Welcome back!
Flayra
Game Director, Unknown Worlds EntertainmentSan Francisco Join Date: 2002-01-22 Member: 3Super Administrators, NS2 Developer, Subnautica Developer
<div class="IPBDescription">Site testing</div>Hey everyone,
If you're reading this, that means the site is "back". We're still testing things, but I wanted a formal place to welcome everyone back. It's been a long and somewhat unpleasant trip, but we made it.
I pray, hope and expect that that was the last time our forums ever go down for any substantial length of time. My goal is to provide a permanent home for NS players around the world, as well as a future home for our upcoming games.
Thanks for your patience guys!
-Charlie
If you're reading this, that means the site is "back". We're still testing things, but I wanted a formal place to welcome everyone back. It's been a long and somewhat unpleasant trip, but we made it.
I pray, hope and expect that that was the last time our forums ever go down for any substantial length of time. My goal is to provide a permanent home for NS players around the world, as well as a future home for our upcoming games.
Thanks for your patience guys!
-Charlie
Comments
<!--coloro:#FF0000--><span style="color:#FF0000"><!--/coloro-->EDIT: FLAYRA TURN YOUR AVATAR BACK ON<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->
But everything will be alright. :>
It's nice to see familiar names <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/asrifle.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::asrifle::" border="0" alt="asrifle.gif" />
I've had so much free time that I didn't know what to do. Good to be back
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Its nice to have forums again <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />
I would like to know. You have seriously damaged your community by cutting them off all this time, and It's clearly not acceptable.
NS is pretty much dead nowdays, in case you didnt know already.
Sorry for sounding harsh, but I've built 2 webapplications on my spare time during the last half year, and it took you 11 months or so to get the site back up which only needed some fixed security and improved performance. I can't say I'm impressed.
EDIT: Oh btw what's up with all these new awful icons? I do like the new AJAX-ified features though. In place edit is really handy.
i think i remember reading that the site had to be rebuilt from scratch or something.
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Unless the "Nexus" (or whatever) that is managing all players and accounts use something really awkward instead of a regular database then there's still nothing that justifies 11 months. I mean [big] chunks of the code should be able to get re-used (all view-templates for example), the main site really hasn't changed at all.
It's basiclly a rather simple CMS with a way to manage all players' accounts. Wouldn't be surprised if that security issue was Flay forgetting to use magic quotes on a SQL-query that allowed the "hacker" to make an SQL-injection to the database and gain admin access. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/confused-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="???" border="0" alt="confused-fix.gif" />
Considering it's only consti's it's pretty busy too, huzzah!
Wow nice one not giving a flying ###### about your main source of income (for the last 10 months or so at least) or the game that you're planning to build your future on. Smart move.
NS is pretty much dead nowdays, in case you didnt know already.
Sorry for sounding harsh, but I've built 2 webapplications on my spare time during the last half year, and it took you 11 months or so to get the site back up which only needed some fixed security and improved performance. I can't say I'm impressed.
EDIT: Oh btw what's up with all these new awful icons? I do like the new AJAX-ified features though. In place edit is really handy.
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Far as I can tell from your blog, your webapps aren't currently being used by a userbase in the hundreds of thousands. Nor can I see that you're doing it on a shoestring budget while trying to jumpstart a mini-development firm, having to visit potential investors on a day to day basis.
I can understand some hostility for not having at least an alternative for his community, but then attacking a forum system that seems to be working rather well? That seems a little self-righteous to me.
Lack of time is lack of time- and frankly, coris, NS wasn't a very good income, if you couldn't have seen that merely by reading his blog. He had to develop Zen of Sudoku, which required planning and processwork of its own, to actually start getting paychecks again.
Glad to see that you're making progress.
Also I can now get another chance at bugging FLayra about a name change for these new forums <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin-fix.gif" />
Far as I can tell from your blog, your webapps aren't currently being used by a userbase in the hundreds of thousands. Nor can I see that you're doing it on a shoestring budget while trying to jumpstart a mini-development firm, having to visit potential investors on a day to day basis.
I can understand some hostility for not having at least an alternative for his community, but then attacking a forum system that seems to be working rather well? That seems a little self-righteous to me.
Lack of time is lack of time- and frankly, coris, NS wasn't a very good income, if you couldn't have seen that merely by reading his blog. He had to develop Zen of Sudoku, which required planning and processwork of its own, to actually start getting paychecks again.
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The userbase of my webapps (that aren't even linked to on that blog since they aren't officially launched yet, only finished) doesn't make my points invalid, nor have they got anything to do with my knowledge of webbapps.
I only complained about some of the icons on the forum (that are new) not on the forum itself (some of the new features are very nice and handy). With some minor work this forum will be as awesome as it used to be (like changing the backgroundcolour of the insert smiley box).
It also fails to make my point about the website taking ridiculously long to get back online (esp. if you consider how long the pt's have had access to it) and that Flayra actually <b>complained</b> about not having any money, yet not having a link to do a constiedonation on the "temporary site" or his blog.
I'm also glad that everything is back, but you can't treat your community just how you seem fit and then expect them to silently put up with it. I know that we should be grateful about Flayra putting three years of his life into NS yatta yatta, but that argument can't be applied to every time in every situation. If Flayra really wants NS:S to be a success he needs to take care of NS' current userbase - there's no denying that. And I must say that I feel this isn't the case.
