New Boards

[SimThreat]

Just want to say I'm interested in getting new boards just so that the current Admin have no control on it.

I want to it to pretty much look like these boards. I haven't done any research atm but I'm definitely interested.

Just putting it out there, if anyone wants to make this happen, I'm on board. I don't like it here and want to move somewhere else.

Don't mind using the current ranks but hate posting on these boards because I don't like non-players having all the power and doing stupid shit to people who actually play. Time to make a board that revolves around the players.

[flicker]

http://speedrunrecords.com/GoldenEye_007/forum

[SimThreat]

It looks like shit though. Is there a way to create a new boards that looking exactly like these ones? I understand the feeds on top are pretty complex but I don't mind nothing having those. Just want the boards to discuss what we want and do what we like without useless people doing nothing but banning people etc.

[Malaysia Airlines Flight 370]

I thought about this and would be interested if the boards were good enough to make the move worth it.

I think however, I am just going to suck the Admins cocks from now on / don't bother them and pretend they don't exist.

[..]

http://theelitegaming.boards.net/

Here you go bb

[TheFlash]

You need a few things. Generally a software package to run the forum, a server to host it, possibly a database system if the forum software requires one, a domain name so people can find you on the web.  This would get you most of the way there.

There are services available online for those who wish to run a system like this but don't know how to put all the pieces together.  There are free options and paid options depending on your requirements.  Free options will often be supported by advertisements.  The previous versions of this site's message board were of this type.

If you prefer to have more control over the forum and have the ability to modify the platform to better suit your needs, you likely want a managed server environment.  This is how the current forum here runs.  Ngamer pays $10 each month to a company that runs a server that hosts this site and a multitude of other sites as well.  He can configure his site to some degree, but the server functions are mostly out of his control.

There are dozens of forum software packages available at price ranges from free to the thousands of dollars.  Choosing one depends on your needs and capabilities.  Maintenance is typically required on a somewhat regular basis to keep up with security fixes, user base requests, account management, and other issues that pop up from time to time.  If I had to guess, this has come out to something near 50 hours per year for me since I took over this role here a couple years ago with the move away from the Yuku board hosting.  I try to keep abreast of the current situation and listen to what features users are after but stay out of the day-to-day issues that come up like deleting posts and banning people.  I've mostly consulted with the community at large to determine what features to implement here, but since I was given this role by Ngamer, I pass things by him before putting them in place.

To make a forum look exactly like this one, you should install SMF 1.1.x and use the Helios Multi theme, this information is available in the bottom bar of any page here.  The theme has been customized to some degree based on Ngamer's preferences.  These customizations would have to be reverse-engineered by looking at the HTML output of a page and comparing it to the HTML output under the fresh installation.  Note that SMF 1.1.x is now at end of life and should be updated to the SMF 2.x line.  The Helios Multi theme is not available for SMF 2.x.  The feeds displayed atop various pages on this forum are generated from a few sources.  PR feeds come from the RSS available at the main rankings page.  Twitch feeds use the Twitch API to check for streams online from our list of accounts.

I'd also like to share some stats from the forum moderation log just to paint a picture of who does what around here.  This is covering the period from January 2013 to today.  It looks like the people assigned to moderate the GE and PD sections are quite active, and Ngamer and come are keeping up on things as well.
COUNT(smf_log_actions.ID_MEMBER) Descending   membername
282   Ngamer64
113   Thiradell
97   OversizedJimbo
93   DavidK5
81   comeasur33
66   TheFlash
35   wishiwasfamous
33   karljobst
23   Carathorn
11   AckeZ1989
11   Stefan-Persson
9   RWhiteGoose
1   Wodahs-Reklaw
1   wheatrich
1   NathanStinson
1   ExpertGamer64

One last note, this idea was also brought up about 1 year ago in a GE board thread by Malaysian Airlines Flight 370.  I advise you to check out the discussion in that thread before pushing forward with any project.

If you need any help getting something set up, let me know! Or, if you have specific concerns about this site that are related to the work I do, feel free to bring them up at any time and I'll share my thoughts.  Oh, and if anyone else wants to help out in an administrative/technical capacity with the forums (or rankings or main page), I'd be a good person to talk to first.  I am familiar with the operation of all of these pieces and could advise you how to make sure your talents have the greatest impact.

[RWG]

Boards are createable, but the userbase is not.

I can try to sway Clark to change the link on the mainpage of the-elite.net to direct to a new boards, rather than these ones, so that these can die in a skeletal field with just Ngamer and Come posting about nothing, while new boards flourish with youth and aspiration.

[Lark]

If there is an admin or user that you don't like on the message board, simply add them to your ignore list. Once this is done, they practically don't exist. Throwing a shit fit and attempting to create a new message board isn't sustainable in the long run.

[RWG]

They do exist even on ignore.  Are you retarded Larkin?  They can still

- delete posts
- delete topics
- ban top GE players for no reason
- revert usernames, avatars, signatures
- other forms of abuse and cyberbullying

[Lark]

Try being objective for once.

