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Forum Feedback Please post any forum suggestions or problems here or in private mail to an admin.

View Poll Results: What would you like done with the forum?
Permanently archive it. 1 5.56%
Find new Wyvern staff members to be admins (however unlikely). 3 16.67%
Turn over its day-to-day operation to forum mods. 14 77.78%
Voters: 18. You may not vote on this poll

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  #1  
Old 08-15-2016, 12:57 PM
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Default Future of the Forum

In the past, I promised that you guys would not have to worry about the forum going down and that I would make sure it was available in one way or another. That could mean moving it to free hosting and permanently archiving it or leaving it available for you guys to continue to use. Well, I’ve decided to leave the choice in your hands via the above poll.

If you decide that it should be archived that means no new posts will be allowed, but you will still be able to visit the forum to see old posts. This is the best option for me since I’m retired and that would mean I no longer have to deal with anything except renewing the domain name.

If you decide that you want the forum to remain active, I believe we’re going to have to go with player mods. You have two options here, though. You can say that you would prefer some actual Wyvern staff members take over, even though I don’t think anyone would do so. Alternatively, you can vote for me to promote player mods.

If we go the player mod route, I was thinking that the best approach would be for me to hand select some people and promote them to basic mod status to start with. They can decide the rules for the forum and enforce them how they like. I would move all the old posts into the archive, that way they can’t be deleted by a mod gone rogue and we’d start fresh. Over time new mods could perhaps be added by some sort of voting system that does not involve me. I was previously thinking of doing that right off, but the best approach to testing a voted mod, in my opinion, is to give them one subforum (like, say, the Off Topic forum only) that they have mod powers in and then to evaluate how they handle things there before giving them broader access (other mods would do the evaluating, not me).

The problem is that I’m not going to be here much longer and things could become very active very quickly so it might be best to just get some full forum mods in that don’t seem so crazy right off. Please weigh in though with what you think. If you want to throw caution to the wind, we can certainly do that. These are just suggestions based on what I think would best for you guys so please, please comment.

To be clear, a mod is someone who can perform basic functions only like soft delete posts (soft delete means other mods can still see them and restore them if they deem they were deleted unfairly) or move them. I am not, at this time, considering promoting players to full admin status. I am very, very wary to do so because that would give them access to private user data like emails and that’s a whole can of worms right there. It was one thing with wizards since they had access to private user data in-game, but even then I only granted full admin status to longtime trusted wizards with a history of being in-game admins. Some wizards aren’t even mods, as is.

There are some functions that an admin is needed for though and, if you guys really want to go this route, I am willing to be available via email to perform some basic tasks at the request of the mod community. If they want a new mod promoted or a new security question added, I can do so. I will NOT, however, be doing any admin work myself or be involved in any admin related decision making. I will simply do what you guys ask me to as quickly as possible and then vanish back into the ether. At some point in the future, a system that does not involve me at all could perhaps be worked out.

As for banishments, the forum has a rarely used infraction system. It’s much like Wyvern’s warning system, wherein you give a user an infraction and if the user gets enough infractions they can be temporarily or permanently banned. I will set proper levels for this and explain how it works. Then regular forum members and mods can use it to temporarily ban or, in extreme cases, permanently ban a problem user.

Do let everyone know about this poll. I will abide by whichever gets more votes (with the latter two options being counted together for keeping the forum active against the archiving option). So this is an opportunity for those who hate the forum and think it exists as a hidden ploy to control you all (or some such nonsense) to get rid of it, in a sense. If that’s your feeling, again, it’s easier for me to archive the forum so do not hesitate to vote in that direction. For those who prefer how threads/posts are organized here versus on Reddit, like the chatbox, or whatever, you can vote to keep it if you like. With more people around there should be room for both Reddit and this forum to get plenty of activity so I recognize that it might be nice for you guys to have options.

