Theory
I though, what if you could set yourself into a group, a category, without leaders and anyone controlling who gets into which group.
And I found the solution which was quite easy. There are many sites that allow to freely set categories inside a single box, usually separated by commas, like this:
Quote:
| PvP, PvE, NM, HM, Urgoz's Warren, Aurora Glade HM, EU, Spanish, WTS Glob of Ectoplams,WTB White Rabbit, Ursan, No Ursan, Elementalist, Mo/any, Any profession, pre-Searing Guide, I want cookies, Love Regina, Ay, Caramba!,etc |
Practice
For example, let's say you want to find people in American districts to make Fissure of Woe without Ursan Blessing.
You go to the party search, hit the 'Search categories' tab, and input:
Quote:
| level 20, ascended, fissure of woe, us, -ursan |
The list is show and you can whisper them to ask them to join you.
In that very "Search categories" tab there will be a checkbox to set yourself as 'available to search'. So if you do not set that box, you won't appear in the lists and no one will be sending you annoying whispers when you don't want to.
Here are some examples:
IMVU My Interests section: http://avatars.imvu.com/MithranArkanere (Don't mind the rest, just check the My Interest section)
Last.fm User tags: http://www.lastfm.es/music/Jeremy+Soule
Youtube tags: http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=CgeF257QF0Q (Hit More info in the video description)
All those ase set manually, and people may use already created ones or make new, and the system easily searches them.
Multilingual
To solve the 'multilingual' issue this could bring, there would be a common multilanguage list set up, that uses gw.dat strings. The ist would have everything separated in campaigns, then types, then subtypes.
That list could be accessed like folders:
* Prophecies
L_* Monsters
__L_*Glint
* Factions
L_*Items
__L_*Weapons
____L_*Swords
______L_*Seitung Sword
Items from that list would be just internal text strings wrote with a tag (somehow like the templates), like [02232423]
So you'll see Long Sword, but the system would save [Long Sword name string ID] along the tags you set manually.
The client itself could replace texts you input with string equivalents and ask from prompt when two things are called the same:
You meant:
- Quivering Blade (skill)
- Quivering Blade (item)
Of course, that would require to write properly the names. 'Kuunavang' would be the same as 'KUUNAVANG' or 'kuunavang', but kunavan or koonaban would not be recognized and would be set as 'manual'.
Lies
Finally, to prevent people setting thing that are not true, there will be a list of automated categories set for the current character that will be defined by your client when they change, appearing at the beginning of the list. Examples of what the automated list could show would be:
- Current language you set in the options panel.
- Current level
- Current profession and secondary
- Current region and district
- Ascended character.
The Panels
There would be two additional tabs to the party search panel:
1. One to set your list with:
- The checkbox to set yourself as available:
- The box with the folders to choose categories:
- A "Suggestbox", short list of the 50 most used manual categories.
- The list that is currently set for your current character, with words colored depending on what they are:
## Atomatic: BLUE (Party chat color): Automated categories set by the client
## Multilingual : GOLDEN (local chat color): Categories you choose from a nested folder-like list or the client sets by recognizing input in multiple languages.
## Manual : WHITE: Manual categories set by players in their own languages.
White and gold categories would be saved for the whole account.
Although there would be a limit in size for the list. 512 characters could do, I think.
2. The one to search people with the category system, with:
- The folder box to choose categories, that would also add the Automated categories.
- The "Suggestbox" too.
- The inputbox where the list appears. To search negatively (I do NOT want this category) you add - before a category.
- A button to begin the search
Additionally, there could be added a GUI button to show someone's categories in outposts by selecting the character and clicking the button.
Hm... this should be it all. A working global party search and a way to search globally and easily regardless of how much people are there and were they are.
but i like the sound of the idea.
Though it would indeed be too much work
