Vanilla Forum Migration Status Update 6/22/15

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Comments

  • frtoaster
    frtoaster Posts: 2,566 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    gulberat wrote: »
    Huh...not sure what to say there, since it looks like all 77 of my thread starts are being counted.

    Wait, my post count just increased by about 350 after I started a new discussion. I still think some posts aren't being counted though. If I recall correctly, my old post count was around 2600.

    In any case, it looks like old links are quite bugged.

    http://perfectworld.vanillaforums.com/discussion/1190650/old-links-not-redirecting-properly

    I think they might have be able to solve the redirection issue from the old Perfect World forums. I'm less certain about redirects from Cryptic's old forums. Quotes made on the old forums before the migration are even more problematic.
    frtoaster wrote: »
    I think I've figured out what's happening with the quote to adjudicatorhawk's post. The old and new post IDs are completely different. Quotes from before the forum migration still contain the old post IDs, but Vanilla is treating them like new post IDs. This particular example gives a 404 Not Found, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are quotes with links that go to completely unrelated posts.
  • qziqza
    qziqza Posts: 969 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    Is there any way to change the format for our #profile comments listing? Mine is currently showing the full quote i have replied too, rather than a single line of the quoted post, and then my comment. Also, the options i find available at the bottom of each comment box, are taking me to the 1st post of the thread, or, the top of the page the post i quoted is on.. Is that how its meant to work? Or am I just showing my age, my failing mind, and an inability to learn new tricks so maybe just missing something very obvious?

    regards
    Post edited by qziqza on
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  • frtoaster
    frtoaster Posts: 2,566 Arc User
    Edit 2: Links in my post are white text. They use to be blue by default on the STO forums so you can see it's something you can actually click on.

    It's even worse in comment previews: links are white on a white background. Also, I'm not sure I like the new hash-tag feature. Many of my posts contain ticket numbers preceded by the # sign. The first part of my ticket numbers are being treated as hash-tags, which is not my intention at all.
  • frtoaster
    frtoaster Posts: 2,566 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    Another privacy issue:

    http://perfectworld.vanillaforums.com/discussion/1190654/ip-addresses-revealed-in-comments

    I'm not sure how they let this one through.
  • frtoaster
    frtoaster Posts: 2,566 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    frtoaster wrote: »
    And what happened to the Tribble and Redshirt forums?

    ...

    EDIT: Never mind. I found the Tribble and Redshirt forums. I didn't see the tiny child categories.

    Actually, I spoke too soon. You can't view the Tribble and Redshirt forums if you're not logged in. See also

    http://perfectworld.vanillaforums.com/discussion/8404/cant-view-community-events-and-patch-notes-unless-you-are-logged-in

    Why are you restricting certain content to logged-in users only? Or did you not even the test the forums while logged out?
  • khamseenair
    khamseenair Posts: 345 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    eiledon wrote: »
    daveyny wrote: »
    I'm not liking that I have to scroll all the way back to the top of a thread to get to the next page...
    <grumble..., grumble..., grumble...>
    B)

    If you use greasemonkey, add the following user script to re-enable the hidden bottom pagination block, at least until they get their formatting sorted

    // ==UserScript==
    // @name VanillaStuff
    // @namespace Eiledon
    // @include */discussion/*
    // ==/UserScript==

    document.getElementById("PagerAfter").style.display = "inline-block";

    Thank you for this! That was driving me up the wall.
    frtoaster wrote: »
    Or did you not even the test the forums while logged out?

    Yeah, whenever I do any forum upgrade work I use a testing account set to have no administrative abilities to make sure no normal users have access to anything they shouldn't. As well as logging out and making sure guests can't access anything they're not supposed to. Between IP addresses being viewable to guests and PM threads being spread around, I'm not feeling great about this transition so far.

    Though to be fair, until today, I never thought I'd miss VB.
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    Get the Forums Enhancement Extension!</center>
  • opkossy
    opkossy Posts: 11,177 Community Moderator
    edited June 2015
    Well PWE has been using a very old version of vB as well, so that didn't help matters much. So far, Vanilla has been worth than just giving us an early 2000s InvisionFree forum, though.... and that's saying something.
    (Insert fancy image here)
    image
  • foley3k
    foley3k Posts: 346 Arc User
    So many bugs in these forums so I will post here.
    1. When you click quote, maybe have it focus on the comment box? For me, when I click it, the page just jumps a little, and have to scroll down to see the comments box.
    2. When I hit back button on browser, it just reloads the page, or goes to another thread. At one point every time I hit back button, it went up one page on the thread (never clicked the page # at all, but still went there ie page 14, page 15 page 16 then went back to where I wanted to go)
    3. When I click a thread title, it brings me to the last page. Would make more sense to bring you to the first page wouldnt it?
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  • guljarol
    guljarol Posts: 469 Arc User
    foley3k wrote: »
    3. When I click a thread title, it brings me to the last page. Would make more sense to bring you to the first page wouldnt it?

