Future of CDZ? [Archive]

Markstar

11-09-2007, 11:18

Hmm, first I was going to post here;
http://www.civ3duelzone.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1841, then here; http://www.civ3duelzone.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=532 and finally here;
http://www.civ3duelzone.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4269.

All confused I decided to open a new thread. [crazyeye] I came across this thread when I was looking for some info about the future of CDZ. Recently (I guess a delayed reaction to the timeouts we had a while back), I thought a lot about what would happen if the domain would disappear from one day to the next. Who owns it? Anarres (who hasn't been here for the last two years) or PP (who isn't here much either)? Who has some database backups? Where and especially how do we meet if this site goes offline from one day to another? Who is in charge (my guess is Melifluous and Shabbaman)? I know some of the answers now (http://www.civ3duelzone.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4269), but at that time I was thinking about it "offline". :D

I guess I panicked a little but it still made me think: -> Maybe a backup site might be a good idea (you can get free domains and free web space everywhere nowadays) -> Why not do a little redesign of CDZ? (Again, this was all offline - before I actually went here and saw that this actually came up before)

From my perspective, CDZ was at its height with C3C. Now, many people from the old days disappeared or moved on to other things (job, kids, Hattrick [rolleyes]). While I am happy that we have some new faces here, overall there is less activity on CDZ and it has become more of a meeting point to chat (correct me if I'm wrong), which is not necessarily a bad thing.
When I joined, CDZ was the place to play against elite players. It was not as big as other sites, but it had class and you could play against the best players here. A lot has changed since then and there are many large sites out there that concentrate on Civilization MP. CDZ will never be that big, but does it have to? I like it that we are a small community and imo it should definitely stay that way. But also, some fresh wind would do us good as well. Some new faces that are not only interested in playing but also want a community. Older players participating more when it comes to shaping this site. Some new features that spice things up a little.

We could invite (good) players from other sites to join us and compete with us. After all, that is how Digger got me to join CDZ.
<center>Mess with the best,
die like the rest.</center>

[u]About the possible content changes/additions:

- Redesign of the page so it is easier/more comfortable to access other content than the forum itself (for example, I never visit the start page). This information could be:
o Featured forum threads (patch discussions, interesting game spoilers, etc)
o News (Patches, rumors, ...)
o Feature announcements (see below)
o Cool design (sorry, but the current design is not the greatest and doesn't really fit Civ imho)

- Bring back the ladder!
This was an exciting feature which sadly never really took off (iirc PP was in charge and he had only limited time back then). While I regret that I hardly have the time to play Civ anymore, I think this would be an exciting feature for this site. We are a [u]Duel Zone after all. [:p]
If I were still an active player, I would really miss a cool ranking system and some statistics.

While writing this (and doing some research on it, I came across this site:http://www.myleague.com/. If we don't want to make our own ladder (or don't have the manpower to do it), maybe we can use an existing system and integrate it into our site?

- CDZ own Pitposs server/featured MP games
I don't like CIV that much, but it might be a nice thing to have a server where some games could be hosted.

- Tournaments
Besides being exciting, this may also be a good way to attract new players.

- IRC chat server
I don't use it myself yet, but wouldn't that be a good way to communicate outside of the forum?
o it may also be a good way to attract players who are reluctant to join right away
o could make some discussions much easier (I'm thinking ISDG right now)

- Featured articles
o Maybe some stories about Civ MP or MP strategies in general.
o Analysis of different strategies
o Strategy discussions

I have some experience in web design (HTML, PHP+MySQL, phpBB) and would offer some help if it is needed. I actually have VERY good experiences with this: http://ptifo.clanmckeen.com. It is a phpBB Mod (basically a new system) with a lot of cool features. Starting over may not be the worst thing to do here.

digger760

11-09-2007, 12:36

quote:Originally posted by Markstar
We could invite (good) players from other sites to join us and compete with us. After all, that is how Digger got me to join CDZ.

He He thanks for the recognition[king].
...But we never saw a ladder match between yourself and Kemal[hammer]

Shabbaman

11-09-2007, 12:59

quote:Originally posted by Markstar

When I joined, CDZ was the place to play against elite players. It was not as big as other sites, but it had class and you could play against the best players here. A lot has changed since then and there are many large sites out there that concentrate on Civilization MP. CDZ will never be that big, but does it have to? I like it that we are a small community and imo it should definitely stay that way. But also, some fresh wind would do us good as well. Some new faces that are not only interested in playing but also want a community. Older players participating more when it comes to shaping this site. Some new features that spice things up a little.

You have a good thought there, the only problem is that to bring about any change (at all), you need someone to implement it. The two people able are out of time, and I'm only good at deleting other people's posts.
I want this site to focus on a running pitboss server with weekly games (Friday Night Pitboss), possibly with replays. That should attract players. In addition to that, the front page should feature active threads (aside from the spam). That's possible now, but it has to be done manually and that takes too much time. Good topics should be flagged manually and automatically be featured. The front page doesn't need anything else.

