Topic: How to meet DS players

[Quest Engine]

I had this idea way back when GBA came out, but with DS its even more useful.. and now I know enough to program the thing, so I might give it a shot.

What about an online database of DS gamers that you can search thru by location and find folks local to you to meet with at the walmart/starbucks/where ever and play linked DS games.

I've got a rough attempt of this up at my website.  You can see it at questengine.com/dslinkup.  You can Sign-Up, which will add your name to the search results, and then see all the results on the Search screen, and sort by state.  This is all test data, so if you want to go mess around with it you can. (php and mysql for those who care to know).    There's the obligatory FAQ and rules and such.. most of the stuff works, some of the links are dead.

I don't know how I (or anyone) could make any money at this though.. google ads mabey?  Did those guys at the xbox gamertag database ever make any money?

I'm afraid of any liability for arranging person-to-person meetings.  I don't want perverts hunting little boys on my site you know.  Nintendods.com even goes to the point of saying "Don't meet up with strangers".

I mailed Johnny Metts about this last week, but he's probably been way to busy to look into it (with his shiny new ds in hand).  

Anyone want to offer any feedback?  If I got the thing in shape.. it wouldn't take long.. it'd need lots of sign-ups before it would be usefull.  Do you thing some major DS/GC sites would send traffic my way?

thanks for any advice or reccomendations.

[chain chomp]

du u think there will be any uk based users cos i ope so

[Switchblade Cross]

This is awsome.  I just signed up.  I am going to try and advertise this like crazy!!

[Ian Sane]

This is a cool idea but like you said there's a pretty big risk of weirdos abusing it.  With the Xbox Live Gamertags it was different because when you hooked up with someone for a game it was online.  Here you have to meet with the person.  That's just too scary.

The concept of using a web site to meet DS players is a good idea but it might be better to limit things a bit.  How about you have a site that organises DS meets where anyone can just show up?  The meets would all be setup by volunteers that you have talked to and have some idea of who they are.  So it's more like you're setting up little conventions for DS gamers in different areas.  Of course people could still end up meeting weirdos this way and set up their own one-on-one encounters with people they meet through the site.  But officially the site would be about DS get togethers with groups.

[norebonomis]

i don't mind playing with weirdos

[Switchblade Cross]

We could alwaus set up an account at http://www.meetup.com/

[nickmitch]

I like this idea it's a good way to have nice little tournaments. Maybe you could even take off and get sponsers or something. . .

[Switchblade Cross]

Yeah, i really think this is awsome.  You just need to polish some stuff up.  I think you should have user profile pages where people can list what games they have, their IM SN, email, and general bios.  In the "List of Members" area, you have the words email and IM, but they are not links or anything, making them useless.  There are some security issues.  You need to make the password show as *** and not the actual words.  You should probably includ something like "Quest Engine is not responsible for and meeting outside of an offical Quest Engine sponcered gathering."


I get this worning when I try to sign in:
"Warning: mysql_num_rows(): supplied argument is not a valid MySQL result resource in /home/questen/public_html/dslinkup/login.php on line 56
we didn't find you in the database "

But I am in the database.  I see myself listed.

[Hostile Creation]

Quote
i don't mind playing with weirdos

Ah?  a/s/l, plz.  I wanr play w/ u.

[Quest Engine]

The Login isn't working yet, and don't be surprised if you get mysql errors from time to time.  And no need to go advertising it everywhere because I'm not convinced that it'll ever see the light of day.

The email and IM info does show up on the search screen to logged in users, it's just hidden to guests.

I think meetup would be fine, but there's been no effort to get game boy players there.  Mabey PGC should promote  that service just to get it in front of the ds masses.

Though I guess if meetup can put people together without fear of perverts, then perhaps I can to.  I could limit the service to 18 or older only, that'd give me some protection.

I've got the technical experience to do this, but I'd like to know if anyone has any PR/liability experience with such things.  

Thanks for the feedback

[UncleBob]

Quote
Originally posted by: norebonomis
i don't mind playing with weirdos

Somewhere, Someone wants to play with you...

[chain chomp]

ds is not officaliy online yt

[Procoprio]

I just hope Warp Pipe makes an announcement soon about online DS support, fingers crossed

[Quest Engine]

Hi folks,

Thanks for all your suport.  The reponse to my DS Link Up Idea was pretty great, so I went ahead and fleshed the site out and bought a domain, and its ready to go.  See it here:The Linkup Engine.  You'll have to sign up on the new site so you can read the membership agreement, and you have to be 18 years old or older to sign up.  

This service is FREE. There's not even any ads yet, but if there will probably have to be at some point in the future when cost go up.

There are more search options, its more friendly for non-US citizens to sign up and search now, and your email address is never displayed on the web.  All communications are initiated through an online email form for maximum privacy and security.  

If I can get a significant list of members, I'll try to make an official announcement here at PGC and other gaming sites, with a real press release and everything.  

I know I never got to play as much multiplayer GBA as I wanted to, so mabey now we can put those days of lonely portable gaming behind us.

Thanks again and please come visit!

[seen33]

owning a DS makes me wired enough amongst my friends.. im not gonna going finding kids to play ds game with.  Im stuck with single player DS until warppipe creates an online mode.

[Bill Aurion]

owning a DS makes me wired enough amongst my friends.

God forbid you look WEIRD...Tell your friends to grow up if they try that crap...

[seen33]

they never told me i looked wierd.. i just feel wierd around them playing cause they are the type who go to clubs every friday night while i play my DS

im just saying i would never meet some random person on the internet to go play at some place with them.

[norebonomis]

so yesterday after picking up my DS, i played a kid around my age, he beat me in a round of SM64DS VS, then i went to target later and got beat again by a ten year old, then beat an older kid, headed over to wal-mart and broke even when i beat a kid in metroid there. i have allready signed up for this linkup engine thing. i hope it does well. every one who has a ds should at least sign up.