    I think this is a not working attempt to bring you to the last unread post (could be first in the thread, could be 246th). "Not working" are the key words.

  • jaazaniah1
    jaazaniah1 Posts: 722 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    Testing to see if I can post. Strange. Can post from IE but not from Firefox?
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  • khamseenair
    khamseenair Posts: 345 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    It'd be nice if they also set the 'posts per page' down to 15 or 20 again. 30 per page is a little much on the scrolling, especially in those threads where people are trying to kill you with walls of text mixed into the tones of grey it's a headache trying to make heads or tails of it.
    <center>Ciaran%20Sig.jpg
    Join date is wrong, I've actually been around since STO Beta.
    True alters don't have a "main". Account wide unlocks for all unique event rewards!!
    Check my GitHub for details on STO forum themes: https://github.com/khamseen/PWEVan
    Get the Forums Enhancement Extension!</center>
  • tfcz
    tfcz Posts: 20
    30 per page is a little much on the scrolling
    Especially considering that, once you reached the bottom of the page you will have to scroll back up to go to the next page.
    This is a new account I had to create, because the old one does not work with the new forums. :/
  • khamseenair
    khamseenair Posts: 345 Arc User
    tfcz wrote: »
    30 per page is a little much on the scrolling
    Especially considering that, once you reached the bottom of the page you will have to scroll back up to go to the next page.

    I'm now using this workaround that eiledon posted on the last page. It's very nice having the buttons at the bottom back.
    eiledon wrote: »
    If you use greasemonkey, add the following user script to re-enable the hidden bottom pagination block, at least until they get their formatting sorted

    // ==UserScript==
    // @name VanillaStuff
    // @namespace Eiledon
    // @include */discussion/*
    // ==/UserScript==

    document.getElementById("PagerAfter").style.display = "inline-block";
    <center>Ciaran%20Sig.jpg
    Join date is wrong, I've actually been around since STO Beta.
    True alters don't have a "main". Account wide unlocks for all unique event rewards!!
    Check my GitHub for details on STO forum themes: https://github.com/khamseen/PWEVan
    Get the Forums Enhancement Extension!</center>
  • ixionveridian
    ixionveridian Posts: 387 Arc User
    These forums are definitely going to take some getting used to. I guess this is all the price of progress though.

    Now it's time to get back to The Metrix Online... err, I mean, STO.
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  • justawitness
    justawitness Posts: 84 Arc User
    I really wish RaiderZ had their forums up

    Face piles of trials with smiles.
  • lewstelamon01
    lewstelamon01 Posts: 15,946 Arc User
    I really wish RaiderZ had their forums up

    It'll get there. I'm hoping for next Tuesday (Star Trek reference...)


    ROLL TIDE ROLL
  • kozar2
    kozar2 Posts: 601 Arc User
    If the goal of these bi-annual forum migrations is to keep getting uglier and less user friendly then I tip my hat to you Cryptic.
    Small Print
    Cryptic and it's employees never make mistakes. To point one out, is to invite points and banning of your account for flaming, as you were obviously lying.

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  • frtoaster
    frtoaster Posts: 2,566 Arc User
    kozar2 wrote: »
    If the goal of these bi-annual forum migrations is to keep getting uglier and less user friendly then I tip my hat to you Cryptic.

    To be fair, I doubt that Cryptic had any say in this. It was probably an order from an executive at PWE, and I doubt any Cryptic staff were involved in the technical work.
  • lordhavelock
    lordhavelock Posts: 2,461 Arc User
    Here are my first impressions/thoughts on the new forum:

    * I can't find the Dev Tracker.

    * Default text is too small.

    * Colors of the whole forum is dark/bland with low contrasting backgrounds.

    * No color options when making a new post. Apparently we can use coding if we know it?

    * It's difficult to tell where quoted text and new message body begin/end.

    * It's even more difficult to tell when message body ends and signature begins.

    * Avatars are too small (hard to see).

    * Signature pictures are too big. Yes, I know I can adjust settings to remove sigpics, but I don't want to get rid of them entirely. IIRC, previously there was a 150x500 pixel limit and four lines of text, and that seemed appropriate, can something like that be enforced here?

    * The Flag/Quote options are not buttons and are difficult to see. They are single-word links with nothing to make them stand out as links (ie no bolding, no different colors, no underlines, no button graphics/pix).

    * Old links to articles/posts/threads no longer work. How can we find that important information?

    * How can I change the number of posts per page?

    * When I scroll to the bottom of a page, I don't see a Next or Forward button, or any other option to select the next page. I have to scroll back to the top to queue forward.
    *
    * There's no post number. So I can't be making a reply in a thread and say, hey, look back to post #xx.

