Vandrel-Blitz
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Posts posted by Vandrel-Blitz
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If the quote option is gone it's locked.
I've seen cases where both or at least one of the buttons is still present.
Take: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=3500 for example. "Post Reply" is still there. Someone would have to go all the way to page 99 before they knew it was locked.
To me, it's right on par with the magically disappearing Search button, which the feature still works.
Not sure why this thread is in the new player help forum, did it get moved here?
Indeed, it was in general. meh. Help is help so I suppose it "may" be better suited in here.
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I just wish they'd add the forum icons next to the thread titles; like the lock or the check/bullet marking the threads I've posted in.
I don't mind that you lock threads, BioWare, but I hate reading a couple pages, expecting to comment, only to see that it's locked. Might as well just delete it and save me the trouble.
Great point there. I too have done the same. The template is a little misleading at times because you often will still see the "Reply" and/or "Quote" buttons even if the thread is locked. The only sure way to tell if it's locked in most cases is read to the end and find the Bioware post (if any) that says the thread is locked, or simply attempt to reply and get the "Thread Locked" error message.
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You can still find your own threads/posts though, so it's not all gone (thankfully). I tend to forget to return to threads and thus I miss out on replies to me in those threads. I'm a bit used to being able to enable a PM notification that tells me whenever someone quotes me, but literally the only other way for me to get back to threads in the fast moving sections (like General) is to go via my own profile and check out my own latest posts.
Quite true, the search function isn't completely disabled at the moment. It appears as if someone was making changes to the template and either A) reverted to a previous revision or B) intentionally removed it. Either way, you can still accomplish this via your profile for the time being.
Neat, figured out the tools option you listed.5 stars for you
Thank you
You should be able to use the Subscription feature now which is listed in this guide. The button to subscribe to a forum/thread is missing otherwise.Spot on here. I have a wide range of vBulletin sites I manage and the Subscriptions option is something I use heavily. I don't like digging through pages of threads if I don't have to.
You want server forums. Please, I beg you, stop making new threads about it. If the only reason you went to all of the trouble to make this thread is because there still aren't server forums, you need help.That was the "biggest" reason you listed for how terrible these forums are. It was actually the only reason provided in your synopsis, but whatever.
Most of the items I saw in your list are frivolous to me. The issue almost every new large gaming company has with vBulletin boards is the search feature. It eats the servers alive, and this is at least the third company I've seen that has to disable the feature regularly to avoid the whole forum crashing down.
You mention the intent of this thread is to let people know what they *could* be having. My question is, since BioWare are the sole deciders of what we *can* have, what purpose does this thread serve other than to incite random uninformed forum posters to respond?
I think Emily may have hit the nail on the head
From Section ii.
So, you might be asking yourself, "What's missing from these forums?" Well, that's a great question young Padawan (or Acolyte, whichever applies to you). Precisely what is missing from the SWTOR forums is a range of key tools which makes vBulletin worth it's weight in comparison to it's competitors. As noted in section (i.), vBulletin carries an extensive variety of capabilities, by default. It's like the party pack of forum software where you get 2 for the price of one.
What's currently missing from the SWTOR forum template, which was created by Bioware, is a number of tools which make viewing and using the forums much more user friendly.
From Section iii.
This guide will detail several key items left out of the SWTOR vBulletin template. Most of the items listed in this guide are quite helpful in navigating the forums and also keeping things neat and tidy by mitigating the hoops you must jump through to locate valuable information. The less you as a customer have to do, the happier you will be, thus increasing customer satisfaction ratings for Bioware.
The SWTOR community can only hope Bioware takes the time to read this thread and potentially include, fix, and/or enable key items listed.
If you have other issues regarding my posting then I recommend you take them to PM or elsewhere, otherwise you are off-topic here.
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Also, it was just noticed and reported that the search function is (once again), gone.
http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=1781344
Their web guys must have been making some changes durng the "maintainance" period.
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Seems they removed search again
Adding that to the list on: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=192657
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that's actually kinda baffling.
It is but it also jumps back to someone's previous comment about Bioware being nicknamed Lazyware.
Who wants to create 215 forum sections when you can just create 75 and call it a day?
I'm actually thankful that Bioware didn't roll out server groups today because this gives them the chance to read (if they have read this thread at all
) how bad of a idea it is and that we have already caught on to their master plan. -
We can only hope that they listen, though their track record thus far says otherwise.
I would also like to point out what I noted in their forum changes thread:
Originally posted: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=3500
Official Solution: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=173672
However (comma)I seemed to have found their super secret bat cave full of plans for the server forums. Are you ready to have your mind blown?
Forum Section: (Community) - links to
http://www.swtor.com/community/forumdisplay.php?f=88 (Forum section #88)
Digging further through Bioware's forum layout I have found the following:
http://www.swtor.com/community/forumdisplay.php?f=294
ranging to
http://www.swtor.com/community/forumdisplay.php?f=369
Are hidden forum sections that are active but no one (but Bioware) currently has access to view. This tells us that:
There's a total of 75 "new" forum sections that have been created here. Now, let's do the math shall we?
215 servers
75 server forum sections
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3 servers per forum section
So, this tells us that Bioware has ALREADY created the forum sections for server forum GROUPS and that there will be 75 of them with 3 servers to a group.
Everyone get ready to see 3 servers to a group and have your fun meter pegged.
This is just a prime example of how well Bioware listens
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guess today's patch did not include the forum changes.
However (comma)
I seemed to have found their super secret bat cave full of plans for the server forums. Are you ready to have your mind blown?
Forum Section: (Community) - links to
http://www.swtor.com/community/forumdisplay.php?f=88 (Forum section #88)
Digging further through Bioware's forum layout I have found the following:
http://www.swtor.com/community/forumdisplay.php?f=294
ranging to
http://www.swtor.com/community/forumdisplay.php?f=369
Are hidden forum sections that are active but no one (but Bioware) currently has access to view. This tells us that:
There's a total of 75 "new" forum sections that have been created here. Now, let's do the math shall we?
215 servers
75 server forum sections
____________________
3 servers per forum section
So, this tells us that Bioware has ALREADY created the forum sections for server forum GROUPS and that there will be 75 of them with 3 servers to a group.
/pauseForEffect
/flail
/umadbro?
/agree
Everyone get ready to see 3 servers to a group and have your fun meter pegged.
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Is there a reason for posting this other than taking up space? What is the discussion here about Vbulletin and the SWTOR forums?
You could easily navigate to the section called "Intent of this guide"
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vBulletin and You
A quick reference guide to using vBulletin's tools that Bioware has left out of the forum template.
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..........Table of Contents
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i.......|Overview of vBulletin
ii. .....|SWTOR vBulletin Situation
iii......|Intent of this guide
iv......|Forum Tools
v. .....|Thread Tools
vi......|Disabled Features
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_________________________________________________
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..........i...........Overview of vBulletin..........
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vBulletin (vB) is a proprietary Internet forum software produced by Jelsoft Enterprises and vBulletin Solutions, both subsidiaries of Internet Brands. It is written in PHP and uses a MySQL database server.
GENERAL FEATURES -------//
Scalable Solution - database server and web servers can reside on separate machines.
MySQL back-end database
vBulletin can be run on any machine that can support PHP and MySQL (Solaris, BSD, Linux, Windows, Mac)
Written in PHP which makes for a fast and efficient product
Built-in Applications
Discussion / Forum
Photo Albums
Groups
Calendar
Events Management
Polls
Blog
Article-based CMS Publishing
Seamless Integrated Experience
Single Member Sign-on
Single Permission System
Single Admin Control Panel
Simple Cross Publishing
Create a Matching Themes across Articles, Blogs, Forum.
Multi-Roles Control Panels
Admin Control Panel
Moderator Control Panel
User Control Panel
Unified Permission System
Power Template Engine for Advanced Customization
Search Engine Optimization
SEO Friendly URLs
Custom META keywords/description tags
Automatic Google XML sitemap module
Removal of duplicate content links
User / Member Management
Multi-user system with unlimited roles and permissions
Member groups
Security
Granular Privileges
Problem tification
SSL Compatible
Captcha
Email Verification
Admin Control Panel News Manager
Login "Strike" System
Email and password changes require current password
Compliant with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) of 1998.
