Write or Die Desktop Edition Feature Requests [UPDATED]
I did an informal Twitter poll of what people would like to see in Write or Die Desktop Edition, here are the results, feel free to add your requests in the comments.
Things I'm Planning to Implement
A Mac version. (@callista, @kyrina)
Choose your own sound (@AlabasterFalcon, @belcasas)
Linux version (@Kyrina)
Save to disk (@unfocusedme)
Post to blog
Full-screen mode (@rjbman)
Tweet results
[NEW]
Cumulative words typed, "high scores" ( @joaovc)
Different warning animations/images (scary clowns perhaps)
Set your own time period. (Allie, Seliza)
Spaces don't count, perhaps? I sometimes cheat by pressing the space bar (Allie) [Note: So do I]
Things I hadn't thought of but are good ideas
Kamikaze mode eats more words, faster (@Caanz)
Boss/Panic Button (@saoki)
Append to existing file (@jedidiplomat)
Simulated blood pouring down the screen when you fail? (@Hoshiko_Malfoy)
Different warning colors (@lostcheerio, @tinahunter)
Change font size (@wielding)
Allow/disallow unlimited pauses (@lienne)
[NEW]
Daily Goal in addition to per session goal (Allie and Jo)
Graphic to visualize your progress (Allie)
Ability to change background color to something more soothing (AdventureAddict)
Things that are unlikely to happen (but thanks anyway)
Spellcheck (@rjbman)
I want to make a separate super-spellcheck program for writers but IMO this would be counterintuitive for Write or Die.
Kittens (@saoki)
You must supply your own kittens.
iPhone version (@unfocusedme)
If you can convince me that this would be useful and/or find me a good iPhone developer I will reconsider.
Save to .doc file
Word formatting is annoying and exists mainly for higher level editing, I'm planning on sticking with txt files for simplicity
This is just the beginning of the list, if there's something missing that you'd like to see in the desktop version, feel free to tweet me or comment below.
Thanks a lot!
P.S. Does $10 sound like a good price to you?
Things I'm Planning to Implement
A Mac version. (@callista, @kyrina)
Choose your own sound (@AlabasterFalcon, @belcasas)
Linux version (@Kyrina)
Save to disk (@unfocusedme)
Post to blog
Full-screen mode (@rjbman)
Tweet results
[NEW]
Cumulative words typed, "high scores" ( @joaovc)
Different warning animations/images (scary clowns perhaps)
Set your own time period. (Allie, Seliza)
Spaces don't count, perhaps? I sometimes cheat by pressing the space bar (Allie) [Note: So do I]
Things I hadn't thought of but are good ideas
Kamikaze mode eats more words, faster (@Caanz)
Boss/Panic Button (@saoki)
Append to existing file (@jedidiplomat)
Simulated blood pouring down the screen when you fail? (@Hoshiko_Malfoy)
Different warning colors (@lostcheerio, @tinahunter)
Change font size (@wielding)
Allow/disallow unlimited pauses (@lienne)
[NEW]
Daily Goal in addition to per session goal (Allie and Jo)
Graphic to visualize your progress (Allie)
Ability to change background color to something more soothing (AdventureAddict)
Things that are unlikely to happen (but thanks anyway)
Spellcheck (@rjbman)
I want to make a separate super-spellcheck program for writers but IMO this would be counterintuitive for Write or Die.
Kittens (@saoki)
You must supply your own kittens.
iPhone version (@unfocusedme)
If you can convince me that this would be useful and/or find me a good iPhone developer I will reconsider.
Save to .doc file
Word formatting is annoying and exists mainly for higher level editing, I'm planning on sticking with txt files for simplicity
This is just the beginning of the list, if there's something missing that you'd like to see in the desktop version, feel free to tweet me or comment below.
Thanks a lot!
P.S. Does $10 sound like a good price to you?
Labels: desktop, features, write-or-die
posted by Dr. Wicked at
7:19 PM
53 Comments:
The price sounds fair to me! Heck, I'd pay even more for it.
I think the Boss button would be too tempting for a distraction addict like me. i would always be using it.
I'd just not use it if I had to pay for it!
I'd want a free trial period if I was going to shell out for it.
And an iPhone app sounds silly to me. I often write in Notes on my phone but just that act of having a tiny, exclusive screen serves the same cognitive function of limiting my distractions and forcing me to focus.
Ten bucks would be awesome. Virtually as awesome as free is now. :) It'll be downloadable, yes?
Ten bucks sounds good to me.