I’m also open to adding any additional subforums that you guys might like. In the past I’ve considered adding a “Guides” section for people to post dungeon solution guides, build guides, etc. I’ve also recently considered a “Fogey’s Corner” for people who have an account predating the wide release where they can communication with one another, absent of newer players. We can do those, split the off topic forum into multiple subsections, and do whatever you guys want. So voice your opinion on these and leave suggestions.

I will not be available for the next week or so, but I don’t have a lot of time to get this done in so it would be helpful to me if there was a wide discussion and many responses to the poll by the time I get back. Whatever you guys want to do, I’d like to do it this month, if possible, or shortly thereafter as enacting whatever you guys vote for is more work than I will likely have time for during the fall months. On the other hand, it might not be fair to make a decision without all the old inactive members who might come back when I send out the email alerting them to the game's return and since all 25 Alpha slots are filled in, it's not fair to do that until Beta comes about in two months. So I don't know, maybe we'll put off the transition to winter or I'll have to carve out time in my busy schedule for this in the fall. Just voice your opinion and tell other people to do so as well and I'll figure out my end somehow. Thanks.
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  #2  
Old 08-15-2016, 08:25 PM
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I am for keeping it running and handing the reins to forum mods. I think that as long as the right people are selected we won't need to worry about 'rogue mods'.
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  #3  
Old 08-17-2016, 02:09 PM
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that arilou guy would be an excellent mod, i already miss him ^^
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  #4  
Old 08-18-2016, 09:12 AM
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after i did sleep on the matter i wanna add this:

first, thank u arilou for running this forum. i think we all really appreciate your work , because you are the one who kept the community of all these nice people together in all these years.

secondly, if the voting leads to a mod based forum and if there are other trustworthy and pleasant candidates for the mod-team i would throw myself in the pot of potential candidates if the community wants me.

thirdly, this forum will change completely if new wyvern will be released and maybe get popular, we better think about how to deal with that before that happens.

forthly, thank u arilou, again. i hope if the forum continues its life you will drop by occasionally in chat and try to annoy us
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  #5  
Old 08-19-2016, 01:18 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by binsenkind View Post
thirdly, this forum will change completely if new wyvern will be released and maybe get popular, we better think about how to deal with that before that happens.
I think we would have to know more about the game before we could plan any of that. A few of the current sections seem like they would be fine to keep as is, such as General, Wyvern Help, Option House, Misc. (although maybe general and misc should be combined?), and Off Topic. Announcements might be another good one.

Beyond that, future sections might include group finders and the such. But, like I said before, those would require more knowledge about the game.
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  #6  
Old 08-19-2016, 03:14 AM
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not only this, but how to deal with toxic people.
maybe the times of umbrella drinks on sofas in the sun will be over
(or maybe im just anachronistic and pessimistic
im really against censorship in most cases, but when u run a forum there are legal issues and lots of idiots refering to them ^^
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  #7  
Old 08-19-2016, 06:42 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by binsenkind View Post
not only this, but how to deal with toxic people.
As Arilou pointed out, there is a warning function that users can use. If someone is truly toxic then things should sort themselves out over time. If it's something TOO big then the mods could step in.
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  #8  
Old 08-22-2016, 08:55 AM
Rarkvar Rarkvar is offline
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R has stated several times that he wants the game information to be pushed out through more player created sites/forums/wikis/etc than anything, so seeking actual Wyvern team support seems highly unlikely. I'd say the best course of action is to promote a few players that could be trusted with such a task, and if you don't mind taking on email requests for issues out of the mods hands that would be great. As Binsenkind said, you've done a lot for the community and I appreciate that as well.