Support
Customer Forum Support
Customer Ticket Support 30 days included
Public Forum
Extensive 3rd Party Developer Community
Professional Services
Flexibility
Extensible User Profiles
URL Rewriting
Interface Localization
Content Reuse
Multi-lingual Content
Metadata
Standards Compliance
XHTML Compliant
Content Syndication (RSS)
Content syndication: RSS, Atom, XML
FORUM FEATURES -------//
Forums
Unlimited Hierarchy of Forums
Private Forums
Threads
Thread Display Options - sort by, sort order, from date
Thread and forum subscription (tification by email optional)
Thread preview on mouse-over (optional, via Admin CP)
Active Users viewing thread shown
New Post Indicator
Printer Friendly versions on threads
Admin tools: edit, delete, move, lock, make sticky, etc.
Email page to a friend option
Similar Threads displayed on all thread views
Posts
Video Embedding (YouTube, Vimeo, Hulu, Dailymotion, Google, Metacafe) - New in 4.0
Linear, Threaded, Hybrid display views available
Supports BB Code in posts
Supports HTML in post
Smilies
Avatars
Optional WYSIWYG or standard editors for posts and Private Messages
Attachment images (.gif, .jpg, etc.) stored on filesystem (optional, via Admin CP)
Quick reply box (with optional "forced" click on post to quote)
Preview post option
Post Rating
User Reputation
Polls
Post Reporting - report posts to moderators
User post count
Admin tools: edit, delete, move, etc.
Preview-safe Attachments
Member Features
Member Profile Pages (updated in 4.0). This information can be viewed by other members from the member list. Custom user title, URL home page, date of birth, instant messaging medium, location, occupation, biography, interests, vB version, plus any other custom user fields that may be defined by the administrator
Allows members to upload pictures that can be viewed in the users' profile.
Member List
Member Search
User Style picker
Private Messaging
Friends List
Member Birthdays shown on Forum home
User Reputation Management
Who's Online
Pop-up auto-refreshing buddylist with ICQ-style alerts when Friends come online
Signature Editor
Avatar Options
Admin Defined Avatars
Custom Avatars - upload from your own computer or specify a URL
Private Messaging
Pop-up tification when new PM received
Private Message Tracking
Private Message filing in custom folders
Privacy & Permissions
Permission system, based on user, usergroup or forums
Private Forums
Users & Usergroups
User registration options
User banning (by name & IP)
Global Igre User — When enabled, all posts by the specified user will be igred/unseen by other members. Automatically added to the all users igre lists
Unlimited Moderators and SuperModerators
Permission system, based on user, usergroup or forums
User Options
These include Daylight Savings options, forum style chooser, selection of tification types for PM, emails etc, thread display options, WYSIWYG editor options, language chooser, vCard downloads to allow the user profile to be placed into an address book
Attachment Management
View attachment statistics - shows limit and used space
View the attachments you have posted (link or thumbnail views available)
Remove attachments
General
View and manage subscribed threads and forums
Email and password changes require current password
Joinable Public User Groups
Admin & Board Maintenance
Task Scheduler
Control Panel, Moderator & Task logs
Board statistics
Maintentance - Database backups, table repair
Post Pruning
Moderation
Moderation queues for user registration and posting
Calendar moderation
Import Facility
Import facility - import posts and members seamlessly upgrade from other bulletin board systems, including Infopop's Ultimate Bulletin Board, UBBThreads, OpenTopic, ezboard, and Ikonboard
Attachments
Multiple attachments and types (types defined by admin in CP)
Attachment thumbnails (requires PHP to have GD enabled)
Storage type options for attachements (database or file system)
Attachment moderation
Styling & Templates
Powerful Templating System
Conditionals supported in the templates
Ability to create multiple styles which can be applied to different forums and users
Ability to upload / download styles and languages
Template Engine and Layouts
Proprietary template engine
Templates / Skins
Design independent - can support any web-page design
Full CSS layout and design
Sitewide templates: you can create entire site using default set of templates
Multiple templates: you can create individual templates for every section, page or even the smallest box
Powerful, fast and suitable for robust development
Add-ons and Plug-ins
Easily extensible through a plug-in architecture and variety of accessible plug-ins
Language & Phrase Management
Language Manager - allows you to easily translate your forums in any language
Multiple Languages Supported
Phrase Manager
Help and FAQ
Editable FAQ for your own boards
Context sensitive help throughout the adminCP
Payment & Advertisment Integration
Paid Subscriptions Capabilities (PayPal, WorldPay, CHEX and Authorize.net)
Google AdSense Integration
Integrated Skimlinks affiliate rewriting
Calendar Features
Supports multiple private and public calendars
Viewable public and private events (adminCP option)
Weekly, monthly and yearly views
Jump to Today option
Add single, ranged or recurring events
Add all day events
Option to show calendar event on forum home page (adminCP option)
Show events to specific usergroups (adminCP option)
Calendar Moderation
Private events reminder
Ability to add custom fields
Calendar event reminders for subscribed events
CMS FEATURES 4.x Forum 4.x Suite -------//
Seamless Integrated Experience
Single Member Sign-on
Single Permission System
Single Admin Control Panel
Simple Cross Publishing
Create a Matching Themes across Articles, Blogs, Forum
Complete Customization
Full CSS Layout and Design
Themes & Skins
Plug-Ins
Powerful Template Engine: Ability to create multiple styles which can be applied to different pages, articles, forums, users, or even the smallest box.
Language and Phrase Manager: Allows you to easily translate your forums in any language.
Unlimited Section/Site Structure Hierarchy
Article and Static HTML Page Publishing
Easily Publish Custom Widgets
Enable Community Members to Write and Publish Articles
(updated) WYSIWYG Editor
Inline Publishing Toolbar
Flexible Content Layout
Each Section can have unique layout and style
Publishing Options
Permissions can be applied to Articles, Pages, Sections, User-Groups.
Set Future Publish Date/Time
Set Article Display Order
Assign Articles to multiple Categories.
Tag Support.
Turn Comments On/Off for each article.
Article Status (Published, Inactive)
Assign article to multiple categories
Set Articles to publish on the Front Page
Custom statuses for articles (active, pending, headline)
Internal search engine for advanced searching of site content
Article Tags
Cross-Publishing Capabilities
Promote a Forum post to an Article with link back.
Promote a Blog post to an Article with link back.
Create a new forum thread in the Forum.
CMS Admin Tools
Content Manager
Category manager
Section Manager
Layout Manager
Grid Manager
Widget Manager
Unified Permission System
Community Management Tools
User Management
User-Group Management
Social-Group Management
Powerful Moderation Tools
Inline Moderation Tools
Administration / General
Minimal training required - fast learning curve
Visitor and Comments Statistics
Download and install additional assets such as templates, plug-ins and widgets directly from control panel
Web-based Style/Template Management
Inline Administration
Asset Management
Content Scheduling (Publish Articles in the Future)
Themes / Skins
Universal Search
Single Search finds what you are looking for across your entire website including Articles, Blog posts, and Forums, guests comments, and user-groups.
Template Engine and Layouts
Proprietary template engine
Templates / Skins
Design independent - can support any web-page design
Full CSS layout and design
Sitewide templates: you can create entire site using default set of templates
Multiple templates: you can create individual templates for every section, page or even the smallest box
Powerful, fast and suitable for robust development
Add-ons and Plug-ins
Easily extensible through a plug-in architecture and variety of accessible plug-ins
Comments
Full-featured user commenting system
Anti-spam protection (CAPTCHA, bad words, flood protection, IP ban, posting by registered members only...)