As it is, Propain and Swingue are paying for all this. Nobody knows what to do if they forget to pay the bill. We're pretty much screwed in the current situation, IMO stagnation won't bring us anywhere.

Matrix

11-09-2007, 13:19

A little kick in the butt on occasion is a good thing. [goodjob]

Redesign of the page
I agree 100%!

- Bring back the ladder!
"If I were still an active player, I would really miss a cool ranking system and some statistics."

Then why do you want it? I do agree some sort of overview on what MP games have been played and who won would be cool. Right now there are a significant amount of MP games with more than two players going on, so I think that should be featured; not just duels. The most simple thing we could come up with is that the winner will get one point for each human opponent.

CDZ own Pitposs server/featured MP games
"I don't like CIV that much"

"but it might be a nice thing to have a server where some games could be hosted."
[goodjob]

- [b]Tournaments
Bah! [tongue]

- IRC chat server
"I don't use it myself yet, but wouldn't that be a good way to communicate outside of the forum?"
Anyone here who [u]does chat regularly? If not, this would be a waste of effort.

Besides, almost everyone has MSN. I would like it if people would be online more often. I agree it would be fun if people would join on an CDZ mIRC channel regularly, but I don't expect that to happen if the opportunity is there.

Featured articles
We already have that. ;) It would nice if they'd be sorted and organised though.

Markstar

11-09-2007, 15:42

quote:Originally posted by digger760

He He thanks for the recognition[king].
...But we never saw a ladder match between yourself and Kemal[hammer]
Yes, sadly when I joined, Kemal had already pretty much stopped playing PBEMs. :(

quote:Originally posted by Shabbaman

You have a good thought there, the only problem is that to bring about any change (at all), you need someone to implement it. The two people able are out of time, and I'm only good at deleting other people's posts. Somehow I can't believe this. There must be a few people who understand HTML and PHP (even if not, it's not that hard. Now if this were a CS-forum, I'd be more worried). As I said, I would be willing to help. I just don't have ANY skills when it comes to designing a logo (though I have a (imo) cool idea: A ring, with two units fighting (one from Civ3 and one from CIV)).

quote:I want this site to focus on a running pitboss server with weekly games (Friday Night Pitboss), possibly with replays. That should attract players. In addition to that, the front page should feature active threads (aside from the spam). That's possible now, but it has to be done manually and that takes too much time. Good topics should be flagged manually and automatically be featured. The front page doesn't need anything else. Hmm, the frontpage is the big weakness imho. I would like to see a menu on the left (or on top) one the forum page which shows me important/interesting information.

quote:As it is, Propain and Swingue are paying for all this. Nobody knows what to do if they forget to pay the bill. Exactly my point. Otoh I guess that ProPain would tell us before he decides to cut us off.

quote:We're pretty much screwed in the current situation, IMO stagnation won't bring us anywhere.Indeed. Imo it would be nice if we could find a way to keep CDZ up to date. Just take the spambots, for example (not that they make such a big difference on our forum). A new forum software would solve this, together with some other issues that do not work right now (popup windows are messed up) or could be nicer (like inserting a smiley where the cursor is, different test for URLs, etc).
But there is plenty of stuff that could be done...

quote:Originally posted by Matrix

- Bring back the ladder!
"If I were still an active player, I would really miss a cool ranking system and some statistics."

Then why do you want it? Because I believe it is something many other people, who play (duel) against othere want as well. I might even be tempted to play again if there was a ladder.

quote:CDZ own Pitposs server/featured MP games
"I don't like CIV that much"
I meant Civilization IV. It's just not fun for me. What I love about Civ is, among other thins, the expanding empire, the search for good city spots. Even though I reached Emperor, all my CIV experiences were always more or less unsatisfying.

quote:- [b]IRC chat server
"I don't use it myself yet, but wouldn't that be a good way to communicate outside of the forum?"
Anyone here who [u]does chat regularly? If not, this would be a waste of effort.It was just an idea. A chat server could be a good place to start spontaneous games or discuss other stuff. But it was just an idea.

quote:Besides, almost everyone has MSN. I would like it if people would be online more often. I agree it would be fun if people would join on an CDZ mIRC channel regularly, but I don't expect that to happen if the opportunity is there.I would. I'm rarely on MSN (and if I am I only see Stapel idling away ;)) but I think I would leave a window for a CDZ channel open.

quote:Featured articles
We already have that. ;) Really? Where?

grahamiam

11-09-2007, 15:55

imho, I'd like to do a "Friday Night Fights" type of thing, but we could use Gamespy for that and do simul turns with CIV. Make them 2 hour games (small or tiny, etc).

