Castlevania Dungeon Forums
Off Topic => Off Topic => Topic started by: Jorge D. Fuentes on June 03, 2014, 08:03:51 AM
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For the last month or so, both the Forums and the Site have been riddled with connection problems.
Because of this, I've been looking into a new host to house the Dungeon and the Boards.
Siteground has been recommended so I'm looking into it, but if anyone knows of others, or has an input, we're open to it.
Been getting kind of sick of the board being down and upon complaining, nothing gets done until two days later. It's free hosting... but you get what you pay for, I suppose. We're thinking of something affordable that can hold us and our site.
Again, input is welcome.
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We could always go back to forumplanet (dohohoho)
But in all seriousness, good luck. These outages are pretty annoying, since it's turning into a weekly thing.
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yup, its definitely time to reboot the dungeon. as long as u back up all the info instead of restoring it to factory settings we should be good
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We also have to consider the site's functionality. Wherever we end up going, we need to make sure the forum software will let us keep the "award" system, topic rating, and all the other little bells and whistles we enjoy, though depending on what the members say we might be able to do without some. Like Crisis-sama mentioned, we also have to back up all our stuff, too.
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I agree. I love all those little things so please don't remove them.
It is time to move but I don't know which host to choose.
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We're not changing forum software.
We're just picking up the folders and rerouting them to another, more reliable host.
However, this also means we will have to start paying for hosting. At the risk of sounding dickish, you guys might want to allow AdBlock to place ads. Not that we have 'em.... wait, do we? I forget. xD
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You are going to make sure that the ads are the non-intrusive kind, right?
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Yup. Just something at the top and something at the bottom. I don't think there'll be anything taking over the page or doing a pop-up or anything like that.
Then again, the ad thing is gonna be handled by Kurt.
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i have no idea how servers or sites work..but i have notice a major amount of lag when i am on here as compared to other sites. And yeah Vlad CT is right..alot of unwanted pop ups. Could be the fact their are a bazillion threads..I dunno..but if you do decided to move the forum..if so,please hit me up.
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Yup. Just something at the top and something at the bottom. I don't think there'll be anything taking over the page or doing a pop-up or anything like that.
oh boy thats how it usually starts.. just a small ad or 2, nothing too big. a year later another ad banner appears the side,policy changes, etc. its a slippery slope my friend :-\
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If it's a matter of money, why not set up a donation system for the forum?
I'm sure that a lot of us would be willing to pitch in a little for a better running forum.
You could have some sort of perks for sustaining members.
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That could be fine, I suppose.
I'd have to see what can be done for donation perks.
Ideas?
(note: you can't buy moderator/admin ranks, nor will you be able to take away other people's rights with your perks, keep that in mind when thinking of perks)
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You are going to make sure that the ads are the non-intrusive kind, right?
Yeah, those are a pain in the ass. ACE had to but ads back up on Inc. due to being out of work, and all that's there are the intrusive kind. I've been really tempted to turn AdBlock back on, but if it's the only way the poor guy's keeping the site afloat...
As for donation perks...I can't really think of any that make sense. If we had like a staff lounge of sorts, I could see donation giving access, but we don't, and it's not like anything terribly interesting would go on in the private boards (you higher-ups DO have one or two of those, right?). And it's not like the site downloads cost an arm and a leg, either, so that's out.
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here's an idea: instead of those hearts underneath our usernames, if u donate x amount, they can be upgraded to different icons, such as axes, medusa heads, bats, etc. this will separate the wealthy from the commoners accordingly
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Heh, I'd be okay with that.
This is America, after all. Like this lovely country, we should, naturally, have an obvious divide of caste sys- I mean, social classes.
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Or only sustaining members can create threads. That's pretty simple and effective.
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I think we can come to a mutually beneficial arrangement with the equally fine folks at Seriously!
http://forums.seriouszone.com/showthread.php?t=65031 (http://forums.seriouszone.com/showthread.php?t=65031)
In a nutshell Seriously! is looking for clients interested in some fairly cheap hosting that will help offset their own hosting costs and the Dungeon is looking for a cheaper host right?. If the CV dungeon decides to host the site on Seriously! own hosting service, I can see this being a win-win situation. Seriously! gets their hosting cost reduced and the CV Dungeon gets a nice, stable, feature rich and cheap host.
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Or only sustaining members can create threads. That's pretty simple and effective.