Default Widgets
Recent Forum Posts
Recent Blog Posts
Recent Comments
Recent Articles
Friends Activity Widget
Section Navigation Widget
Category Navigation Widget
3rd Party HTML Widgets (i.e. Google Gadgets)
BB Code Widgets
Poll
RSS Widgets
BLOG FEATURES 4.x Forum 4.x Suite -------//
Fast Start
vBulletin Blog makes it simple for community members to create their own space within the community. Getting started is as simple as posting the first message (using the same familiar vBulletin editor). There is lengthy setup process - blog owners are free to personalise their blog at any time by defining a title and a description that will appear at the top of every blog post.
Fully Featured
It is a feature-rich blog application, with support for fully formatted WYSIWYG posts, attachments, comments, trackbacks and pingbacks, draft posts and categories, as well as seamless integration with the overall vBulletin system.
Blog Home Page
Available via a single click from any vBulletin page, the blog home page aggregates activity from all member blogs into a single page – with information about the most recent and highest rated blog posts, recent comments, a featured blog post (selected by the administrator or at random), full support for browsing posts by date and overall blogging statistics.
Syndication and Subscriptions
Site wide and per-blog RSS feeds allow syndication to external readers, and full support for vBulletin subscriptions enables users to join their favorite blogs and receive regular email updates.
Profile Support
Member blogs are integrated with the vBulletin profile system – profile information is displayed alongside blog posts, and existing profile pages are enhanced with information about blog activity.
Blog Control Panel
The Blog Control Panel empowers members to control every aspect of their blogs, from permission controls (who has access to view and comment on the blog), to full management of blog categories, draft posts, trackbacks/pingbacks and subscriptions. Blog owners also have the ability to moderate comments on their own blog.
Full Control
Integration with the vBulletin usergroups permission system allows site owners to regulate which users are able to create blogs, and enhancements to the vBulletin admin control panel give administrators total control over the whole system.
Fully Customizable
Blog utilises the powerful vBulletin templating system, and will automatically inherit styles and color-schemes from the forums, for total out-the-box integration.
Anti-Spam
Full support for the Akismet anti-spam service stamps out comment spam.
Source:
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VBulletin | https://www.vbulletin.com/
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..........ii..........SWTOR vBulletin Situation .
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It's no secret, everyone inside (and some outside) of the SWTOR community knows that the present forum layout, functionality, and stability is utterly embarrassing for a nearly release AAA rated MMO. To make matters worse for the customers, the support system is a disaster often leaving customers waiting for days and in some cases weeks for a response. The Community Support Team lacks communication and rarely interfaces with customers.
There is a number of matters plagueing the SWTOR forums presently, but one of the most pivitol talking points would generally be the lack of server forums for each and every individual server in SWTOR. Over the years of MMO history, it has become a industry standard for companies to provide server forums for their customers. Server forums aide in fostering and developing the game's community and without these forums the community is left to the wind.
With the lack of organization and community building tools, the SWTOR forums have a novelty sized gap which needs to be filled in order to carry the customer-base over the course of the game's life.
So, you might be asking yourself, "What's missing from these forums?" Well, that's a great question young Padawan (or Acolyte, whichever applies to you). Precisely what is missing from the SWTOR forums is a range of key tools which makes vBulletin worth it's weight in comparison to it's competitors. As noted in section (i.), vBulletin carries an extensive variety of capabilities, by default. It's like the party pack of forum software where you get 2 for the price of one.
What's currently missing from the SWTOR forum template, which was created by Bioware, is a number of tools which make viewing and using the forums much more user friendly.
So, you might be asking yourself, "Why are these items and features missing and/or disabled?" Well, another great question. The simple answer would be, given Bioware's track record since launch, it appears there's a severe lack of communications and expertise within Bioware's inner circle of staff. Countless poor decisions have been made, toppled with horrible customer interface, all bundled inside a shotty unstable forum package. Official statements from the staff have raised a lot of eyebrows and left people wondering "*** are you guys thinking?!".
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..........iii.........Intent of this guide...............
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This guide will detail several key items left out of the SWTOR vBulletin template. Most of the items listed in this guide are quite helpful in navigating the forums and also keeping things neat and tidy by mitigating the hoops you must jump through to locate valuable information. The less you as a customer have to do, the happier you will be, thus increasing customer satisfaction ratings for Bioware.
The SWTOR community can only hope Bioware takes the time to read this thread and potentially include, fix, and/or enable key items listed.
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..........iv..........Forum Tools................................
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As noted above, vBulletin offers a strong set of tools that makes your life easier. A number of these tools have been left out of the SWTOR template, either intentionally or unintenionally (only Bioware knows). But don't sweat it, with this guide you are covered.
View new posts since last visit - http://www.swtor.com/community/search.php?do=getnew
..........# This feature is really handy for folks who visit the forums religiously and want to keep tabs on a handful of hot
..........topics. In a forum this large this tool can be a little messy for the average user but it can be handy.
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View today's new posts - http://www.swtor.com/community/search.php?do=getdaily
..........# This feature is much like "getnew" but will only yeild a output of "today's" posts. If you have not visited the
..........forums for several days and don't want to be bothered with posts from several days ago then this
..........would be the ideal tool for you.
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Enable Forum Tool - http://www.swtor.com/community/forumdisplay.php?f=37&nojs=1#goto_forumtools
..........# This feature is probably one of the best things that's missing. This will open up the tools for forum
..........sections. Included are tools for
.............- Mark This Forum Read
.............- Subscribe to This Forum
.............- View Parent Forum
.............- Search this Forum
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..........# There is however a catch to this. In order to use this for a specific forum you have to enter the forum
..........number. Each forum section has a unique number.
..........So, for example: English Community Forum - http://www.swtor.com/community/forumdisplay.php?f=88
..........The forum number (or ID) is #88.
..........To enable forum tools for that section we would have to do:
..........http://www.swtor.com/community/forumdisplay.php?f=88&nojs=1#goto_forumtools
..........Note that the f=## was changed to reflect the correct forum number/ID.
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..........# Forum Searching is handy for obvious reasons and will tremendously mitigate the amount of clicking
..........and scrolling you have to do in order to pin point material and content relivent or of interest to you.
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Send Bioware a Messsage - http://www.swtor.com/community/sendmessage.php
..........# This is nothing super special, however it can be helpful if you wish to send a direct email to Bioware
..........that will get viewed by whoever is listed as the Administrator/Site POC (point of contact).
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..........v...........Thread Tools...............................
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Much like the thread tools, there are forum tools which have quite similar options.
Enable Thread Tool - http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=192336&nojs=1#goto_threadtools
..........# This feature is just like the thread tools and is one of the best things that's missing. This will open
.............up the tools for thread:
.............- Show Printable Version
.............- Email this Page
.............- Subscribe to this Thread
.............- Search this Thread
.............- Rate This Thread
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..........# There is a catch to his as well. In order to use this for a specific thread you have to enter the
..........thread number. Each thread has a unique number.
..........So, for example: Forum Changes Coming! - http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=173672
..........The thread number (or ID) is #173672. To enable thread tools for that thread we would have to do:
..........http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=173672&nojs=1#goto_threadtools | Note that the t=## was changed to reflect
..........the correct thread number/ID.
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..........# One item in thread tools that makes vBulletin life super easy is "Subscribe to this Thread". This feature
..........pulls up your saved threads that you are "watching" and can be found at:
..........http://www.swtor.com/community/subscription.php?do=viewsubscription . This allows you to tag
..........a specific thread for you to keep tabs on for any updates.
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..........# Thread Searching is handy for obvious reasons and will tremendously mitigate the amount of clicking
..........and scrolling you have to do in order to pin point material and content relivent or of interest to you
..........in a large post (such as this).
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..........vi..........Disabled Features.................
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Here we will highlight a "few" of the things that are missing, disabled, or we as "users" don't have
permissions enabled for.
Members List - http://skylineownersusa.com/forums/memberlist.php
..........# There's surely a number of reasons as to why this is not viewable to regular users here, yet the functionality
..........of it is helpful. The Members List can be customized, custom fields can be added to user's profiles
..........(server, etc.) and then be displayed on the list. This feature would be great for searching for people
..........from your server or a variety of common interests, if implimented properly.