Pitboss is really great for longterm games, and it would be really nice to have a box or 2 setup as dedicated servers for it for only CDZ to use. I may have a spare computer in the next 3 months that can do the task. I have to upgrade my wife's everyday computer(MB, processor, etc) at around Christmas, so that will leave me with an AMD Athlon 2500+ free for silly stuff. Is Pitboss ok with Linux?

Matrix

11-09-2007, 16:13

quote:Originally posted by Markstar

I meant Civilization IV. It's just not fun for me. What I love about Civ is, among other thins, the expanding empire, the search for good city spots. Even though I reached Emperor, all my CIV experiences were always more or less unsatisfying.
I know you meant CIV and not Civ in common. But you should know many people including me have been disappointed about Civ4 before finally enjoying it more than Civ3! It does happen in Civ4 that the fun in a certain game fades out (I never had that with Civ3), but than I just start a new one. Especially the fact that there as so many types of maps (of which I fancy fractal the most!) can give you very varied games. ;)
quote:Originally posted by Markstarquote:Originally posted by Matrix

We already have that. ;)Really? Where?
I'm just referring to these (http://www.civ3duelzone.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4556) kind (http://www.civ3duelzone.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3221) of posts. But I agree it's not as much as I thought though. Would anyone care to write a Civ4 Stategy Guide? [mischief]

akots

11-09-2007, 19:37

The main problem as I see it, is that IMO the PBEM genre is actually dying in Civ4. There are just way better MP opportunities including PitBoss. While PB enables to play games with many players, these games have too many players and too large maps making a reasonable military win essentially impossible while it were quite doable in CIv3. That is the nature of Civ4 as a game and this nature basically sucks to a certain extent.

Also, excellent scenarios in Conquests had provided ppl with endless hours of fun playing the MP versions of these. This stuff is just not there with Civ4. Another problem with ladder-type things is the great difficulty of mapmaking in Civ4. It is not impossible, it is possible but making a fully custom map takes horrendous amount of time. While map generator is OK, it still has numerous glitches and if you are left without copper or iron, you know what happens. Thus, even though there are many successful PBEMs finished, as I said previously, the genre is not what it were in Civ3.

So, in terms of features and site development, what I would like to see while agreeing completely or partially with POV of other ppl posted above is

1) More "small" PB games with 4-7 players on smaller maps.

2) Some type of regular turn-based or simul MP games without any timers may be with subs played once a week for 3-4-5-6 hours (Friday night) again with 2-3-4 up to 7 players max.

3) I'd greatly like some PB or PBEM BtS scenarios played out. May be some other scenarios or mods.

4) Forum upgrade. Unlimited (or large) number of smileys in a post is mandatory however. That spam is too good to be erased. besides, no other forum has it. ;)

5) I don't care about front page or fancy stuff or chat.

6) No ladder for me. There were enough of that besides it is somewhat childish. If I want a ladder I'd go for GOTM in SP or PAL in MP.

7) Finally, keep them spoilers coming. [goodjob]

killercane

11-09-2007, 20:24

Its all about the forum and spoilers, as I think Akots was pointing out. However, I have paused and read the frontpage now that it has been updated. So occasional updates there are not too overlooked.

New blood is always good. A lot of times you can attract people to host their spoilers for whatever game here. I know a lot of the Realms Beyond Civ people have to put their spoilers somewhere else, and if the site bandwidth can handle it maybe someone could offer to host most of their spoilers here.

An idea I had was some kind of Civs 1-4 tourney for nostalgic purposes. Civs 1 & 2 would have to be some SP map, and the latter two versions multi. This is probably not feasible unless you have that collectors edition whatever they released (which I dont have and suspect many dont have).

It would be good to get some strategy articles that dont suck like the inane CFC War Academy for Civ 4. That would also attract people, and there are enough good players here to put together articles for at least most of the BTS/warlords scenarios as well as some of the new BTS features.

Beam

11-09-2007, 20:48

My PoV is very similar to akots. [goodjob]

I'd really like to see more spoilers however. In the RtW Pitboss only Shabba, Matrix and me are actively maintaining one afaik. With Civ III my main source for gameplay improvement were spoilers, including all comments I got in my own.

And I miss CDZ e-mail. [sad] It used to work very well in the past.

Using server capacity for Pitboss should be possible with respect to performance etc but someone needs to install it and monitor on a daily basis if everything is running fine. I'm volunteering btw.

Socrates

11-09-2007, 21:48

The frontpage. IMHO we don't need one ! Do we need to attract new players through the frontpage ? Do we need to forever expand ? I don't think so. Having only the forum to care about should be good enough.

