In-Game Event Calendar

What if we had an in-game event calendar that will look like another button by the rewards tab? It will be kinda like LFE ("Looking for Event") and will look something like this:


Forgive my image-editing skills

The way it will work:

1. Players will click on the button, which will populate a page with title, date, message fields to add an event (300 characters max).
2. Once the event is added, the date with the event will be differently colored in the calendar.
3. When you click on the Events button, the entire calendar will pop up. Once you click on the date, all events that day will show up on the page.
4. Controls for posting: limit posting of events to the next 30 days, add a fee (a COTO-equivalent sum or something like that), and allow only players above adventurer level 15 to post.
5. The Events button will pulsate once a new event is created (for a short time). The button will also have a date on it (in red) if there is a particular event scheduled for that day.
6. The devs can also add recurring livestreams or other events.

We used to have an events book earlier in the game, but it was too hard to use and maybe that's why it was removed. This solution will keep people informed in-game, without the need to search for events on the forums or on discord.

Disclaimer: The event calendar was DevilCult's idea and this is his icon. Kron Caledon and Black FJP also brainstormed on this.

@DarkStarr @Chris

 

I think this is a great idea, but I don't like the COTO part to add an event. I think players creating events is beneficial to the game and should not cost them extra. If you need to add COTOs to help this sort of development, maybe give those that use COTOs some special font/font coloring/font effect to grab attention. Also give us an option to not have the thing flash if we don't like that sort of thing.

 

Just look at the great events already being run: (plus other events not on listed on forums like Black FjP's weekly Wednesday PVP practice)

R60 Events
Recurring Events

Having these events be easily accessible in game would be great! ("LFE = Looking for Events")

Since you can have events associated with a location - you can even add info for the events to the "info" for towns - so players know there's an active event in the NPC town / POT.

 

The payment for the event came up as a solution not to inundate the devs with more work - such as to clean up the calendar from events created by trolls.

 

Okay yeah that would be a problem... So there is two ways to handle that I think.
1. You have the in game event tracker, just list date time and event title with a link to the forums.. only forum created events can be added to the in game event tracker. The forum post can list all the further details and pictures and such.
2. Back in old EQ days they used to have a system where players could create small events and act as a starting point for in-game customer service. You had to apply and be approved. Some sort of community oversight could save Port some work monitoring player made things. I think that makes sense that we can monitor our own player created events as well.

It might also be nice to have a central place - Central Brittany maybe - where an events board can be placed and also managed by the players. Be nice if we could maybe get an add on store item for a flashy looking editable flyer to add to the boards?

 

It would be good to have some kind of notification in-game when an event is about to begin. Say 15 minutes prior.

I browse through the events section but rarely read through them all.

If a message popped up in-game I think people would be far more likely to check it out.

 

NBNN Shroud of the Avatar Community Calendar

 

Would love to see this, fine with paying in game fees to list.

Shroud has the reputation of being a game you play with a web browser open. The more info and interfaces we get in game the better.

 

I would prefer if players could post events, guild recruiting, jobs, quests, advertising, trade offers, etc., all on bulletin boards in towns using a bulletin board interface rather than the way bulletin boards are now, which has them as basically decorative objects that are largely ignored by players.

I think that would be sufficient to keep people in the game, rather than switching to a browser, but doing it in a RP way through the gameplay, rather than going outside of gameplay and just making it a UI overlay.

From a practical perspective, it would also allow a lot more flexibility, in many ways. In the types of posts, in whether you want to post things locally (ie advertise something within a POT) or globally, etc/

 

I agree with this. Bulletin boards never got their full potential and players don't always even know to read them or want to. If they offered some incentive and visibility to them they could be much better utilized. Finally Devs did add some to some towns but still they did not get utilized except for a note on rentals which had no actual clickable link just a URL that trys to force players to go out of game for information. Why oh why must we do that? Bulletin boards could be like the bank in UO to gather around to find out about things. Lets get this easily accessible in game. Also another option for announcements is For example when we get the update to our journal system would be a great idea. If it had tabs for all of our stuff. It could have better access and comprehension of our quests. Things like these would take it out of the chat window which it never ever should have been in imo.

 

I think this is a fantastic idea that would help make the game and community feel more alive and possibly lead to more retention and better reviews. I am leaning towards more of an in game calender item in the popular areas of npc towns (crafting tables, bank) and placeable on or near bulletin boards at the entry to pots, I can see the advantage of it being part of the UI but I think it would be cool if it was actually part of the world .
I also agree with having a reasonable price to post events, as this will help keep the quality of postings high, and make sure that people are committed to really making cool events happen and not just throwing random troll stuff or "sales in so and so market!!!" fliers on there clogging it up. Yes it is prohibitive but we want to make the game feel alive with cool events, not give people a free avenue to push their agenda.

 

I really like the in-game event calendar idea! Then I won't miss any fishing events!

The Calendar can REALLY help new players I think ... as they explore the interface on first visit, they will see "events" by the community! They will realize there is a large community! They will hopefully see "new player help event" as some events.

There are lots of reasons to have an in-game calendar. I think it's a great idea!

Go Community!