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Allow Family Tress to Display Descendants and Ancestors of Characters

User Interface (UI) / User Experience (UX) · Family trees · Created by SixPathsSage

declined

Family-Tree Bloodlines Descendants-and-Ancestors UI-/-UX-Change

What functionality is missing? What is unsatisfying with the current situation?

Currently, if I have a character, let us call her Róisín, who descends from another character, let's call him Morcan, the only way to convey to the reader that they are related is to put them under the same Organization (such as a House or Clan), and mention it within the article. This is perfectly serviceable but when the family tree is displayed, there is no easy or convenient way of showing this unless you want to take the time to spell out the lineage of Morcan until you reach Róisín.

Instead, there could be a feature on the Family Tree where it becomes obvious one character is descended from another. In between the supposed Róisín and Morcan characters, we could have an icon or symbol to denote this relationship and express to the reader that they are not directly related but are of the same bloodline. This feature is listed as a User Interface (UI) / User Experience (UX) Alteration as it primarily goes about changing how information is displayed on the family tree but to reach this result it may involve adding a field or slot on articles that ask to some effect "is this character descended from another?" or "is this character the ancestor to another?" to display the change.

How does this feature request address the current situation?

With this solution, when viewing the Family tree, the relationships between certain characters who may not be alive in the same time period become obvious and a more holistic image of a bloodline is gained.

What are other uses for this feature request?

Admittedly, this feature only really has a use case in the event that you would need to show that two distant characters are related. But from a wider perspective, having a better understanding of a character's family gives the writer and reader a better understanding of the character overall. If I have a character that is descended from Arthur Pendragon, the expectation that comes with living up to that image becomes evident just from viewing the family tree.

The Team's Response

Thanks for your suggestion and for the comments you all have left too! We understand how this could be very useful, but unfortunately it's also very difficult to implement, as it would essentially create "free-floating" relationships that would stop working as soon as you added more relatives to the system. For example, in your mock-up, if one day you decide to add relatives to Róisín, the system wouldn't be able to display them without a specific familial relationship between her and Morgan. So, unfortunately, family trees will not be able to support this. That said, you can already display these relationships with the current features! Two main ways:

Whiteboards: you can create a relationship system in any format you like, as it's a free-form canvas. And since you can include links to character articles that display as portraits, it's also interactive. You can also embed whiteboards into an article.
Content trees: you can create a single-line content tree so that it looks like the bloodline feature without having to specify every single character in between.

Current score

155/300 Votes · +37507 points

Votes Cast

+300

by A Fluffy Cthulhu
on 2023-09-25 02:38
+300

by SierraKomodo
on 2023-09-25 02:29
+300

by CannedStrawberries
on 2023-09-24 23:15
+300

by dragonmasterjl
on 2023-09-24 17:20
+100

by Lord Mcberry
on 2023-09-24 14:07
+100

by Gaëlle S.
on 2023-09-24 13:36
+300

by Plasma Ring
on 2023-09-24 06:36
+300

by JointWorldWisdom
on 2023-09-24 06:33
+300

by A Revolutionary Dwarf
on 2023-09-24 05:39
+300

by goatpher
on 2023-09-24 02:17
+300

by Shawn Sudar
on 2023-09-23 22:35
-300

by A Enfeebled Skeleton
on 2023-09-23 19:58
+300

by SyntaxChick
on 2023-09-23 17:08
+300

by Daldalus8
on 2023-09-23 00:56
+300

by sadwaffle
on 2023-09-22 23:41
+100

by Sir Marluxia
on 2023-09-22 23:29
+300

by architectfantasy
on 2023-09-22 16:32
Really good idea. If possible, I will add to this that this lineage should be able to be filled out later ideally. For example initially you could make it as an ancestor, then if you decide it's a great great grandfather specifically, you should be able to input all the in-between ancestors before you reach the point of the final character.
+300

by LeighThalion
on 2023-09-22 15:04
+300

by JohnnyDM
on 2023-09-22 12:41
+300

by snakekeeper7
on 2023-09-22 09:25
+300

by A Adorable Orc
on 2023-09-22 08:30
+300

by PrismCoalition
on 2023-09-22 00:47
+100

by G.C.ink
on 2023-09-21 19:03
+300

by Zweieck
on 2023-09-21 11:28
would make it easier to track a characters position in the tree.
+300

