Just missed an OHB voting period (didn't participate, just wanted to vote) because the voting ended early. I'm fairly new here, but I don't really understand the structure of offloading discussion to services like Discord and IRC :/

I thought I could get my vote in before the period ended (and I know the voting usually doesn't last the full 24hr) but would it be possible to allot voting time beforehand? Or at least to allow some warning/buffer time when voting is about to end? I may be alone in this but I don't particularly find it very accessible or user-friendly to check the server instead of receiving this information on-site.

respectfully,
n00b user dreck

hehe
the purpose of th discord and irc chats is to allow speakings between participants , voaters, and host persons,
I think the advance warning that you seek, can be found in these chats c:
informatiin you may find helpful: voting periods usually last 30 ish minutse, or something ,
actually maybe I shld count th avg voting time blblrbjlgljhr

I get the intention, and it's a nice benefit if I wanted to DM another user, but I don't agree with there being no warning on-site. My ideal user experience (and it may very well just be me) is using BotB standalone and not in tandem with Discord, and it's not really the end of the world if I miss votes sometimes, but it is a little frustrating as a new user with the lack of transparency BotB-side

tl;dr I frustrate that must use cave dingle and not botb alone

BotB is not necessarily only about the battles, it is also about the community and interaction between users. This is the reason why IRC is used for organizing OHBs. There is no need for using Discord at all, since IRC #botb is the official channel for these purposes.

Voting during the entry period has been discussed before and decided against because resubmissions are allowed.

Warning/buffering time is always given by the host >on IRC< (otherwise it's not a good host)
Transparency about this can be found on every battle page, section "Questions and Contact", where it is stated that communication is done via #botb

I have never used IRC, I just do battles now and again when I think to pop onto the site. I have of course seen mention of IRC on the Lyceum etc, but frankly, it seems a point of complexity that doesn't *need* to be there. From the perspective of a new user, it doesn't make sense to go offsite to coordinate battles onsite. Where are direct messages and group chats?

I don't mean to be confrontational about this, and I know my questioning as a n00b may come across this way. I am genuinely curious as to why these features are not baked into a singular platform. It's all just a little bit complex. I think I've been on BotB a little over a year, but would definitely be much more active if things were a little less spread-out and a little more cohesive.

Of course, I'm happy to be here regardless! Just a little lost in the rigmarole.

not having everything as single-service is great for when botb itself is down or less responsive, which happens from time to time due to our hosting solutions.
an on-page-chatroom would just be powered by IRC in the end anyway, so there would not really be a difference.

if it doesnt really make sense to you, let me make it more clear: botb the page and #botb the chatroom are both part of BotB The Experience(TM), you can use both on their own but only together do they form the complete thing. as i already mentioned, its a place with focus on both batols and community.

there is no practical use for coding our own chat services when others are doing a way better job at it anyway, it would just result in less feature-complete clients on here and people would be annoyed even more. remember this page is coded by one person in their freetime.

irc is actually pretty easy and I think it is easier to use a proven existing chat solution rather than spend a lot of time developing a chat system for the site.

quick starter IRC guide.

- I just use esper nets web client https://webchat.esper.net/
- You don't even need to make an account just put in a nick name, click connect, then type "/join #botb" and you are set.

don't forget that on discord we also use to share resources, ideas, references/influences, etc., sometimes a bit more "informally" than here, so i think it worth a lot being there sometimes! :) - i think it is also a habit thing, i only started to appear in the botb discord server months later i started to be more active here

Isn't, at least by now, Matrix really the better alternative to Discord? (bridging possible too)

There is Revolt too as an alternative to Discord https://revolt.chat

on topic, i understand desire for the process of using botb to be standalone rather than participating on XHB requiring use of third party services, i think thats a valid feeling too