The general idea is that the online version is the free trial. Obviously if it ends up not working for someone I will give them a refund but I do need the money and would like to provide an extra value for those who wish to use the program.
I'm not looking to gouge people, hence $10 for a tool that most seem to agree will increase productivity seems fair.
10 bucks sounds perfect. Not too spendy and well worth the investment. Sign me up! Any waiting lists?
10 dollars is a bargain by far. I can't wait for a desktop edition!
Price sounds good ... can't wait for this.
Will you be able to set your own time rather than use a drop-down menu as on the website? For instance, my optimum time tends to be twelve minutes, but the site has options for ten and fifteen only.
fwiw, I'm not even "a writer" and I'd shell out $10 for it just for the odd times I do have to write something
Animations would be great. Trapped authors, vicious barking dogs, ax murderers, cockroaches, etc.
A separate text box that ISN'T part of the word count, so you can continue from where you left off.
A notecard formatted box, again, separate from the main text.
A WPM counter.
Auto-complete, self controlled, for long words, character names, tech jargon, etc.
Spaces don't count, perhaps? I sometimes cheat by pressing the space bar :-*
Set your own time period, for sure.
Record beating capabilities- it keeps track of your best scores.
A lifeline button! 5-words to get you going or maybe a visual cue, something to jog the noggin.
Automatic save as .doc file
A quick upload button for bloggers.
A lifetime log, keeping track of total word count.
A daily goal, perhaps? Instead of "500 words in 20 minutes" you can have multiple sessions to try and total 2000 words or something.
A graphic to track total progress (like a fundraising thermometer, but with wordcounts).
Cake.
(thanks!)
$10 sounds fine to me, so long as there's a Linux version :) I can't wait!
$10 sounds reasonable to me.
I love the idea of the 'Boss' button and the save to disc. Both of those would be amazingly useful.
A changeable font to make it easier to read would be VERY good. Not everyone who wants to use your application has 20/20 vision and being able to bunk the size up would be a huge relief. As it is I use the application and squint.
You have my $10. ETA?
$10 is great. So is the Boss button. And save to disk.
I'd love a linux version, and I like the idea to have a daily word count goal you can meet with multiple writing sessions.
$10 is a steal. I'd pay it happily!
"Spaces don't count, perhaps? I sometimes cheat by pressing the space bar" --I do this too, I think I'd hate/love if the spaces didn't count towards you typing.
"Set your own time period, for sure." --Definitely!
"Record beating capabilities- it keeps track of your best scores." --XD I would really love that too.
"A graphic to track total progress (like a fundraising thermometer, but with wordcounts." --That would be awesome. I made one myself like that for NaNoWriMo that I had posted on my door, but it's much more fun to see it slowly filling up as you type words, don't you think?
Also, it might sound silly, but a way to change the background color? The thing is, I have a friend who gets horrible headaches if she has to type with black words on a white page on her computer, so she normally flip flops the colors (white text, black background)in her Word and then she's okay. The problem is, that makes it so she can't use things like Write or Die, because it still has the blaring white screen that her eyes can't handle.
$10 sounds awesome too, while I'm at it. Cheap enough that a college student could afford to buy it, which is awesome. :)
Thanks!
New features look great. I'd be happy to pay $10 (though I would need to wait for the Mac version).
I would also need a mac version. Ignore those people who want everything for free - they can use the online version if they're really that cheap.
$10 is a fantastic price for being able to use your program offline. As long as there's a mac version, you'll be getting my monies ;)
Oh - will we have to pay $10 per computer? I have three... so will I have to pay $10 per computer? It's fine if it's yes (makes sense too, and you deserve the money!) I'm just curious :)
I love the idea of a lifeline, though I have no idea how you could program inspiration. Maybe if your WPM starts to decrease your computer plays "Eye of the Tiger" or something?
It'd be awesome if we could program custom sounds. As much as I love the little trumpets, what I really need after some hardcore writing is a rousing round of "We Are The Champions."
I love the idea of the 'separate box for the text you've already written.' I usually have to cheat by copy and pasting the last paragraph or two into the Write or Die box and then bumping up my wordcount accordingly. I also like the idea of a 'notecard' pane. When I'm writing really fast, I need an outline to keep the story straight. Usually I can contain the outline in my head, but it'd be nice to have it on paper, too.
I like the idea of record-beating and daily goals.
Is there any way you could include a feature that would allow you to go head-to-head with a fellow Write Or Die user? My friends and I often word-war during NaNo, and seeing their word count go up during the word war would be just the inspiration I need to kick it into high gears during a word-war.
