Trying to find a problem for a solution
So, I wanted to make something, and along the way I forgot what the problem even was. I've found solutions to whatever these problems were, but wanted to make a better solution anyway.
So, lets go ahead and try to work through that and actually identify the problem. Identifying the problem you're even trying to solve is a great first step to any project, you don't want to create a solution without even being able to explain what it is or why you made it.
We'll start by listing the general gripes that I have in my head when I think of this project:
Discord isn't self hosted
Rolegate isn't self hosted
Roleplaying Services like Roll20 are too focused on the virtual tabletop
Roleplaying Services like MUSHes are very old technology
Not necessarily a bad thing
Lots of old legacy decisions though
Can't easily interact with modern tech such as WebSockets, although a lot of the developers are creating methods for this
Forums don't hold a candle to Discord
Discord can't fully give everything a forum can
My original goal was to streamline an RP Server process I had created on Discord, but along the way I had picked up the previously mentioned list of gripes. I've tried to incorporate all of them into this one project, and obviously I've muddled my attempts. This has lead to me being unable to really understand how I should approach my project, and what my project goals are.
I can seperate this list into two problem catagories, Roleplay Related and Discussion Related.
Discussion Related
Discord isn't self hosted
Forums don't hold a candle to Discord
Discord can't fully give everything a forum can
Roleplay Related
Discord isn't self hosted
Rolegate isn't self hosted
Roleplaying Services like Roll20 are too focused on the virtual tabletop
Roleplaying Services like MUSHes are very old technology
Not necessarily a bad thing
Lots of old legacy decisions though
Can't easily interact with modern tech such as WebSockets, although a lot of the developers are creating methods for this
It doesn't take much effort to see that these two problems have a lot of overlap, which is what has lead to the most recent confusion.
None of this really answers the question of "What is my problem that I am trying to solve?" so lets go ahead and try to list some possible problems I can use when trying to sum all this up to others.
My Roleplay Servers need a streamlined custom solution that better matches their usage
MUSHes don't make use of all the latest features of technology to convey information in a pleasant and usable manner
There needs to be a self hosted Discord alternative that anyone can run, unlike Matrix's Synapse which requires a large amount of technology to host.
Forums are no longer compatible with the new high-speed communication culture that Discord has fostered over the last 3 years
Discord needs a better method of handling long-form content, similar to forums.
My Roleplay Servers need a streamlined custom solution that better matches their usage
I could probably solve this with a bot for Discord, but that comes with its own ups and downs, but it would also be an easier integration. At one point I thought the only solution to this was a full on webapp that straight up clones Discord and adds features to it. While thats an ideal solution it isn't one that can be done singlehandedly in a speedy and sufficient manner.
MUSHes don't make use of all the latest features of technology to convey information in a pleasant and usable manner
This is just a personal opinion, and possibly not one that needs solving. I'm willing to say MUSH server developers would even refuse to agree with this opinion, and give me very good reasons why my opinion is ill informed. They're constantly updating their server code, adding new features that make a lot of amazing things very possible
There needs to be a self hosted Discord alternative that anyone can run, unlike Matrix's Synapse which requires a large amount of technology to host.
This is an opinion, but one I hold dearly. Although, IRC and a good bit of web-client configuration could probably fix anyone who believes this for their own community. I've seen the solution implemented before.
Forums are no longer compatible with the new high-speed communication culture that Discord has fostered over the last 3 years
Is this truely a problem? Yes. Every forum I've been part of has now transitioned to Discord. They use their Forums for anything that needs a more firm posting order and a more book-like format. Although this is fairly easily mitigated with heavy use of Discord's channel and category features, the channel and categories aren't as similar to forum and topics as one would like.
Once again, this doesn't need a full webapp. A bot with channel and category management permissions can probably do a lot in this space.
Discord needs a better method of handling long-form content, similar to forums.
While this opinion is easily seperate from the previous problem stated, its solution easily falls under the "Make a bot" solution.
So, after writing all this I can say that I have two problems. My Roleplay Servers need a streamlined custom solution that better matches their usage and Forums are no longer compatible with the new high-speed communication culture that Discord has fostered over the last 3 years. Their solutions both fall under Make a bot with a very light webapp behind it. I'm okay with this solution. It doesn't invalidate or tread on the other problems, and it doesn't rely on the other problems to find a solution. It seems like an easily achievable goal as well and one that should hopefully appeal to my users.