If everyone sees this as the best option, I'd like to volunteer myself as well. I've moderated on an animation forum that ran off of vBulliten, so this wouldn't be much different.
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  #9  
Old 08-25-2016, 09:43 AM
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I'll also throw my name in as a moderator and offer to host it if needed, I have shared hosting running my site and the Wyvern Wiki that should be able to support the forum as well, just let me know.
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  #10  
Old 08-25-2016, 11:20 PM
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Hey all. So I've returned from my hiatus (obviously). Thank you to everyone who contributed thus far. It doesn't look like there needs to be any rush and it looks like I'll be nightmarishly busy so I'll keep the poll up for awhile longer. We've had 30+ votes in previous polls and those were nonsensical in nature so even though there's a clear favorite at the moment, that could change.

I think we should assume that won't happen for our purposes though and begin talking about how we want to handle that. Unless there are any major objections I'll pick some people and ask them if they want to be mods. Then I think it's best that they figure out how to recruit more mods, whether it be based on general voting or just their own internal consensus.

I also think it's good that you've begun thinking of new subforums. That's something we can get started on now, if you want. It takes seconds to do so even if the archive option ends up winning, there's no harm in putting them up now.

Regarding the two I suggested: If you guys like the "Fogey's Corner" one I can put that right up, but it would probably be best to wait to restrict it until old timers have time to come back and decide if they want to claim a spot in it by making an account. Retroactively adding people is too much work so it's best to just limit people by join date. That could mean waiting until a few weeks after launch and accepting some newcomers in or doing it at the close of beta... or we could do it even earlier. Let me know what you guys want. As for the "Guides" section, I imagine that it would be of use to you guys at the moment, but I'm unclear as to what degree you've been told to not discuss things pertaining to Alpha testing. If you can't do anything then there's no point but if you're allowed to write a dungeon guide or whatever then if there's any interest I can do that right away. Again, let me know.

Is there anything I neglected to touch upon? Questions? Concerns?
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  #11  
Old 08-29-2016, 10:11 AM
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I don't like the idea of a restricted forum for veteran users. I can't think of anything worthwhile to discuss that would only pertain to us/them (besides nostalgia). A guide section would be good, but I think one of us should review the alpha agreement again before moving forward on that one.
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  #12  
Old 08-30-2016, 01:20 PM
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Thanks again Arilou, this place you've safeguarded has been a welcome haven to me throughout the years and I would love to still be able to come here and reminisce. I'm not a frequent visitor but I cast my vote for having forum mods if it means we can still use this site in it's current state.
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  #13  
Old 09-05-2016, 01:13 AM
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Regarding the Fogey's Corner idea; I remembered today that vbulletin has a feature to automatically promote people from one usergroup to another. Why this matters is that, if that subforum is implemented, all of you will be moved into a "Fogey" usergroup AND it's possible to allow newer members to work their way up to getting there as well. They could be allowed in after a certain number of days registered on the forum or after they receive a certain number of positive reputation points or both.

I don't know if the potential to broaden the pool of special subforum access over time (rather than have it diminish as people leave the game) impacts anyone's feelings on the matter, but it's perhaps something to keep in mind. Of course, we don't have to do that type of subforum, never mind set it up this way. It's entirely up to you all so let me know what you guys think (any further thoughts, Halloween?).

On a similar note, I can also set up a poll that allows you to select more than one option and I can use that to let you guys vote for any subforum ideas you may or may not want. If you want to do that it might be a good idea if you guys start seriously putting ideas out there so we can build a list. I know someone suggested individual guild/race subforums in the chatbox. We did have individual guild forums on Peach's old forum but they didn't get used that much so I don't know how useful they will be here and I think if you have too many barely used forums it can become a hassle for mods to keep track of all of them. However, we can put it and anything else up for a vote if you guys want.
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  #14  
Old 09-07-2016, 06:01 PM
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The whole race/guild subforums should probably exist as a part of the Help section, should it exist at all. If people start tp use the forum an like using it then it may turn out to be a good way to help those people figure out their races/guilds. The guild subforums may even contain a spoilered thread on how to complete that guild's quest for anyone who may be struggling with it (as an alternative to the wiki, and less alterable).