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Mark Forums as Read - http://www.swtor.com/community/forumdisplay.php?do=markread&f=37
..........# This feature simply does not work here. For whatever reason it's broken and the option is missing from
..........the default layout.Having access to this is huge. If you want to make all forums as read and then only pay
..........attention to the new threads/posts then this allows for thatyet it seems, again, that Bioware lacks to expertise
..........to even have thought about this feature.
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This thread is a work in progress and will be updated continuously.
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PS --> Do you know if exist a "mark all forums read" somewhere but I'm too blind to see it?!
The forum template they have here is very buggy....lots of features and buttons are missing all over.
The proper command would be:
http://www.swtor.com/community/forumdisplay.php?do=markread
But it doesn't appear to be functioning here....again a flaw in the template.
Some versions require a unique hash to complete this function, could attempt:
http://www.swtor.com/community/forumdisplay.php?do=markread&markreadhash=1326857125-13b7b3380decae7008f169a921cf7a441b5076ba
But that seems to fail as well. So this tells me the function is present but their template is missing crap which prevents the proper use of this feature in vBulletin.
Then there's view today's new posts:
Method 1)
http://www.swtor.com/community/search.php?do=getdaily
Method 2)
http://www.swtor.com/community/search.php?do=getnew
Again, more crap they left out of their template for the forum.
Heck, I think I'll just make a helpful little (hey Bioware, you forgot this) post with all these nifty little vBulletin features left out of the template.
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I fully agree, however I'm sure that open up a forum for each server is a huge work and a huge load on the DB.
Referring to the OP, why don't you insert a drop down menu with servers name just near the 'Title' and then automatically add it on the thread title with the form you suggested [server Name] ??
I suppose the forum is based on vBulletin but heavily customized and I'm sure this addon is not a big deal for an amateur php coder, you surely got a lot of pro php coder.
My 2 cents.
Edit: Please add "mark all forums read"!!!
Adding additional forum sections doesn't even make a dent in a MySQL database. While I can imagine the overal DB size is quite hefty, the number of forum locations has little to no impact on that figure.
Additionally, the feature you are thinking of is called "THREAD PREFIX" and is a standard out-of-the-box feature with vBulletin. All it takes is a simple 4-5 optional setting toggle here and there and it's up and running. Zero programming or design work is required. It's all GUI based.
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this is actually fairly accurate, and unfortunately, the only way to teach that 6 year old that his way isn't the best way, is to let him try it his way..
it's like telling a kid that fire is hot. they won't believe you until they get burned.
Exactly. Most of what's being complained about here and now in various threads has been brought to Bioware's attention back in Beta, yet they again refuse to listen and had to do it their way to actually see the action/reaction of a bad decision.
Furthermore, I'd like to translate the latest news that Bioware has posted for us:
Hello everyone!Because we care about ensuring that Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ provides you with a consistent and quality game play experience, we will be postponing weekly maintenance this week. Downtime was originally scheduled for Tuesday, January 17th, 2012 from 2AM CST (12AM PST/3AM EST/8AM GMT/9AM CET) to 10AM CST (8AM PST/11AM EST/4PM GMT/5PM CET) and will now occur at a later date due to issues requiring additional testing that have been discovered with the Game Update 1.1 content on the Public Test Server.
These issues were primarily brought to our attention by the diligent players on the Public Test Server Forums. Your participation in testing helps to improve the game as a whole, and we appreciate your discussion and feedback. The bug reports you provide are a valuable part of the development process. Thank you!
We’re working hard to bring you Game Update 1.1: Rise of the Rakghouls and are working hard to ensure your overall experience with Star Wars: The Old Republic is spectacular! The maintenance window for Game Update 1.1 will be rescheduled for some time within the next few days, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. When there’s a definite time, we will post here on the Community Blog as well as on the Official Forums. Please keep your eye out for updates, and we will provide information as soon as it’s available.
Blah blah bah, we were going to give you "server group forums", blah blah, we may be reconsidering that due to how angery we are making all of you, blah blah something something bugs, But we'll probably just do it our way in the end. something something darkside
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I think what they should do is make it so that in that forum we only see posts by other people on that server. Like associate our accounts only with servers we have characters on and allow us only to see threads from other people who have characters on that server. It would give us a server forum while still allowing BioWare to moderate only a single extra category.
That would be far too much of an API work-around to a very simple solution that can be delivered through standard features in vBulletin.
Either way, they are making this harder then it has to be, like the 6 year old who doesn't want to listen and wants to do things their way.
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And they will not. Nor should they- it would be a waste of money, time and resources, and would create more problems than it resolved.
Anyone who speaks in an official capacity will have their every word dissected, recorded and quoted back to them out of context. No matter what they say or do, they cannot win- to paraphrase, the only way to win the game is not to play.
By refusing to engage beyond the most terse and official statements, they prevent the legions of basement dwelling neckbeards from making their lives a living hell.
It happens in every MMO- if the devs or staff participate in the forums, you'll get the mouthbreathers typing spittle-flecked rants about how the devs are wasting time in the forums when they could be fixing bugs. If they don't participate in the forums, the whiny gits start getting on about how nobody talks to them.
If I were BioWare I'd make sure everyone had an hour a day hard-blocked on their calendar to read the forums. And I'd make sure the firewall prevented them from posting anything.
Wrong
Fallen Earth has had a full dev team present on their forums since launch. Infact their Community Manager is Tiggs from SWG. To top it off, they have a GM online in game at all hours who will assist any player when sent a /pm. No waiting a week for a response.
If they can do it, Bioware surely can.
Furthermore, I happen to know first hand of a company who also provides similar services for their product. It's not hard for employees to get on and communicate with customers. Yes, there are "special children" in companies who you may not want interfacing with your customers, but that doesn't mean that communications overall should be cut.
There is absolutely no good reason for the support we are seeing here right now. It's horrendious.
Like I said, if you doubt my word then please feel free to check my listed employment in my profile.
I've made every attempt possible since early access to get the point accross to Bioware that they need to fix the problem or hire someone else to do it.
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I was just thinking, like in beta, will there ever be a serer wipe? You know, where you lose all of your characters, ect?
This isnt the EMU
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How many subs do you think are ACTIVE right now?
How many subs do you think will be active after the 20th?
Did a rough assesment some weeks ago based of off average number seen in /who or world/instance count.
I'd say between 300,000 and 600,000 range currently, maybe add a few more in there for additional servers. Wager 3,000-4,000 per server if that.
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Honestly, for how long has this game been out? Not that long.
And haven't all mmos(and games for that part)been having bugs and stuff like that at launch?
Guess what, Bioware is working their *** off trying to sort things out, really it's to early to say this game sucks or anything or that the game will fail, Bioware need a bit time to sort out the bugs and stuff that might cause issues ingame e.t.c
Allright, the game isn't ''perfect'', no game have been at launch, and it is not WoW, and was it intended to be a wow copy as many of you claim? No, it wasen't. This is SWTOR, not WoW, and many of you complain to much, i've played on a Sith Marauder and currently allmost reaching lvl 35 but it is by no way easy(i'am not a crap player getting used to the mechanic of playing and that stuff at the moment and i enjoy the game alot), i'am sure Bioware will fix the bugs people are having and that they will expand the content but.. It's enjoyable and good imo as it as even now. Great game!
Give Bioware a chance, this is a fresh game, you can't demand the game to be absolutely perfect in all it's meanings and expect it to be as polished and filled with a game that's been out for over 6 years of updates and expansions, really you can't.
And again, this is NOT a WoW clone, it was never mean't to be that, enjoy it, have patience they will solve the ingame issues and relax, enjoy the game
There is no ''perfect'' game
Give Bioware a chance and this game will shine
They've been given chances
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Copied here so everyone can see it in this thread.
