Meta-PokéBase Q&A
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Hey everyone! This thread is going to serve as an update, and a bit of a dialogue on something I and some others have been working on behind the scenes for the past couple of weeks. Hopefully you’ve deduced what that is from the title of this thread!

A Discord server for us has been a long time coming: we’ve taken it upon ourselves to make the necessary steps toward releasing a community server. The precise status of that is myself, the site staff as well as Rick Gastly have decided on the general setup and channels of a potential server. Further, I have virtually finished setting up and branding said server, with a view to releasing it soon should Pokemaster permit. As our community isn’t large, I don’t anticipate flooding or any other issues if we were to simply release access, so that’s our plan for the rollout at present. (More on that later!)

Though interest in a Discord server has been quite substantial on this site for quite a while, naturally there’ll be those among you who aren’t experienced with the app. In short, Discord is a cross-platform text and voice chat service centred around the video game community that allows you to set up and run ‘servers’ entirely free of charge. Discord has emerged as a standard for gaming communities of all sizes, and so involving our community is becoming an increasingly clear move for myself and many others who frequent this site.

Discord’s utility as an instant messaging and contact-managing tool has been proven to our mod contingent over the past few months, as we’ve coordinated decisions using a server for about half a year now.

If you’d like to learn more about Discord, I recommend reading this article, this post and also making your own account and having a play with the service. You’ll get the most out of it by installing the desktop app.


This is where my focus momentarily turns from you guys and onto Pokemaster for a bit. If you’re reading this Pokemaster: this is where we need your input. We don’t want to release this server, and especially not brand it as official, without first contacting you on the matter. Particularly, we would want to know:

  • Can we formally roll it out right now? We’ve laid all the groundwork and we’re ready to release the link if you’re agreeable.
  • Does a Discord server interest you in the way it does the community? Is it something you may use occasionally?
  • What input, if any, would you like to have to the structure of a community server? Could we collaborate with you on this here, or on Discord? You’re welcome into our mod server, if that suits.
  • Would you like an administrative position within the server? I can assign you a ‘role’ in the server that would grant you multiple permissions, if you would like to contribute.
  • Do you have any questions, observations or comments on Discord as a service, or what we are hoping to release? We are more than happy to respond to these and discuss them with you.

We are willing to plan a potential release of the server around you if you’re communicative. However, we will also distribute the link (less officially) if we don’t hear from you between now and my planned release, which is next weekend on Saturday 22 December (East Australian time). Please do get back to us: we want this process to be smooth sailing, and without the stress you won’t be happy with it.

In terms of the server itself, we’ve currently got an array of general discussion channels planned, as well as PokeBase section-specific ones and announcement areas. Roles, as well as an identity-verification system, have also been arranged. Once everything is ready to go, I’ll be distributing a ton of information on the specifics of it all. The rollout will be good, I’ll make sure of that.

However, I also want input from the community as to what you all want to see on our server. For example, we don’t currently plan on having voice channels on the server. Is that something you would want? Is there anything else you want to ensure makes the cut? Make your voice heard!

That’s all for now, but there’ll be a lot more come release day, whenever it ends up being.

Sorry to everyone who expected this thread a couple nights ago. Australian weather did its thing, and I ended up at an airport hotel in Adelaide for 24 hours, which was a fun surprise. :)))

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Wait Rick Gastly helped but I didn't.... How dare u O:< >: >: !!!!
Ok jk.

I'd like a voice chat, voice chat private, and a text voice chat. And just a general.
Yes! Finally! (too bad I don't have a Discord account... I need a personal computer...)
Also, Is there a trade request channel?
Yes, as well as a battling channel. EDIT: @Alolan Vulpix - there is an app for mobile devices if you don't have a PC.
Can't you ask to go on Azelfeo's comp?
I honestly don't think that a voicechat would work out well. There's not a good way to moderate it, other than a mod being in there or just trusting other people, and, on top of that, if there are a bunch of people in it, it'd end up being impossible to understand what's being said.
I don't see a problem with it other than it being a bit hard to moderate, and it probably wouldn't be used much anyway so whatever.
@SYL, I guess so (until I get my own)...

@Rick Gastly, Okay.
Yeah I'm happy... just got discord a few days ago and still getting2grips
I hope people actually use the discord, its way more convenient
While I would probably find the Discord useful, I am currently unable to use Discord due to technical issues and device compatibility. Hopefully I will be able to remedy this soon... :P
Yeah, the rationale behind not planning VC is that it's difficult to moderate, and also that the demographic of the site is probably best suited to plain text chat regardless. But if a lot of people want it, we'll be accomodating.
There is a channel currently called #exchanges which is broadly addressed for battle, trades and friend code exchanges. I don't anticipate the channel having constant activity, which is why I have them merged currently. If I'm wrong though, I'l split it up. #exchanges is one of the channels that will have always a verification restriction on it, by the way.
You guys should all be able to acess Discord in some capacity if you own a computer, or a mobile device from the past few years. The app isn't too memory intensive and has decent compatibility.
And SYL, you'll get your shoutout when the usernames thread goes up :)
After it goes up, I think you put a link to join it in the chat room, up at the top.
I'm new here, I'd be all up for this considering how convenient Discord is in general.
It is convenient. But not when there are so many channels that you can't keep track of them all.

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Hey, sorry I didn't get to this, I was busy at the time and then we had xmas. I'm happy for you to go ahead with a Discord server (which I guess you already have). And it can be branded official.

I have no idea how Discord works but there's no way to search or just go to a chat room so presumably everyone needs to be invited? Go ahead and invite me (ok I saw the invite in the other thread), and make me an admin or whatever the terminology is :)

At the moment I'm wary... we already have 2 chat rooms (one on Pokebase, one on Showdown) and everyone complains they're empty, so I don't really see how this will end up any more active. But we'll see how it goes.

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Awesome, thanks for all this. Was just worried I was overstepping the mark here.
I totally back this in to be more active than what we have currently. It’s something tons of people already use on their PC with notifications, so it’s got way more visibility and accessibility than other alternatives. But we’ll see how we go.