Suggestion: Postbit Abilities

[Wobbu]

When seeing a post or visiting a member's profile page you can see various elements including:
Join Date
Location
Age
Gender
Nature
Post Count
Contact Links
Rank Image
User Title
Online/Offline Image

But something is missing... We can have a Nature, so why not have an Ability? What does everyone think about having an Ability as a postbit element? It's not necessary but it would add to the personality of PC's members.

For example:

jsziede
Wobba Wobba
[rank image if applicable]
(image no longer exists)
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Looking for Jirachi,
Capacia Island, Decolore
Archipelago
Gender: Male ♂
Nature: Relaxed
Ability: Unaware
Posts: 459

 

[Elaitenstile]

Personally I feel this may be redundant since Natures are more relevant to members as they can convey how they are feeling. There aren't many abilities that can do something of that type, though. I mean what will be cool if I put up my ability as Pressure? It isn't "conveying" much, that's my opinion.

But if it is because we don't like change, I'm about 50-50 about this. If there was an ability postbit, though, I'd certainly use it. It's... an unheard idea, I must say.

 

[Livewire]

I think an ability can say just as much about a person. I for one would love to have that feature there. And if you don't like it or feel that it clutters the postbit, disable it. Win/Win.

 

[Kanzler]

I'd like to express my personality through my Effect Spore ability. But Abilities I find are a lot more specific and expressive in general, take adaptability, analytic, anger point, anticipation, big pecks 6(^< ^)9, contrary, cute charm <3, defeatist, early bird and so on ... really applicable :P

Aftermath could be for people with really explosive personalities, Arena Trap can be those overly attached people, probably 90% of the abilities could work easily.

 

[Wobbu]

Natures are a good way to express your mood, whereas Abilities are like a concise status update. I could choose the Anticipation Ability because I'm anticipating the release of X and Y or the Insomnia Ability if I haven't been sleeping well. It's just another way for members to be creative and have fun without causing any issues imo. Also, as Livewire mentioned, if you don't like it, disable it.

 

[curiousnathan]

I love this idea, I'm all for it!

 

[TwilightBlade]

I like the idea. Some of them really work as mood settings, like hustle, moxie, moody, steadfast, and klutz, but there are plenty that would be useless, like... compoundeyes, lol.

However, a nature like Jolly would convey Anticipation, while Hasty represents Hustle and Bold reflects Big Pecks, haha.

So, the redundancy causes me to feel as if it isn't entirely worth putting some 150+ abilities in a drop-down menu field. If it's going to be a fill-in-the blank menu, then fields like the usertitle, about me, signature and interests can communicate that message or mood.

 

[Fairy]

I like the idea. Some of them really work as mood settings, like hustle, moxie, moody, steadfast, and klutz, but there are plenty that would be useless, like... compoundeyes, lol.

However, a nature like Jolly would convey Anticipation, while Hasty represents Hustle and Bold reflects Big Pecks, haha.

So, the redundancy causes me to feel as if it isn't entirely worth putting some 150+ abilities in a drop-down menu field. If it's going to be a fill-in-the blank menu, then fields like the usertitle, about me, signature and interests can communicate that message or mood.

Oh, I've got an idea. What about when you're PMing someone, and you being typing the receivers name in and the text box allows and clickable, drop down option for the user's full name. Can something like that work for abilities? Then there won't be 3844740857 abilities that would occupy the entire page.

I think this ability thing is a neat little idea and wouldn't do any harm to have it implemented.

 

[Wobbu]

So, the redundancy causes me to feel as if it isn't entirely worth putting some 150+ abilities in a drop-down menu field.

Oh, I've got an idea. What about when you're PMing someone, and you being typing the receivers name in and the text box allows and clickable, drop down option for the user's full name.

I was thinking that a large drop-down menu field would be annoying. In fact, I was on Serebii earlier checking out the Abilitydex and even the split drop-down fields are a pain to navigate through. However, Alexial brings up a good idea. I was just thinking that same thing, having a dynamic search instead of an entire scrolling menu. Would make it a lot easier and less time-consuming for everyone.

 

[moon]

If someone Audy has the energy to implement this, it would be nice. Just a detail that could make the forum a little bit more fun, sounds good.

I wouldn't display it - I don't even display Nature in the postbit - but I'd probably set it to something funny and let it be :> lol dry skin

 

[Kanzler]

A lot of them are really great and applicable but so many of them just don't make any sense in relation to personality. :( Air Lock? Snow Cloak? Teravolt?

Some are really freakin funny too haha. Damp. Dry Skin. Frisk. Liquid Ooze.

Air Lock can be for people really anal about cleanliness and germs. Snow Cloak is for Canadians. Teravolt could be for someone who's really really wired :P

 

[Esper]

I agree with everything that TwilightBlade says about how we have lots of areas for fill-in-the-blank about ourselves so an ability spot wouldn't really be useful.

But it would be fun. So would having a spot for types, moveset, etc., but of course that would start to get a little crazy.

 

[Kanzler]

To summarize the pros expressed thus far for abilities, they are 1) Pokemon related, 2) more expressive than natures given the number of options and the scope, 3) a channel for creativity and humour due to constraints and the need to find a context for said ability.

Personally, I find that a lot of the natures don't apply to how I feel at a given moment, so they're restrictive and I predict that abilities would be a better alternative - not to say they're exclusive to one another. Other fill-in the blanks aren't readily available on postbits, although abilities may provide something we want to express publically. And usertitles are often co-opted to go along with the avatar/sig. It can complement natures without replacing it or making it redundant.

To give another example: If you just came back from the gym, you probably feel like Big Pecks. You've also got a 93 on your psychology test so you're on fire like Blaze, but you find out somebody donated you some supportership and now you're Turboblaze. But with winter setting in you turn on your Snow Warning and prepare for SAD. You probably run on Solar Power (cuz I know a friend of mine sure does).

The charm of this using what initially looks like an irrelevant list of words and turning it into something meaningful. It's up to the user to find a use and to use this tool to its potential. And let's stress the fact you can always disable it, like how users often disable their age or sex or birthday from their postbit. Since the only real obstacle for it is the time and effort to program it in, I'll sit on this thread until the cows come home and try my best to sell this idea.

 

[Honest]

If this means I can finally let all the girls now I'm "Oblivious" and that they have to try a little harder, I'm all for it.

 

[mishy.]

Personally, I find that a lot of the natures don't apply to how I feel at a given moment, so they're restrictive and I predict that abilities would be a better alternative - not to say they're exclusive to one another. Other fill-in the blanks aren't readily available on postbits, although abilities may provide something we want to express publically. And usertitles are often co-opted to go along with the avatar/sig. It can complement natures without replacing it or making it redundant.

Mainly this.

I consider nature being more your personality rather than how you feel at the moment. If you're an overall jolly person then you would list your nature as Jolly. It personality makes more sense to me for some like Hardy. How do you feel 'Hardy' at that moment exactly? I don't think some people are hardy one moment and not hardy the next. Sure in different environments but that's not exactly a mood.

Abilities I can see more of being a mood changer than a personality changer. But at the same time they can also be an alternate was to show your personality. Some of them might be redundant but it can also show more variety in a person whether or not they are using the two to show how they feel or show who they are as a person.