Maybe you could have a setting for diehards that gives negative reenforcement if your WPM drops below a certain number. When I use Write Or Die, I never let my fingers stop moving, but they don't move very fast.
This might be kind of tricky but would be very helpful for people who have a limited time to write. You'd program in the number of words you want to write and how long you want it to take, and it tells you what WPM speed you need. The fun version would be when you reverse that idea--it takes how fast you've been writing that day (in WPM) and your goal for that day and tells you how much longer you have. (It'd kind of be like a GPS system and the estimated time of arrival feature, where it adjusts according to how fast you drive.)
I would definitely pay $10 for this. I think it's worth more than that, but I also know anything more than about $15 is a Serious Purchase for me, and I'd waste more time mulling over the decision than I'd save using the program. :P
Geez, this turned out long. Back to the lab report. (See, what I really need is Write Or Die: Homework Edition.)
Awesome!
I already donated more than $10, but would be happy to pay that for a desktop version. :)
A desktop edition would be fabulous! And $10 is more than fair. Thanks for the work & can't wait for the end result.
Woo hoo!
10$ sounds awesome to me, but we'd better be able to dowload it over here in old TeaLand! All the changes you're considering sound really great!
Please, please, have it reay before next November!! Write or Die minus the distraction of the interwebs = Assured NaNo win!
I would pay ten dollars! Write or die saved my LIFE during NaNoWriMo and I recently don't have internet anymore... so a downloaded version would be the best! Most amazing, and I hope hope hope you can finish it before november!
Sounds extremely fair to me. This is something I'd be using a lot on my desktop, so I'm willing to pay.
Ten dollars is a freakishly good price! I'm in college and even I can swing that!
I would just like to say thank you for making this. I was worried about what I would do next november for Nano (WoD saved my a** last november) Because my mac has been having some issues connecting to the internet, so this is perfect!
What is a boss button though?
I worship at the altar of Write or Die. Have achieved so much writing since this appeared on the web. Trying to convert my writing buddies but they are skeptical, seems some of them want to think while they write.
Yes, I would definitely buy this at $10. Fabulous!
$10 very reasonable. Looking forward to it.
Oh! I can't wait for this to come out! I used WoD so much the last weeks of NaNoWriMo!
I love the idea of high scores, setting your own time, not having spaces count, making Kamikaze mode faster (it's just not fast enough for me), different warning colors (the red hurts my eyes, it's so bright), the ability to change the background color (the white is bright too, I end up having to dim my screen) and the daily word goal! Ok, ok, I guess I just love it all!
I will be eagerly awaiting the desktop version! And I think you could even go a little higher than $10, I know I would pay more.
How about a plain version that just does what the web one does, without custom animations/sounds and other procrastination tools. I'd pay $10 to take that stuff out of the program and be able to use the thing to make myself write. High scores, even graphics to represent them? I do have actual videogames too, you know. If there's an option to post to my blog, I will waste an hour of writing time testing it out, even though I'd never want to post something straight from Write or Die with no steps in between.
Adding anything that wasn't sorely missing is, in my opinion, counter-productive.
Spellcheck, on the other hand, would be worth trying to implement, since it's the one thing I'm giving up by moving from my browser to the desktop edition.
$10 is fair, except for the resistance you'll get because the lab started out as something people could use for free.
AdventureAddict: maybe it's obvious and you've already tried it, but just in case it helps...would turning your friend's monitor's brightness and contrast way down help any? Or using something like glass2k (free program, 2k/XP and maybe Vista) to make the browser/text editor/whatever else be transparent over a darker desktop wallpaper?
I think ten dollars is a great price for the value you'd be getting.
I don't really like the idea of the simulated blood, though I'd be fine if it can be easily disabled.
-weak stomach and is likely to fail often-
$10 is definately a good price, I would buy this for sure!! I've found myself wishing I had access to this offline so I can still have it when I'm not connected to the internet. When is it going to come out? Excited!!!
Sir,
I await your product...even though i am not a writer as of this moment...
Yes, $10 is fine. Actually, I'd pay more. Even $20 isn't unreasonable.
My only caution with features is that having lots of settings to tweak can easily become an excuse not to write.
I somewhat agree with what pleiadeswoman said re: the features. My addendum to that would be: If you work on the UI keeping basic features accessible, then power users can always use the advanced features.
On the other hand, $20 is too much for me and will definitely prevent me from going in for it.
The price is a little expensive, unless you made it REALLY fancy.
As for something I would suggest...Make Electric Shock Mode real.