The userbase of my webapps (that aren't even linked to on that blog since they aren't officially launched yet, only finished) doesn't make my points invalid, nor have they got anything to do with my knowledge of webbapps.
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Sure it does. If you're trying to protect against hackers- which for all you assume, Flayra himself knows nothing of how to do(or you at least imply), you must begin to think to yourself- out of the 600,000 people that played my mod on a daily basis, how many could be a decent hacker? A skilled one? Maybe even two or three that are truly 'talented' at it? User base has plenty to do with it.
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I only complained about some of the icons on the forum (that are new) not on the forum itself (some of the new features are very nice and handy). With some minor work this forum will be as awesome as it used to be (like changing the backgroundcolour of the insert smiley box).<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I will say, the new icons are a bid plain. Bring back scanlines! <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tounge.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":p" border="0" alt="tounge.gif" />
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It also fails to make my point about the website taking ridiculously long to get back online (esp. if you consider how long the pt's have had access to it) and that Flayra actually complained about not having any money, yet not having a link to do a constiedonation on the "temporary site" or his blog. <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I agree, yes, a constie donation link definately should have been up- but saying that money and business inquiries don't take up a significant amount of time, enough that yes, it would keep the forums down for 11 months, is rather naiive, if you ask me.
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I'm also glad that everything is back, but you can't treat your community just how you seem fit and then expect them to silently put up with it. I know that we should be grateful about Flayra putting three years of his life into NS yatta yatta, but that argument can't be applied to every time in every situation. If Flayra really wants NS:S to be a success he needs to take care of NS' current userbase - there's no denying that. And I must say that I feel this isn't the case.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
I'll agree with you there, at least, that more PR would definately have helped.
that's not true... community just stay in guest chamber since one year <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hive5.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::hive::" border="0" alt="hive5.gif" />
after "is time to evolve"... it's time to "reborn" (or <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/asrifle.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::asrifle::" border="0" alt="asrifle.gif" /> <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tiny.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::onos::" border="0" alt="tiny.gif" /> as u want)
lol internet
that is all.
And setting up a forum like Invision Board or phpbb isn't that hard. I've never tried to intergrate a pre forum with a regular site, but it shouldn't be too hard.
Can we please drop this discussion? 11 months was too long to fix some security holes, end of story.
Quaunaut, I think someone out there somewhere probably has a longer 7 days in history than you now. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wow.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":0" border="0" alt="wow.gif" />
who said community is dying ?
that's not true... community just stay in guest chamber since one year <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hive5.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="::hive::" border="0" alt="hive5.gif" /> <!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Or you could look at reality and accept the fact that the "community" is virtually dead. People have moved on, they play different games. It would take something big to cause a decent amount of players to return, and based on how long it took to get the forums back up I'd say that something big will come way too late to do any good.
Not to say that there won't be new players entering the community, but I feel that the bulk of old ns players (and for that matter most of the talented ns players) will never come back.
Or you could look at reality and accept the fact that the "community" is virtually dead. People have moved on, they play different games. It would take something big to cause a decent amount of players to return, and based on how long it took to get the forums back up I'd say that something big will come way too late to do any good.
Not to say that there won't be new players entering the community, but I feel that the bulk of old ns players (and for that matter most of the talented ns players) will never come back.
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QFT.
Shame, really, since NS is (was?) a great mod.
Freak83- I don't know. Was anyone on suspension? XD
Ugh. Its just that HL is so...behind, now. HL2 was a big deal, yeah, but its been a long time since even that came out- now were just pushing it. Hopefully a good upgrade comes soon enough.
Seriously though, good to have the forums back, even if just so people have a place to ######. It's too bad it's taken so long, and it's certainly not just ######ing to say that the mod has shrunk (i have far fewer sever options these days, and getting ever closer to the point where I will have none nearby). Then again, technology projects can be a bear. I'm developing just a simple registration/cellphone web ap in perl/php for mega moola, and yet even that it is a pain sometimes.
Anyway, while I'd happily pay 19.95 for more NS, I worry that going the pay route means that it will be a long long time till we see anything playable or purchasable. I've always been of the mind that it's better to get a game out thats playable and fun sooner, even if it isn't pretty and polished right off the bat.
In any case, I'd love to help the community in any way I can because the mod is stellar. Don't be afraid to put the word out!
So... Why did you hide the forums from everyone except developers/playtesters for 11 months?
I would like to know. You have seriously damaged your community by cutting them off all this time, and It's clearly not acceptable.
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<!--quoteo(post=1563192:date=Jul 18 2006, 03:42 PM:name=coris)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(coris @ Jul 18 2006, 03:42 PM) [snapback]1563192[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->
Wow nice one not giving a flying ###### about your main source of income (for the last 10 months or so at least) or the game that you're planning to build your future on. Smart move.
NS is pretty much dead nowdays, in case you didnt know already.
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Excellent first posts. You're both nominated for NS Player of the Year awards. Thank you for trolling the "Welcome back" thread for the freaking forums.
I'd ban you both if it were up to me. Thankfully for you, it's not.