[Aztec Exemplar]

I don't mind how things are right now.

[SimThreat]

Larkin, so having preferences in life and deciding to change something to suit what you like more is apparently throwing a shitfit? Ok bro, trust me, you're not going to live a happy life with that attitude.

Thanks for the info Flash, much appreciated.

BTW, as for the logs of activity, the fact that Ngamer has so many is part of the problem. Some of his and Come's actions are fucked. Such as deleting/closing topics because they feel like, banning people etc.

I will post at Goose's old boards with anything GE related until I/someone gets another good board.

[Aztec Exemplar]

lol gooses's old boards, gimme a link to that.

[TheFlash]

Here are some more breakdowns so we can see where most of the actions are coming from.

Over that time period, Ngamer has deleted 7 posts, modified 63, deleted 5 member accounts, and edited the board top news block 117 times.

Come has modified 27 posts, deleted 10 posts, moved a topic from one board section to another 7 times, and updated the news 9 times.

Thiradell has stickied or unstickied a topic 61 times, deleted a post 20 times, and modified a post 18 times.

Jimbo has modified 27 posts and deleted 27 posts, moved a topic 7 times, and updated the news 12 times.

I have modified a post 27 times, deleted a post 9 times, moved a topic 6 times, and split a topic 5 times.

DK has modified a post 32 times, modified the news 30 times, and deleted 23 posts.

It looks like Jimbo and DK might be doing the most policing of the GE and PD boards with a lot of deletions.  People with a lot of news updates were likely in charge of updating the board top during the summer contest.  Modifying posts can mean several different things.  I know a lot of them are modifying the post that contains twitch usernames in the general board, and others are updating big posts that track things.

[Lark]

Larkin, so having preferences in life and deciding to change something to suit what you like more is apparently throwing a shitfit?

I was mostly referring to the drama Goose created a year ago with his message board. If you wish to pursue this board idea, go ahead. However, let's try to actually FOLLOW THROUGH with it this time. No one will take this venture seriously if you don't.

[SimThreat]

Flash, thanks for the stats. However it's the obvious outliers that are the problem.

[SimThreat]

I do hope to follow through with this but only time will tell.

I would like to form a tighter bond with the other players. It seems like there is always a rift here because of Admin actions. For example, a large chunk of players want to change names etc. Admin, who are non-players start banning active players from the boards.

It's generally the players that want to have fun and goof around on the boards, and it's usually people who are irrel on the ranks that have massive sticks up their asses.

[TheFlash]

Flash, thanks for the stats. However it's the obvious outliers that are the problem.

Which outliers? The main things I see that are outliers are Third stickying a lot of topics and Ngamer updating the News a lot.  Everyone else seems to be within a pretty regular range.

[SimThreat]

Outliers like Come banning Ace and Luke at the same time. Two of the most highly ranked, active players. Then banning Luke again for 6 days immediately after.

[SimThreat]

And Come's posts are pathetic. Like, this topic for example is obviously stating I don't like Come, why would he post here? People in charge shouldn't be posting stupid shit like that.

Come posts in all the topics expressing disatisfaction with him. Like he's a fucking 8 years old trying to show us how much he doesn't care. What a loser.

[Lark]

I'd also like to add that Thingy has no interest in your new boards. He's just being insincere and insidious... as usual. Typical politician etc.
Yes, Come is a sociopath. Most of the-elite doesn't realize this.

[TheFlash]

Outliers like Come banning Ace and Luke at the same time. Two of the most highly ranked, active players. Then banning Luke again for 6 days immediately after.

Maybe it's a protocol issue.  I'm not really a believer in bans but it seems like there is a long-running tradition of banning people around here.  I don't mess with that stuff because I'm just mainly responsible for admin duties not moderation.  Why do we ever need to ban people? I don't understand why everyone can't just be nice to each other.

It's generally the players that want to have fun and goof around on the boards, and it's usually people who are irrel on the ranks that have massive sticks up their asses.

I was under the impression that the FFA and new Abandon Ship sections of the boards were intended to contain all the fun and goofing around, and that the GE players wanted to run a tighter game in the main boards in order to be friendlier to a new wave of players generated by twitch exposure.  Remember, you're allowed to use joke/throwaway accounts in the FFA and Abandon Ship sections as long as you don't post anywhere else. (Note! Hey Malaysia Airlines, stop posting in the GE board!)  If you pride yourself on your GE achievements, why would you want to post them on the same account you're doing ridiculous stuff with? It seems like it's better for everyone if we keep a layer of separation between the fun stuff and the serious things.

Edit: Yes, as Larkin has pointed out, since this discussion is taking place in a goof-off board, you can feel free to pretend that everything I have said in here is just straight up trolling.

[SimThreat]

All of the top GE players are always in twitch chats hanging out and talking with each other. We are a pretty close group. We like to joke around and have fun because we're all pretty close friends.

