both use themes which could be updated. But I don't propose to change to SMF; I've used that for our LOTRO kinship forum and I found it to be buggy and very insecure. I also don't propose to change the blogging software either. Primarily because Wordpress is so easy to administer, and it does everything I need.

I could add an e-commerce package really easily; Zen-cart for preference because that's supported by my hosting provider who will automatically update packages they support. But I never intended this site to be commercial; I don't own any rights to Hârn material, so what do you propose I sell? If I were to begin charging for fan-written work (assuming I shared the income with the authors):

Firstly the fans would be mad because they now have to pay for something they used to get for free.

Secondly, Sharon and Arien Crossby would be mad because it would seem like I was taking away their rights...actually, not "seem" so much as I absolutely would be infringing on their rights.

Thirdly Jeremy & Ken from Kelestia Productions, and Tom and Grant of CGI would be mad at me for much the same reasons as above.

Fourthly, I have no desire to actually do that. It takes me ages to get around to putting up new material when it's sent to me as it is. I don't really want or need to increase the amount of time I spend maintaining the site. I have a job that pretty much consumes my daylit weekdays, and my nights are spent either recovering from the day's activities, or reading, or watching TV, or playing LOTRO, or editing Hârn material for writers, or writing my own material, or sometimes all of the above. And my weekends are mostly consumed by working on projects around my small farm. With the occasional gaming session thrown in.

If you have strong feelings and ideas, there's no reason in the world you can't start your own website. Lots of others have. In this respect, it's a free world...Lythia.com was always meant to be a gateway to all things Hârn, not the sole voice in the wilderness.


However, I'm happy to talk about altering the look of the two parts of the website, provided we don't lose any functionality. And if there are ideas about other functions the site can provide, I'm happy to consider those, too.

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Cheers

Leitchy
List & Forum Admin
Admin FAQs
[Updated 25-FEB-2011]

Just because of being able to do something doesn't mean you have to do it.
Is there something wrong with the forum as it is? Not for me.


Sir Alfred Ernest Ramsey
means: never change a running system...

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everybodyTHINKShimselfSOwellSUPPLIEDwithCOMMONsenseTHATevenTHOSEmostDIFFICULTto PLEASEneverDESIREmoreOFitTHANtheyALREADYhave. RENEdescartes.

While I think that about nothing has been understood about my intentions (as well as the sentence just written), I think that this thread can be safely closed.

_________________
Si vis pacem, para bellum
I Signori della Guerra: http://www.isignoridellaguerra.com