Countdown Clock & alternatives

[Sessine]

I'm still of the opinion that the countdown clock needs to go away. What positive purpose does it serve other than a ticking time bomb...

Me, I use bookmarks to check my webcomics, organized by update frequency. In some cases the frequency is "whenever" (**cough**Lackadaisy**cough**) but most go by days of the week. (Like, if it's Tuesday or Thursday, I know to go check if Nimona has updated.)

A 5-day update schedule is harder for me to keep track of in that way, so I have been grateful for the countdown clock. Typically I'll come back to Goblins several times between updates... uh, wait, who am I kidding? For Goblins, it's several times a day. Sometimes I'm rewarded by a shading update, often by a detail I didn't pick up on first reading. And then as the time for the next update approaches, I get to think, "Only two days, now..." and then "Woo, tomorrow!"

So ... while hours and minutes don't matter to me, I really do appreciate the countdown of days, and I'm glad Thunt is keeping that.

[Catmandont]

I'm still of the opinion that the countdown clock needs to go away. What positive purpose does it serve other than a ticking time bomb...

Me, I use bookmarks to check my webcomics, organized by update frequency. In some cases the frequency is "whenever" (**cough**Lackadaisy**cough**) but most go by days of the week. (Like, if it's Tuesday or Thursday, I know to go check if Nimona has updated.)

A 5-day update schedule is harder for me to keep track of in that way, so I have been grateful for the countdown clock. Typically I'll come back to Goblins several times between updates... uh, wait, who am I kidding? For Goblins, it's several times a day. Sometimes I'm rewarded by a shading update, often by a detail I didn't pick up on first reading. And then as the time for the next update approaches, I get to think, "Only two days, now..." and then "Woo, tomorrow!"

So ... while hours and minutes don't matter to me, I really do appreciate the countdown of days, and I'm glad Thunt is keeping that.

I agree with you on a purely personally level; however you left out the latter part of my statement which gives a tad more context:

What positive purpose does it serve other than a ticking time bomb of self hatred for THunt? Ok, maybe not 'hate', that's a bit overly dramatic of me.

If THunt can keep a schedule where he didn't need to slowly kill himself in order to satisfy the inter-webs, then my point is moot and I will gladly support the countdown clock. I don't prefer to keep track of the 'every 5 days' schedule and doing the math every time (or looking at the clock) ; I'd prefer a set day that I can go to every week, while sitting in a bean bag, stripped to my underwear and eating Doritos. There's a comfort to consistency.

[Sessine]

If THunt can keep a schedule where he didn't need to slowly kill himself in order to satisfy the inter-webs, then my point is moot and I will gladly support the countdown clock. I don't prefer to keep track of the 'every 5 days' schedule and doing the math every time (or looking at the clock) ; I'd prefer a set day that I can go to every week, while sitting in a bean bag, stripped to my underwear and eating Doritos. There's a comfort to consistency.

I'd be happy with once a week,* too, but Thunt wouldn't. It's not the people out here who are pressuring him, it's his own mind. Once every five days seems to be a workable compromise for him between his own impatience to get on with it, and his artistic sense of what each page ought to be. But... every five days is hard for us to keep track of. With the countdown clock, he can set it to start at six days sometimes -- or even ten, if he wants a break -- and it'll always tell us how long until the next update.
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* Okay, no, this is a lie. I wouldn't be happy, exactly. I'm caught up in the story same as everyone else, impatient to know what happens next, so I can't promise I wouldn't even go "Aarrgh!" That's just a compliment to Thunt's storytelling talent. But I'm a grownup. I can wait for the things I want. All I'm saying is, the clock isn't useless. I can deal with whatever number it shows. I appreciate its presence.
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ETA: Also... let me just say, that's an amazing new avatar you have there. What a great costume!

[LooksAndSmiles]

Semi Off-Topic, but the count down clock says "? days". Doesn't look like fixed to me. :/

[Glemp]

Semi Off-Topic, but the count down clock says "? days". Doesn't look like fixed to me. :/

Because it's today, and it doesn't know exactly how much of the day is left.

