FEEDBACK - Forum upgrades?

andreww38

So...this version of Vanilla forums is a little old and we're in the process of upgrading it, making it faster, reducing server load.

This is also pretty much the bare bones version of Vanilla, though it does have custom single sign-on code, so you only login once at obsidianportal and you're logged into the forum.

As we're upgrading the forum software, we're also open to putting in plugins that will make life easier and better for all in the seven kingdoms.

This is what I am hearing is useful from some of you:

1) poll/voting plugins - make it easier to run COTM/COTY, get feedback on features/stuff being proposed

2) Forum signatures: Some might like copy-pasting your sig for every post. The other 99% don't.

3) Easier image embed. This can be done with textile, but it feels like you're writing code (and doing homework) every time you want to embed an image.

4) Post popularity / post likes: Show your appreciation for quality posts (especially tutorial ones where the original poster (OP) might've worked on it for days). This might also show a "reputation" or popularity rating on their forum user profile.

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We might put these in one at a time, or a few at a time. We don't want to go crazy, put 50 plugins in for the sake of having a lot of stuff (which would run counter to the point of trying to improve the forums).

There is a directory of Vanilla plugins "here":https://vanillaforums.org/addon/browse/plugins.

I can't guarantee every suggestion will make it in, but if it will make life easier, better for all, we'll certainly make it so.

Ok, suggest away.

andreww38

Also, do you guys prefer the way the forum is displayed now, showing latest posts first? (the number of stickies kinda take away from the usefullness of it)

or would you prefer that we displayed "categories":http://forums.obsidianportal.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=4127&page=1#Item_27 as the default view, so the content is more segregated?

If there is a change in the default view, we'll do it during the forum upgrade + plugin installs. (You will still be able to manually change it back to the latest post view now, even if we change)

Kallak

My opinions on the items listed:

1. I'm open to this, but it's not something I feel like is needed per se. I sort of like the idea that you don't get to see the COTM/COTY until it is presented. Maybe if it comes with the option from the poster to make the current tally visible or not.

2. Yes, I think forum signatures are LONG overdue. I think that especially until the forum and website profile pages are more properly linked, having links to campaigns, and such in the signature is very helpful.

3. I don't think the image embed for textile is hard as much as I think most people don't know how to do it. It just recently appeared in another topic how to do it, so I'll be interested in seeing if people are doing it more now

4. This I think would be cool. Would have to go back and vote up lots of older stuff, but totally worth it

5. I think categories would be good, with new posts at the top under section stickies.

I do think a bit more organization to the forums (IE sections) would work out.

GamingMegaverse

How about making the site usable on the most popular gaming day first- the errors are ridiculously high

NikMak

) yes

2) yes please!

3) um... ok, if you think its needed

4) yes please

kettle

These are some great ideas and I like all of them. Anything that improves the ability to expand/enhance the community would be welcomed. The best thing about Obsidian Portal is the community.

Kettle
"Rise of the Dead COTM June 2013":https://rise-of-the-dead.obsidianportal.com/wikis/main-page

GamingMegaverse

1 No polls- it has been obvious that past polls for COTY have been ballot stuffed.
2 Forum signatures are overdue
3 A simple image embed button would make it easier for people- but personally would rather have links than pictures (my personal preference)
4 Some sort of like, plus, etc would be cool- although poster rankings is not what this community has ever been about, so would prefer not having that.
killervp
"A God...Rebuilt":https://a-god-rebuilt.obsidianportal.com

ChainsawXIV

All those would be useful plugins I think. As I recall, there are also options available for WYSIWYG editing, which might make the forums a little more approachable for less technical folks and improve participation.

I agree with Killervp that the ideal "like" plugin is one that's just about showing appreciation for a particular post and not about tallying up a score or reputation or whatever for the user who posted it.