Would have simply been easier for Bioware to utilize the original and well organized thread.
http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=3500
SWTOR Server Forums
This is not a petition, this is a request. Please leave valid feedback.
This game needs server forums, but why you ask?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Give Us Server Forums
There are too many players on the forums as is and the game hasn't even seen it's official release yet.
Threads become "lost in the sauce" within seconds of being created, generally regardless of section.
It's near impossible to communicate with same-server people
The Guild Hall is a disaster, there's no way of filtering or telling who's from what server. No one wants to read recruitment threads for servers they likely will never play on, ever.
There is no way for players to trade/buy/sell items in game via the forums. Every MMO out there has this and it's all broken down by server.
There's a lack of esprit de corps for server communities, everyone is on their own playing in solo mode.
EXAMPLE:
http://skylineownersusa.com/images/swgservers.png
The list can go on and on. Nearly 200 replies to this thread as of Dec 14th, 2011 and still no response from the Bioware staff. (Update: Bioware staff responded Dec 19th, see below)
Server forums are essential to comradery within a MMO that carries multiple servers. Servers become their own little worlds with their own little social groups. People within those little worlds, generelly, only care about what is going on in their world.
Building a community that is required to divide in-game means you must facilitate a means to which the community can filter internally. "We" don't care about the economy on other serves. "We" don't care about PvP on other servers. "We" don't care about Guild X that's recruiting on the other server. "We" want to trade/sell/buy and communicate with people on our own server.
SWTOR is off to a good start, let's not tarnish the image so soon. Make things right and give us server forums!
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MY OFFICIAL RESPONSE TO THE MATTER
Dec 20th, 2011 12:47 AM EST
Greetings my fellow SWTOR players,
I would like to take a moment to thank all of you who have taken the time to provide valid feedback on this thread regarding the current issue at hand. Your comments and opinions DO matter and I appreciate your input.
While the Bioware Community/Support Staff have taken the time to finally comment on this issue in this very thread, I would like to note that I have personally taken the time to read each and every single response posted in this thread, even prior to Bioware removing a vast majority of them. I value everyone's feedback on this matter as I feel that the more responses we have listed here, the more Bioware will be forced to take action and correct the issue.
I say all of this with experience. I am presently the Support Manager for a large company in the industry and while I am just a simple customer here, I still feel it's my duty to do everything I can to see that this problem gets the attention it deserves and is corrected in a timely manner.
I do not wish to see SWTOR go without the necessary "tools" that it needs to be successful in the market. The best experiences I have with MMO's comes from the community, without all of you I would not have a reason to play.
There was a very good comment from another customer here, which stated that you cannot forge communities without server forums. Server legands cannot be born, history cannot be passed on, there's simply no identity to the game aside from the content handed down from Bioware, and that is not a MMO.
Once again, thanks to all of you who have provided valuable input on this thread. I'm hopful that we will see a resolution to this problem in the near future as we press forward to lobby for change.
Regards,
- Van
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SWTOR CUSTOMER FEEDBACK
Some helpful feedback from your loyal customers
No further comments will be added to this since I got this:
Quote:
The text that you have entered is too long (50381 characters). Please shorten it to 50000 characters long.
Thanks to everyone for the feedback!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gibbzter
Why not just make a forum for every server BW? Why all this BS, its like you guys are constantly trying to not do as much work as you should be. I don't think you guys know the importance of server forums in an mmo and how it can make communities last for years to come.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HobbeWan
An MMO should be what it says on the tin.
A true MMO is designed for social interaction. This is primarily between members of a server to organise events, raids, compare views, tactics and keep score with other guilds. The moderator aspect is frankly something that should have been considered right at the beginning. Lets face it they have taken enough game designers from other MMO's to learn from that.
I would say that this game has a polished storyline, a lot of nice features, good playability but the usual bugs that you expect in an MMO at this early stage which I hope will be addressed as time goes on. There are so many established MMO's out there there is a limited time to compete before people start to return to what they know. Thats human nature.
The problem is that it is competing with many established MMO's that have a lot of features such as add-ons etc and most importantly a "WELL ESTABLISHED COMMUNITY".
If you dont allow that to flourish, your game is dead and you'll be lucky if you recover your development costs. Standing on a legalistic principle regarding forum moderation to maintain an unsatisfactory method of getting people to gel together is frankly suicide.
Corporations like to instill brand belief in their staff with a messianic voracity and often this overlooks the practical elements of developing a product that has to compete in a very competetive market. This can lead to a very blinkered view of comments and constructive criticism from the customers.
I like this game and have played many others including WoW Warhammer and LOTRO, I can bear with the initial problems and hope that sense will be seen sooner rather than later and I will continue with it until unless it becomes a worthless excercise. I like to finish what I start.
If you bring in a new MMO that you want to have a half decent lifespan you need to take all the above into account.
SWTOR may have its game design experts but there are many other experts in this game..... ie the ones who have been playing MMO's for years, have raided end content and know what a game needs to make them tick.
Listen to them...
Quote:
Originally Posted by -Haldol-
There have been so many well worded posts, that I'll try to explain the need for a community with a different metaphor. What Bioware has done is no different than creating a co-op only game, except there is no way to find a partner, if you're solo, because there is a website but no forum or player matching system. In reality, Bioware's mistake is much more significant than my example. Granted this is a great single player game, and I hear they have good multi-player as well for those on a PvP server. But, my experience so far would be identical even if I was the only player on my server. Community can only be founded and then nurtured through server forum's. There is NO other way.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Amnolith
You should NEVER use a third party forum besides your guild's forum.
Trust me I am also a Senior Community Manager and I can tell you that people use the exact same login for the games that they use on the same game website...at least the large majority does.
To not recognize this as a serious potential issue is un conceivable for a community manager. You have the choice between potential not monitored but secure forums or a third party that can grab passwords in plain text upon registration.
Once there what stops the server admin from selling these to the highest bidder.
You should be very very careful where you create accounts and for Bioware to not have individual servers forums and asking people to go to third parties is major facepalm material
Installing a script that will capture your passwords in plain text before hashing them is child's play.
Quote:
Originally Posted by _BaconStrips_
The thought is nice but honestly there are already too many "unofficial" forums around and adding more will just further split up the community. But at this point who cares, there is no community anyways, so go right ahead. I want to love this game so much, but after spending weeks searching for a fitting guild for my needs on my server I gave up and spent almost 3 hours tonight on the forums searching. I even looked at pve and republic guilds and servers. There is just no way to look for any information about guild populations or what guilds are recruiting. The recruitment sections are the worst mashup of random information from all the servers, many guilds do not even post what server they are on. I already paid for 3 months but I am this close to just putting a hammer through my monitor. I am a lifelong gamer and MMO addict but this experience has started to sour me to the whole thing. Hell maybe this is a good thing, I hear RL have awesome server forums and when you get to end game you even get something called "sex". I will have to investigate it further.
Quote:
Originally Posted by oredith
reason for canceling
Social Reasons
Feels too much like a single player game
Comment:
I absolutely love the game, which is why this is a tough choice.
the main/single reason why i'm canceling, is because of the lack of server forums. There are plenty of "unofficial" server forums, but those do not get the traffic that official ones do, and without official forums, i simply can not feel like i'm part of the community.
I hope Bioware changes the position on this, but until then, I'll enjoy the game until the 30 day period runs out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mugaman
Great thread, by the way.
I actually have a problem with Bioware's arrogance when it comes to forum management. Claiming that server forums are rife with negativity is just plain ignorant. Are there numerous cases of server-forum drama and player/guild callouts? Yes, but that is what builds a server's community and contributes largely to player/guild notoriety. Most server forums are actually used constructively: guild recruitment, crafting discussions and transactions, guild progress, etc. Furthermore, most of the player/guild callouts are just playful competition and are part of the reason why MMOs are fun. Bioware's insinuation that server forums are cesspools filled with hate and grief is one of the most ridiculous statements I have ever read.
