Small change to Noticeboards

[Dani]

Would it be possible to indicate on the sign when there are new messages, rather than going back and periodically checking? Like a slight glow around the image?

[FirstAmongstDaves]

I don't think there has been much take-up generally, has there?

[Dani]

Another slight change that would make them more useful is if you could add the option of copying the message to noticeboards in other villages, say for an extra 5gc per village. That would make it easier to get the word out on island-wide matters, like a shartak newspaper for example.

[andrewbuff]

wouldnt it eliminate players being associated to the newspaper, having the duty to post it in their represented town? i mean being able to post to other noticeboards.

[Dani]

wouldnt it eliminate players being associated to the newspaper, having the duty to post it in their represented town? i mean being able to post to other noticeboards.

I'm missing the part where that's a problem. Relying on player coordination is the surest way to doom a clan or initiative. In any case there are other purposes than just this non-existent newspaper. If Dani al-Ghazali wants to advertise The Sour Apple in York at Derby, or Durham, it's a lot more convenient to just do it all in one go rather than trekking across the island just to put up an ad. Same with militant religious propaganda or bounty notices or any number of other things. 

[Iceman]

Relying on player coordination is the surest way to doom a clan or initiative.

Finally.

But this would be a good addition to the noticeboard thing. I think you should only have the option of outsider, native or both though. It would be a good way to remove a small amount of gld from the game. And, perhaps not the shipwreck or Rakmogak. Although, I'm not sure whether incorporating the imagery of them being isolated, shunned places would particularly work with the fact that no-one really wants to be there already, and won't be helped by further isolating them.

[Dani]

Would it be possible to indicate on the sign when there are new messages, rather than going back and periodically checking? Like a slight glow around the image?

Bumping this because I think it's a useful suggestion that's easy to implement. But I've also been thinking of another idea to make noticeboards more effective: Make them like newspapers.

Put a 'Noticeboards' button on the main interface. A new screen pops up showing all the messages written on all the noticeboards your character has subscribed to. For subscriptions, every character automatically gains viewing access to his home village noticeboard, and can post messages to it from anywhere in Shartak. To gain access to other villages, you need to pay a small monthly fee, like 5gc per village per month. That's 35gc per month for all eight villages, but most people would probably only pay for a couple of those. That's fine. To post messages in another village you still have to physically go to that village to do it. Characters with the foreign language reading/writing skill can see messages written in either language. Next, either cut the cost of posting messages down to 1 or 2gc, or offer a 'three lines free' incentive. That opens up possibilities for all kinds of quick messages or personable shout-outs or whatever. Perhaps even allow use of BBcode to put images or hyperlinks in the messages, which would really make it look like an island newspaper. Spam is avoided because of the cost.

The alternative to paying a gold charge per month is to automatically offer all village access to players who've donated 10 bucks or more.

Thoughts?

[Raffles]

I like everything apart from free messaging.

Free messaging = Influx of spam.

[Cobalt Manticore]

Ugh, lol.

Same with militant religious propaganda

So bored of that already. Never tired of killing and erasing it, but what a creativity rut.

[jaqs]

Hrm.........

[Shanks McBitey]

If this is implemented, it needs to be made clear what village any message originates from, and it should cost the same amount for each village the message is copied to (5 gc + 1 gc for bilingual + 1 gc per day). Also I would mind if you needed a special charm or something to magically have your text copied to other message boards. Maybe give that functionality to an item that already exists in-game. We need more charms with concrete effects.

[jaqs]

If this is implemented, it needs to be made clear what village any message originates from, and it should cost the same amount for each village the message is copied to (5 gc + 1 gc for bilingual + 1 gc per day). Also I would mind if you needed a special charm or something to magically have your text copied to other message boards. Maybe give that functionality to an item that already exists in-game. We need more charms with concrete effects.

I would have thought they would just get someone to run from village to village posting the message. Make it a lot more expensive. I do agree with you about the charms...

[Cobalt Manticore]

We could use the Concrete EFfects.

[Dani]

If this is implemented, it needs to be made clear what village any message originates from, and it should cost the same amount for each village the message is copied to (5 gc + 1 gc for bilingual + 1 gc per day). Also I would mind if you needed a special charm or something to magically have your text copied to other message boards. Maybe give that functionality to an item that already exists in-game. We need more charms with concrete effects.

Yes, make it even more complicated and hard to use. That'll ensure it's more popular than v.1.0.

It has to be cheap, like 2gc for the cheapest message, with a simple interface, and demonstrably useful. With the latter it would make sense to put a few (different) default messages at each of the NB's, like trader advertisements, cannibal recipes, parrot poetry (?) and yeah, like a short pre-programmed quest, doable within range of a char's home village. Stuff to get the ball moving. And I still think a '3 lines free' would be a good idea, at least for the first 30 days to give players time to play around with the tech without getting nickle-and-dimed.

The other stuff, like paying gold to see other village NB's than your home NB, or charms that give a percentile chance for free copy to other villages (unreliability is the whole point of charms), are nice additions but not necessary for the thing to work.

[Cobalt Manticore]

10 gc proves inhibitive to the normal grade usual blather one can inscribe on any tree or hut in Shartak. 10+gc per additional town you want to reach sounds sound as well.