    * There doesn't appear to be a way to multi-quote multiple posts in one response.

    * Posts don't have a time/year stamp, only date.

    * No "New Posts" link so I can see any new posts that have been added.

    * Dev names don't show up in Bolded Yellow.

    * I don't have my Forum Titles (like my LTS Career Officer or my Delta Rising Operations Pack DQ Ambassador).

    * When writing a post, the format is not WYSIWYG, and the Preview button doesn't seem to work right... I guess it's a preview, but it still isn't quite what is actually going to be viewed when the post is done.

    jIBJh7X.jpg
    When XP earnings during a Double-XP Weekend still feel like I'm underperforming,
    there's something terribly wrong with the reward system...

    You can find/contact me in game as @PatricianVetinari. Original Join Date: Feb 2010.
  • krittycat
    krittycat Posts: 4,187 Community Moderator
    edited June 2015
    Here are my first impressions/thoughts on the new forum:

    * I can't find the Dev Tracker.

    I don't believe they have one set up. Remember, this forum wasn't used for many larger games until now, so there are some things that will need to be worked on or added.
    * Default text is too small.

    That's a matter of opinion. The text size, for me, is perfectly fine, the text color is the issue.
    * Colors of the whole forum is dark/bland with low contrasting backgrounds.

    This I agree with. They went from forums with highly customized backgrounds and pages to this bland mess.
    * No color options when making a new post. Apparently we can use coding if we know it?

    Correct. Using the BBCode for color will allow you to use colors in your posts. Also, some members of the forums are working on a CSS injection that will add more options to the post box.
    * It's difficult to tell where quoted text and new message body begin/end.

    Agreed. Again, as ridiculous as it may sound, forum users are working on fixing this.
    * It's even more difficult to tell when message body ends and signature begins.

    Fixed with the CSS injection created by nrglg.
    * Avatars are too small (hard to see).

    Also fixed by nrglg's CSS injection.
    * Signature pictures are too big. Yes, I know I can adjust settings to remove sigpics, but I don't want to get rid of them entirely. IIRC, previously there was a 150x500 pixel limit and four lines of text, and that seemed appropriate, can something like that be enforced here?

    Right now, the admins are kind of busy with the migration process. I would assume this is something that will be focused on after the process is complete, and guidelines can be officially set up for all the forums that are now part of this page.
    * The Flag/Quote options are not buttons and are difficult to see. They are single-word links with nothing to make them stand out as links (ie no bolding, no different colors, no underlines, no button graphics/pix).

    Again, matter of preference.
    * Old links to articles/posts/threads no longer work. How can we find that important information?

    The only way to find that information is to manually search for it... We were warned that the migration would likely break links, since the forum uses a different system for thread IDs that vB.
    * How can I change the number of posts per page?

    As of right now, there's no option for it. I agree that there does need to be one, though.
    * When I scroll to the bottom of a page, I don't see a Next or Forward button, or any other option to select the next page. I have to scroll back to the top to queue forward.

    Fixed with nrglg's CSS injection.
    * There's no post number. So I can't be making a reply in a thread and say, hey, look back to post #xx.

    That's probably a forum limitation... If you want to reference a post, Quote it. If you're referencing it in a different thread, Quote it, Copy the output from the box, then Paste it in the box for whatever thread you're attempting to reference it in. The >> beside the poster's name in the Quote will take the user back to the post in whatever thread it's in.
    * There doesn't appear to be a way to multi-quote multiple posts in one response.

    Just click Quote on each post. It will add them to the box at the bottom of the page, and you can respond to each Quote in kind.
    * Posts don't have a time/year stamp, only date.

    Strange, I don't see a date on the posts themselves. I only see a time. Or are you referring to older posts?
    * No "New Posts" link so I can see any new posts that have been added.

    "Discussions" is the link that will take you to the list of threads that have recently been posted in. Then, just click on the link to the latest post, and it'll take you to the newest posts of the thread.
    * Dev names don't show up in Bolded Yellow.

    This is something that will probably be taken care of when the forum migration is complete. There are higher priorities right now than getting name colors/titles changed. After all forums are migrated, I expect them to get moderators, devs, and admins all clearly marked.
    * I don't have my Forum Titles (like my LTS Career Officer or my Delta Rising Operations Pack DQ Ambassador).

    Same answer as above. Wait until the forum migration is fully complete, so that the admins have a chance to take care of some of the more mundane things.
    * When writing a post, the format is not WYSIWYG, and the Preview button doesn't seem to work right... I guess it's a preview, but it still isn't quite what is actually going to be viewed when the post is done.

