Name of Board: Of Elements Link to Board: http://www.ofelements.net is the link to the site, http://www.ofelements.net/forums is our forums. Short description of Board: Of Elements is a high fantasy-meets-steampunk/industrialism world, heavily based on elementalism. Analysis Notes: Anything and everything, please. The main site has the majority of the content, while the forums hold the RP and fun. Link to profile on the Board: Atma's Profile
Still looking for some critiques. We're starting off slow, so I want to see why people are having trouble joining. We're on the slightly unconventional side when it comes to PBP-RPGs, but then again... We're a bunch of oldies that did the forum-roleplay thing before it had a fancy name.
Gah! Ok I messed up I'm sorry. I originally reviewed the site then realized I was dumb and there was a form I needed to use. So I went back and edited, using said form, and was almost done when I mistakenly deleted everything I had written. I blame this stupid laptop mouse pad... Anyway, I went to start over and made a second post like a retard. Can a mod pleased delete this post as it is unnecessary? Sorry and thank you!
Alright finished! I hope this helps you out a little. First Impression: Main site: I was unsure what kind of site I was looking at. It looks like a blog. Forum: I liked the colors and layout because it was clean and easy to read but I was unsure of the premise. It looks like a role play site but I can't see any place to role play. Graphics and Skin: Main Site: It looks digital and SciFi, which doesn't match with a fantasy theme. It also looks like a blog that is there almost entirely for established members. Forum: Clean look. I would change the banner because it looks rushed and is difficult to read (plus the blocky font) but over all I like them and the color choices. Sidebar: Main Site: The side bar has information that seems like it would be useful to an established player or at least someone that understands what is going on and has already made the decision to play. As a new player I am interested in information about the world, races, etc. but I am also looking for a general overview that is easy to understand so I can decide if I even want to bother continuing to read on or not. So the side bar is good, but I think a little more information needs to be added. I actually found a lot of the information I was looking for in the rules, which is the last place I had thought to look for said information. General Organization: Main Site: It's pretty good but I almost feel like some of the information is mislabeled. I thought the rules gave me a better idea of what the site was and some of that information needed to be in the getting started section. It's almost as if organization isn't so much the problem as the clarity of your points coming across in the getting started and general information sections. I originally thought you were a fantasy role play site and not a story collaboration site, and it took me a little bit to figure out the difference and I jumped around between the main site and the forum to figure that out. Forum and Subforum Layout: Good! As I said I really like the layout of the forum as it is clean and easy to read. I also like the color choices and font size. One thing I noticed is that many RPs have boards for different locations for people to RP in and you do not. This actually caused me a lot of confusion and I couldn't figure out if this was an RP site or a creative writing site. The Plot: I'm actually not sure if you have a plot. My understanding is that you have created a fantasy universe and you are inviting people to get together and write stories set in that universe. So it seems you have created worlds and not really a plot that is driven by characters or events. I honestly did not read any of the story threads as it was a LOT of information. The Rules: I like the way you have done the rules as they are short but give you all the necessary information. I wouldn't change anything about them. Other Informational Topics: They are ok. I'm still a little confused because you are advertising as an RP site but then I have no idea how I should start RPing on your site. To me I get the idea that you want people to join and then discuss creating things and write stories. I know RPing and writing stories are kind of the same thing but in my mind they are very different as when you write a story you are controlling a lot more. Staff: Can't see any problems here. Your own members would probably be better for evaluating this. Strengths: The forum layout is clean and easy to read, as well as pleasing to look at. Weaknesses: It is confusing and overwhelming. If I understand correctly you are in the process of redoing it, so that may have something to do with that.
Yes, we're a dash PBP-RPG, but we put the freeform storytelling and world building twists on the classic formula. The WordPress (blog) part of the site sounds like it was the most confusing to you. We use it as the 'Information Hub' for the world so it doesn't clutter the forums. We utilize the forums for the creative writing (Single Player on the forums) and RP (Co-Op), in addition to the World Building and Character Creation sections. The layout of the site is purposely old school, with the blocky fonts and pixelated backgrounds. I never got the sci-fi vibe from it personally, but I can start to see that now. It's hard to tell that we're a high fantasy site by just the looks of it. I guess I was hoping that the content would outshine visualization. Having to explain this to someone who just checked out the site isn't promising, though. I guess I'll have to go back to the drawing board on the About and Getting Started sections of the site to make sure that they are MUCH clearer as to what we are, and how to join and have fun with us. Thanks for the review.
If anyone is looking to do another critique, I recently made some pretty huge changes to our forums. We don't yet have the Player Guides that I'd like, but it's something we are working on.
