Add an Option to receieve server wide Group Alerts

[Annex]

Long ago, I would look at the Group Panel quite often, hoping to find a group to join. Since I rarely found a group that interested me, I opened the Group Panel less and less often. These days I may look at the Group Panel once, at the start of a Play Session, then off I go to solo, never to look at the Group Panel again.

What if, instead of me needing to go to the Group Panel, the Group Panel came to me?

I propose adding Group Alerts to the server wide General Channel. Every time a new group forms, the game publishes a Group Alert to the General Channel in the form:

Group Alert!: [Character Name] is forming a group for [Quest], Levels [Level Range], at [Difficulty] Difficulty with [Number of Members] current member(s). Notes: [Notes]

For example:

Group Alert!: Billybob13 is forming a group for Gwylan's Stand, Levels 5-6, at Reaper 1 Difficulty with 1 current member(s). Notes: L6 Quests Reaper 1 Everyone Welcome

The Options Panel would allow a Player to show or hide Group Alerts.

With Group Alerts active, a player can immediately see all forming Groups in Chat without the need to occasionally halt play and open the Group Panel. Group Alerts allow Players to begin a session in Solo Play but easily transition to Group Play when a suitable Group comes along. While Group Alerts will not solve all grouping problems, they will increase group formation awareness and thus facilitate an increase in group activity.

Thank you for your consideration.

Edit: The inspiration for this idea was the server wide Death Messages on the Hardcore Servers. If we can have server wide Death Messages, the very same mechanism can deliver server wide Group Alerts. The only change I made was to put the alerts in the General Channel rather than plastering them across the play area.

[Tsutti]

I actually like the idea of not just showing this for groups in your level range because if you're playing on one character but there is something you really wanna do on another character, you'd still be notified if an lfm for that thing pops up and you can switch asap.

[Annex]

I actually like the idea of not just showing this for groups in your level range because if you're playing on one character but there is something you really wanna do on another character, you'd still be notified if an lfm for that thing pops up and you can switch asap.

Exactly.

[Valerianus]

https://www.playeraudit.com/

i never used it, but here, somewhere, there's some sort of group alert function



btw i support your suggestion, any suggestion to improve grouping\lfm is welcome

[Clemeit]

Because it's on the topic, as Valerianus mentioned, DDO Audit has the ability to push desktop notifications for LFMs.

I also very much support the idea of in-game notifications.

[TekkenDevil]

Probably too much work with the UI, it's not something SSG is comfortable touching. They won't resize Monster Manual, they won't let you make ammo in quivers selectable on hotbar all because they don't want to touch the house of cards that is the UI. This idea is in the same realm, sadly.

[Annex]

That is pretty amazing to me, that an external program can provide alerts based on specific criteria but the game cannot.

[Valerianus]

i don't know the tech reasons, but ddo has a big problem, it does not allow user-made plugins. probably the people working at that wonderful DDOaudit would have no problem to code it as a plugin if it was possible, thus to function in game.

example, in lotro it is possible, and the first thing you realize is that these user-made plugins let the players do some minor dev work. ppl able to create them instead of writing suggestions and requests, they just make a plugin and share it with the community. just some examples. a lot of stuff about UI interface, also custom buff bars, ok to be fair this happen also because in lotro the ui elements are scalable, and alt inventory, a plugin, while you are logged in a character let you look at bank and inventory of all your other alts. travel window, this plugin opens a window with a clickable list of your fast travel destination, supernice, you don't have to search for them in the skill panel nor hotbar them.

and many others, there's a whole site dedicated to them, lotrointerface, they also created plugincompendium, a program that let you know if your favourite plugins got some update to download.

[Gniewomir]

snip

I know it's not really connected with the main functionality of your (great) job done by creating ddo audit, but is there any chance you could add in future tool that will allow to track raid timers?

Ages ago there was android app for that but it hasn't been supported for years (in fact i'm not sure if it's still available in "official" places). Of course there's always a possibility of using not ddo related tools (even calendar notifications), but since those were not created specifically for ddo raiding using them is not 100% convenient.

[Wizard1406]

Yeah it's sad that DDO doesn't support user made MODS. Some user made addons are so good, they got integrated into the base UI.


DDO Audit is awesome, thanks Clemeit for making it :-)

Now I have to figure out how to put notification for desktop browser (firefox preferred) that are in foreground so you don't have to alt-tab when playing DDO fullscreen.

If that's not possible, I have to figure out how to make notification in smartphone browser (firefox preferred) work with waking up smartphone and sound.

[Clemeit]

I know it's not really connected with the main functionality of your (great) job done by creating ddo audit, but is there any chance you could add in future tool that will allow to track raid timers?

Tracking raid timers isn't something that I'll be adding to the website. Not because it's not a good idea, but because it doesn't align closely enough with the website's goal. It's something I'll keep in mind for future projects though!