That would be unfair to people who might have info but don't have the right to share.
If that's the case, I'm all for crisis's suggestion.
Maybe Jorge can take a look at FireSeraphim's suggestion.
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Shouldn't we keep the donations on a volunteer-only basis, at least for the time being? Allowing special forum options for sustaining members might prejudice those users who do care about the forum, but don't necessarily feel like donating. At best, a special award for contribution could work -- but those heart icons are one of the most noticeable parts of a member's profile (and reflect post count and mod status), so conspicuously flaunting the "I have different icons because I paid" message might not be a very good idea.
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I'm just brain storming here.
I thought that only allowing sustaining members to create threads would be a good way to keep people from spamming on the forum. A lot of people come here just to plug their projects and then they dip out, or barely post in other topics. Remember that non-sustaining members could still post in threads, just not create them. Simply making a thread called "Castlevania News and Rumors" would create an outlet for non sustaining members to post their info. So really, nothing would be lost. I feel like this would keep the unwanted material out more than it would keep the wanted material from getting in.
Of course donations would be on a volunteer basis only. But that doesn't mean that the forum shouldn't give a member some sort of incentive or appreciation for making a donation. I think at very least, sustaining members should get an award as a thank you for their investment. That's only being polite.
But again, I'm just brain storming!
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Having a donator's only section is going to create the same problem as a VIP section.
They should get a special award and rank title/image, but nothing like special sections.
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I love reading through this forum, posting on it, and occasionally starting a new topic. I'd hate to lose that if I'm unable to give a donation. (And, with the recent and soon to come events happening in my life (heart failure and new baby...I'll have a few new topics to start shortly) my budget is and will be...struggling for a bit. :-/
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Yeah. Making the forum set so that only donators can post would kill it faster than turning it into the ADOLF HITLER FAN CLUB forum.
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I would never ever make a forum where only donators can create threads.
That's... class warfare!
However, here's what I WOULD be down with:
-Adding little things to your profile and/or side (like shiny Diamonds/ReboundStones on your profile, similar to the axes/crosses/holywaters the admin/moderation team has)
-Having an Award for Donators.
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what do i get if i send you one of my SotN handhelds & a lock of IGA's hair? o.o;;
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Hahaha. At least my idea for the donations isn't being shut down completely.
I think the thread rights idea seems a lot worse than it actually would be, but I can see why a lot of you seem to think that it's going too far. I was only throwing that out there. :P
A of token of appreciation that recognizes who sustaining members are is a good way to go.
How about some CV dungeon swag like coffee mugs? I would be all over that. :)
what do i get if i send you one of my SotN handhelds & a lock of IGA's hair? o.o;;
If someone wants a SOTN handheld, I have one I am very willing to sell. PM me. If you're looking for IGA DNA, I can only help with a number for a therapist. LOL
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How about some CV dungeon swag like coffee mugs? I would be all over that. :)
"Castlevania" is trademarked.
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Yeah, that was a joke.
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"Castlevania" is trademarked.
Reverend Uzo coffee mugs, t-shirts, and "101 Reasons Your Sprite/Game/Etc. Sucks" pamphlets.
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I mentioned this in another thread, but maybe special emoticons for paying users, like :bat: or :medusa: might be a good incentive.
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Reverend Uzo coffee mugs
I want royalties.
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Naturally.
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I think we can come to a mutually beneficial arrangement with the equally fine folks at Seriously!
http://forums.seriouszone.com/showthread.php?t=65031 (http://forums.seriouszone.com/showthread.php?t=65031)
In a nutshell Seriously! is looking for clients interested in some fairly cheap hosting that will help offset their own hosting costs and the Dungeon is looking for a cheaper host right?. If the CV dungeon decides to host the site on Seriously! own hosting service, I can see this being a win-win situation. Seriously! gets their hosting cost reduced and the CV Dungeon gets a nice, stable, feature rich and cheap host.
Wow! way to ignore me guys.
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We haven't moved yet. You weren't ignored.
However, after weighing in options, we decided to go with SiteGround, as it came highly recommended as tried and true.
Your link was interesting, but it linked to a message board post, whereas other solutions posted from other members with websites came in the form of .com URL's with pricepoints, etc.
Nothing is set in stone, though, as we can do another move later should the tides switch.
We tried to move last week but issues happened. We will try again in a few days.