Server forums build community far better than in-game interactions or the current forum set-up. No community = no MMO experience = thousands of people ditching their subscriptions after they get bored of the single-player storyline.
We should all urge Bioware to create a cash cow instead of sticking with the current model (which is essentially a more expensive KOTOR and will not net the constant cash flow that they could have).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Broom
I've been playing MMO since 2003 and I've been the leader of my guild (Fated) since 2004. We're one of those multi-game guilds that isn't easily categorized, since we pretty much do anything from crafting to heavy raiding to PVP. Since I'm usually pretty active in server politics and (pvp) event organisation, I think I have a fair idea of what makes a community. And in my considered opinion, server forums are essential. They allow people to still participate in the community from work, they give a place to coordinate social activities, PVE and PVP activities, and they give guilds a place to get to know each other.
SERVER FORUMS ARE IMPORTANT
COMMUNITIES ARE IMPORTANT
For the longevity of games, I'd even say a good community is essential. Many people keep playing or keep coming back because they miss the community. Going back and immediately fitting in with a group you belong to is a powerful incentive for playing.
And then we get SW:TOR. I'd describe this game as downright anti-social. The constant cutscenes make that there's hardly any guildchat or even region chat and that Ventrilo is quiet. Guild tools are pretty much non-existent. And there are no server forums.
In Pirates of the Burning Sea, this far into live we already had our National Councils up and running
In Warhammer, this far into live the guilds were already working on how to grab fortresses, even though those fortresses didn't even work yet
I never played AOC at launch, but AOC chat is more lively than SW:TOR chat… and AOC has a WAY smaller population
In City of Heroes, task force weekends, costume contests and PVP zone events are organised through the forums
In Aion, cross guild cooperation for capturing fortresses was again started in the first weeks after launch
In SW:TOR… uhm… I see some guilds which seem to be bigger than others, don't know squat about them though. Can't look them up either. But hey, no one's talking to anyone anyway. On the server where my guild goes for PVP, we know almost everyone. Why? Well, we're from the Bloodfin server in SWG, originally. Most of us left after the CU/NGE, but we've kept in contact all those years, first through the server forums, then through our own expatriate forums. Forum wars, feuds, smacktalking and all, we still hang together… and server forums were instrumental to that.
I consider the BW arguments that server forums would go unmoderated as bogus. Other games use volunteer moderators from the community, so can they.
Linna Baresi
<Fated>
fated.europefreeforum.com
Quote:
Originally Posted by redtigershogun
I do feel quite offended by their excuses for not having them. Their resoning of not being able to provide proper moderation is absolute bs.
I mean really? You can't hire forum admins? You just moved what is estimated to be over 2 million units at a minimum of $60 a pop. Even if only half of those have subs next month, that's still an additional 15 million in your first month alone. Something tells me you could hire a freakin' army of forum moderators and you wouldn't have to sacrifice your tropical vacation to do it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cryak
Consumer Behaviour 101:
Listen to your market and fill the gap
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At the end of the day it is simply extremely bad business to try and tell your market what they want
Quote:
Originally Posted by Senden
They're going to lose subscribers from this decision for sure.. there are many many many mmo gamers who love immersing themselves in their server community, getting to know people, guilds and such and it can keep them subscribed for a lot longer than originally intended
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sgtcrispy
Unsubscribed due to this. Honestly, this game feels completely devoid of any social aspects. Why make it an MMO if it ends up feeling like a single player game? No chat bubbles makes it difficult to know who is saying what and when, 80% of the game being phased and instanced makes me feel incredibly alone and no server forums is the final strike for me. And their reasoning for such is completely asinine. I'd rather have a poorly moderated forum than none at all. "You guys can make your own though," also feels like a slap in the face.
Quote:
Originally Posted by intristin
Server forums are required for any mmo. Re-Think this bioware, your making a mistake that will end up costing you money. People are drawn to MMO's with flashy content, but the reason most stay are community, guilds, and friendships. The guild forums you have right now are a nightmare, and adding the search function back will not make it any easier to promote or find a guild. Ditto for your events forum, another nightmare. Furthermore servers need forums to build community. Has the people who made this call ever played an MMO?
Give us server forums, we need them, we want them, what else is there to say? The pros of server forums vastly outweigh the cons, by light years....
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluestone
I do agree with this thread though, the guild hall is a train wreck, all those sub levels of sub levels of sub levels of forums is ridiculous and it is a pain trying to find other guilds on your server.
The whole guild hall needs to be removed and replaced with server forums. End of story as far as I am concerned.
Quote:
Originally Posted by EclecticTastes
Yeah it seems very odd to me that there are no server specific forums.
That was the very first thing I looked for when the new forums came up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SidSpinmove
Hate to say it, but no server forums = no play. The Ahazi forum kept me playing SWG for years after I naturally would have quit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by crackyhoss
absolutely!! the ridiculously high traffic on the general forums may just be due to the fact that most people aren't in-game yet... but it's absurd!
literally 30 seconds after i started a new thread, it was buried on page 3.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cormey
In the end it's good to have a forum where you can go to talk about issues that actually apply to the server(s) your playing on. I don't care if the economy is rooted or the sith outnumber the republic on servers i'll never touch.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DarthMarisa
I can't reasonably expect my guild thread to get proper views unless I can move it to the right server. There's just too many threads out here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DullSeraph
This would most likely help with the overcrowding that is already starting.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ViperI
I, too, would love to see seperate discussion forums dedicated to individual servers. In essence, it should be what the current community forum is, with all it's subforums, duplicated for each server.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Starwitch
Its mind boggling to think they didn't add server forums.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anubrious
I wonder if the Community Management team realizes how not having realm/server forums will affect the community. I think that most people play MMORPG's because they want to play a game and interact with other people at the same time. I know I have made quite a few friends through online gaming. Without realm/server forums people have to use one of three different methods of finding guilds or people with common interests.
1) Come to the swtor.com forums and read through countless threads/pages hoping that they somehow actually find a post by someone from their realm/server and faction that fits the criteria they are looking for. This amounts to what I think most would consider taking up way too much time that could be spent actually enjoying the game that they are paying to play.
2) Use an outside source such as google, to try to search for guilds on their realm/server. This could be a very dangerous avenue for people considering the amount of spyware and hacking that is commonplace for gaming today.
3) Use the in-game chat feature to basically spam /LF guild. From my experience in MMO's this rarely nets good results. Most guilds that your average player would consider "good" don't normally respond to people spamming chat to find a guild. Most don't want to take the risk that the person spamming could be someone just looking to troll guild chat or "ninja" the guild bank. It usually is not worth their time while in-game. They would rather do their recruiting outside of the game, usually.
As you can see I have only listed cons to these methods because I do not believe that the pros come anywhere close to outweighing the cons in these situations. I understand that more forums require more Moderators and possibly server space but, I truly feel that it would be time and money very well spent considering I can't see it hurting the community. I can only see realm/server forums helping the community tremendously in the short and long term.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nefra
I was trying to look for a guild this morning and the forums are just a mess. Would be greatly appreciated if we could have server specific forums.
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BIOWARE'S RESPONSE TO THIS MATTER
Update: Jan 13th, 2012
Bioware listens to customers, but not completely. They are giving customers "forums" but not real "server forums".
From: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=173672
Quote:
Originally Posted by AllisonBerryman
Next week, we’re going to implement some changes to the Forums based on feedback we’ve received from the community. These changes are meant to help address some of the concerns the community has and to make Forums organization a little easier to use overall.
In the layout we have now, things like Guild Recruitment and Server Events are spread out and can be difficult to locate. We’ve also seen some requests for places on the forums where players can go to discuss things more closely with others on their particular server, and for a place for suggestions for the game. To start addressing some of these concerns, we will introduce a new forum section: Server Group Forums, and will place the Suggestion Box back in its rightful place under General Discussion.
