Suggestions (Features/Improvements)

[Cybertox]

So you want a cookie for being able to create a sub forum or what, i dont understand your point? I would prefer the facepalm smily over the sub forum cause there are a lot of others sub forums in which just a general gameshow thread could habe been created or many different threads concerning the gameshow. Look there are so many other important things to do that adding a sub forum is not even an achievement. By the way, if a thing is not important but still practical you still have to be able to do it. Its the same if i say that knowing 2 + 1 is not important while knowing the sixth route of 67 is more important. When you cant do 2 + 1 you wont have much success in finding out the sixth route of 67.

[Fenix]

He never said he wanted praise for it. Whats with the attitude, dude? We don't need a facepalm smiley, either.

[Ixion]

So you want a cookie for being able to create a sub forum or what, i dont understand your point? I would prefer the facepalm smily over the sub forum cause there are a lot of others sub forums in which just a general gameshow thread could habe been created or many different threads concerning the gameshow. Look there are so many other important things to do that adding a sub forum is not even an achievement. By the way, if a thing is not important but still practical you still have to be able to do it. Its the same if i say that knowing 2 + 1 is not important while knowing the sixth route of 67 is more important. When you cant do 2 + 1 you wont have much success in finding out the sixth route of 67.

The TGS forum needs to be created by a certain time. Adding a smiley or changing the rules do not. There's a fundamental difference. That's what I was just trying to distinguish with that example.

Just be patient. The smilies will be added soon and the rules will be discussed.

[radgamer420]

He never said he wanted praise for it. Whats with the attitude, dude? We don't need a facepalm smiley, either.

I agree with both your points. And a facepalm smiley is more important than TGS? Seriously? lol Besides that facepalms are generally used to mock somebody's opinion and I think we have enough of that around here as it is.

[Cybertox]

Do you really think that i created this thread just to say that i want a smily to be added? Just lol. I dont really care that much about a smily and i agree that it is not very important however if you cant even add a smily you probably wont be able to add or improve the forum with the suggestions i listed. Judging by your attitude it looks like you dont even want improvements to be made and you dont care about forums further progression. F34R was right saying in his pm that im wasting my time. I really feel like wasting my time by making suggestions which wont happen because the administration is either lazy or doesnt care. Also the programmer responsible for the forum hasnt done anything good. It feels like he doesnt care about the forum either, thats why i also had doubts about him working full time.

[A7MAD]

I'll say one thing (over a few paragraphs ) regarding the matter of this forum, sure we could always want more added, but as somebody who posts in many other forums (under this handle or others) we have it pretty good here.

There are forums I frequent that can't even eliminate the bot and spam issues they face, threads and threads of it. People insult each other to no end and the moderators turn a blind eye, some even are the ones starting the slurs and insults, some racial even.

So appreciate what we do have going for us here and keep trying to get things added but remember we have it better here than many others.

[radgamer420]

I'll say one thing (over a few paragraphs ) regarding the matter of this forum, sure we could always want more added, but as somebody who posts in many other forums (under this handle or others) we have it pretty good here. There are forums I frequent that can't even eliminate the bot and spam issues they face, threads and threads of it. People insult each other to no end and the moderators turn a blind eye, some even are the ones starting the slurs and insults, some racial even. So appreciate what we do have going for us here and keep trying to get things added but remember we have it better here than many others.

Very true. I've been to alot of other forums but I always end up hanging my hat here. This place is heaven compared to other forums that I frequent.

[Cybertox]

Of course there are a lot worst forums out there but we should not compare psu with the worst ones, we should compare it with the best ones, especially if you want the forum to be a popular and one of the best forums. Im also not saying that PSU is a bad forum, not at all, its a good one but it needs improvements and additions.

[Ixion]

I dont really care that much about a smily and i agree that it is not very important however if you cant even add a smily you probably wont be able to add or improve the forum with the suggestions i listed.

More like if I'm not a programmer, I can't add or improve the forum with the suggestions you listed.

Most of your suggestions need to be handled on the back end, by a programmer (who is very busy). I have a say in the infraction suggestion and the avatar suggestion, but those need to be discussed among the staff first, which they are. We're not going to instantly change something because you requested it. Be patient.

I really feel like wasting my time by making suggestions which wont happen because the administration is either lazy or doesnt care.

