Kevin's Watch

Hi Guys,

I need your input insofar as which modifications need to be retained versus those that can be safely scrapped. I'm moving towards upgrading the current version of this board to improve functionality.

The modifications installed are (off the top of my head):

1. User Online/Offline indicator
2. Spoiler function
3. Chatroom
4. Calendar
5. Photo Album
6. WGD and Bank
7. Shops (includes Special Effects)
8. Sub-forums (The thing that makes The Collective etc possible)
9. Stats
10. Quick Reply box


I have probably forgotten some so please feel free to let me know which ones. If you guys could rank these in order of most important to keep down to chuck it in the bin, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks

Peter (aka Vain)

From keeping to not keeping:

1 - Album
2 - Sub-forums
3 - Spoiler
4 - Special effects and such, though I don't know how you could implement it in a non-WGD way
5 - Online/Offline
6 - Calendar
7 - Stats
8 - Quick reply (I always forget to use it anyway)
9 - Chatroom (this is sooo slow! )
10 - WGD (I liked this at first, but it all got out of hand, and things have seemed much more relaxed since you took it away)

1. User Online/Offline indicator - Don't use it because I feel bad when I have limited time and someone wants to chat
2. Spoiler function - like it
3. Chatroom - would be better if it was IRC accessible. can see a big need for it in the future
4. Calendar - don't use it
5. Photo Album - great how it is
6. WGD and Bank - a bit on the defunct side, lately. I like the idea behind it, though. perhaps could use a more merit or effort based system
7. Shops (includes Special Effects) - Again, was good while it lasted, but too hard to upkeep. Effects should probably be free.
8. Sub-forums (The thing that makes The Collective etc possible) - Works great how it is, imo
9. Stats - meh
10. Quick Reply box - absolutely necessary. use it for %99 of my posts

1. User Online/Offline indicator
2. Sub-forums (The thing that makes The Collective etc possible)
3. Photo Album
4. Calendar
5. Spoiler function
6. Quick Reply
7. Shops (includes Special Effects)
8. Chatroom
9. Stats
10. WGD and Bank

I personally think we should remove the stats - that way we stop the empty posts and people rushing to get 1000+ posts.

What Cov Jr said....

From keeping to not keeping:

1 - Album
2 - Sub-forums
3 - Spoiler
4 - Special effects and such, though I don't know how you could implement it in a non-WGD way
5 - Online/Offline
6 - Calendar
7 - Stats
8 - Quick reply (I always forget to use it anyway)
9 - Chatroom (this is sooo slow! )
10 - WGD (I liked this at first, but it all got out of hand, and things have seemed much more relaxed since you took it away)

I go with Cov Jr and Earthy

the ones that can be removed that I wouldn't really notice the loss are online/offline indicator, Calendar (didn't realise we had one, in fact), and the stats.

The quick reply is one of the most useful mods you can get, I'm so used to using it now I wouldn't want to go back to the main reply.
Spoiler is necessary.
Chatroom... well, it is sometimes good to chat about stuff, but it's a little slow, and needs some changes to make it more worth using. I don't use it often anyway.
The shop... isn't really useful, and I got over the novelty of it a long time ago... but the effects are good - perhaps there is a mod allowing effects to be added to name/title through Edit Profile, so you can lose the shop but keep the colours?
We need the sub-forums for the Collective (although IMO the Collective is getting too big).



I do have a request - I know your removing mods, not adding them, but I know I would appreciate having the mod that adds the title of the topic to the 'Last post by:' column on the Index - I get confused sometimes as to whether an orange marker on the index is a post I purposefully didn't read or a new post by the same member, so having the title of the most recently updated topic listed would be a big help.

hmmm...

Well, I think the effects should be "free". I personally would like to see the WGD's go byebye or at least modified into a better system.

The chat thingie is a bane...Is there any other chat box that can be used?

I like the quick reply box, I always use it, so I would like that to stay

Online/Offline status is good too, I like to know who's around.

The Spoiler feature is very much a necessity, and will be even more so once "Runes" comes out.

I think the Calender should stay too, I always check it for bdays

And the Album definitely needs to stay..

Stats, hmmm, mixed on that one.