The Server Group Forums will be divided by server type (PvE, PvP, RP, and RP-PvP), and then alphabetically by the server listing. We have grouped several servers of the same types together to provide areas where players can more easily talk with others on their server (and other players on the same types of servers) – about crafting items, grouping up, hosting events, and more. Each Server Group Forum hosts several servers. If your server’s name falls in the alphabetical range in the forum title, that’s where you’ll post!
Each Server Group Forum has a Guild Recruitment subforum, where players can recruit others into their guilds and look for a guild. There are many more subforums for recruitment in this organization than previously, so it will be much easier to find a guild on your server!
We ask that you please use a [server Name] tag in front of your threads in these forums when they open to make it easy to see when you make a thread that is specifically intended for other members of your server, and to make sure everyone can see relevant threads easily.
As a side effect of opening these new forums, we will close the Guild Hall and Server Events sections of the forum, as the content for those forums now belongs under our Server Group Forums. We’ll leave those forums visible for a time (but not open for posts) so that you can grab the text of your recruitment posts (or any other posts you’d like to keep from those forums) and post in the new Server Group Forums.
We will also add the Suggestion Box forum to create a place for constructive suggestion threads to live. We encourage you to share your ideas!
We understand that some players would still prefer individual server forums. If volume in the Server Group Forums dictates and it is still too difficult to locate information important to you that relates to your server, we will continue to consider additional changes. We believe this organization will allow us to have a thriving area for per-server discussion, and we’ll remain flexible and receptive to feedback from these changes. As always, if you have any other suggestions for the forums (new forums you’d like to see, changes that would be helpful), we’re glad to hear them. Thank you for providing your constructive feedback!
More: http://torwars.com/2012/01/14/social...rums-announced
Update: Dec 21st, 2011
Thanks to Dvius for taking the time to capture an official statement from Bioware in a 1 on 1 interview.
http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/12...-swtor-server/
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dvius
Updated my article with interview with Allison Berryman.
http://tor-talk.com/community-fog-of-war/
Its time to speak up.
I am copying this article here for the sake of ease and so everyone can read it in black and white (or whatever catchy colors I randomly pick)
Quote:
Originally Posted by TOR Talk .com
Dvius : We’ve repeatedly heard about the need for a strong server community as reasons for no dungeon-finder or cross server PvP queues and then Bioware has decided to go with communal server type forums instead of server specific forums. Can you explain some of the reasons or thought processes behind this decision?
Allison : We definitely want players to interact and build strong communities overall, but we also have a responsibility to provide moderation that ensures players have a good community experience on the official forums. Generally speaking, server forums for many MMOs tend to be largely un-moderated and can become unpleasant to visit. We do feel there is value in them for the community, in the form of player-run events, guild recruitment, and other ways to meet players who enjoy the same aspects of the game you do, so we’ve attempted to provide that in the official forums through our expanded Guild Hall and Community sections. This is also a great opportunity for the community to come together in their own ways – on fan sites and through other resources. Of course, we want people to visit the official forums, and will use them to provide information that’s of specific interest to the community, but we also love to see the community coming up with cool stuff on their own.
Dvius: David mentioned that hundreds of server forums wouldn’t be ideal. With the number of players requiring that many servers, do you feel that people might feel lost in the crowd of just PVE, PVP, RP and RP-PVP server forums?
Allison : We don’t think this is the case. The official forums definitely get a lot of visitors, and forums like General Discussion are extremely fast-moving, but we’ve found that many of the sub-forums tend to have a more manageable pace. The first few weeks are guaranteed to be hectic no matter where you are, but we think that many players will be able to easily find threads to participate in and keep up with.
Dvius: The community team as well as developers has made a lot of changes due to player feedback. Is this something that is capable of happening, or is there server or software limitations behind this?
Allison : There is room for this to change in the future depending on demands and our capability to provide good moderation coverage. We need to balance the amount of demand from the community against our ability to provide the level of service we’re committed to maintaining, and as the craziness of launch starts to subside, we may look at some different options or implementations if it becomes clear there’s a need to in order to serve the community.
Dvius: What path would you recommend for players that are in support of these servers take? We don’t need a million posts spamming the forums obviously.
Allison : We definitely want players to express their interest, and the forums are a great place to do that. We do already have a thread in the Community section about server forums (found here) and whether they’ll be implemented, and that’s a great place to express your thoughts on the matter (constructively, of course)! We will be reading it – in fact, we have Community Representatives assigned to the various forums to help us gather feedback, so no one should ever think that a thread that’s not in General Discussion will get ignored.
Update: Dec 19th, 2011
This thread had nearly 400 replies and over 10,000 views.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Meluna
Hi there, folks. We've removed some posts from this thread and want to explain why. We understand the desire for server forums, but posts that only consist of "/signed" or "+1" are not constructive and are something we do not allow. Please make sure that all your replies help further conversation, as we don't allow petitions. Thank you!
Quote:
Originally Posted by AllisonBerryman
Hi everyone! We wanted to explain a little more about why there aren't currently server forums:
While we absolutely agree that there are some useful threads and discussions that come from server forums, we have decided to not include them in our launch Forums lineup. Partially, this is because we do not feel we could currently provide the high standard of moderation, oversight, and maintenance in each of them that we aim to provide across the Forums.
Another factor is that, after observing server forums for other games, we feel that we can provide places on the Forums for the constructive content that typically comes from them while working to eliminate the extreme negativity of player callouts and other undesirable forum activity that can occur in them.
We now have several areas for guild recruitment and community discussion and organization, which we feel are excellent things that typically end up in server-specific forums. We encourage you to make use of all the Community Forums (especially the Server Event and Check-ins forums) as well as our expanded Guild Hall forums. Though the search feature is currently disabled, once it is restored it will be easy to search for guilds recruiting on your server (and we apologize for the inconvenience in the meantime).
Obviously, this is a decision we can re-evaluate as we receive community feedback, but we do encourage you to try out the sub-forums that we currently have to see if they meet your needs and desires for meeting other players. In the future, we may add additional sub-forums for various topics that require more space. We're always reading feedback and evaluating the needs of the community, and will continue to do so, so please do let us know what suggestions you have to improve the Forums!
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GUILD RECRUITMENT FAILURE EXAMPLE
Bioware wants YOU to weed through 100's of pages of threads to find a guild that "may" be relevant to your server.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vandrel-Blitz
Seeing as how a number of you have been discussing guild recruitment, I would like to paint a prime example for Bioware to evaluate.
Day 1, early game access, I created a guild recruitment thread in the guild hall. I did not put my thread in any of the sub-forum areas because, quite frankly, my guild is not applicable.
My guild is a international coast to coast PvP/PvE guild that is a gaming community and due to this we have both EMPIRE and REPUBLIC guilds, essentially we have characters in both factions. We happen to presently play on a US PVE EST server, however we have members from all over the world and we focus on all aspects of the game.
Saddly, within seconds of my guild thread creation, a Bioware moderator moved my thread to the OTHER > PvP > EMPIRE sub-forum section. So, I responded and reported the thread notifying the moderator of their error, naturally I got no response and no support.
I then made a new thread, in the same area of the main guild hall (along with the 100 other threads) yet this time I made sure to clearly state in the title that my guild was international, that does PvE and PvE yet we're on a PvE server. Within seconds, that thread was moved to OTHER > PVE > EMPIRE sub-forum.
Again, I attempted to report the moderators error in moving my thread, because now at this point I have 2 recruitment threads buried in Empire ONLY forum sections, yet my guild has both factions. Naturally I got no response.
Lastly, I read the sticky (rules) thread stating that we are only allowed to create "2" threads if our guild is international. So at this point I'm lost, Bioware expects me to recruit for a international multi-faction gaming community guild with only 2 threads when their sub-forum sections are not only broken down by PvE/PvP/RP but also by faction and regional location. So what am I to do? I cannot recruiting in all sections, clearly because moderators insist on moving the threads, yet due to this fact I am now limited severally on my recruitment capabilities.
While the above is true in my personal case, it is a great example of WHY the current forum layout DOES NOT WORK, period. We need server forums to be successful and right now we are setup for failure.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vandrel-Blitz
I have sent in a follow up response to their customer support via the ticket I had open. I requested them to forward this case to the appropriate manager/director for their review.