The ladder. When I joined here, I quickly found out a ladder wasn't that fun anyway, and that this wasn't the purpose of the site. I'd rather come here, have a cookie, engage in one game now and then, have a chat with people, etc... (like in CDZ meetings :) ) rather than trying to beat everyone at the ladder. But then, if enough people really want it...

CDZ own Pitboss server. Why not ? PitBoss is not my cup of tea anyway.

Tournaments. Too time-consuming for me.

IRC chat server. Why not if enough people are interested ? Could be an alternative, since I'll end up leaving MSN (and everything related to M$) quite soon.

Featured articles. Why not.

This was just my half a cent. I haven't played Civ for a few months and don't plan on resuming anytime soon. But I like it here. Besides, I've always been for a forum change, but these days I don't mind if we make the move or not (I waited too long). Nevertheless, I've studied computing recently and I'm now working in IT, which means I could be helpful (ahem). Even if I'm not a top dog like Meli eg., dealing with PHP sounds appealing. :)

Pastorius

11-09-2007, 21:57

<html>
Krys is a poopy head
</html>

Edit: I don't think we need any frontpage, unless someone makes a nice application to add text to with little effort.

Pitboss server - good idea
Tournaments - probably also a good idea
Ladder - meh
new forum language - good idea

Good discussion so far.

BTW - does the future of CDZ come as snitz, phpbb or IPB?

Beam

11-09-2007, 22:05

When is Paal going to play Civ again?

Pastorius

11-09-2007, 22:10

Paal plays civ. But my current computer is not very good at it though (placement of keys on a laptop being a big hindrance). I do play c3c single player, but I ve had quite a pause, so I am not very good at it at the moment (playing regent, about to move back up on to monarch)

When we move, I ve got green light for a new desktop, and optimizing for civ play is on my todo list.

On the other hand, baby will probably take up mucho time (I ve seen from others on here)

Shabbaman

12-09-2007, 09:08

quote:Originally posted by Paalikles

<
BTW - does the future of CDZ come as snitz, phpbb or IPB?

Propain bought a vB license. We need someone to convert the database. Where's dr. A when you need him? [cookie]

Markstar

12-09-2007, 10:36

Hmm, what is the advantage of vB?

phpBB is free and if you google for it, there seem to be plenty of converters out there.

mauer

12-09-2007, 13:49

Redesign of the page
Doesn't bother me any, but when I first came here I thought it was a hole in the wall operation. Who knew I'd be right [assw]

Bring back the ladder!
I'd probably participate if it were active, but....

CDZ own Pitposs server/featured MP games
That would be good.

- Tournaments
I think ID is working on this already, but mostly for CFC I believe. Sounds like a good idea anyways.

- IRC chat server
I wouldn't use it. Besides there's only 2 or 3 of you that will talk to me anyways...lol

Featured articles
meh

The reason I come here is the reason I sent Klammi and failedreality here. A small group of guys....er people, no offense Furiey :D, that are easy going (for the most part) and quite dependable. I like SPAM as well. CFC might be prettier, but you have to deal with goobers over there en masse. To be honest, I might go to CFC like once a week or less.

socralynnek

12-09-2007, 13:54

Some fresh people could be nice ( but I don't know if we'll get enough to make a ladder, but it might be worth a try)
OTOH, I like that it is not too crowded here and I guess that most people here are reliable for PBEMs.

I don't think that IRC is needed but I do agree that some special events would be nice like having a pitboss server with short games.

And I think that a forum transition should include having access to old content (i.e. spoilers). But a new software could be nice...although the spambots have become less....

Matrix

12-09-2007, 14:09

quote:Originally posted by Shabbaman

Propain bought a vB license.
He did? [eek] Wasn't that a bit premature?

Simple Machines is free and has a converter from Snitz to SMF. I've converted from IPB to SMF and converting was quite simple. [goodjob]

But I'd find it hard to believe vB doesn't have a battery of converters too...

Furiey

14-09-2007, 01:04

The spoilers are great, I don't have much time for Civ3 at the moment and my PC is useless for 4 so the spoilers allow me to get my civ fix. They are what brought me to this site. Plus it's great not having to worry about what I say in case I offend a young child. So mostly I just occasionally spam.

The front page wasn't what brought me here, if there is one it needs to be updated and nicely laid out, but if the forums are the focus why not just go straight there?

yndy

15-09-2007, 21:48

I open a game of Civ4 or Civ3 once every 2-3 months and rarely play more than 2 hours. I guess my Civ days are over. I like this community very much, it is I guess the only community where I have been active for more than 4 years !?!. Of course time is much limited for me now and in a larger or lesser extent it is for all of us.

What to do? I have no clue but I'd miss the site going down. I know I'm now active only on the Hattrick sub-forum, and not even there much but I can't help it.

I still want to come to one of those CDZ RL reaunions in the Netherlands although I imagine it has to be like 11 years from now when I plan to have a sabbatical year :).