Does it look like I don't care? I've done everything in my power to help you in this thread and your requests are being discussed.

Also the programmer responsible for the forum hasnt done anything good. It feels like he doesnt care about the forum either, thats why i also had doubts about him working full time.

When this site was sold to the current owners a couple years ago, the back end was a complete disaster. Our programmer has mainly been focusing on those aspects and he has made huge improvements. We've only started to come to a point where we can look at more miscellaneous improvements (such as the shop, like/dislike, etc).

[Cybertox]

@Ixion

I can understand that you have to discuss all of these changes with Cuguy and the other guys like the programmer before starting doing something. I also understand that you cant handle all of the suggestions i listed. I really appreciate that you keep being active and discuss the matter with me as well, its also cool that you will discuss with cuguy about this changes and that you are trying very hard to help me. I really appreciate your effort but its a shame that you are the only one who really actually cares and keeps on discussing on the subject.

Btw +Rep cause you really deserve it.

[Cuguy]

1.) The 500 error issues were fixed and dont appear anymore however browsing the site till causes a lot of other issues especially on mobile devices like (Phones, Tablets etc.). There are also issues even when the forum is being browsed by using a desktop or any computer machine. The most major issues i experience on my computer are:
The forum interface not being loaded correctly.
Browser being stuck on loading progress and then just showing up an error.
Browser crashes (this isnt the browser problem)
Sometimes a thread or a post takes ages to load even on extremely fast internet connections.
Many other minor bugs...

Most of this issues should be fixed and forum browsing experience should be improved as well.

I will talk with the site guys to see what might be going on here, but TBH, it may be a local issue. I use PSU from 4 different mobile devices, work PC, home PC, etc... never have any of these problems through the day. Now having said that, nightly PSU does have a maintenance cycle that automatically happens at 12am Eastern Time. During that time, the database is being optimized. So during that time, 500 errors may happen for an hour or so randomly. Can't be helped, it just is what it is.

2.) Additional payment methods. This is also a very important point cause this is one of the ways the forum earns money. At the moment the forum offers only one payment method and i dont think that this unique option is enough. Other payment methods would be preferable. Btw if there would have been a paysafe card payment method i would definitely buy a one year subscription and maybe even more in the future

This has been posted as a request a LONG TIME AGO. At the time YOU asked. A direct pay option was added that is in addition to PayPal. Management decided at that time that other options can be explored but not going to happen anytime in the near future. Remember, each payment system added is another payment that PSU has to make. So far, literally, you and ONE other person have asked for payment methods outside of the normal channels. Honest truth, two members are not going to sway people to take on added expenses to set up new payment accounts.

3.) The resolution and size cap of avatars and signature have to be improved. I mean the internet can handle a lot more data nova days and still having a 25kbs limit on avatars is just ridiculous. There are other forums out there which offer a 1mb cap size and very high avatar resolutions. The current resolution is quiet decent and i can understand the resolution limit but the size cap is something that should get rised for sure, while the res could be rised only slightly.

Again, I will do some poking around and see, but if I remember right, most of the restrictions here on that front were Vbulletin based and out of our control. Get used to this answer. A lot of the things you see here are restricted by software and what is available to Vbulletin 4.0 users.

4.) The whole forum interface right now looks kinda outdated and complicated. It could be simplified and cleaned up as well as designed in a better way. I think that when a forum is very simple and looks clean is something really great. Why so many subcategories to options we dont even need nor use. Like those locked options in the account control panel which can be accessed only by administrators and moderators. Why not make those options visible only to mod and admins while regular members cant even see them on the forum interface. By the way we have really great designers on this forum like Kwesnoth and Spyrde, why not ask them if they could make some interface designs like icons text fonts and other stuff

The age old "if your forums were simpler" argument. Well, here is the official answer for the forums. The better part of 90% of the members prefer the segregation of the sections with subforums. Awhile back, I did a major reorganization and sweep of the forums to better rearrange it. Most, if not all, dead or slow forums were either eliminated or combined. As for a full reworking of all the gfx and such, that is all well and good, but a overhaul to the forum gfx isn't as easy as having a designer drop a graphic to the site. Linking, browser display compatibility, complete redesign of the layout, formatting, etc... ALL of that needs to be added. It is EXPENSIVE. We had a lengthy time and discussion switching to the colors we have now two years ago. I don't think they want to go through it again. Believe me, we have asked.