    As cliche as it sounds, the forums are still a WIP. In the meanwhile, using nrglg's CSS injector will assist in making the forums more usable. :smiley:
  • eiledon
    eiledon Posts: 228 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    Someone mentioned to me in game that they couldnt see how to unhide categories once hidden and after looking I couldnt see a linked way of doing it, but if you click on the following link it will show all categories again

    http://www.arcgames.com/en/forums#/categories/?ShowAllCategories=true

    You can then unhide the ones you want using the category settings cog, and use the following link to go back to previous view of showing only your selected categories

    http://www.arcgames.com/en/forums#/categories/?ShowAllCategories=false

  • gulberat
    gulberat Posts: 400 Arc User
    eiledon wrote: »
    Someone mentioned to me in game that they couldnt see how to unhide categories once hidden and after looking I couldnt see a linked way of doing it, but if you click on the following link it will show all categories again

    http://www.arcgames.com/en/forums#/categories/?ShowAllCategories=true

    You can then unhide the ones you want using the category settings cog, and use the following link to go back to previous view of showing only your selected categories

    http://www.arcgames.com/en/forums#/categories/?ShowAllCategories=false

    Thanks, do you mind if I copy this into my New Forum Survival Tips thread?

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  • eiledon
    eiledon Posts: 228 Arc User
    gulberat wrote: »

    Thanks, do you mind if I copy this into my New Forum Survival Tips thread?

    Not at all seems like the right place to keep it :wink:

  • gulberat
    gulberat Posts: 400 Arc User
    eiledon wrote: »
    gulberat wrote: »

    Thanks, do you mind if I copy this into my New Forum Survival Tips thread?

    Not at all seems like the right place to keep it :wink:

    Thanks...done! :)

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  • lordhavelock
    lordhavelock Posts: 2,461 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    KrittyCat, thanks for the itemized reply. Of course, I realize that there is still work to be done. Just as much of what I listed is subjective in nature (I did say they were MY first impressions).
    krittycat wrote: »
    Fixed with the CSS injection created by nrglg.
    You refer to this a few times in your reply. I don't understand this reply? What is a CSS injection and who is nrglg? Link, please?
    krittycat wrote: »
    * Posts don't have a time/year stamp, only date.

    Strange, I don't see a date on the posts themselves. I only see a time. Or are you referring to older posts?

    After looking around more, it seems that if a post occurred earlier in the same day, the forum shows it with the time it was posted, whereas if it was posted on a previous day then a date is shown (but no time). It would be my preference to see both date and time on all posts.
    krittycat wrote: »
    "Discussions" is the link that will take you to the list of threads that have recently been posted in. Then, just click on the link to the latest post, and it'll take you to the newest posts of the thread.

    Ah, yeah, I found that. Unfortunately it's a jumbled mix of discussions from multiple games, most of which I don't play, so this will not be useful to me. I would prefer if there were a way to see new posts in the game(s) I'm interested in (which is basically just STO... Though I have played CO, I've not done so/or visited their forums since last year).
    gulberat wrote: »
    ...Thanks, do you mind if I copy this into my New Forum Survival Tips thread?

    Gulberat, will you please post a link here to your "Survival Tips" thread?
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    When XP earnings during a Double-XP Weekend still feel like I'm underperforming,
    there's something terribly wrong with the reward system...

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  • comrademoco
    comrademoco Posts: 592 Arc User
    edited June 2015
    I'm just wondering, which version/plan of Vanilla is PWE using... so far it seems like they are using the VIP plan... just curiosity... :smiley:

    EDIT: NVM seems like some of the features available to VIP mode aren't here, which leads me to think, they are turned off or PWE is using another plan... :/
  • gulberat
    gulberat Posts: 400 Arc User
    Here is the New Forum Survival Tips thread as requested: http://perfectworld.vanillaforums.com/discussion/8368/new-forum-survival-tips

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  • bluegrassbeast
    bluegrassbeast Posts: 1,111 Arc User
    Any word whenthe CO Forums will be back up?

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  • lordhavelock
    lordhavelock Posts: 2,461 Arc User
    gulberat wrote: »
    Here is the New Forum Survival Tips thread as requested: http://perfectworld.vanillaforums.com/discussion/8368/new-forum-survival-tips

    Thanks!
    jIBJh7X.jpg
    When XP earnings during a Double-XP Weekend still feel like I'm underperforming,
    there's something terribly wrong with the reward system...

    You can find/contact me in game as @PatricianVetinari. Original Join Date: Feb 2010.
  • eiledon
    eiledon Posts: 228 Arc User
    Ah, yeah, I found that. Unfortunately it's a jumbled mix of discussions from multiple games, most of which I don't play, so this will not be useful to me. I would prefer if there were a way to see new posts in the game(s) I'm interested in (which is basically just STO... Though I have played CO, I've not done so/or visited their forums since last year).

    If you go to categories page, hover over the categories you don't want to see and when the cog icon appears, click hide (repeat this for everything you dont want to see), when you next go to discussions only those from categories you have visible are displayed (well as far as i can tell)

Categories