I can only say 'keep up the good work', and that fresh blood will always be good.

Swingue

15-09-2007, 22:27

not sure completely but i guess our company (Propain and Swingue) owns (and pay) the domainname and for sure the server where it is hosted. PP can tell this for sure.
We also have the license to Vbulletin.

For me, I love lurking around, especially the ISDG. Most other things i just browse by but i love reading.
A great anarchy around here, works like a charm!

Keep up the good work as Yndy quotes.

Pastorius

16-09-2007, 17:19

Hey mr. Robosuck - long time no see.

Markstar

17-09-2007, 09:56

So, to sum this up until now:
- Friday Night Pitboss seems to be a good idea to many
- Ladder might be fun...
- ...but more important are spoilers!
- A front page is not important to most people
- IRC are also not high in demand
- Tournaments sound good to some, not tempting at all to others
- Many agree that attracting new players would spice things up
- There are three options as a forum software: vBulleting (apparently we have a license thanks to PP and Swingue), phpBB (has the largest community with the most MODs), Simple Machines or just upgrading to a newer version of Snitz.
- and, most importantly of course, we would need people who volunteer to implement any changes! [drunks1]

[u]Out of these things, there are only a few that actually need work:

As we already have at least one person who offers a computer as a Pitboss server, all we need is a forum post where people can sign up. Maybe the settings can change from week to week but a simple thread should be enough to get this started (maybe an own subforum would be nice so everybody can follow the progress over time and conveniently look at old games)

For more people (and more spoilers) all we actually need (and I guess can) to do is occasionally post at CFC/Apolyton, inviting people to come here if they want to play a MP game and read some spoilers.

While the redesign of the page would be nice, it is not a pressing matter. And as it seems that the forum is still in good hands for now, so is upgrading the forum I guess. Don't get me wrong, I think it still would be nice, but this would also mean that somebody had to do it. From what I found out via Google, vB seems to be the superior choice when it comes to features, security and SEO capabilities. However, I don't have any experience with it (and not really the time to get into it right now), all I know is this MOD of phpBB that I mentioned above. It has tons of features that phpBB lacks (pretty secure against bots, sub-forums) and of course an easy-to-implement attachment MOD and a way to make it search engine friendly.

Shabbaman

17-09-2007, 10:27

quote:Originally posted by Markstar

Don't get me wrong, I think it still would be nice, but this would also mean that somebody had to do it. From what I found out via Google, vB seems to be the superior choice when it comes to features, security and SEO capabilities.

Upgrading to vB has been the plan. I saw that Propain has had his cyclingchampion forum upgraded from snitz to vB. I'm willing (better, want) to maintain this new vB forum, and I'm willing to learn how to do this. I should get into contact with Propain or the cc.com admin to see if he can help with the upgrade. He has to activate the new domain name anyway.

I think the forum should be kept simple. I'm thinking of a merger between the front page and active topics, with limited news items and featured threads. That way it's clear to everyone what the site is about. Although this should be possible with snitz as well, my preference is vB. I understand that most posters feel the front page is obsolete. I can understand this, because you are already a member. I feel that visitors/new members have a hard time figuring out what the forum is about, a good front page/active topics merger could fix this. Besides, featuring some threads/spoilers will increase attention to those threads. A. Good. Thing. Spoilers should be encouraged. Perhaps we should make some people write single player walkthroughs, I'm sure that'd attract a lot of attention.

To return to the ladder: we've had some issues in the past with it that were a real turn-off for most of the "older" members. These issues would arise if we reinvigorate the ladder. Besides that, I think the competitive nature of such a ladder isn't really fitting with our equalitarian forum spirit.

We're an anarcho-syndicalist commune after all, not some fancy self-perpetuating autocracy.

Markstar

17-09-2007, 13:12

Actually, I still remember that I "discovered" the front page months after I came here. [blush]

Anyways, I am happy that you are willing to do this! [goodjob]

quote:To return to the ladder: we've had some issues in the past with it that were a real turn-off for most of the "older" members. These issues would arise if we reinvigorate the ladder. Besides that, I think the competitive nature of such a ladder isn't really fitting with our equalitarian forum spirit.May I ask what kind of issues? Maybe it's just me but I think a little competition good be good, for new and old members alike (for new members it is a way to integrate them here and to prove themselves, while the old ones *may* start the occasional game again to prove they still got it). But hey, just my 2 cents.

Shabbaman

17-09-2007, 13:19

Cheating.

Melifluous

17-09-2007, 13:46

It wasn't me and you couldn't prove it.

[meli]

PS. And I will try and resize my Avvie [cry]

col

17-09-2007, 15:21

quote:Originally posted by Shabbaman
To return to the ladder: we've had some issues in the past with it that were a real turn-off for most of the "older" members.

quote:May I ask what kind of issues?

