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 Post subject: New SWM website; what would you want?
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2012 9:40 am 
Death Star Designers
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Alright, so everyone knows that The Holocron had to shut down recently. It was a great resource, so I've decided to carry it on in spirit. But what I want to know is what does everyone want to see on a website like that. I've already started working on it, and NickName has been very awesome and gotten me all the files from The Holocron, so everything that was there will be here. That's a LOT of stuff, though, so I've still got plenty of leg work to get this up and running, and it's still a work in progress. Right now I've got a domain name, I've got a CMS, I just need to get stuff up and looking pretty before it's ready for the public eye.

In my mind, I want it to be a one-stop-shop kind of resource for anything you would need to read, download, whatever. It will have all the rules info, including the rulebook, glossary inserts, and FAQ. It will have tons of old articles, and I'm hoping I'll be able to post some new articles, too. It will have Vassal information, including how-to's as well as the mod files and everything you need to get that running correctly. It will have V-set cards. It will have tournament pairing software. It will have tournament entry sheets.

Basically, if there's something you could possibly download in relation to SWM, I want to have it hosted there. I won't be putting up a forum because we already have 2, and I won't be putting up an online squad builder or collection tracker because BlooMilk has those covered quite well.

As I mentioned, I'd also like to get regular articles up. If you'd like to write an article, let me know! If you want to write a regular column, even better!

What else would you guys want to see? Let me know! I want this to meet as many needs and desires as possible, so I need feeback to get that done.

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 Post subject: Re: New SWM website; what would you want?
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2012 2:04 pm 
Droid Army Commander
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As long as you asked for the SWM site of my dreams would include:

SWM has never had a single website that did it all. Probably with the fate of The Holocron, the multiple little sites doing one niche thing is.

1. Message board
well that is pretty basic.

2. Everything else Bloomilk does, squad building, collection tracking, customs creations etc.

3. Online gaming interface, like Vassal but actually integrated with the all the info from the Bloomilk portion, so squads generate automatically, unit stats are right there, a variable AI to play against when no one is around (set your hardness level, Echo, Billiv15, Fingersandteeth, etc) , LOS is clearly defined along with cover.

4. LOS guide for all maps like this

5. A paid design team actually producing content for the site as well as new sets with actual minis!

6. Brick and mortar SWM clubhouses across Canada & the US

7. Sponsor links carrying the full SWM line.

That's enough for now. :lol:

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 Post subject: Re: New SWM website; what would you want?
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2012 2:11 pm 
One of The Ones
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Here's a question - why another website? All that sounds great, but why not just post it here?


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 Post subject: Re: New SWM website; what would you want?
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2012 2:31 pm 
Droid Army Commander
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Isn't this site tanking this year? Or is it next?

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 Post subject: Re: New SWM website; what would you want?
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2012 2:36 pm 
Death Star Designers
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TimmerB123 wrote:
Here's a question - why another website? All that sounds great, but why not just post it here?


Because this is a forum. When was the last time you went to the front page of http://www.swmgamers.com? Most people rarely do. And even if you do, it's pretty messy. This just isn't a good website for content delivery. It's a great forum, but an inherently bad place to host something like, say, mini manager. Bloomilk has a similar problem. That's why The Holocron was a great website; it was purely for resources. Neither Gamers nor Bloomilk are optimized for resource and content delivery. The Holocron was, and I'm creating a website that fills the gap now that The Holocron isn't around.

Also, both Gamers and Bloomilk are kind of notorious now for having owners that are hard to get to. I'm confident that if I DID want to help turn either site into a resource like this it would be a pretty big pain to get in touch with (let alone help from) either Dean or Shinja. I think this is something that the community needs, I have the ability to do it, so I'm taking the opportunity to get it done.

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 Post subject: Re: New SWM website; what would you want?
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2012 2:44 pm 
Grand Admiral
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I want a map gallery, where you can comment on each map. The line of sight finder posted up-thread sounds good too.


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 Post subject: Re: New SWM website; what would you want?
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2012 2:54 pm 
Imperial Dignitaries
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First of all, thanks for doing this Dan! I don't know how you find time for this, in addition to your involvement with V-set design.

I would like to see a maplist (copied from the Floor Rules), with links to pictures of each map. And with those pictures, it would probably be helpful to list all of the other names by which that map is known (ie, Cloud City, aka Bespin or Throne Room, aka Chancellor's Starship). That would be very valuable, IMHO. If that list was organized according to the map's status (Restricted, Standard, Open), that would be nice too.

A LOS-tool for the above maps...wow, if you could do that, I know it would get used all the time!

A simple and user-friendly place for all things Vassal:
-an easy way to download the proper files
-a step-by-step Vassal setup guide, complete with screenshots and every possible detail mapped out. I can't count how many people have trouble installing the Vassal files properly.

A way to download all the V-set cards. Not just as a sheet, but also individually; it is often valuable to be able to pull up just 2 or 3 of the cards if desired, so that you don't have to keep switching between the various pdf sheets. I have most of the individual cards, so you can PM me if you need them.

SHNN archives, ready for download.

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 Post subject: Re: New SWM website; what would you want?
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2012 3:08 pm 
Droid Army Commander
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SHNN transcripts/index would be great as long as we're dreaming.