I'm still not for the Fogey's Corner (again, I see no real value in it). Even if more people were added to the usergroup as a "time spent" milestone, I don't think there would be a reason to have it. Discussion should be open to anyone and a closed off section like that will probably end up being unused due to its unimportance.
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  #15  
Old 09-07-2016, 06:36 PM
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I'm honestly all for the fogeys corner since R has suggested the idea of a fogey only server. With the server having testing opportunities for new features before it going live.
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  #16  
Old 09-07-2016, 07:09 PM
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If its purpose, in your mind, is to complement this alleged server, I take it you'd be against letting new people in, yes? Is there any interest in doing it as I described above? I'm wondering if it's worth putting up two poll options with one being for a Fogey's Corner limited to existing players and one being for a Fogey's Corner with the ability to gain access even if you're a newer player.

As far as poll options go, so far I have:

Fogey's Corner Forum (I'll only split this into two options if someone expresses interest in me doing so)
Individual Guild Forums
Individual Race Forums
Guides Forum
Group Finder Forum (or should it be a more broad "Group Talk" Forum?)
Making Fun of Salkand Forum (okay, that's not real, but it should be! )

Anything I missed? Anything anyone else would like to add? Any alternate name suggestions to the ones listed above? Let me know.

Also, any thoughts on how you'd like the poll to be set up? We can do a yes/no for each individual listing and go with whichever option gets a plurality of votes. Alternatively we could set a bar for each listing to reach for a subforum to be created. So maybe 20 votes for a subforum leads to it getting made with no votes canceling out yes votes.
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  #17  
Old 09-08-2016, 01:27 AM
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If there's a Fogey server, I can see having a Fogey Corner. I wasn't aware that R was possibly going to create such a server. Access to such should definitely be restricted in such a situation. In the case that new players won't be added in over time to the old timers' server then there won't be a need to have a way to join the group, but we'll see on that.

As far as poll options: Those all seem fine (the legitimate ones). Where they go, being either their own section or subsection, can be handled later. Again, I'm personally for each race/guild being a subsection of Wyvern Help, but if people think there will be discussions pertaining to the races/guilds outside questions of mechanics and builds then we should make them their own sections (with subsections for their respective races/guilds).
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  #18  
Old 09-09-2016, 04:25 PM
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Just to be sure; does anyone have a problem with the first group of mods being hand selected by me? If you do, let me know within the next week. If nobody says anything, I'll send out invites a week from now. In about a month from then I'll promote anyone who said yes. My aim is to have the switch over coincide with the rollout of Beta.... more or less. I won't be available much, if at all, during the first couple of weeks of October so if it starts up early... oh well.
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  #19  
Old 09-10-2016, 02:21 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Arilou View Post
Just to be sure; does anyone have a problem with the first group of mods being hand selected by me?
I have a feeling that if you left the choice of mods to the forum members itself, that it would be a disaster. So I personally would prefer that you choose at least the first round of moderators.
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  #20  
Old 09-11-2016, 05:05 PM
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I don't know. Most people still here, and thus likely to get voted in, are pretty decent so it wouldn't necessarily be that terrible. Plus, I'd weed out an obvious crazy who came back and got his friends to vote for him, so we can try that if anyone wants to.

Anyway, any further suggestions for subforums? Get them in now if so as I want to put up the poll for that in a few days. If you guys want a Fogey's Corner and you want it to be closed, it should go up as soon as possible as you'll want people to have some time to see that it exists and know that they have to sign up if they want access before it becomes closed to newer members.

P.S. You can always do another poll later with another set of suggestions, if other ideas come to you guys.

P.P.S. I'll set anyone who agrees to be a player mod as a moderator of any new subforum immediately. Existing subforums will have to wait until I move all the threads to the archive in October, which I'm putting off until October because I messed up the archive awhile back and I want to take the time to fix it before putting anything new in there.
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