Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 longbottom_leafman Jul 04, 2008 21:38:10	I know absolutely nothing about computers... they mystify me. I have problems quoting others when I post here, and even with detailed instructions I still fail. So I'm by no means a computer expert. Even so, I've noticed that this whole page is slow and unwieldy. There are too many options to click on, and finding certain things is too difficult. The other day during game I googled a dice generator, and to my surprise the first hit was right here on this site. No idea where to find said dice generator on this site, but apparently it's there, hiding away in some mysterious alcove. Seems to me it should be right near the Rules Compendium and all the other DDi stuff. Any why do I need to download Dragon article-by-article? Why can't I just download the whole thing on one folder? It's a lot of extra legwork to organize it all myself, and I'm gonna have to do this every month because I'm obsessive-complusive like that. Shoot, I play Star Wars Miniatures as well, and last time I checked they STILL haven't updated the database for the latest set, which came out several months ago. They have two more sets coming out before the end of the year, so it's not like they're discontinuing the line or anything. I love all the ideas they have for DDi (particularly the map maker and character sheet generator that prints power cards), but WotC seriously needs to get their act together or a large portion of 4e will be made out of fail.
#2 hellmute Jul 05, 2008 5:49:13	One problem witht he forums is they are not supposed to be altered so much under the license form vBulletin. It isn't customizable like PHPBB is as open source. That means changes to the forums for the content management system and vice versa are causing major problems for the forums. They weren't made to work based on each other. Also the "conetne management system" is quite stupid. They are trying to do too many things at once, and before long they will have everything piped through the secure socket layer because they want to conenct everything to everything else. For the DDI and D&D website itself it is just a poor design. The little rolling tabs and such that constantly change on you. Might as well have the entire site one big shockwave page. Someone decided rather than static information and good organization that flash and fancy graphics was the way to go. So I for one think they need to go back to the drawing board and start with a working system and not try to add too much glitz and glam to make it look fancy, but work on making it funciton first and foremost.
#3 gabe1k_dup Jul 06, 2008 22:50:51	Check this out.
#4 mwvdveld Jul 07, 2008 12:31:34	yes the guy at dragon avenue made a brilliant site within a week... However... WoTC hasn't hired him (yet... and prob will not do that anyway) ... if you read the comments on dragon avenue then you'll find a post from sb working at WoTC giving some kind of explanation or something... they actually admit his site is better... but they haven't plagiarized any of his ideas.... I think many agree that WoTC should...
#5 WolfStar76 Jul 07, 2008 12:47:49	yes the guy at dragon avenue made a brilliant site within a week... However... WoTC hasn't hired him (yet... and prob will not do that anyway) ... if you read the comments on dragon avenue then you'll find a post from sb working at WoTC giving some kind of explanation or something... they actually admit his site is better... but they haven't plagiarized any of his ideas.... I think many agree that WoTC should... If you really read his comments he agrees that the layout is better, and that if it were a simple matter of being told "make the site look good" they'd likely implement many of the changes. However, he mentions having to please many different people who have different visions of what the website should do, how it should do it, and how it should look. In other words, it sounds more like the poor webmonkies aren't being given the power to make it "just work" - they're more or less being told how it should look by multiple sources, and essentially just writing the code to do it.
#6 jwt Jul 07, 2008 13:03:23	If you really read his comments he agrees that the layout is better, and that if it were a simple matter of being told "make the site look good" they'd likely implement many of the changes. However, he mentions having to please many different people who have different visions of what the website should do, how it should do it, and how it should look. In other words, it sounds more like the poor webmonkies aren't being given the power to make it "just work" - they're more or less being told how it should look by multiple sources, and essentially just writing the code to do it. I am a programmer, and the last thing in the world you want is me laying out your site. That being said the next worst option after a programmer to do web site layout - someone from Marketing. If you want a professional design get those two folks out of it. Programmers put to much in from a code side, and marketers put too much in from a glitz side. Get a person who does professional web site layouts. I think there are a couple in Seattle...
#7 gabe1k_dup Jul 07, 2008 13:25:21	However, he mentions having to please many different people who have different visions of what the website should do, how it should do it, and how it should look. In other words, it sounds more like the poor webmonkies aren't being given the power to make it "just work" - they're more or less being told how it should look by multiple sources, and essentially just writing the code to do it. Haha, welcome to my world. In my experience this is the way most website designing works. Especially big sites where there are several factions vying for top front page realty. But that's no excuse for a site as crappy looking or poorly designed as WOTC's. Hehe, I go to the Dragon Ave site because it's easier to let them sort through the D&D web experience for me.
#8 serphet Jul 10, 2008 2:34:42	FYI, wizards Dice roller is here In the old CMS, the d20 on the left side of the page was the link to it.