by Morielen
on 2023-09-21 08:21
+300

by LyreForSyren
on 2023-09-21 00:56
+100

by Sordolax
on 2023-09-20 21:37
+300

by Axolotl451
on 2023-09-20 16:18
+100

by Thadium
on 2023-09-20 16:14
+300

by namako
on 2023-09-20 14:43
+300

by Pyromantiic
on 2023-09-20 07:48
+100

by A Wild Kobold
on 2023-09-20 00:07
+300

by Youngree
on 2023-09-19 23:15
+300

by AysonOhbata
on 2023-09-19 20:03
+300

by Kdog7003
on 2023-09-19 17:28
+300

by -ravy-
on 2023-09-19 04:03
+100

by MaxGiannis1
on 2023-09-18 23:00
+300

by lia_anna
on 2023-09-18 21:30
+1

by smnldc_
on 2023-09-18 20:39
+300

by gnjcksn
on 2023-09-18 20:16
+300

by A Fluffy Kitten
on 2023-09-18 17:50
+300

by Nordenclave
on 2023-09-18 17:16
+300

by Aerostar
on 2023-09-18 15:45
Allows for easy tracking of family trees and known connections Easter than individual documents
+300

by JackLink916
on 2023-09-18 13:54
+100

by Keon Croucher
on 2023-09-18 08:33
+300

by ochacocoa
on 2023-09-18 02:26
+100

by Bostonwitch97
on 2023-09-17 20:37
+100

by Shadyleo444
on 2023-09-17 19:48
+100

by tabbyykatt
on 2023-09-17 18:37
+300

by LNalls
on 2023-09-17 18:20
+300

by A Fierce Unicorn
on 2023-09-17 17:03
+300

by Vogler
on 2023-09-17 10:18
+300

by Arevlan
on 2023-09-17 08:39
+300

by vinivss
on 2023-09-17 02:26
+300

by Benign Squirrel
on 2023-09-16 23:03
+300

by CM_Dunkin
on 2023-09-16 11:22
+300

by Slinkadath
on 2023-09-16 03:54
+100

by explodingcarr0t
on 2023-09-16 02:00
+300

by themrbeasley
on 2023-09-16 00:10
+100

by XcessSora
on 2023-09-15 21:56
+300

by Fel Valron
on 2023-09-15 20:57
+300

by CrimGrim
on 2023-09-15 20:02
+300

by TheWhiteRose
on 2023-09-15 18:47
+300

by james.a.b
on 2023-09-15 16:45
+300

by Masha Medov
on 2023-09-15 07:37
+300

by CristalViper
on 2023-09-15 05:41
+100

by pyrouille
on 2023-09-14 23:02
+300

by Phoenix52522
on 2023-09-14 22:10
+300

by Twinclaws
on 2023-09-14 16:48
+100

by ShyriathFarstrider
on 2023-09-14 14:37
+100

by Namikan
on 2023-09-14 14:29
+100

by Rayna Fairbell
on 2023-09-14 14:17
+300

by conlang architect
on 2023-09-14 12:21
This would really help to organisze
+300

by ptahsekhet
on 2023-09-14 09:18
+300

by KelpTheShark
on 2023-09-14 09:10
+300

by Dustyamphibian
on 2023-09-13 23:28
+100

by akatsuku
on 2023-09-13 21:55
+1

by Slinkydo
on 2023-09-13 21:38
+300

by Cooly991
on 2023-09-13 21:09
+300

by Careen Ligh
on 2023-09-13 19:40
+300

by LittleSister
on 2023-09-13 10:24
+300

by JR Kenja
on 2023-09-13 08:24
+300

by Lethos
on 2023-09-13 07:58
+100

by Bjuzz
on 2023-09-13 07:39
+300

by GaugeDanger
on 2023-09-13 01:43
+300

by MKHETH II
on 2023-09-13 01:30
this should've been a feature a while ago
+300

by Grathew
on 2023-09-12 20:00
+300

by Writing Bishop
on 2023-09-12 15:12
+300

by cow2face
on 2023-09-11 21:55
+100

by sirrabbidfox
on 2023-09-11 21:43
+300

by AgentCheshire
on 2023-09-11 20:47
+300

by LisaGrimm
on 2023-09-11 20:33
+300

by Pete Nelson
on 2023-09-11 19:56
I think this is a sorely needed feature. It is often the case that the entire detailed family tree isn't relevant to the storyline, but general ancestry is.
+300