I see absolutely no need 4 stats (and no I'm not being grumpy because Tom C just knocked me in2 4th place! )--it already shows our number of posts under our name--that won't change right? After the influx of new fans next Fall the stats will go off the charts and become, kinda, meaningless...The WGDs, if restructured, are fun but they must take a huge toll on the boards speed and efficiency...they prob need to go. Does The Crow's Nest interfere or is it ok? Does any1 read the dang thing? (there is a killer chat room at Ahira's Hangar (KW's sister site--my www), but u need java.)

danlo wrote:it already shows our number of posts under our name

Isn't that what we're talking about? If not, the stats can go because I have no idea what they are or where to find them

1. User Online/Offline indicator - I don't normally use this...
2. Spoiler function - have to keep that with the new book coming out, unless we give the new book its own forum to keep from spoiling...
3. Chatroom- I usually use my IM services instead...
4. Calendar - good to check for birthdays, but otherwise I don't use it very often
5. Photo Album - please keep this!!!!
6. WGD and Bank - was fun when it started, but got to the point where it was being misused
7. Shops (includes Special Effects) - fun, but could probably go
8. Sub-forums (The thing that makes The Collective etc possible) - please keep this!!!!
9. Stats - if they went, it might cut down on the posting for posting's sake...was really glad when the stat for topics created went away
10. Quick Reply box - I never remember to use it...but given what Syl said, maybe I should...

edit

The modifications:

1. User Online/Offline indicator - I like this only because I enjoy seeing who's on the forum.
2. Spoiler function - it's convenient, but on boards that don't have it, you can accomplish the same thing with a warning heading your post, and spacing it a few lines down with asterisks - that's what I do, anyway.
3. Chatroom - does anyone really use it? I have mostly chatted with people on MSN.
4. Calendar - don't use it
5. Photo Album - it's cool to see people's pics
6. WGD and Bank - this has been fun, but I haven't paid attention to it in a while, as there really hasn't been anything new to buy.
7. Shops (includes Special Effects) - see previous comment - the only thing I might use is changing my title and/or special effects.
8. Sub-forums (The thing that makes The Collective etc possible) - keep this - it makes it easier to categorize the forum topics.
9. Stats - I like seeing how many posts everyone has, just for reference, but it's not necessary
10. Quick Reply box - I love this feature, have often used it, but it's ok with me if most people want to get rid of it.

~MsMary~

Don't get rid of the chatroom--some people use it. I say just maybe improve some of the obvious stuff wrong with it, like the "away" messages it gives all the time. And it seems to have some kind of refresh going on with it every minute or so that kind of slows things down. Otherwise, K-Dubya is one happening place.

Yes, I think Darth Revan would die if you got rid of the chatroom.

Yeah, and one more change: from now on, I'd like everyone to call it "K-Dubya" instead of KW. Thanks.

1. User Online/Offline indicator - Keep
2. Spoiler function - Keep
3. Chatroom - Don't need, most everyone is on MSN, Yahoo or whatever
4. Calendar - Don't need
5. Photo Album - Keep
6. WGD and Bank - Past it's time
7. Shops (includes Special Effects) - Nice but not necessary
8. Sub-forums (The thing that makes The Collective etc possible) - Keep
9. Stats - Keep, the most abused stats are gone.
10. Quick Reply box - Keep, I only just figured this one out.

1) sorry to beat a dead horse -some say chatroom is hardly used, I say should be kept to prevent multi-page chats.

so members can say hey, take it into the chatroom

1. User Online/Offline indicator - Necessity
2. Spoiler function - also necessary
3. Chatroom - need something like this
4. Calendar - never use it
5. Photo Album - I never use it myself, but I understand the people who like it a lot
6. WGD and Bank - nah
7. Shops (includes Special Effects)
...shops, sort of nice but complicated and not needed IMO
...special effects on names and titles, I love 'em
8. Sub-forums (The thing that makes The Collective etc possible) - essential
9. Stats - The only stat I see any value for is number of posts, and that is so others can see if the poster is a longtime member, newby, heavily involved, or what.
10. Quick Reply box - please keep it, maybe use a faster-loading one

OK. So far it's looking like the Top5 are (in no specific order):

1. User Online/Offline
2. Spoiler function
3. Photo Album
4. Sub-forums
5. Quick reply box

The chatroom is probably the next in line.

I think it's testament to the potential fact that it's substance that matters but the gadgets have a use as well