And Killer, I know for a fact they're working on the issues, but it's a team of people. They can do more than one thing at a time, and planning for the future is just, well... good planning. From setting up Vanilla forums myself in the past, adding plugins is hardly even a task anyway, once things are up to date. I'll happily take some easy wins. :)

GamingMegaverse

Ok, will back off of that- but it is frustrating that some of the issues have existed before they even took over, and it seems each time they make a fix something else breaks- now it is email notifications.
(edit) and tags as well are broken.
killervp
"A God...Rebuilt":https://a-god-rebuilt.obsidianportal.com

ChainsawXIV

Don't know about the tags issue, but the email thing is related to the mass mail about the outage, as I understand it. I guess emailing every OP user ever, twice, hit the cap on emails, and it hasn't reset yet. I gather that will correct itself in the immediate future.

andreww38

(off topic) Email notifications, tags being worked on. Will have an update (and hopefully fixes) by Tuesday morning.

Maesenko

Answering now that I've had time to look over, think on it.

1) Poll/voting plugins - NO. As killervp said, they have tended to be stuffed ballots before. Although a chunk of that was poor coding and user recognition, so if that's fixed, then MAYBE.
2) Forum Signatures - YES. A thousand times, YES. Even if mine is easy to type, it would save so much cumulative time not to have to do it manually.
3) Easier image embed - YES. I'm fine with the way is now, but I would also be just as likely (or more so) if I could click and go. Doubly so if I can also load them to/from my campaign/account.
4a) Post Likes - YES. See below.
4b) Post popularity - NO. This site has always been a community, not a bunch of randoms who troll on the internet looking for lulz and meaningless feel-good rep.
5) Categories - YES. While I read every forum thread on here, the existing categories function often isn't well-noticed, it seems. Proper division and subsections may help with that. And I still like latest post view.

As Always,
_~Mae_

andreww38

An update from the tech team talking to Micah recently:

This version of Vanilla (circa 2013 or earlier) was the one Micah wrote a lot of custom code for (including the unified/single sign-in so you just sign in once at obsidianportal.com and you're logged in here).

Since then Vanilla core engine has evolved quite a bit, so we can't do a straight upgrade, a lot of the custom code might break, threads might not import correctly, the ground might open up, etc.

His suggestion is that we move to a new forum software and also reverse engineer the single sign-on and other custom code.

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This means that the simplest solution now is to stay with what is here now, though plugins, just about all of which are written for the new vanilla engine, will not work here.

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I've noted the opinions and preferences posted above and see what we can do about the forum overhaul once the bulk of bug fixes, support tickets have been cleared.

Our tech team is aware of the need to preserve as much of the useful content, include tutorials, discussions about gamecraft, etc, if and when we move to a new forum platform.

Maesenko

Throw it all into the Internet Archive's "Wayback Machine":http://archive.org/web/web.php as a backup and later direct link it if you can't import?

But yeah, I figured the most likely scenario would be completely new forum software.

As Always,
_~Mae_

weasel0

I love vBulletin. Seems to be a decent standard across a lot of sites. One I just most recently ran across is Discourse. Works quite a bit differently from vBulletin but seems to be more similar to how this version of Vanilla is in appearance anyway.

SkidAce

Speaking of forums, we do all our play by post via the campaign forums. Which visitors to the campaign used to be able to browse and read.

Any chance of getting a toggle in the setting for viewing of the forums?

Not each thread individually, that would be a nightmare, just a simple"?" on or off so non-members of the campaign can read our adventures like they used to.

ChainsawXIV

I actually like Vanilla quite a bit for forums, and it seems like whatever we end up with they'll have to update the single sign on support. Might be easier to upgrade it for compatibility with later versions of vanilla than doing something for a whole new setup.

And I like that idea for the campaign forums SkidAce.

weasel0

I was just building off of what Andreww said Micah's suggestions were.

Also, 3rding SkidAce's proposal.

Basileus

Another "yes" to SkidAce's point. The current restriction makes it harder to run a PbP campaign - either no one can see what is happening, or you have to use some contrived method of using adventure logs as "live" forums.

I believe in the past when we asked about this we were told it would require too much mucking about with the code - hopefully that's not still the case.

EDIT: Or you can do what tabletop GMs do and do periodic summaries, but those are probably much fewer and far between with PbP (either due to slower pace, or because of murkier distinctions between "sessions").

GamingMegaverse

The forums used to public if your game was public pre-Reforge, if I remember correctly.
killervp
"A God...Rebuilt":https://a-god-rebuilt.obsidianportal.com