I finished bottom

Socrates

18-09-2007, 00:06

quote:Originally posted by Shabbaman

Spoilers should be encouraged. Perhaps we should make some people write single player walkthroughs, I'm sure that'd attract a lot of attention.

I think I'm amongst the very few who actually tried it : you can see a few Civ3 RBCiv games and also the first CDZ Civ4 spoiler (SP) in my forum. Apart from the latter one (which brought something new, despite me starting to play Civ4 a few weeks after everybody else), none spawned much enthusiasm here. I'm not ranting BTW, just reminding things (I rarely read spoilers these days after all).

col : :D

Beorn

18-09-2007, 00:33

One way I'd find a spoiler extremely useful is if it went into a very frequent decisionnal walkthrough. This way you cover those things that make you go from beating Deity to beating people who beat Deity, without going too theoretical or staying in the "war with X, trade with Y, win in 570AD" pattern. Or even better, on a socio-constructivism note, if I could've been there when they were written and crashed into the discussion to raise issues about those little idea tidbits. A bit like an exhaustive, PvP-league level form of Succession Game discussion.

But I seem to be the only guy playing Civ3 anymore [blush] and Civ3 SG's at CFC are plagued by their mix of new blood of intempestive, irrelevant lurkers and the mute player syndrome that play SG's like they would a single player game by not following team objectives.

Anyways, While I wouldn't participate actively in a CIV version of that, I'd encourage everyone interested to do so. You learn a lot more by getting involved than by watching, even if it only means getting involved in the talks.

Shabbaman

18-09-2007, 08:17

Krys, your walkthrough has been read 2000 times. Hard to say that it was unnoticed.

Pastorius

18-09-2007, 20:13

quote:Originally posted by Shabbaman

Krys, your walkthrough has been read 2000 times. Hard to say that it was unnoticed.

I wonder how many of those views were from bots/spiders

Shabbaman

18-09-2007, 21:15

A valid point, yet if I look at other threads of similar age I see that those threads have far less views. Perhaps views of visitors with unknown OS/browsers don't count? Still, I think that krys' walkthroughs are a good example of good content. It'd be good to have a way to feature such walkthroughs or spoilers. That'd show what we have to offer, plus attract more attention to those threads.

I know what krys meant about the lack of attention. My own spoilers don't attract too much comments as well, even if I ask for advice.

Pastorius

18-09-2007, 22:15

I try to divide my spam amongst the many (fewer these days though) spoilers around the forum.

I agree with you on your comment about Krys' writeup as an example of good content.

IPB has a portal page that to some extent can be configured to display active threads/topics, with more detail than the snitz active topics page.

Socrates

18-09-2007, 23:16

Hey, thanks to both of you. [blush] This shit takes so much time, that's why you always wonder about who reads stuff. But I do remember this game was well followed, especially by our Norwegian spammer. :) But don't worry, that's not the reason I quit playing.

Pastorius

19-09-2007, 19:31

Your sig gives a hint...

socralynnek

22-09-2007, 21:06

I have deleted several threads of the user boxsiki (spambot) in the Hattrick subforum today...

Some new way to prevent spam bots would be nice!

mauer

22-09-2007, 21:16

I can't remember, but isn't there some kind of filter when creating an account? Like the "Enter these letters below" or something?

IglooDude

02-10-2007, 19:24

quote:Originally posted by mauer (with some snippage)

CDZ own Pitposs server/featured MP games
That would be good.

- Tournaments
I think ID is working on this already, but mostly for CFC I believe. Sounds like a good idea anyways.

The reason I come here is the reason I sent Klammi and failedreality here. A small group of guys....er people, no offense Furiey :D, that are easy going (for the most part) and quite dependable. I like SPAM as well. CFC might be prettier, but you have to deal with goobers over there en masse. To be honest, I might go to CFC like once a week or less.

I have a spare box that could be used for general CDZ Pitboss use, but how many people would I be giving desktop login rights to, for them to fire up individual Pitboss games? I do have a certain amount of corporate security to worry about, and a boss that probably wouldn't be thrilled.

As to the tournament, it was sorta temporarily binned. Frankly I've never gotten the idea that there'd be enough participation purely within CDZ to warrant it, which is why I was figuring it'd be a joint CDZ/OT one, like most of my pitboss ventures to date.

And ditto what Mauer said about the differences between CDZ and CFC (OT aside, anyway).

Mistfit

03-10-2007, 03:45

I am not here much but you guys always know I am available for the graphics end of things when the change happen.. (and yes Meli I will resize you if necessary) I hope to become more active again in the late fall and winter and actually intend on loading the copy of cIV I bought when it first came out so.. Spam away guys I will have lots of catching up to do.

