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12:56, 28th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Idea: Can we get the ability to set a welcome message?

Posted by Samus Aran
Samus Aran
member, 414 posts
Author, game designer
Part-time Metroid fighter
Mon 10 Dec 2018
at 11:57
  • msg #1

Idea: Can we get the ability to set a welcome message?

You know how when you join a game, you get that box at the top that says "Welcome to the game..." and stuff? I think it'd be cool if we could set that, sort of like how you can set a message to be seen above RTJs, as well as the header text. It could be a cool persistent message about what's going on in a game at the moment ("The storm is raging! The heroes have awakened Sturmgeist the Dragon and the battle is on! Characters in all threads may feel the effects of the terrible storms that have been unleashed across the region.") or just an easy way to get announcements about what the game is like or what the GM is doing right out the gate.

The idea is to have it be persistent and visible at the main game menu. I think it'd be a neat thing to be able to customize, anyway.
This message was last edited by the user at 13:14, Mon 10 Dec 2018.
LonePaladin
member, 777 posts
Creator of HeroForge
Mon 10 Dec 2018
at 14:34
  • msg #2

Idea: Can we get the ability to set a welcome message?

That's sort of the intent of the Notice feature. But I DO like the idea of having a callout that would sit above the list of threads. It would have to have a strict limit on size (not sure how much is reasonable) and forbid certain formatting (like images).
horus
member, 626 posts
Wayfarer of the
Western Wastes
Mon 10 Dec 2018
at 16:52
  • msg #3

Idea: Can we get the ability to set a welcome message?

I'd like to hear more about how this might be implemented.  Maybe like a "super notice" that always floats to the very top of the topic listing?

Good idea.
steelsmiter
member, 1944 posts
BESM, Fate, Indies, PBTA
NO FREEFORM! NO d20!
Mon 10 Dec 2018
at 17:06
  • msg #4

Re: Idea: Can we get the ability to set a welcome message?

horus:
I'd like to hear more about how this might be implemented.  Maybe like a "super notice" that always floats to the very top of the topic listing?

Good idea.

or like the adult games notice, but controllable by the game master.
This message was last edited by the user at 17:06, Mon 10 Dec 2018.
aguy777
member, 300 posts
Join Date:
Thu, 28 Nov, 2013
Mon 10 Dec 2018
at 20:09
  • msg #5

Re: Idea: Can we get the ability to set a welcome message?

I like this idea. I agree with LonePaladin that a limit on characters and formatting would be best for an idea like this.
Skald
moderator, 837 posts
Whatever it is,
I'm against it
Tue 11 Dec 2018
at 12:49
  • msg #6

Re: Idea: Can we get the ability to set a welcome message?

Isn't that what the Game Info link is for ?  Doesn't actually sit on the top of the thread list, but it's always available from the top menu.  :>
Samus Aran
member, 415 posts
Author, game designer
Part-time Metroid fighter
Tue 11 Dec 2018
at 12:53
  • msg #7

Re: Idea: Can we get the ability to set a welcome message?

I like the idea of the callout above the main threads, though. It would be great for announcements that are easy to see for players or visitors, and have all kinds of utility, I think. Game Info is your game description. I don't tend to change that much. This idea would be much more adaptable.
LonePaladin
member, 778 posts
Creator of HeroForge
Tue 11 Dec 2018
at 16:20
  • msg #8

Re: Idea: Can we get the ability to set a welcome message?

It might be helpful to have an option that's sort of the opposite of delaying a post. When creating a callout, give the GM the option of setting a time-limit on it, either a number of days or a fixed date. When that time comes around, the callout automatically removes itself.

This would allow things like weekly events ("Say hi in [Thread Name] for bonus XP!") or scheduled outages ("I'm away for the holidays"), or just setting a message to drop off to save the hassle of doing it manually later.
bigbadron
moderator, 15676 posts
He's big, he's bad,
but mostly he's Ron.
Tue 11 Dec 2018
at 16:31

Re: Idea: Can we get the ability to set a welcome message?

In reply to LonePaladin (msg # 8):

Well, if it works anything like the delayed post option, the GM would have to keep the post open until it deleted itself.

Not seeing how this idea is that different from a Notice post, or from the Game Description.
DarkLightHitomi
member, 1436 posts
Wed 12 Dec 2018
at 05:00
  • msg #10

Re: Idea: Can we get the ability to set a welcome message?

Paizo does that in a way, and it is often used there by many GMs, especially for pertinent links to external resources (like the current map for example).

Rpol doesn't need as many external links as rpol has many tools built in, but that welcome message on paizo is still used in various ways even excluding links.

@bigbadron
This is dofferent from notice posts and game descriptions in that one always sees it at the top of the page and never needs to seek it out.

Game Description is something I only look at when deciding whether to rtj or not, and even then I forget most of the time because it is almost hidden away (so it doesn't remind me of it's ecistance by it's presence).

A Notice implies something particularly important, a "Shut up and read me!" type thing. A bit like a howler from Harry Potter but for everybody.

A message at the top of the screen is good for many uses that are nice but which are not worth a Notice. A bit like a cellphone notification "read at your convience." (my keyboard lacks spellcheck, darn it.)
horus
member, 629 posts
Wayfarer of the
Western Wastes
Wed 12 Dec 2018
at 08:42
  • msg #11

Re: Idea: Can we get the ability to set a welcome message?

Does the Game Description link highlight in some way if the description text is
updated?  It doesn't appear to when I tested it.

Yeah, it might be easiest to set this up in a Notice, but there's no way to pin Notices in a particular order other than bumping them at each change.  I'd want my welcome message/message of the day to always be on top of other notices in the topic listing or set off by itself above or below that listing somewhere.

It seems like some of us may have varying ideas of what this prospective new feature should look like, and what it should do.  Before it gets implemented, the programming specification is going to have to be pretty solid.  I'm not trying to shut down the flow of ideas, but sooner or later comes some decisions about what's workable within the present framework, and what is not.
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