$10 dollars is great. It's small enough that pretty much anyone should be able to afford it, but big enough (hopefully) that you're still making money. I'd maybe go for $15, but then I'd have to deliberate over and think about it.
As for features -- most of the stuff that's been suggested already would be great (esp. full screen mode and self-inputted time), as long as you can disable all the fancy schmancy stuff (like graphics).
Oh, and having it save/copy to clipboard with line breaks would be nice, if that's possible.
I wouldn't mind a few more bells and whistles, as long as they are kept thoroughly optional. I'd like it if there were an optional macro to prevent one from switching windows, and I agree that it should be fullscreen. I do have Windows on a partition, but I mostly use Ubuntu, so it would be nice to have a Linux version.
I shelled out $50 for a program to organize and format the words I write in WoD. I'd be happy to pay $10 (well, $20, really, to get my girl a copy as well) to get it offline.
"Maybe if your WPM starts to decrease your computer plays "Eye of the Tiger" or something?"
...See, that's a fucking cool enough idea that if we get the "program your own sounds" option, I'll set that as my sound regardless. Stop typing, and suddenly... DUN! DUN DUN DUN! DUN DUN DUN! DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUN! RISIN' UP-- *shot*
Yay, I would buy.
It would be best fast and streamlined - no loading box like Office or Adobe. No more than 1 row of icons/optins - again, it isn't Office.
For the Mac version, I would love if it bounced the dock icon as a warning/punishment. And how about a badge on the Dock Icon with the wordcount. When it gets over 1000, make it 1K, 1.2K, 30K etc. And maybe intergration with Growl, when you complete your goal or something.
But my main Mac request (see, has its own para) is that is is not a Win port. I mean, the Mac one should look like Mac. Mac style icons, scroll bars etc, so it needs to be coded sole in Objective-C. With this you get other Mac benefits like drag drop text, and spell check built in.
So yh, make it look good, simple, and intuitive.
The price sounds fair! There will be windows version too, won't there? Any idea when the desktop version will be ready?
I'd prefer not to pay, but if I had to, $10 sounds fair. XD
Oh, and if you're going to use the 'scary clown' images (please don't ._.) I suggest the clown from Poltergeist. DX
It is a great program and I'd pay $10 to download a Windows version of it, but once you have the Desktop version of the program will there still be the online version available to use for those who might not be able to buy the download right away? Or for those who aren't at their home computers and need some extra encouragement to finish a report, say if they're working at the university computer lab or on a friend's computer? Will the download come with the right to install it on all of the user's computers?
Is there any possibility that you could include a WPM feature that can show us the speed that we type at. And maybe an alert if you slow down by ten or fifteen words a minute. That could keep me on task not only with how much I'm writing but with staying at a reasonable speed. Maybe you can set a speed the way you set a word goal. That would be a nice feature.
Write or Die truly is a great program. I hope you have a lot of success with it.
Along with the annoying sounds, it would be nice to have pictures flash too. Maybe something people fear? You don't write in time, you get a picture of a clown/cockroaches/birds/spiders, etc. . Knowing that something I feared was about to pop up on my screen if I didn't write fast enough would motivate me quite a bit.
Another suggestion would be a "words written so far". It would be a fun thing for those doign NaNoWriMo - it could show all the words taht you have accomplished thus far with WoD
A suggestion for those that honestly can't pay a $10 (Yes, it's extremely reasonable, but there are just some who CAN'T). I understand the web version is free, but make a version that IS the web version. That way, people can use it without internet, and it's still the exact same thing that's on the website. If they want the cool features, they can pay the $10. That way, everyone is happy, and everyonec an still use it in some shape or form.
I'd buy it, as long as it runs on Linux (even if under Wine).
The best two possible modifications, IMHO, are appending to an existing file and the cumulative word count.
Can we start paying you now just to hasten the development of the desktop version, because I can't wait to use it! Maybe taking pre-orders would underscore how much interest there is and also ensure that the product actually gets done - not that you'd procrastinate. ;-)
Only 10$? Are you kidding - I would give a bucket load of dollars to have an offline version of writeordie!
I deliberately write away from home to avoid the time-sucking vortex that is the intarwebs - the only downside is not having writeordie to punish me for staring out of the window/counting coffee spoons/folding till receipts etc etc etc.
I wonder if the item is in production now? Or should we somehow work on an open source project?
I know you said word formatting is annoying, but would italics be possible? Because yes, I know I can just use asterisks or whatever, but it would be so much more convenient... =]
Bought the desktop edition. would love an iPhone version for when I can't carry my laptop around with me!
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