Shabbaman

03-10-2007, 18:58

Crap. Apparently, not even the user name filter works on this forum. I don't get it. None of the spam prevention methods of Snitz seem to work.

ProPain

25-10-2007, 14:33

Ah, just a little too late to participate in this trhead when it was hot, but still some comments from my side.

Ownage (the serious kind not the pwnage)
Both domain names and server are 'owned' by Swingue and me, that is we pay all incurred expenses. Apart from civ3duelzone.com we also own some names that are similar like civduelzone.com. The chance that the site will be pulled from the 'interweb' are next to nothing as these bills are processed like all our bills and our company is doing quite fine. Should we one day decide we dont wanna pay for this anymore we'll let that know way in advance but no such thing is even considered by us atm.

technical stuff
this year has been crazy for me. Got a second kid, bought a new house which had to be build first, had to sell my current house (including doing repairs and so before that), company has lots of work but it's hard to get qualified personel. In short: hardly any time for the fun stuff. I expect this will improve in march 2008, both me privatly and our company will have moved then so things should return to some sort of normal then. ( I hope)

Still I wont have the massive amounts of time I had when we first started CDZ and I could spent half a week learning basic asp skills just to start a ladder section! To move forward we need people to help out with all the technical stuff on the forum, like upgrading to new software (I have a VB license that's been sitting around for CDZ for ages [:S]), adapting log in screens to misguide bots, starting pitboss servers etc.

My opinion:
- software upgrade : yes please!, I have VB experience, it's a great tool. Dunno phpBB very well though from an administrative PoV that is.
- frontpage upgrade : would be nice, not a real biggie for me. I think this site is about the forum not the front page :)
- friday night civ, sound good to me. Time permitting I'll be there to get my ass whacked
- tournies: I;'d love some tournies! Thougth about a civ 1-4 tourny myself as well. Maybe even get colonization/Alpha centauri in the mix?? Big pro would be you can spent some time finishing.
- ladder: mixed feelings about this being from the 'old crowd' The big plus of the ladder was that it encouraged people to play a lot. BIg down obviously was the cheating which effectively killed the whole ladder.
- spoilers: I thnk the biggest problem with the spoilers is the unfriendly graphs upload (at least for me) New software could solve that
- PB server: we rent an entire server to host CDZ (and some other sites that are even more small time than CDZ [:p]). My guess is that it could act as a PB server as well but I dont have the foggiest about the implications that would have. Same for chat functions. We can access the server with remote desktop and install pretty much anything we want so all possible.

But I guess it all starts with techie volunteers to get the software crap fixed. Mel and Dr. A promised help before if their offers still stand I promise I'll be available to get things rolling. (this time for real!)

PP

Markstar

25-10-2007, 15:05

Thanks for the info, ProPain! :)

I'd volunteer, but will be extremely busy until Christmas (and ALL my free time goes into the ISDG nowadays). Hopefully I'll be a lot less busy in 2008. [ponder]

BCLG100

25-10-2007, 15:39

i have nothing to do. ever. So i can help out where i can.

Shabbaman

25-10-2007, 15:54

Good to hear your opinion on this. I saw the cyclingchampion forum also migrated from snitz to vB. Did you do this or someone else?

ProPain

25-10-2007, 16:05

Migration is a big word for what we did, we killed Snitz and started a freshinstall of VB. We used snitz only for a very short while so we didnt have any data to port.

Installing VB is a piece of cake, done it a few times and it always goes smooth as a whistle. The data migration is the part I worry about. VB has tools to convert data from snitz to vb but when I read a bit how to do this I got the impression that some techie skills are necessary. That's why I never gave it a shot.

BCLG, how are your tech skills?

Socrates

25-10-2007, 20:37

It could be done with some techies (love the word :) ) working in a migration team. In my job these days, that's what I'm doing, and it's pretty complex. In any case, I still come to this site daily, I wouldn't refuse to learn more in database and data processing, but my skills are still quite low. I guess some chats with guys like eg. Mel and DrA could be helpful.

BCLG100

25-10-2007, 21:23

quote:Originally posted by ProPain

Migration is a big word for what we did, we killed Snitz and started a freshinstall of VB. We used snitz only for a very short while so we didnt have any data to port.

Installing VB is a piece of cake, done it a few times and it always goes smooth as a whistle. The data migration is the part I worry about. VB has tools to convert data from snitz to vb but when I read a bit how to do this I got the impression that some techie skills are necessary. That's why I never gave it a shot.

BCLG, how are your tech skills?

I'll be honest, if i could find somewhere to tell me how to do stuff i could probably do that, i only know very basic html. Anything that doesn't need immense coding etc i can do, boring work im especially good at :)

I'm not too sure what you intend to do, if i knew that then i could offer my services where i could help out the most :)

Beam

25-10-2007, 22:40

PP, in my new job I'm doing a lot of data stuff on M$ databases. Believe it or not. And I can spend time but I'd like to have a lookie at the server and shit with you before I commit.