by Bonus Action
on 2023-09-11 18:06
+100

by A Frightened Velociraptor
on 2023-09-11 16:41
+300

by GMCalliope
on 2023-09-11 15:14
+300

by melzaz
on 2023-09-11 11:57
+300

by Twighdark
on 2023-09-11 11:53
+300

by A Thundering Devil
on 2023-09-11 07:11
+300

by EJ_Lowe
on 2023-09-11 06:57
+300

by Demongrey
on 2023-09-11 01:22
+300

by Drawkill Dragon
on 2023-09-10 22:15
+300

by Blossom Tree Art
on 2023-09-10 21:01
+300

by Observer of the Stars
on 2023-09-10 20:55
+300

by Bayross
on 2023-09-10 14:51
+100

by Rilameth
on 2023-09-10 02:41
+100

by A Revolutionary Kobold
on 2023-09-10 02:29
I like this, would be nice to implement
+300

by Versun
on 2023-09-09 21:37
+300

by zalzabar
on 2023-09-09 17:03
+300

by Semjax
on 2023-09-09 14:21
+300

by SebGreg732
on 2023-09-09 11:08
+100

by Mme88
on 2023-09-09 10:07
+100

by HomeboundREx
on 2023-09-09 06:57
+100

by ChroniclerWabba
on 2023-09-09 01:56
+300

by Destroyer831642
on 2023-09-09 01:56
+1

by Sardonic Tonic
on 2023-09-09 00:23
+300

by ano19920
on 2023-09-08 22:46
+300

by LoreParmenter
on 2023-09-08 22:37
+300

by HunterChristmas1247
on 2023-09-08 21:54
+300

by A Thundering Dimensional Horror
on 2023-09-08 20:20
This would drastically reduce the amount I empty none important "biological parent of" characters I need to make in order to show lineage.
+300

by DaisyChick
on 2023-09-08 17:28
+300

by HS GMs
on 2023-09-08 17:17
+300

by Linneya
on 2023-09-08 14:57
+1

by Kolvaryel
on 2023-09-08 10:37
+300

by Adcheryl
on 2023-09-08 10:05
+300

by GalloEX
on 2023-09-08 05:01
+300

by DemonDC
on 2023-09-07 22:23
+1

by Jockey_world
on 2023-09-07 20:38
+300

by Kuba13805
on 2023-09-07 16:31
+300

by Polyduces
on 2023-09-07 10:31
+300

by finaldraftrpg
on 2023-09-07 09:29
I think this is an excellent idea - not sure how the logic would be coded, but would be great, if possible.
+300

by SparkyTheSec0nd
on 2023-09-07 08:23
+300

by Lakuna
on 2023-09-07 04:36
+300

by jmckendry
on 2023-09-06 23:39
+100

by TheNamesJonas
on 2023-09-06 22:02
+300

by A Filthy Velociraptor
on 2023-09-06 20:05
+300

by Rains Up Games
on 2023-09-06 19:40
+300

by Rahjar
on 2023-09-06 19:11
I'm sure if this feature was already there, I'd have at least 5%(maybe more like 15% less characters in my world) lolsob
+300

by DMFW
on 2023-09-06 16:55
+100

by Cereise
on 2023-09-06 16:53
+100

by tlcassis
on 2023-09-06 16:43
I definitely approve of being able to say "this person was descended from this other person" without having to create 30 non-important people in my world...
+100

by Tijmuhn
on 2023-09-06 12:08
+1

by AliceFae
on 2023-09-06 02:05
+300

by Ratha
on 2023-09-05 23:44
+300

by A Fluffy Kitten
on 2023-09-05 21:38
I had no idea this feature wasn't already possible, and didn't realize that I need it in order for some of my characters' relationships to properly display (I haven't gotten as far as trying the feature yet but planned to in the future). So I definitely support this or something like it being implemented!
+1

by A Adorable Bananafolk
on 2023-09-05 11:27
+300

by JetpackMonkey
on 2023-09-05 10:27
+100

by lumina_sun
on 2023-09-05 06:59
+300

by Buzzard
on 2023-09-04 22:46
I really like this suggestion. I could definitely get a lot of use out of this type of feature.
+300

by Willow H.R. Harper
on 2023-09-04 19:10
+300

by NovaTerra
on 2023-09-04 18:46
+300

by JoellaKay
on 2023-09-04 18:24
+100

by Scalenex
on 2023-09-04 18:18
+300

by SanguineStories
on 2023-09-04 17:33
+300

by Shonuff
on 2023-09-04 16:27
+300

by SixPathsSage
on 2023-09-04 15:31

Community Suggestion: Allow Family Tress to Display Descendants and Ancestors of Characters

Allow Family Tress to Display Descendants and Ancestors of Characters

What functionality is missing? What is unsatisfying with the current situation?

How does this feature request address the current situation?

What are other uses for this feature request?

The Team's Response

155/300 Votes · +37507 points

Votes Cast

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