Guildwork - The Future of MMO Guildhosting/Networking

[Therin]

Guildwork - Imagine Facebook for MMORPG users, on top of an upgraded DKP database, on top of a sophisticated blog/forum system, on top of a full guild management system including an easy-to-use calendar and schedule and more. .

This is Stanislav's current project, still under construction, which when completed will likely serve to be an important part of our daily routine as FFXI (and other MMORPG) players.

I was introduced to the project today and I'm sold already on its speed, ease-of-use and implementation. I know quite a few BG users have already seen the project, but with Stanislav's permission, I thought I would post a thread to let everyone know about it (we discussed the project briefly in this other thread: http://bluegartr.com/forum/showthread.php?t=88356 ). Stan has asked us to check out Guildwork and its features. There is also a page available to post discussion of bugs and so on which the two developers check often.

To put my opinion of Guildwork quite simply: this project is amazing and I seriously expect it to redefine communication between MMORPG players and guilds.

Best of all, when completed, the basic use of Guildwork will be completely, and entirely free. There will be a small fee for premium users which removes ads and implements additional functionality, but all of the basic, primary features of the service will be available to all users regardless of their subscription.

Guildwork Forums: http://www.guildwork.com/forums/

Developer Blog: http://www.guildwork.com/blog/

A little bit about the service's features:

Completed:

* Live Chat
* Forums
* Guild Wiki
* Guild Blog
* Ventrilo Support
* Feed
* Schedule
* Widgets (Announcements, etc.)

In-Progress/Planned:

* Inbox
* User Profiles
* Item Database
* Official Data Crawler
* Files/CDN
* Screenshots
* Customizable DKP System
* Bank/Bazaar
* Resumes/Applications
* Analytics
* File Manager
* Guildwork Client
* Widgets

To use the service:

1) Go to http://www.guildwork.com
2) Make an account! Firefox 3.5+, Chrome, or IE8 is currently required.
3) Log in!

Your Dashboard (Feed and Widget box) will be accessible instantly. On the bottom of the page, you can browse Users and Guilds and access other's pages, as well as add people to your Friends List. You can go find people you know from BG here.




Here's a picture of the interface:

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/6460/gwbasic.png

You can see already that it's a lot like a version of Facebook (but better)! On the right side of the page are your Widgets. You have friend suggestions, as well as upcoming Guild Events (sorry, those ToDs aren't real). In the middle of the page is the Feed and at the bottom is your Chat and Link panel which displays conversations that you're currently having with friends, who's online, and link buttons that allow you to jump around the site easily.




Now here's a preview of the Guild section:

http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/3162/gwcalendar.png

You can see the Calendar, which updates in real time and is extremely easy to use. The event priority is denoted by its color (dark red is mandatory, and so on). On the left you see other sections of the guild website - most are working now, and others will be added later, including a fully customizable DKP database similar to (but much improved upon) eqDKP or exDKP.

Linkshell leaders can invite other users to "join" their linkshell on Guildwork, which gives them access to the special Guild section. They can see these events update in real time and RSVP for them, to denote their attendance. They will also be able to take part in all of the other features, including editing their Guild Wiki, posting on their Guild Forums, or reading the Blog. It will be an extremely accessible method of keeping an eye on all of your fellow members and keeping up with events from a centralized location.

Also, features will be added which link the DKP loot system to each user's Feed, so that whenever a particular item is obtained, everyone on that member's friendlist will see a Notification pop up in the bottom left stating "Vandyr obtained a Warrior's Lorica!" and what have you.

I definitely look forward to when this service goes live. You can bet I'll be looking to use it, and I hope that most of you do too.

If you're interested in trying it out and testing it, you should definitely sign up. Stanislav has stated that he really wants to see more testing - the best way to find and fix bugs is to have a lot of users on the site!

Honestly, my pictures don't even begin to do this justice. Load it up and try it for yourself (and send me a friend invite when you do!).

*EDIT* Sorry I broke tables with huge pictures. Q_Q

[BerenTebogo]

Taking forever to send me an email. Am displeased.

[vivix]

inc server crash

[Stanislav]

It is really hard to explain the site, the best way is to test it, but if you want to know how Guildwork started and what our goal is, you can read the about us over here: http://gwdev.lighthouseapp.com/proje...bout-guildwork

Feel free to message me directly if you have any questions. We been quietly developing for months and really need some user opinions now.

[Kidnoftle]

Very impressive, I'm looking forward to it's completion.

[Stanislav]

Taking forever to send me an email. Am displeased.

I believe there is a message that says there is no e-mail confirmation at the moment. =)

[BerenTebogo]

Oh I'm super smart. Ignore me.

[BerenTebogo]

Send me invites, Sath obviously.

[stewie]

Looks quite nice so far messing around with it.

[Therin]

I would definitely recommend making a dummy Guild so you can experience the functionality of the Guild section. It's quite nice, very smooth and fast. Wiki, Forums, Blog, Schedule!

[BerenTebogo]

This is pretty cool :O trying to make a guild for my salvage group. The updates when you invite people to events / ToDs are awesome.

[Therin]

This is pretty cool :O trying to make a guild for my salvage group. The updates when you invite people to events / ToDs are awesome.

Yeah; imagine having an entire linkshell using it and being updated instantly whenever you make an adjustment. The site feels so much cleaner than other guild websites too, so that's definitely a plus.

[Ohemgee]

Oh damn.

[Ksandra]

I've been trying to break it since almost the beginning. And managed to do so....3 times? In the beginning. It's been pretty insanely solid, and ya stan started it from scratched and has put a lot of effort into it. (even with me pestering for him to study study study)


It is insanely fast, and insanely easy to use. He really has put a lot of work into this shit to get it right.

[Stanislav]

I mentioned this on the site when registering, but I will mention it here also. This is only a public preview and all data will be wiped before we go live, however nothing is stopping anyone from using some features like the Schedule now (which is wonderful for FFXI).

[stewie]

This seems miles ahead of other sites as it is, and it's only ~40% done?

[Ksandra]

I mentioned this on the site when registering, but I will mention it here also. This is only a public preview and all data will be wiped before we go live, however nothing is stopping anyone from using some features like the Schedule now (which is wonderful for FFXI).

and buttsex weekend. don't forget that.

[Stanislav]

This seems miles ahead of other sites as it is, and it's only ~40% done?

I only aim for perfection, so we are working hard to make sure everything is perfect. If we aimed to complete the feature set it would be done now, but we want to make sure its fast at any scale, and we want to be able to build upon our feature set easily after the live release.

[Maguspk]

Made an account, send invites to Magus

Interface is so slick, I see this catching on very fast if you do not abandon it. It looks like you're pretty dedicated judging by the attention to detail. I will definitely keep my eye on this, great work.

[barber2006]

Looking back, the main thing that led to 3 long breaks and my eventual quitting of ffxi was the demise of ffxigear. Being able to get on at work and min/max based on different food/buffs/mobs/etc really added alot to the experience of the game.

Something like this looks like it could really deliver that same sense of 'all day' participation in a game that we may not be able to play all day. MMO's are always the most fun for me when there is a personal investment into the group and its achievements. Bottom line: This looks like it will make my next MMO more fun. Keep up the good work.