unforum

[AngriBuddhist]

Websites (or website features) that PMs wish existed

[Rekidk]

Hm... I'm no PM, but if I were...

I'd like a resource of some sorts that would have real news feeds mixed in with IG-news from various games. In other words, in between articles about Prezzy Bush and Iraq, there'd be an obituary for a deceased character or an article describing a crime committed by a character. The real news could come from anywhere, and the IG-news could be submitted by PMs. I think this would work well for games that exist in the 'real world' and have events that would be in the news. It could add a touch of realism, especially if most of the news was real.

[AngriBuddhist]

It's a great idea. Any clue as to how a user could differentiate the real from the in-game?

[Rekidk]

Well, not being quite sure would be part of the fun, wouldn't it?

Hm. Maybe not. XD

Articles with legitimate news could have sources cited (eg. AP, or New York Times), whereas articles with IG-news wouldn't have a specific source cited.

[redct]

That is quite possible. There are plugins for blogs/web content systems (like Drupal, Mambo, etc) that allow you to embed RSS feeds from wherever you want into the content body.

[AngriBuddhist]

To clarify-

As an example, the following hyperlink will take you to a post of mine. This post details the purpose and gives the address of an in-game website.

This site specifically targets an existing Unfiction audience (players of Iris). The username and password (which have been changed) allowed both Forum posting and access to the Members Only pages. These pages outlined the TOS and gave users OOG updates.

If you had not come to this site from Unfiction you would have no idea that it was anything other than what it claimed to be.

The idea was short lived for two reasons. First, the site was put together and went live three days after it was envisioned. Soon after it was found that the forums had a nasty little problem which killed player interaction. Second, the purpose for which it was created never became a part of the game.

The users were never told what to do. All they were given was the original post which contained the TOS. I myself only posted "admin" type things. The "Archived Forums- User News" and front page comments were completely created by users who read the front page post "We're Back".

From this example, I hope that you understand exactly what I mean when I say "In-Game".

On the flip-side though, even an idea like a wiki-type in-game character profile website could add legitimacy to web searches.

[AngriBuddhist]

I can't believe that no one has anything to add with all the talk of wanting to-

-expand this medium beyond it's current audience.
-find a profitable business model.
-increase the depth and realism in ARGs.

Are you all content with the restrictions you have right now?

Do you want to have to recreate each "public information" type website each time you create an ARG?

Beyond what your characters actually "say" do you think that their AIM profiles are as in-depth as they need to be?

Is dropping a trailhead in an Unfiction forum or to a Unfiction moderator the best you can ever hope for?

If there were a website or a group of websites that existed solely for the dissemination of your information in a realistic, in-game, safe, anonymous way that offered you complete control why wouldn't you be interested in using it? Or in the least offering your ideas to see what could be done with them?

Are we already in the "this is how it's always been done" state of mind?

How can you hope to expand the medium if we don't also expand what it's capable of and how different aspects of it are delivered?

[catherwood]

[konamouse]

[catherwood]

[RedHatty]

Oh, I think the first discussion came up with something found during the Vanishing Point game, a web site that *someone* commented would be a great place for a rabbit hole to be posted.

[AngriBuddhist]

[konamouse]

I think you need to ask some PMs directly - cause those who work for the big companies probably don't read this section anymore.

I think this area was set up originally as training ground when the genre was still an infant. And then an area where grassroots PMs could read through and learn ideas.

It's a valid question, but 80 views with few comments is not unheard of. Please don't assume that everyone has an idea or opinion. Or that everyone interested in the topic checks this area every time they log in.

Try some honey instead of vinegar.

[colin]

I’m not exactly sure what you’re looking at trying to achieve here.[/quote]

[AngriBuddhist]

I'll try to reply to all of you as logically as I can. Somehow, either I've miscommunicated, you've misunderstood, or multiple people totally disagree with me. Strange though that rekidk immediately understood where I was coming from and responded with a suggestion that fit into an aspect of what I'm pondering.

First...