New Forums: Feedback thread - Bugs/Suggestions here please.

[Placebo 29]

We're getting bugs/suggestions posted to a number of different threads so I'll start this one and close the others.

Post here all feedback you want about the new forums, what's not working like the old ones, what seems completely broken, what you'd like to see changed or whatever, if you can keep to some kind of easy to read format that'd be great but I won't force you, ideally something like:

Usability: not enough characters available for signatures

Usability: cannot search for 3 letter things like PBO/WGL

Those two I already fixed this morning.

[Placebo 29]

I will be going through the three threads I just closed to try to pick out things to fix/change as much as possible, but no harm in repetition :)

[sickboy 13]

What search-type is vBulletin set to? Built-in vBulletin search or MySQL full-text search?

I'm asking because IIRC the MySQL full-text search was much better performing (lower load, faster results);

possibly interesting esp considering the huge amount of members, who now love to use the search :D

Thanks for pimping up the form-sizes btw ;)

Ps; if you would like a ticket/issue tracker for these forums for free, over at http://dev-heaven.net to ease the pains of tracking issues/feedback etc; let me know :P

(Example; http://dev-heaven.net/projects/heaven/issues)

Otherwise, I can recommend http://www.vbulletin.com/features_project.php (Could be a really great extension to these forums; tracking your websites/forum feedback/issues, aswell as games, maybe?)

Edited April 14, 2009 by Sickboy

[sk3pt 0]

Perhaps another color for the icon next to the sticky threads ?

[MehMan 0]

A quick reply that's always on, one that works like a reply, just that I don't have to click any other buttons besides post.

[mr.g-c 6]

bug: I can't select a own avatar anymore....

[Placebo 29]

What search-type is vBulletin set to? Built-in vBulletin search or MySQL full-text search?

I'm asking because IIRC the MySQL full-text search was much better performing (lower load, faster results);

possibly interesting esp considering the huge amount of members, who now love to use the search :D

Your forum is currently using the Fulltext search engine.

So one would assume that means it's using the "good one" :)

Ps; if you would like a ticket/issue tracker for these forums for free, over at http://dev-heaven.net to ease the pains of tracking issues/feedback etc; let me know :P

(Example; http://dev-heaven.net/projects/heaven/issues)

Otherwise, I can recommend http://www.vbulletin.com/features_project.php (Could be a really great extension to these forums; tracking your websites/forum feedback/issues, aswell as games, maybe?)

I'll look into that :)

[kegetys 2]

Is there some settings for the "new posts" feature behaviour? Currently it for some reason only displays a few threads for me, all only from today. On another forum which is also based on same vBulletin version it always displays 500 last posted threads, with a 'The threads below have not been updated since your last visit but still contain unread posts.' separator after a few of them. The old ikonboard one also properly displayed threads from a longer period.

[Placebo 29]

bug: I can't select a own avatar anymore....

Yeah it seems there's currently no way to allow avatars from external sites whilst disallowing avatars from this server, it's all or nothing, needs further exploration.

BTW if I don't reply to a specific comment/suggestion/feedback it doesn't mean your comment is 1. being ignore 2. considered unworthy, will get to all in time :)

MehMan & sk3pt both good suggestions thanks :)

[echo1 0]

Thanks for fixing the front page to show the last post in the games section! :)

[bravo 6 0]

yes, thanks.

It starting to look like the old forums aittle bit more, at least it starts to feel like the old ones. Merci!

Step by step it will be the ultimate generation forum :D

Edit: Some Suggestions:

• could the forum have more empty, open space on the left and right sides of the screen? (like the old forum)
  it gives a more organized and less complex feeling on the visual. I say this because for the extreme users of the forum could be less tiring if the central layer was more compact then it is. (like old forum)

• another thing that i believe it would help for visual simplicity: the topic font name's size could be a bit bigger to distinguish more from the rest (like the old forums)
  Example:
  BI NEWS,
  BI GENERAL,
  ARMA 2,
  ARMA: ARMED ASSAULT / COMBAT OPERATIONS, and so on should have bigger font size

• Thanks for adding the "Mark Forums Read" link in the bottom. Would be better is the link was positioned in the bottom of the page like old times. Would be easier "mechanically" to click it :p

• I also think the "Forum Contains New Posts" icon should be more distinguishable and more visible, so people wouldn't have to force their sight.

