Hey guys,
I've been constantly looking for ways to morph this god-awful forum software into a good experience and relevant to -[DE]-. Since I started in 2014, this site has come VERY long way. It's been a work in progress ever since, and still is. So please don't hesitate to suggest features that you want or any issues you have with current features.
This post will now be used to outline future changes as well.
Here are the changes for today:
----- [ Jan 31, 2016 ] ------
Calendar
I enabled and messed around with the calendar feature that the software already had. It wasn't enabled by default and I didn't really see a point when I first started this site, but now I'm trying it out. Feel free to take a look. It will be used for posting events. Only Dark Council and Lords can post events right now, which is how it's always been. If you aren't one of those people and are wanting to host an event, it should always go through the leadership first anyway. That way we can get it up on the site and promote it where possible (Facebook, Twitter, countdown timers, etc)
There is also a sign up feature enabled. Pretty cool. I don't think it will be used for every event, but for events that require a set number of people or matchups, such as Sith'ari Showdown, we will probably be using the sign up feature. Once you sign up, you also have to confirm that you will make it. This ensures that you're serious about showing up and are actually available to do so. Depending on the event, this will be enforced to various degrees. Obviously, Sith'ari showdown will require a sign up and a confirmation.
Improvements and changelog
Other than the calendar, I've been fixing things that either I had broken unintentionally, or were just poorly done by default. Also been changing minor things for the better. I'll list a couple that come to mind.
Calendar and sign ups
Events on the calendar are linked to the thread - any event created in the forum must be linked manually
Countdown timers will now list the date and time, in addition to the timer
Fixed the PM counter in navigation (shows unread PMs again)
Unread PMs are now shown with an icon in the inbox
Sent PMs are auto-saved in the Sent folder
You can now create folders in your inbox to organize PMs
Conversation mode for PMs is now default for all users
Quick reply should be enabled for all users now (for some reason it wasn't)
Various improvements on mobile devices
Board descriptions are shown on the index once again
Working on improving the application form process again
Various bug fixes
I feel like a game dev.
Alliances
We also haven't announced that we are now accepting alliances with other clans. This will be a great opportunity for -[DE]- to reach out to other groups and solidify out relations with the ones we respect and associate ourselves with. Any current alliances will be listed on a new page here. If you know anyone that is interested in forming an alliance with us, please point them to this thread. All alliances must be requested through that form, and discussed among the Dark Council. Until the alliance is announced, the clan is on trial as we observe it and decide if it's meant to be. This trial has no set amount of time; simply when the Dark Council decides.
----- [ March 2, 2016 ] ------
Implemented a new 'like' system - this is a lot better than the previous like system, however you are not notified by any likes. They are displayed under the post.
Recreated some of the icons seen around the forum to better match the theme
Upped security after continuously getting attacked by Russian bots (damn Soviets) - register page now has the latest in captcha technology
Various bug fixes
PM system is still broken. Just waiting on the mod creator to fix it.