I'll keep everyone updated if/when a response is given. Hopfully they don't simply forget or ignore this thread.
Yet another request,
http://www.swtor.com/community/showt...t=68515&page=7
Update: Dec 26th, 2011
This thread has 560 (not including those deleted by mods) replies and 24,000 views.
I got a response back regarding the ticket I sent in about this topic of discussion, here's the response
Quote:
Originally Posted by SWTOR Customer Support
Greetings Vandrel-Blitz,
I am Protocol Droid G3-U9, and I have forwarded your issue to the community team. Rest assured that it will be investigated thoroughly.
For future reference, we would ask that you please report all similar incidents directly to the community team at bwacommunitysupport@bioware.com.
Thank you!
Galactic Support is our specialty...
Protocol Droid G3-U9, aka [Pamela].
Star Wars: The Old Republic Customer Service
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BIOWARE STICKY'S A THREAD
Bioware expects it's customers to create their own server forums it seems, based upon the following thread that they made a sticky as well as their official response to this issue.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mangala
While we wait on Bioware, list your own server forums here.
I'll kick it off with the brandspanking new Frostclaw EU PVE Server forum.
I will maintain this OP with details of all that get added here.
EU:
Bloodworthy & Bloodworthy (Joint with TOFN & also on IRC: http://webchat.quakenet.org/ #Bloodworthy )
Darth Sion
Frostclaw PVE
Hex Droid
Keller's Void (TBA)
Legions of Lettow & Legions of Lettow (Temporary)
Scepter of Ragnos (Currently on IRC: http://webchat.quakenet.org/ #ScepterOfRagnos )
The Red Eclipse & Facebook page
Tomb of Freedon Nadd (Joint with Bloodworthy)
Trayus Academy (Currently on IRC: http://webchat.quakenet.org/ #trayusacademy )
US:
Belgoths Beacon
Bondar Crystal
Darth Bandon
Hedarr Soongh
Helm of Graush and a Facebook page
Krayt Dragon
Port Nowhere and another Port Nowhere forum
Tarro Blood and a Tarro Blood (Facebook Page)
The Ebon Hawk
The Fatman (Forum) The Fatman (Facebook group)
The Sanctum of the Exalted
Vrook Lamar
General Sites
Oldrepublicboard Operator is aiming to have server forums for everyone on there.
SWTOR.Fragworld.Org is offering moderated server forums for ALL US servers and soon EU also.
They also have a Guild Database to add and find guilds on your server.
Eotp Gaming is doing server forums for all EU servers
UK focused SWTOR Community site
Swtorowned Site with all server forums
Swtorserverforums Site with forums for all US servers.
The sad part here is Bioware took the time to sticky this thread, yet they can't be bothered to respond to the real issue at hand and solve it.
SWTOR customers are shelling out personal funds, real money, to create something that Bioware should be doing for us.
Taking a quick look at the costs that Bioware is forcing upon it's customers:
Domain name and registration: $15/yr
Hosting plan: $5/mo to $50/mo (depending on package)
Setup fees: $10 to $30 (if applicable)
So right here we have a handful of customers, the number grows daily, that are shelling out at most $50 a month plus $15 a year. Their own money put out there to do something Bioware should be doing already for it's customers.
If it was me, I'd send Bioware a bill.
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If you think you have some valid input, a well written response to the matter, or found news related to the topic, please forward it to me via PM here on the forums. I will do my best to keep this thread updated as we push forward in the lobby campaign against Bioware's decision to NOT have server forums for SWTOR.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vandrel-Blitz
On the first day of xmas Bioware gave to me.....
1 MMO
1 Official Forum
12 Forum Sections
41 Sub-Forum Sections
aaaannnndddd
ZERO.....SERVER.....FOOOORRUUUMMMMMMSSSSSSSZzzzzzz !
If you aree with this thread then please help by passing the word with the following include in your forum signature:
Code:
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BIOWARE REFUSES TO GIVE CUSTOMERS SERVER FORUMS (click for more details)
Quote:
Originally Posted by oredith
i'm kinda wondering if BW is secretly (or not so secretly) watching these privateer forums, to see if any of them take off, so that they can save themselves the trouble of having to provide it.
I'd like to direct your attention to something I found earlier today
http://www.two-pi-team.de/en/2011/bi...-republic.html
Quote:
As a standing partner for many years we compliment BioWare on officially launching Star Wars: The Old Republic, the most anticipated MMORPG of 2011 and almost certainly the Game of the Year. All the hard work you have put into it finally will pay off when all the thousands of Jedi and Sith players around the globe will set the gaming servers on fire.
Congratulations, BioWare! Or how Yoda would have put it: “Powerful you have become, the dark side I sense in you.”
So I ask you this,
Why is it that the above linked company owns countless SWTOR related domain names? And date of purchase/registration was March 2009?
Can we say conflict of interest?
Why is that important? Well, quite simply.... either this company did some contract work for Bioware and decided to make a little extra cash on the side by securing any/all related domain names possible for resale to folks like us.....OR Bioware is attempting to collect a little extra off of customers who are "forced" to venture out and create their own community sites.
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well, the server forum thread has now been locked.
we've been asked to carry on the discussion on another thread, again.
so here we go. continuing to hope for server specific forums, but i'm personally willing to deal with group forum, mostly because i intend to bogart the entire group forum for Harbinger. whoever shares that group with us is probably gonna be bummed though
What utter nonsense is that? They closed the thread so it'd die off.
Hello there, everyone!
We appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us in this thread. That said, this thread is near the 1,000 post limit and so we will be closing it. In addition, there is a thread from Allison in our General Discussion forum that explains new forum changes that will be coming soon, and it addresses the issue of server forums. We're going to ask that everyone please heads on over to the below link to share their thoughts on this. Thank you for your understanding!
That's ok, 2 can play that game
Well over 1,000 posts here and it's still open
http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=1584541
Yet this got closed at 987. Bias?
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We need true server forums. Nothing less will do. Other games have them, and, yes, the moderation isn't as pronounced on the server forums as on general. But the lesson in that is: you don't need gestapo-like moderation. The 'secret police' shouldn't be black bagging everyone who opens their mouth in disagreement over the game. Most of us are adults here -- stop catering to the absolute lowest common denominator.
Agreed in full here.
It's one thing to mitigate drama and negative comments but it's another to simply attempt to censor everything so the game appears to be all fluffy bunnies and unicorns on the inside.
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The point with this is how productive the communication is to the game experience. The cross faction chat is disallowed for largely the same reason as their hesitance to add server forums. Alot of what goes down in each is needless trash talking and harassment. Yes, there could be productive uses of each function and the back and forth may be enjoyed by some but, I believe BioWare is trying to specifically avoid facilitating that sort of contentious behavior to prevent it from becoming a cornerstone of server culture. Yes, there are ways for such behavior to occur but, withholding such tools makes it alot less prevalent.
I understand their thoughts and approach to combat...rather, mitigate this but it's simply unavoidable.
Why?
Because everyone can make 8 toons and everyone can have both faction toons. Want to talk to the other side? Just log onto your alt.
Keeping the community divided makes no sense. Nearly everyone plays both sides anyway.
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vBulletin and You - [SWTOR vBulletin Guide] (What Bioware left out)
in Suggestion Box
Posted · Edited by Vandrel-Blitz
May be the case then, none the less it's still something that should be looked into for a (enhancement) if you will.
I have no idea how many people find it annoying, I for one do, but it'd be nice to not be bothered with that here.
It's not something that's present in newer versions of vBulletin, where you'll instantly find a "Closed" or "Locked" button (depending on template) to replace "Reply", "Quick Reply", "Quote", and "Multi Quote". This is a version/template error.
For example: http://forum.teamspeak.com/showthread.php/46455-Attention-German-Community-Members
Notice the "Closed Thread" button and lack of reply/quote buttons