Forums » Feature Wishing Well » Read Thread

Rather than have two separate editors, why not have one with the option to turn on advanced features? Not only would this fix the apparent bugs with the Classic Editor (I say apparent because I do not use the Classic Editor (even for non-advanced storygames) due to its layout, so I only know it's buggy based on what other people have said), it'd allow new users that are intimidated by the words "Advanced Editor" to use its superior layout.

All new storygames would start off the same way - without advanced features - and in order to enable advanced features you would change the settings in the Storygame Properties tab of the editor (similar to how you enable scripting and advanced variables now).

Actually I kinda like the classic editor. Why not keep the option to choose the advanced/classic editor?

Because it means fewer people see the advanced editor / are impressed by CYS. If our best feature is not getting out, it's hard to get bigger.

Classic Edtior is best for new users and its way too easy so, better keep the separate editor.

What makes the Classic Editor best for new users?

If they aren't able in scripting then also they have a chance to create a good game. And I guess, Necromancer was created in Classic Editor only?

Scripting is disabled by default when you create a new storygame, so that's kind of irrelevant.

I can't understand what you're saying but all advanced features (variables, items and scripting) would be set to "off" by default, meaning they won't show up unless you go into the Storygame Properties and turn them on.

I really don't understand why they want to go with the classic editor. Personal preference can only go so far you know?

What October said. I became quite flustered while trying to use the classic editor the first time. The text is very misleading the "advanced" editor is actually much easier to grasp.

The Classic Editor is supposed to merge the playing and creating experience in one --- the primary way to get from one page to the next is to click through them as opposed to finding them via chapters, etc. This way, the only experience/concepts one needs is having playd/read a CYOA-style story.

At least that's the theory. Maybe it's buggy and, with browser technology improving so much in the past 7+ years that it was launched, it can be tweaked.

Maybe it should be named differently, I dunno. "Beginner's Editor, Full Editor". I dunno.

Like Ugi, I found the Advanced Editor a lot easier to use than the Classic Editor when I first joined the site. When new users make threads to introduce themselves to the community, they often get the advice to skip the Classic Editor entirely (eg. 1, 2, 3).

If you really want to keep the separate editors, you could always make the default editor the Advanced Editor (in which case it could just be called "the editor") with all advanced features set to "off" (what I'm suggesting now) and then have a check box for using the Beginner's Editor? Like, if it's someone's first storygame, it could show up with: "This appears to be your first storygame. Would you like to use the Beginner's Editor?"

 

I think it's time that we abolish the classic editor. I think that when making a storygame, users should be forced to use the advanced editor but with items, variables, and scripting disabled. Currently there's no way to disable items but that should be fairly easy to code (right?). The only other thing that the advanced editor has that the classic doesn't is chapters, but that's both easy not to use and quite intuitive.

Why abolish the classic editor? Well, for one thing, it's got more bugs, but my major reasoning is that it gives the site a bad name. People often find themselves choosing between CYS, and IS and a big point is the editor. Most new users heed the warning in the game creation wizard and don't try the advanced editor and I think that we don't outright win the editor battle, when by rights, we should. Our advanced editor is so kickass, and it puts all of the other editors to shame, so lets flaunt it.

I think that in the wizard, rather than asking whether or not the user wants to write a classic or advanced storygame, we should just ask them which features (Items, Variables, Scripting) they'd like to have available to them. More control for the user, more props for CYS and fewer bugs.

What will happen to the stories that are currently being made with the classic editor, should it be removed completely?

They should still be up. I don't see any point in taking them down due to the editor that was used.

They'd probably just be converted to use the advanced editor.

Interesting perspectives, all. Never really thought of it this way... and I've honestly never used the classic editor to make a storygame. I'm all for removing code and making a unified experience.

I'll keep an eye on who's using which editor --- but it seems like no one here is rooting for it. Perhaps the trick here is to publish a tutorial on how to use it and that's that.

Oh, hmm, and I guess we wouldn't call it the advanced editor anymore. Just..... the editor :-)

Definitely- a tutorial would be extremely helpful. I also agree that the basic editor is rather useless.

Rather than remove it, I think I'll just make the advanced editor the default and allow users to deliberately switch into the classic editor. Essentially the inverse of the system we have now.