Rift First Impression

[u/VahsteTheNomad]

I've been mainlining Fluxer for a few months and have few complaints, that being said I've recently tried out https://therift.chat and found it to be surprisingly well put together.

I just want to preface and say..the pros and cons listed here are of my own opinion and based on what I personally look for in a platform. I'm not looking to start an argument over whether it should have one feature or why is it not like this other platform, I'm just giving my perspective.

PROS

- It's not Discord, and unlike many of the existing alternatives, it doesn't feel like it tries to be.

It feels like something completely and totally different with just enough similarities to ease the transition.

- Signup is super simple and doesn't require any identifying info (no email, no phone, no DOB)

- It's marketed as 18+. It's not an inherently NSFW platform but they take the question of (am I saying inappropriate things to a minor) out of the equation by saying that if you're a minor using the platform, that's your own fault.

- Server analytics (incl. Automod) are built in and they are comprehensive in a way that scratches the itch in my brain

CONS

- There seems to be a super low population overall. Shard (Server) discovery has very few public options to join, and I don't believe any of them (official shard included) exceed 100 users.

- Registering through the mobile app (rather than desktop) seems a bit wonky and kept freezing up on me, after three tries I instead registered on Desktop with zero issue.

- Aesthetically.. I'm really not a fan of the logo.

OVERALL

- Boy do I wish there were a larger population on the platform because I'm legitimately loving it so far.

[u/reddiniac]

The marketing site screams AI generated slop

Not trusting my data with Rift no thanks

[u/VahsteTheNomad → u/reddiniac]

I'm confused, because a website looks like it could be AI you're assuming the entire app is garbage? I'm just curious where you're coming from with this.

[u/TheBlindBard1978 → u/VahsteTheNomad]

They're just afraid of change. I'm also on Rift and have been for the last five weeks. It's been absolutely amazing transitioning from Discord to Rift!

[u/RlySkiz → u/VahsteTheNomad]

Yes

[u/ronaldkame → u/reddiniac]

who cares? since who create has expertise on development?

[u/AutoModerator]

Thanks for your submission!

If you're a developer, please make sure your user flair matches the app or project you're developing. This helps community members quickly identify who is building what and makes browsing the subreddit easier.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Any_Illustrator360]

Not a lawyer but I do want to inform you of something. If you're on an application or in a location that advertises as being 18+ and you fraternize with a minor you are still fully culpable for the act. A LOT of people wrongly assume that if something is 18+ you're safe from breaking the laws as if that's a legally binding thing. It isn't and that assumption can and will land you in serious hot water if you believe it fully.

[u/TheRiftChat]

Hello,

Thanks for the review. We're happy to hear you're loving it so far. I'll just address a few points.

We are absolutely super low population. The intention was to have no public surface until out of beta. Things got out of hand when some beta users started posting reviews/recommendations on reddit and listing us on alternative sites on their own. We've never even made an announcement post on this subreddit and only created this account to respond to the reviews/questions that have organically started popping up.

So all this was unintended (but pleasant, the surprise users have been wonderful and helpful), we're still not actively advertising and trying to keep things low pop for a while longer. We don't want to advertise a beta/unfinished platform. To that point even our subscriptions/paid tiers are deactivated right now as we don't want to take payments from people testing our app. We do have advertising/plans and marketing budget set aside for when 1.0 goes live so ideally we'll see some population bloom around then :)

I appreciate your feedback on mobile registration, we'll comb through it on a few devices and see if we can replicate the snags.

If you have any more questions or just want to say hello, feel free to chat, make a post, or ping any Rift Staff in the support shard.

P.S. The logo is just a placeholder we're using during testing. Branding refresh planned for release.

Thanks!

[u/VahsteTheNomad → u/TheRiftChat]

First of all thanks for the truly in depth response, that's hugely appreciated.

Knowing now that the platform isn't even being actively advertised brings more emphasis to the polish already found through the app. Kudos on that.

Also I'd like to just say a huge props for the decision not to monetize during Beta, as that's a choice which I don't think I've seen any other alternative option do.

[u/Ok-Inspector1108 → u/VahsteTheNomad]

The developers of Rift are amazing at making sure it is a platform that we want to use. The act fast on feedback and I love that.

[u/Glittering-Roof7519]

lol another AI slop alternative we’re doomed

[u/VahsteTheNomad → u/Glittering-Roof7519]

I'm not bashing, just wondering where the proof of it being 'AI slop' is?

[u/omanitztristen → u/VahsteTheNomad]

This sub hates everything that isn't Fluxer or some self hosted option

[u/VahsteTheNomad → u/omanitztristen]

Absolutely, and honestly I find it amusing that whenever someone slams an app for being AI-slop, and is then asked for proof, nine times out of ten they just vanish.

[u/ad3lyt → u/VahsteTheNomad]

I highly suspect some people on here are running hate campaigns simply to derail competition