Planbeast: a tool for coordinating online games
Howdy, y'all,
I run a service called Planbeast (http://planbeast.com), a free tool for coordinating online games. Given what it does, I hope that it's of interest to my fellow gamers with jobs. It's still very new, and in need of more testers; honest critique from members of the mature-gamer community would prove especially helpful.
I designed Planbeast with the intent that it would help fans of the "long tail" of less popular multiplayer games find other fans to schedule game-times with, but it works just as well for the shooters du jour, too. Its currently focused on Xbox Live, though if it catches on I'd definitely like to see it grow to embrace other game networks.
I'll spare you the full pitch; if you wish, you can read a much more long-winded summary about it, and my motivations for making it, over on Geezergamers, where I first announced it last week. Please do feel free to gimme a shout on the channel of your choice with any questions or comments about this project. Thanks!
Jason McIntosh
My Planbeast userpage - The Gameshelf - XBL: jmac dot org
Neat idea jmac, I think most of the GWJ community is still using Steam to organize events, but I'm definitely for lengthening the tail of a lot of the games we play. So many multiplayer games fade far too quickly in my opinion.
892 condescending Certis quotes out of a possible infinity - Elysium scores Torchlight lower than expected.
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Xfire/Xbox Live: StylezXP
I do need to steep myself in how Steam scheduling works, both technically and culturally; I'm sure I'd have a lot to learn. I do have a Steam account, but I am not much of a PC gamer at the moment. For now, though, I saw XBL as a culture that desperately needed something like this.
(Fun fact: I got back into XBL gaming after trying and failing to get TF2 to work on my crappy Windows box during Valve's most recent free-play weekend, this past December. After hours of low-FPS heartbreak, I said, "You know what - I already own this game." At which point I dusted off my Xbox copy of Orange Box, and have been having a blast with that ever since...)
Yup. Seeing how quickly perfectly good online games become unplayable for want of (visible) players has always been really upsetting to me. Planbeast is, among other things, an experiment in finding ways to help rectify this.
Jason McIntosh
My Planbeast userpage - The Gameshelf - XBL: jmac dot org
With MS dropping the original Live legacy infrastructure in the near future, I'm hoping that opens up some serious community changes for XBL. Like friends lists bigger than 100, clans, and everything else that could go with it.
TempestBlayze wrote:
XBox Live
Steam
This is indeed a needed service. XBL can be a cesspool, and I dare not venture into random mp games. But it'd be nice to find decent people for certain games like Carcasonne, Panzer General, etc.
Steam
Yep, and groups like Steam has, with event lists, etc.
Steam
Not big on Multiplayer online yet but I can certainly see the benefits of such a service. Great work! I'll definitely give it a try once I renew my live subscription.
I am always up for a game of Carc, and would be willing to learn Panzer General. (I'm at least as deeply into the tabletop hobby as I am digital games...) Do feel free to schedule a game of either and invite me into it, if you find yourself with a Planbeast account.
Jason McIntosh
My Planbeast userpage - The Gameshelf - XBL: jmac dot org
Looks like a cool site. Any Goodjers signing up?
The only downside, of course, is that I'll have another username and password to forget, but that's not your fault, jmac.
XBL: The Counselar PSN: TheCounselor Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/id/TheCounselor
"You realise that you're questioning the internal logic of a game in which a fat plumber rides a dinosaur in space?" Jonman