• One thing that i liked in the old forum was that if you would add several spaces, it would count them, in this new one if you add 10 spaces in order to align things, it won't add more then 1.

• Also the Moderators have the same color from the rest of us on the bottom list.. Would be good if the moderators and developers have different colors, but i guess this will be changed obviously.

Edited April 14, 2009 by bravo 6

[sickboy 13]

Your forum is currently using the Fulltext search engine.

So one would assume that means it's using the "good one" :)

I'll look into that :)

Cheers for the reply Placebo. Sounds good!

Can't say thanks enough btw... WYSYWIG & Generally vBulletin :inlove:

Ooh something just came to mind; How about "Custom User Titles" ? When enabled; might save you guys from requests and action of adding / modifying user titles?

Edited April 14, 2009 by Sickboy

[WhoCares 0]

The czech sub-forum is missing. It is still there, http://forums.bistudio.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5, but it is not linked from the main menu.

Not that I'd speak/read a word of czech...

[bravo 6 0]

You mean as in the previous custom title you had on the old forums?

yup. It gives a different fun of things :D

edit: anyway, i never understood if users could change them as they want.. there were some users that had different text in it.

edit: removed text.

[Placebo 29]

Well if people remind me what their user title used to be in here I can certainly add them in again :)

[Messiah 2]

Avatars - my old avatar of 91kb is apparently too large? I assume the 100kb rule hasn't changed?

[Placebo 29]

Avatars - my old avatar of 91kb is apparently too large? I assume the 100kb rule hasn't changed?

Unfortunately until we can figure out Avatars being hosted externally (something Vbulletin does not allow itself) there is a limit of 10kb per avatar I believe, obviously we want it to be the same as the old forums, 100kb limit and uploaded to some other server like imageshack or such, so we have to track down a Vbulletin mod/hack which allows this to be set :)

[bravo 6 0]

I see.. ok thanks for the extra :)

I know its a nitpick small detail, but i was just curious what can be done about the starts that existed on old forum. Did we lose the stars? :)

edit: ok Placebo, feel free to delete this post :)

[Placebo 29]

I see.. ok thanks for the extra :)

I know its a nitpick small detail, but i was just curious what can be done about the starts that existed on old forum. Did we lose the stars? :)

They will be brought back most likely, along with the numerous other small fixes that need bring back, this is discussed in the other thread I linked to, please continue there as this thread is purely for name changing issues.

[SWAT_BigBear 0]

We use vBullentin also,

damned if I can find where/how to put a "back to top" link in, like the old forums here had.

Anyone?

I ask b/c I want it back here also.

[Snake Man 407]

On the menu header when I click Community, Search or Quick Links, nothing happens. I need to open them into a new tab/window if I want to access them, or to copy the link.

My firefox 3.0.8 works normally on all other forums and web sites. For example in Frugals world vbulletin and in OGN vbulletin these mentioned vbulletin features work OK.

[Placebo 29]

On the menu header when I click Community, Search or Quick Links, nothing happens. I need to open them into a new tab/window if I want to access them, or to copy the link.

My firefox 3.0.8 works normally on all other forums and web sites. For example in Frugals world vbulletin and in OGN vbulletin these mentioned vbulletin features work OK.

3.0.8 and it works fine for me, try FF safe mode and see if one of your addons is causing the problem.

[Deadfast 43]

I had a problem uploading a PNG avatar with aplha transparency.

No matter what the size was the forums always scalled it down by 1px messing up the transparency.

[Snake Man 407]

Not working in safe mode either. Its not big deal though, I wouldn't even use community or quick links and search is quite handy to be opened in new tab anyways, so I don't mind.

[BLSmith2112 0]

It'd be nice to be able to have the forum format to not actually stretch to the size of my 30'' monitor. It'd be nice to have the forum/thread width to be a set number, so even maximizing the screen doesnt make it stretch. Word wrap is a really important feature imo.

Not that I like to make comparisons between the two, but the Codemasters/Flashpoint 2 forums does a real nice job at capturing what I'm talking about.

http://community.codemasters.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=113

Even my non-used, 5 year old, cheap, free, forums allowed for this and image customizations etc..

http://z7.invisionfree.com/Driven/index.php?showtopic=537

It really made for easy reading. Everyone viewed the same layout and format..