5.) The shop and the reward points is a great implementation and a nice concept but it could be so much better. At the moment the shop has an awful and complicated interface and the categories and pages of the items available for sale are just completely f..... up. The icons and other items could be sorted much better and have a more attractive shop list as well as more simple and better options for things like username style etc. The points must be a motivation for members to post on this forum so that they can buy something cool from the shop

Remember my answer earlier that we are bound by software. Welcome back to it. The shop plug in is just that way. It isn't ideal, but it is at least active and functional. The old Vb3.8 plug in was abandoned and banned from Vb4.0 for being a security risk. No one else made any shop plug ins until the one we have now. Ideally, this shop isn't meant to supply icons to people's postbits. It is literally designed to be a place for low volume, icons to be awarded. We use it as a shop, and it has been OK so far. Any improvements, complaints, etc... we can't do anything about. The only option we have disabled for user names is the ability to change your color. Primarily due to people instantly ran out and made their names red or blue so they look like staffers. The shop is 100% bound by its design and we can't mod it.

6.) The infractions which just gave infraction points for something should expire after some time. I mean after an infraction a member learns from it and tries not to make the same mistake again and after some time like 4 or 5 months the infraction should expire so that the member doesnt get banned by making another mistake which got completely nothing to do with the previous infraction

Infraction points DO expire now. However, it isn't grandfathered. SO when I changed it back a few months ago, from that point on the points awarded through infractions can and will expire. The infraction points from BEFORE the change remain. However as well, I eliminated the auto-banning feature. I put more options in the mods hands to deal with infractions. The way it should be.

Responses in bold to your original post.

Also Cuguy should be more active if he is such an important member of the administration. If he has personal problems he should give his position to somebody who can deal with the job and be active.

Oh lighten up. I was out of commission for two weeks due to being downsized in my real job. Remember, PSU is a hobby/volunteer job for every staff member in the forum. The PSU writers (brown names) are the ones who make money off PSU. I do not. The fact is, I put in a ton of time during my work hours dealing with stuff for PSU outside of the forums and sometimes 2-3 hours a night of MY OWN TIME away from my kids to deal with this site. PSU does not, and will not have a 100% on call, full time community manager. It isn't needed. That is what the admin are for, the mods, etc... we all support each other. Even while I was handling personal issues, I was setting up the t-shirt shops for PSU. I work harder for this site than any CM has in the past, guaranteed.


As for the smilies. Yes, we can add them. I looked into it. No one could answer it for you because frankly we haven't added new smilies in over 4 yrs or more. No one had/or has done it. So, we will see about getting more added.

We will again look into everything you asked and see if we can do something. But I am asking you to drop the indignity and realize PSU doesn't and CAN'T do it all at once, or some of it even at all.

[Fijiandoce]

Cuguy, are Admin in a position to discuss the main site?

i figured i'd piggyback into this thread with my query instead of creating a whole new thread.

[Cybertox]

@Cuguy

I can understand how hard is to make some changes like the interface and new designs especially when you already had a hard experience with that but that doesnt mean that you shouldnt do that, even though its hard sometimes it is required.

The thing concerning Vbulletin is the following. I can understand the limitations f the programm and that some changes dont depend on you, however there are a lot of plug ins which can add a lot more features and improvements. Having the vanilla version of the vbulletin doesnt mean that you have the best accessible features. You stated that you are using vbulletin 4.0 however the latest one is 4.4 and there is even an accessible beta version of vbulletin 5.0. I can understand the situation with the shop plug in but i have a request that when a new version of that shop plug in comes out, you should implement the new features and improvements of the new version.

Payment Methods are something that should really get added because atm you have only one pament method. Also if only 2 members pmed you about the need of new payment methods it doesnt mean that only two members would like have them. Do you expect like 20 pmes about payment methods from different members? If only few mentioned it it doesnt mean that only those would like to have it.

The thing about old infractions not expiring is bull****. The new infraction system with expiration feature is a nice change and im giving credits to you.

The browsing experience here in Switzerland is just awful. Extremely long loading pages, more smily option loads like for 40 secounds, constant crashing and cannot load page. Just completely disgusting, even with the fastest acquirable internet connection.

Thank you for taking my suggestions into consideration.