Forum Changelog

[MissyS]

February 22, 2018:

• Guests and users with unconfirmed emails have had their privileges expanded to allow replying to threads, but cannot post new threads except in the Suggestions & Feedback Forum.
• Inactive staff have been removed.
• Some framework has been put in place in the back end in a new attempt to combat spammers and encourage forum participation. If you see yourself or someone else as part of "Registered Users +" this is part of it. Currently this has not been fully activated, but is being tested to make sure it is working correctly.

[MissyS]

March 6, 2018:

After testing, the framework designed to help reduce spam in the forums is in place. This means the following changes:

• By default, users will be considered a "Registered User." After making five posts in the forums, they will be promoted to "Registered User +". (Those who have already made 5+ posts must log in and post once to receive this promotion).
• "Registered Users" have most of the privileges as they always have, with a few new restrictions.
  
  1. Cannot make a new thread
  2. Cannot make a new poll
  3. Cannot use Signatures
  4. Cannot use Albums
• "Registered Users +" lose these restrictions, meaning they can make their own threads and polls, use albums, and use signatures.
• Guests and users who have not verified their emails can also participate in the forums by posting in existing threads.
• The Suggestions & Feedback forum bypasses these restrictions: any user may make a new thread here.

The primary purpose of these changes is to help reduce spam in the forums, based on current spambot trends (we actually prevent hundreds of spambots a day, but there will always be a few that get through). However, it's my secondary hope that this will also help encourage forum participation from new members without restricting them unfairly.

As always, if you encounter any errors, please post in this forum or send me a private message.

[MissyS]

Changes Made Between July 8 and August 6, 2019:

Additional changes have been made to reduce spam in the forums:

• "Registered Users" and "Users Awaiting Email Confirmation" now require forum moderation to approve their first five posts in the forum. After that time, they will be promoted to "Registered Users +" and will not require additional moderation.
• Since we have turned on post moderation for these first five posts, we've also re-enabled the ability to post new threads (as moderators will have to approve them, anyway).
• Guest posting has been re-enabled tentatively; it should require post moderation before approval. If a loophole is found, it will be disabled again.

Other changes made:

• Volunteer moderators have been retired. In the interest of security and accountability, forum moderation at this time will only be managed by OnRPG/MMOHuts staff.

As always, if you encounter any errors, please post in this forum or send me a private message. More changes will be coming in the future as we're working to improve the forum for all.

[MissyS]

August 10, 2019:

Added a "Forum Rules & Announcements" forum and moved a few threads to it. This is where the change log will be, along with the code of conduct & any other important forum announcements.

[MissyS]

August 12, 2019:

• A post detailing GDPR requests & account deletion is now available.
• A new Forum Rules & Code of Conduct has been posted. These rules go into effect immediately.

[MissyS]

August 23, 2019:

• Lounge Archives forum established. This is a read-only archive forum for old inactive posts.
• All threads in the Lounge and its subforums which have not been replied to in 365 days or longer (excluding sticky threads) have been moved to the Lounge Archives.
• The Graphic Shop subforum of the Lounge has been removed.
• The Tech Corner subforum of the Lounge has been removed.
• The Game Development subforum has been temporarily removed; it will return during a restructure.
• The Anime Nation subforum has been shifted to its own forum, and is no longer a Lounge sub-forum.

[MissyS]

September 3, 2019:

• The "Shameless Promotion" forum has been renamed "Self Promotion." Its description was given a minor update.
• The Code of Conduct was edited to reflect this name change.

[MissyS]

September 6, 2019:

• Archive forums have been made for the MMO Hub, Self Promotion, and Suggestions forums. Like the Lounge archives, these are read-only forums for old inactive posts. Respective forums have had threads which have not been replied to in 365 days or longer to their archive sub-forum.
• A bunch of old, ghosted threads were pruned entirely from the forum. Regular forum users couldn't see them but they were taking up space and needed to go quietly into the night.
• The Gaming Discussion Boards have three new forums: Retro Gaming Hub, Board & Tabletop Gaming Hub, and the old Game Development forum. Go make them cozy!

[MissyS]

September 9, 2019:

• The Youtube BB Code / Tag is fixed. Yes, finally!
• Gfycat code is also fixed and has its own little icon now too.

[MissyS]

September 20, 2019:

• The BBCode Spoiler now works and can be easily accessed with Now you can SPOILERhide your secrets in plain sight.
• A great number of new forums are available because we couldn't help ourselves. From the top down:
  
  • Giveaways and Contests now has a "User Giveaways" subforum
  • Gaming Discussion Boards now have "PC & Console Gaming," "Mobile Gaming Hub," and "Game Guides." Some threads have been moved as a result.
  • The Game Development forum now has a "Classifieds" subforum for posting job tips or job openings in the video game industry.
  • The "Lounge" has brought back the Tech Zone, and introduced the new "Creative Corner" (with its own subforums for "Fan Art" and "Screenshots"). The Creative Corner even has prefixes!

[MissyS]

October 8, 2019:

• A notice will now appear to all users who are in the Registered Users group and have less than 5 posts, that reads "Welcome to the forums! Your first few posts will be moderated as part of our effort to combat spam. This means they will not appear immediately. Please only post once; staff will approve posts as soon as we are able."

[MissyS]

October 11, 2019:

A new BBCode has been added: tweet! Now you can embed twitter posts on the forums.

You can use it by hitting the little twitter bird on the toolbar in your post, or by using the following code:

[TWEET]URLorStatusID[/TWEET] 

For example:

[TWEET]https://twitter.com/NightValeRadio/status/1182702924021022723[/TWEET] 

and

[TWEET]1182702924021022723[/TWEET] 

result in:

[MissyS]

November 4, 2019:

• The moderated post limit for new registered users has been reduced from 5 to 1. That means only the first post of a new member has to be approved. Notices have been updated accordingly.
• A new notice has been added for users who haven't been on the forums for the past 90+ days, reminding them to check the Rules & Announcements forum for the latest updates.

FORUM RULES UPDATE:

• Links to ROMS, emulators, etc are now allowed.
• Private servers may now be posted about, shared, and discussed.