DKC Atlas Forum

[Qyzbud]

Hello friends.

After another bout of reshuffling, I have relocated the Mario & DK Titles board from Other DKC Related Games to the more general Gaming Discussion board, and have renamed it 'Mario Games'. This effectively expands the scope of the board, and means that there's no need for any discussions within it to tie in with the DK games in any way.

Fans of Super Mario World rejoice!

[Cyclone]

I set my board preferences to notify me if I recieve a private message but I don't get an email... This means if someone sends me a private message and I don't log into DKC Atlas I will never get it.
Having the forum send me the private message to my email address would be very handy.

[Qyzbud]

I'll see what I can do about this. Simion gave me a heads up about this issue a little while back, but I haven't had a proper chance to check it out. I think I have to overwrite some of my customised phpBB files in order to complete the last update fully, which may solve the problem. Worth a try.

[WAZ__Up]

all .ips links are not working, it says the page is missing

[Qyzbud]

Is anyone else having this issue? All links I've tried have worked properly... as I mentioned in my reply to your PM, please give some specific links so that I can check it out. Thanks.

EDIT: This issue has been resolved. Happy patching!

[Phyreburnz]

I can only think of one suggestion, and it may not be that great. I think there should be a gender selection on the profiles. I think it'd be nice to know who is a guy and who is a girl. I dunno, just a thought.

[Simion32]

This might be categorized as more of an issue:

Very long image attachments do not get re-sized into a thumbnail version as expected.

Previously, small images much bigger than 256x224 (not sure what the limit was exactly) were re-zised into thumbnails, which looked bad. I mentioned this to Qyzbud, and he fixed that problem. But now, overly long images (as in width) still stretch off the end of the page and take up unnecessary post space, forcing the use of Spoiler tags.

I'd place the re-size limit at about 800px wide; if it's wider than that, have the forum make it into a clickable thumbnail instead.

VideoViking in particular has been having the most experiences with this issue, I think it's about time for a fix.

[Master clyde super]

On other forums, they close topics that go on FOREVER without posts. If there aren't any posts since 2008 on a thread they would close it (You can't post there any more (This train don't stop here any more (Sorry random Elton John reference))) . This solves the bumping issue. And all closed one's go in a Archive forum for that forum. UNderstand?

[Simion32]

I'm sorry, but I think that feature will make the board even more cluttered. You see, people end up creating more topics to re-discuss the same thing. Not only that but the archive makes the posts and topics loose their sense of category.

I am HIGHLY against such a feature being implemented on this board.

If someone bumps an old topic, we just ban them. End of story.

Usually the people who bump those old topics:
(1) Aren't paying attention
(2) Are bumping that topic because the post goes in that topic, not elsewhere << THIS IS GOOD

[FalsePower]

(2) Are bumping that topic because the post goes in that topic, not elsewhere << THIS IS GOOD

I'm glad I did my homework first and read this.

I'd like to bump Kiddy14's idea and suggest a shoutbox. It can be argued that they look unprofessional or somehow cause people to post less.
On my old forum* our activity actually went up once we installed a shoutbox. It's a good way to advertise certain threads and I mean, who hasn't sat there on the index waiting for someone else to come on and make new posts? While you wait you could make a "shout". Maybe two people could start a little conversation that way and become better forum friends.
*That forum ironically closed but it wasn't because of inactivity.

As for a it being ugly; I think it would actually look pretty nice and if it's really an issue, shoutboxes can be made to be at the bottom of the page out of site.

[FalsePower]

FalsePower does the unthinkable and *gasp* double posts!*

So any staff care to respond to my post? If anyone likes the idea *points to my post just above* I could help Qyzbud install the shoutbox. It's pretty simple really.

*I wouldn't have double posted but after watching this thread disappear into obscurity, it's pretty clear I wasn't going to get a response.