Even when we're discussing GE stuff we still like to joke around, like any friends do. The problem is that the current Admin are not currently our friends.

So they see the joking around and don't understand/appreciate that this is a group of friends having fun. They are not part of our group and just see it as stupid, then they start to delete/move posts, ban accounts etc. Then they say it's OUR fault.

The other topic (ATTN ADMIN) is a perfect example of how backwards the current thinking is. Come bans multiple accounts, we express disatisfaction, then people start saying that the users started the drama. Ah.. No, actually, the drama is starting by banning accounts.

Obviously, I enjoy the positive upgrades and maintanence that you do (Flash), but it's the irresponsible supression by Come that I found unacceptable.

Then Come, someone who has massive power, posts dumb shit and acts like he doesn't care. His self esteem must be through the floor if he feels the need to talk to people who obviously don't like him. This guy seriously needs to get a life.

[TheFlash]

Seems like the username thing is the root of a lot of this...if we still let people change the username, what should the admin say to the people who complain that they can't tell who anyone is?  What if we just turned off the option to change usernames?  I'm guessing everyone here would have a better experience if we avoided the inflammatory posts and manufactured mayhem, keep it calm.

[RWG]

Karl, speedrunrecords forums are better than my old boards.  I'd post at SRR instead.

The webmaster of SRR is planning on making single level rankings for multiple games to attract more speedrunners from other communities.  He may import the-elite's rankings as well so perhaps there can be a full migration in the not too distant future.

[SimThreat]

I'm quite sure all of the users are putting their name somewhere in there sig or caption.

[ExpertGamer64]

Before reading this post, keep in mind that I am not 100% certain as to what took place to get everyone fired up about leaving the boards. These opinions come from an Admins perspective and if any of such opinions are in fact false then please correct them and have me understand clearly what is taking place.

The other topic (ATTN ADMIN) is a perfect example of how backwards the current thinking is. Come bans multiple accounts, we express disatisfaction, then people start saying that the users started the drama. Ah.. No, actually, the drama is starting by banning accounts.

I think you are missing the order of events. In order for someone to be banned, wouldn't that person need to do something that is a ban-able offense? For instance:

1 - (Insert an action that can get you banned here)
2 - Come or some other Admin bans said account that did the action.
3 - The Forum expresses their dissatisfaction with the banning.
4 - People point at action #1 as the cause of the problem.

Doesn't that seem like more or less whats happening here? Wouldn't it make sense to not do such an action to get you banned in the first place?

But from a different perspective, is such an action arguably worthy of a ban? Has all the cases where you can be banned displayed for all users in such a way that it is clear and understanding? (i.e. Forum Rules or Forum Policies) Can users ask questions regarding such actions and state their case to remove something from the ban list? Is there such a system that takes place?

In the end, there will always be individuals who try to be above such policies. Those individuals will relentlessly be on the border of doing, saying, or displaying something that is borderline offensive and border line ban-able. They will test Admin's judgements to a point where they still feel its okay to do such an action, but in the end, the Admin's will take action against them. Such an event will start an uproar of children coming to the defense of this banned individual trying to make a case for them when it can be as clear as black and white that the banned person is in the wrong.

Sometimes following rules and regulations can make for a better community. That's why we implement them and have been implementing them for almost 14 years here. There is nothing stopping members from questioning rules or policies that can get you banned just like I said above. Maybe instead of taking actions into your own hands (i.e. Starting a new forum), you can try the discussion method and find out what can be done in the future to prevent such a thing from happening again. Sometimes being mature and respectful to authority can get you far in life.

That is my two cents.

[Shadow]

For the record, I don't think "everyone" is fired up about leaving the boards. There's Goose (who dislikes all authority not his own) and Karl I guess?

I've never had a problem with any of the admins, but then I try to be courteous and don't rock the boat either

[RWG]

I don't dislike authority

I dislike authority held by people who lack intelligence and analytical thinking, only have it because of old boys club, have it despite not caring about the greater good, etc.

Gandhi, Pope Francis, others, are great figures with authority.  Ngamer and Come are not.

[Carathorn]

Come did nothing but executing a stupid rule. If I were Karl and if I had even the slightest bit of common sense, I'd blame the rule here and not the one practising the rule. The name change feature is the root of all the recent bullshit. The feature was intended by Thingy to resolve practical matters but in stead it has been nothing but a troll highway. Thats totally cool, everyone had their fun with it. Now it's time to move on and get rid of it and be done with any drama following up on people deliberately crossing the rule that was made very clear beforehand.

Grow the f up everyone, we're not 16 any more. This is very easy to resolve.

[ManceGaydar]

Karl and Goose are both like little children. It's cute.

[SimThreat]

Apparently having preferences is being childish.

Enjoy your leaf on the breeze, below average success, void of accomplishment, depressing existence antibeiber. You'll have it with that attitude.