Hmmmm. In a matter of fact I was going to start changing our boards today because I had a day off here in Belgium. But ... with the new interesting posts AND Vern soon making an update of the forum software, I really want to wait.

Please let me first discover what extra's version 2.2.3 give to us. Thx.

Lara wrote on 15.08.2008 at 03:52:08:

Quote:

It is quite possible that I am ignorant regarding this, I can understand if this forum has to remain because of technical/coding issues. But thanks for looking into it, I'm just trying to figure out the point of the forum being visible to everyone when we can't use it or access it.

Many thanks.

Lara wrote on 16.08.2008 at 19:43:34:


There still seems to be a misunderstanding here.  You DO have an access to the CM subforum - via the CM board itself.  When you download a CM you go to the CM board and choose whether you want to locate the mansion by author, mansion name or release time.  When you click on the mansion name you are taken to the CM subforum where the actual download takes place.  If we would make the CM subforum invisible you wouldn't be able to download any CM.

Then someone propably wants to ask why we have organised the downloads like this.  There are two reasons:
1. To control that the CM's are truly ready for download, i.e. playable, tested, etc.
2. To provide the download checksum:  If a downloaded mansion does not yield the same checksum as given in the download window, then the download has propably failed, which could lead to a "glitch" in the gameplay.  This can be checked in a Terminal window by the command

openssl sha

with a space after sha.  Then you drag the zipped mansion in the Terminal window and press return.

Lara wrote on 16.08.2008 at 19:38:50:


I am not keen on this "one mansion - one thread" strategy.  In the "Talk" board there is a thread with 146(!) posts.  And there are a few threads on the mansions that combined would give even more!

Now, the forum member, who has the patience to read carefully through such long threads to find a possible answer to his question instead of starting a new thread, may exist.  But I doubt it.

And another thing:  What are we going to do if someone starts a new thread instead of adding to an existing one?  Are we goig to delete his question?  Remember that we cannot move his post to another thread.  As an admin, I will NOT participate in such a censorship.

Missy wrote on 16.08.2008 at 22:59:44:


No, they won't.  I've been an admin of this forum in more than one and a half year and I was a forum member of the old MM forums.  If a newbie cannot find his answer in a hurry he will post his question in a new thread.  And there is nothing wrong with that.  He has every right to start a new topic.

Missy wrote on 16.08.2008 at 22:59:44:


Missy, you are NOT a newbie any more.  In your system the newbies will still have a hard time finding their answers because the threads will be sooooo long with hundreds of posts each thread.  No one will have the patience to look for an answer to his question in these long threads.  Again I am speaking out of experience.

Missy wrote on 16.08.2008 at 22:59:44:


You cannot guarantee that.  I know that people will still start new threads if they cannot find their answers in a hurry.  They will NOT find their answers in a hurry in threads that contain hundreds of posts.

Missy wrote on 16.08.2008 at 22:59:44:


I do NOT have to think like a newbie.  The newbies have to learn to navigate our forum.  Of course everyone wants to play and everyone wants quick answers to their questions.  But sometimes patience is a virtue.  And furthermore, most gameplaying related questions are in the excellent manuals that come with the game.  People's life would so much easier if they started by reading the manuals.

Once more I will try to make my point:

1. The "one mansion - one thread" strategy will NOT prevent people from starting new threads.

2. Every forum member has the right to start new threads.  While the posts are not offending in any way I will NOT participate in any kind of censorship.

3. The admins are captains of the forum - they have the final word in any decision of forum changes.  Vern has put me and Freddy in charge of the forum. 

4. Freddy started this thread to get some ideas for the news corner at the top of the forum page.  Some of the ideas are good and worth trying while others are not as good and sometimes based on misunderstanding.

5. We, the admins, will update the news corner after Vern has activated the newest version of the forum software.  That way we can see whether the update contains changes that will make our forum easier to use.