[grizzled grizzle]

I think the solution is quite simple -- set the day to the day after he does his best work during the week, say a Tuesday, or Wednesday in case of long weekends, and then boop us in the nose a couple times a month with an extra strip, whenever he gets a strip ahead of schedule and wants to be nice to us. So for those of us with bookmarks for the day of the week, we can open it on Wednesday, or Thursday and receive what we expected, or we can receive once in a while a double whammy....? a strip every 5 days is 6/month, so that's where i got 1/wk plus an extra couple times from.

Problem solved with good feels all around.

edit: oh, and set the countdown clock to auto-update the comic from his "next strip going up" folder, that way it can be exactamundo again.

[RedwoodElf]

Maybe Thunt should just change it to once a week, on Tuesdays maybe...then he can take a bit more time between pages, and the occasional extra page in a week would be more appreciated.

[Lady Dawn]

I liked it when the updates were visible on the facebook page. No looking at countdown clocks. Just wait and do business as usual and then when checking feed "Oh cool! A new Goblins page! Let's check it out and give it a like!" And some FB friends wondering what strange comics I seem to read.

[willpell]

Not everyone is on Facebook.

[LAYF]

I liked it when the updates were visible on the facebook page. No looking at countdown clocks. Just wait and do business as usual and then when checking feed "Oh cool! A new Goblins page! Let's check it out and give it a like!" And some FB friends wondering what strange comics I seem to read.

you could use twitter... thunt always tweet when its up

[Wolfie]

you could use twitter... thunt always tweet when its up

Yep... he gives us a "boop"

[Madfox11]

Or do it the old fashions way, simply visit the page as part of your morning routine

[Tofu]

and find yourself still there one day later refreshing the page every 5 minutes and haunting the Justin.TV page seeking a spoiler fix ...

[grizzled grizzle]

and find yourself still there one day later refreshing the page every 5 minutes and haunting the Justin.TV page seeking a spoiler fix ...

heh, bought the t-shirt

but you must be supremely lucky, I haven't gotten my spoiler fix in a year or so..? I thought he had stopped..? although i still go there at times like these...

[Tofu]

I thought he had stopped..? although i still go there at times like these...

I said 'haunt' for a reason, I've also not seen any livestreaming for ages, but that's due to me being an Australian ... not in a helpful night owl Canadian time zone ...

[willpell]

"Today" sure is long....

[RedwoodElf]

"Today" sure is long....

Quiet, you!

[SamWiser]

Give him a break. Anytime a webcomic author gets taken to the emergency room, they get a few days to recover. Check back tomorrow to see if it's up.

[willpell]

Give him a break. Anytime a webcomic author gets taken to the emergency room, they get a few days to recover.

Okay, I knew not of these things.

[Wolfie]

There was a thread on the discussion board and a couple of tweets about it (which pop up on the comic main page).

[stevedj]

"Today" sure is long....

Well, aren't days longer the farther north you go? (He lives in Canada, you know ) After all, a day is 6 months long at the North Pole...

I just wish the clock had something more fun to say... like "Lost initiative roll"

ETA: THunt - get well soon!

[TeaLovingDave]

I just wish the clock had something more fun to say... like "Lost initiative roll"

Nah, that would be more apropos for those occasions where he has genuinely failed to get a new update finished despite 5 days of unhindered work on it.

As this is related to his health - or indeed his Constitution stats - the clock should say "Failed a Fortitude save"

Here's hoping he is feeling back to his usual self soon.

[Archerd]

"Today" sure is long....

Well, aren't days longer the farther north you go? (He lives in Canada, you know ) After all, a day is 6 months long at the North Pole...

I just wish the clock had something more fun to say... like "Lost initiative roll"

ETA: THunt - get well soon!

It's winter in the Northern Hemisphere right now, meaning that days are actually much, much, shorter. I happen to live above the 45th parallel myself and am enjoying getting up and going to work, and getting off and driving home in the dark.

It's only in the Summer that days get considerably longer.

[Lady Dawn]

you could use twitter... thunt always tweet when its up

People still use twitter??

[Glemp]

you could use twitter... thunt always tweet when its up

People still use twitter??

You've never seen Thunt's Twitter feed?