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 Post subject: Re: New SWM website; what would you want?
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2012 3:10 pm 
Droid Army Commander
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I like the map gallery idea, but I'd love to see it as a scrolling header/footer/sidebar , that could be zipped through and expanded if necessary.

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 Post subject: Re: New SWM website; what would you want?
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2012 3:20 pm 
Grand Admiral
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R5Don4 wrote:
SHNN transcripts/index would be great as long as we're dreaming.


I've been chipping away at a basic index here, on Kezzamachine's instructions: http://www.bloomilk.com/Forums/default. ... ts&t=10859


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 Post subject: Re: New SWM website; what would you want?
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2012 3:23 pm 
Droid Army Commander
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Contests/give aways would be great.

Also a revolving gallery of custom minis would help the sight be more visually appealing.

I think that is an area that all SWM sights have always fallen really short is having enough visual content to be interesting to look at, instead of just words.

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 Post subject: Re: New SWM website; what would you want?
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2012 3:25 pm 
Droid Army Commander
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TheHutts wrote:
R5Don4 wrote:
SHNN transcripts/index would be great as long as we're dreaming.


I've been chipping away at a basic index here, on Kezzamachine's instructions: http://www.bloomilk.com/Forums/default. ... ts&t=10859


Exactly, but a more thorough summary, index would be ideal.

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 Post subject: Re: New SWM website; what would you want?
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2012 4:39 pm 
Really Cool Alien from a Cantina
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An easy to find, well-described selection of files that you need for Vassal.

Essays, piece reviews, tactical puzzles, etc. that aren't in a teeny tiny font hidden in the dark corner of a website (I would be happy to contribute to these)

As many others have mentioned, some kind of Java app that let you call up any map and draw lines of sight all over it would be THE BOMB. Even better would be if you could click on a square and bam, every square that has a LOS to it is lit up or highlighted.

Maybe an archive of recently asked rules questions.

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 Post subject: Re: New SWM website; what would you want?
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2012 4:48 pm 
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How about a custom creation generator. You input the stats and abilities and then it appears on a proper border card?

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 Post subject: Re: New SWM website; what would you want?
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2012 9:09 pm 
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I'd like to see a site where we can download stuff, look up stuff, see pictures of stuff, basically a resource site. While forums and all the squad building amenities are nice, we already have that stuff on here and Bloomilk. If it can be managed all of it would be nice, but what I want is what we lost when we lost the Holocron.

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 Post subject: Re: New SWM website; what would you want?
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2012 9:33 pm 
One of The Ones
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greentime wrote:
As many others have mentioned, some kind of Java app that let you call up any map and draw lines of sight all over it would be THE BOMB. Even better would be if you could click on a square and bam, every square that has a LOS to it is lit up or highlighted.

Like this?

http://www.chr-breitkopf.de/mapexplorer ... index.html

There is an offline Java version as well, check the link immediately below the page heading.

This is very doable right now, for the most part. Just need someone with the time to learn the map file format and get it caught up with recent maps.

edit: also uploaded to my Skydrive, look under Game Tools.

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 Post subject: Re: New SWM website; what would you want?
PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2012 9:54 pm 
One of The Ones
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While I'm at it, these other sites exist:

http://www.swminiverse.com/SW_Miniverse/Welcome.html

http://dantooine.hardscribble.net/index.php (dated, but still cool)

More to read and look at.


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 Post subject: Re: New SWM website; what would you want?
PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2012 3:08 am 
Droid Army Commander
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swinefeld wrote:
greentime wrote:
As many others have mentioned, some kind of Java app that let you call up any map and draw lines of sight all over it would be THE BOMB. Even better would be if you could click on a square and bam, every square that has a LOS to it is lit up or highlighted.

Like this?

http://www.chr-breitkopf.de/mapexplorer ... index.html

There is an offline Java version as well, check the link immediately below the page heading.

This is very doable right now, for the most part. Just need someone with the time to learn the map file format and get it caught up with recent maps.

edit: also uploaded to my Skydrive, look under Game Tools.



8-) I linked to that site in my first post. I'd love if that could make the distinction between clear and cover as well.

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 Post subject: Re: New SWM website; what would you want?
PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2012 5:43 am 
One of The Ones
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R5Don4 wrote:
8-) I linked to that site in my first post. I'd love if that could make the distinction between clear and cover as well.

:roll: I completely overlooked your link, doh!
I dig the clear/cover idea. :)


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 Post subject: Re: New SWM website; what would you want?
PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2012 7:47 am 
Imperial Dignitaries
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swinefeld wrote:
greentime wrote:
As many others have mentioned, some kind of Java app that let you call up any map and draw lines of sight all over it would be THE BOMB. Even better would be if you could click on a square and bam, every square that has a LOS to it is lit up or highlighted.

Like this?

http://www.chr-breitkopf.de/mapexplorer ... index.html

There is an offline Java version as well, check the link immediately below the page heading.


This is very doable right now, for the most part. Just need someone with the time to learn the map file format and get it caught up with recent maps.

I'd be willing to do that, if Daniel decides that he wants to include it on his site. I learned Vassal, and I'd be happy to learn MapExplorer as well.

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