ProPain

26-10-2007, 00:14

not a problem Beam. Gonna get some sleep now, but will look up passwords and stuff tomorrow.

Beorn

26-10-2007, 00:16

I know it doesn't help but I wish to say that I wish I knew any of this web stuff so I could help.

grahamiam

26-10-2007, 15:11

Once we do the switch, it would be nice to have a live feed on the front page from CivStats for all the current pitboss games that have an open thread here. That way, we can see at-a-glance who is winning, playings, etc. Would be nice for Hattrick as well.

IglooDude

26-10-2007, 16:25

My offer to help still stands, though my experience is mostly Windows administration, hardware, and a bit of fringe work in ASP and SQL databases. Oh, and Pitboss. I seem to have developed quite a bit of experience with Pitboss. I think if you rent a Windows server of any real horsepower, you'll be able to run multiple PB games on it (using different ports) even while using it as a webserver.

Tubby Rower

26-10-2007, 16:42

my offer to donate some cash is still there too. Just need to know where to send it

Beam

26-10-2007, 18:27

quote:Originally posted by grahamiam

Once we do the switch, it would be nice to have a live feed on the front page from CivStats for all the current pitboss games that have an open thread here. That way, we can see at-a-glance who is winning, playings, etc. Would be nice for Hattrick as well.

I like that idea. :)

Markstar

26-10-2007, 18:34

quote:Originally posted by Beam

quote:Originally posted by grahamiam

Once we do the switch, it would be nice to have a live feed on the front page from CivStats for all the current pitboss games that have an open thread here. That way, we can see at-a-glance who is winning, playings, etc. Would be nice for Hattrick as well.

I like that idea. :)
Yep, me too.

@IdlooDude: I don't think there is a need to rent server space just to host Pitboss games. Some ppl here already offered to host some game. Heck, I guess even I could make it work (despite a changing IP every 24 hours and being behind a router).

mauer

26-10-2007, 21:17

quote:Originally posted by Tubby Rower

my offer to donate some cash is still there too. Just need to know where to send it

I'll send you a PM with a routing number [cool]

IglooDude

27-10-2007, 14:00

quote:Originally posted by Markstar
@IdlooDude: I don't think there is a need to rent server space just to host Pitboss games. Some ppl here already offered to host some game. Heck, I guess even I could make it work (despite a changing IP every 24 hours and being behind a router).

I was working off of this: - quote:PB server: we rent an entire server to host CDZ (and some other sites that are even more small time than CDZ ). My guess is that it could act as a PB server as well but I dont have the foggiest about the implications that would have. Same for chat functions. We can access the server with remote desktop and install pretty much anything we want so all possible.

I can host one or two pitboss games myself (maybe more), but the open access to remote desktop on my machines is something I really can't allow per my company's security policy.

BCLG100

27-10-2007, 14:13

if it helps ID i know the first 7 digits of your IP off by heart? :)

Shabbaman

17-09-2008, 16:34

Chances are you probably missed this page (http://www.civduelzone.com/). Now, I hope I don't jinx the process by starting this premature thread, but I think we can use this transition to shake things up a bit. Therefore this [bump]

I'm not exactly sure what can be done easily with vB, but I do know about everything can be done. A lot of the things mentioned here can wait I guess. Is there anyone here that knows a lot about vB/has the skills to do a lot with vB/wants to learn a lot about vB? Because I doubt I am that guy, and the other admins are pretty busy. Now, the main reason for the transition to vB is to get rid of the spambots, and to open registration again (finally). After that, IMO we need to attract some new members. Hopefully colonization2 can help us here. I'm pretty excited about that game, and I'm planning on making some walkthroughs for it. One thing we could consider at this point is what forum categories we want on the new site.

At the moment only a limited number of fora generate some traffic. I think we could do with a single civ3, civ4, opponent finding/mapmaking forum. Col2 might need it's own forum. As for other games, hattrick is still pretty big, and other other games is a personal favorite (only because of the name). A site feedback forum seems obvious, and so does Off Topic. Especially the OT should generate more traffic. How come we have a site full of spammers with so little off topic spam? And then we have the spoiler fora. These are CDZ's main attraction, and we can't do without them! I'm not sure how the mod rights work in vB though.

Anyway, I would also take this opportunity to see who wants to mod. With so few new members there's very little modding to be done, but I don't want to put my name next to every forum name. ATM there are a lot of moderators (the hattrick forum has 5, and I removed some that hadn't been here for over 2 years...), but almost none of them really had to do any modding recently. I'd like to have this organized properly, and that everyone knows what his tasks are and who to get to if there is something that has to be done. Feel free to nominate yourself or somebody else.