Wanted: Online Pretender Database

[silhouette]

Quote from Chazar in another thread:

Another key is to setup a sensible strategy AT PRETENDER DESIGN. [...] There are many nation specific threads which discuss pretender design and the idea behind it. Just search for nation names...
(its really a shame that there is no canonical set of pretender templates with a short description revealing the idea behind them!!!)

I see comments like this a lot, so let's formalize a discussion and do something. Here is what I think we need, an Online/Web Pretender Database.

Basic requirements:

• Web interface to SQL database
• Some sort of login/userid system
• Uploader enters all the parameters for pretender/nation design
• Uploader describes the intended plan, strategy, playstyle (bless usage, research targets, expansion plans, mods used, etc)
• Searchable with a simple interface (like the Grimoire for spells), e.g. all Wyrms with Astral > 1, or R'lyeh with Luck 3, etc.

Improvements:

• Users can directly upload newlords files, and the server parses them directly into the database. This would require some reverse engineering or some help with file format or headers from the developers.
• Users can download a pretender as a newlord file to start a game directly
• Allow others to vote/rate submitted pretenders, and have a rating which can be part of search criteria
• Allow others to add 'comments': their analysis of the build, did it work in their games, advice for use or tweaks to improve
• Consistency checks for point totals / handles common mods
• Add Dom3 compatability
• Shared login with a phpBB or some forum, to keep the trash talk out of pretender comment fields

I can see a lot of potential. It's great for starting users, so they can see example builds and reasons for choices. Even experienced players probably have nations they don't seem successful with, so this can give insight in how others play them successfully. It can be used for multiplayer games (random nations, you will be assigned a pretender design from the database rated 6 out of 9 or better). It can capture some of the lessons learned from AARs ("I planned to expand fast using mercenaries, but these scales don't guarantee enough income..."), etc.

It seems like a pretty straightforward job for someone with some php and sql experience. What would you like to see in such a database, and who can we talk into taking a run at making it?

Sill