Let's Build Heroscapers 3.0 Together

[Xorlof]

If Heroscapers 1.0 was the initial launch of this site in 2006, and Heroscapers 2.0 was the migration to vBulletin (with the huge theme upgrade) in 2008, I think it's time we start finally thinking about what Heroscapers 3.0 should look like!

This initial thread is very open-ended. Let's hear your thoughts.
- How's heroscapers.com working for you, software-wise?
- What do you like/not like?
- What features (whether they're small, big, or pie-in-the-sky-big), would you like to see added?
- What things would you like removed?

Please don't bog the thread down with a lot of discussion/debate about the ideas right now--I'll create separate threads for that. (Quick back and forths are OK, but I'll put a stop to extended discussion). We're mostly looking to gather the ideas at this point, but if you see an idea that you want to express approval of, or modify and take your own direction--yes, feel free to do that in this thread. This is brainstorming, so all ideas are good ones for now. We will cull the list later.

[Xorlof]

Reserved for master list

[Xorlof]

Here are some ideas to kick things off. These are off the top of my head, typed quickly, in no particular order, and with no proofreading. Some are specific, some more general:

Theme

1. Create a slick, more modern visual design/theme.
2. Make the themes less-bulky/faster by using modern web coding
3. Make our theme(s) auto-adjust when to be mobile-friendly when viewed on a phone
4. Reduce number of themes down to just one, so we're all on the same page.
5. Give each major sub-area some custom visual flourishes:
   • distinct banner image,
   • perhaps some color variation
6. Let users customize their view of the theme in their UserCP
   • Option to turn off site "chrome" (banner graphics, avatars) for speed.
   • Option to turn off signatures.
   • Option to turn off all post images
7. Remove infrequently used features that just clutter things up

Create a user trust level system

1. System restricts brand new users somewhat (no signatures, no links in profile page, can't like or bookmark posts, can only PM admins/moderators).
   • Reduces a spammer's possible influence, but also simplifies the interface for new users.
   • Restrictions very quickly removed (e.g., 10 posts).
2. System automatically grants you more privileges you prove yourself here.
   • Eventually you can end up with some moderator type permissions automatically.

Member info display

1. Make the postbit (user info next to each post) more streamlined
   • Less emphasis on badges
   • Move things like, rep, post counts, join dates, image and blog counts to an expanded usercard that pops up when you click on their name
   • Xtra site supporter distinction available in this area
   • Better "user is online" indicator (back to being closer to their name like before)
   • More homogeneous avatar size/shape guidelines
2. Create site achievement system
   • display bronze, silver, gold achievement count in postbit
   • details on profile page
   • user can select a single achievement to highlight in postbit
3. Have two signatures available: regular and one-liner

Consolidate forums

1. Using thread prefixes to differentiate the former sub-areas
2. Merge Card Games, Other Miniatures, Video Games, Other Board Games into the parent ("Other Games") forum
3. Merge Books, Comics, Movies, Music, TV into the parent ("Other Media") forum
4. Same idea for Events forum. Create new prefixes for different states/major regions
5. Other areas might make sense too.

WE NEED A WIKI

1. In progress
2. "Book of" info moved here. First major area. Like the wikia one, but with all the extra goodness we have in our threads (USR, etc).
3. Wiki-fied official Hasbro/WotC FAQ.
4. A FAQ with questions/answers curated from the question dump thread.
5. Tournament center
6. Lots more to add here. Can be the presentation layer for the next section about databases

Online database system

1. Perhaps done as searchable, sortable, filterable wiki tables
2. Specialized entry forms for the data
3. Maps
4. Unit info--customs groups, individual customs, official

Surface more content to frontpage

1. Allow a trusted team of members able to post to frontpage/tweet from @heroscapers
2. Highlight some awesome ye olde threads
3. See what online scape games are upcoming/in-progress
4. See a live map of a featured in-progress game
5. Playtest needs for large customs groups?
6. Hot thread sidebar?

Search

1. Ability to search site for 3 character words
2. A "super search" available that can search forums, blogs, downloads, images all at once.
3. Switch "Today's Posts" to "This Week's Posts" (showing past 7 days)

Calendar system

1. Give it more prominence and clean up interface to see if it gets more usage.

Notifications

1. Better user control of which email notification they receive
2. Ability to post to a subscribed thread by simply replying (via email) to the email notification about a new post in the thread.
3. Quick "clear notifications" button

Create a "so you want to help out?" thread or wiki page with tasks that any member can help us get done.

1. sorting through the site suggestions thread for ideas
2. creating the wiki faq
3. most any wiki task (xfering info over to there, getting things in databases, reviewing threads begun in a particular week in site history, etc.)

Placeholders (ignore these because they're barely typed up)

Spoiler Alert!

Greater ease of uploading/linking images
On-site custom card creator software
Better SEO
Less clunky downloads/image system
Video battle reports highlighting
Auto-show similar threads as you create a new one (i.e., site search
Auto-import of external images
Allow auto-shop of rewards currencies (c3v, c3g)
Auto import external images
Member map

I've got lots and lots more ideas and will post more later, but have to go for now! There are whole swaths of projects (customs groups, online scape, etc.) I haven't really touched on either.

[Dad_Scaper]

Better compatibility with my phone. The forum is difficult to navigate & the windows are a pain to handle, particularly the rep window, which is impossible.

[Viegon]

Put me down for being in favor of pretty much all the ideas you listed, Xorlof. In particular, I'm excited by your ideas for Themes, Trust Level System, Member Info Display, and Front Page Content.

Amazing work with the updates so far Xorlof, it gets me really excited for the future of HeroScapers.

[Dad_Scaper]

Also I would like a system wherein all posts by @capsocrates must be approved by myself before being published.

[Porkins]

I really like your idea that I was supposed to ignore about easier image uploading and linking. I haven't really used the on-site hosting much because it's so clunky to link images. I've been using Photobucket.

[caps]

Originally Posted by Dad_Scaper

Also I would like a system wherein all posts by @capsocrates must be approved by myself before being published.

[TrollBrute]

Originally Posted by Dad_Scaper

Better compatibility with my phone. The forum is difficult to navigate & the windows are a pain to handle, particularly the rep window, which is impossible.

Same here. A more mobile friendly site would be great.

Beyond that, I love a lot of your ideas about themes and front page content.

[Ninja Status]

Originally Posted by TrollBrute

Same here. A more mobile friendly site would be great.

Beyond that, I love a lot of your ideas about themes and front page content.

~NS, emoticonally

[Agent Minivann]

I like a lot of what you're saying. A whole lot. I don't know how useful or worthwhile (or how hard to implement for that matter) but a chat function would be kind of cool. There was one back in the 1.0 days, but it was scrapped because it was a resource hog or something.

[El T]

YES. I'm especially excited about the wiki section of the site. That's a far better method of storing reference information than the current method of putting things in the forums.

As always, I'm willing to help out where I can, if the need arises down the line.