[Gaz]

I got a GREAT IDEA!!!! How is about we allow Game Boy Color (DKC)/Advance (DKC, 2, 3) screenshots along with the SNES ones (sorry for bumping). Could we please also allow Donkey Kong Land images too? Thanks.

P.S. Sorry for bumping... Just wanted to spare my idea if Qyzbud ever gets a chance to read this.

[Qyzbud]

CBFD, this topic is 'Suggestions for DKC Atlas Forum', whereas your idea seems to be about the main site, and so should perhaps be posted here - Suggestions for DKC Atlas website: design, content, etc. Unless of course you were talking about the screenshot competitions we hold from time to time, where members submit their best screenshots to have them displayed on the Atlas? Anyway, I like the idea of DKC Atlas being a home to all of DK's Rare/Retro (and perhaps PAON) outings, but DKC 1, 2, 3 and Returns are definitely my main focus. Perhaps with the Atlas relaunch (scheduled for third-quarter 2012, time/resources permitting), I'll be able to appoint more editors/developers to help expand, and cover new sections/Atlases. I'd love to give Atlas-goers more to see and do here, and your assistance would be wonderful when the time is right.

FalsePower, sorry for the lack of response; a shoutbox (or equivalent) will most definitely be included in the future of DKC Atlas.

[Gaz]

CBFD, this topic is 'Suggestions for DKC Atlas Forum', whereas your idea seems to be about the main site [...]

Sorry. Sometimes I don't use my head. I thought this was for the main site. Anyways, I thought we could include those photos on the main site's respective articles. Good luck! I cannot wait for the new DKC Atlas in Q3 2012!

[fastpager200]

This forum is awesome, but don't you think there's too much limits? I mean, why are there limits on the searching making it have to be 3 letters? And also there is a stamp limit. I know its to keep out stamp spam, but i think 5 is a little low. What about 15?
I don't exactly want to be rude here...

[Qyzbud]

We have boards/topics already for discussions like this.

Please take some time to look around the forum (using the search function you just complained about, for example) before starting new discussions.

*merges into 'suggestions' topic*

[Simion32]

I agree that the search limit is ridiculous and should be removed for some of the more specific small words ("DKC ", ROM, DKC1, etc).

But, do you really need more than 5 smileys in a post? Seriously. Come on.

[Chibisai Kong]

There's a limit to things?

[Qyzbud]

[...]why are there limits on the searching making it have to be 3 letters?[...]

I agree that the search limit is ridiculous and should be removed for some of the more specific small words ("DKC ", ROM, DKC1, etc).

Requiring 3 or more characters in each search 'word' seems reasonable to me. What would you need to search for that's less than three characters? My understanding is that this is to avoid making the server/database work too hard, both when searching and indexing. The same goes for 'common' words, such as 'DKC'; on a forum devoted to Donkey Kong Country, searching for those three letters is pretty much like searching for 'and'.

At this time, we are already experiencing technical difficulties with the forum software not having enough memory allocated, so until I get that fixed, I'm not sure it would be a good idea to put the system under more pressure.

I too would love to have the search be more powerful and less restrictive, but it's the best it can be for now.

And just for your information, Simion32; searching for 'DKC1' works just fine at my end.

[...]also there is a stamp limit[...] i think 5 is a little low. What about 15?

The default limit is 3 'stamps' (smilies) per post, which I upped to 5... I can't think of a valid reason to allow more than that in a single post! Feel free to plead your case, though.

[Simion32]

I apparently haven't searched all that much then, because I could have sworn that the limit was 4-or-more character words at one point.

EDIT: and how can there possibly not be enough memory to allocate after all this time? The server would crash if it ran out of (RAM+virtual) space. Is there some arbitrary RAM quota being put in place? Some weird PHP limitation? This can't be system-RAM-usage related.

[Qyzbud]

Yeah, I'm really not sure about the PHP memory issue... I've looked into it and inquired about it, but it's beyond my expertise, unfortunately. I plan to get in touch with my server admin today to see what can be done about it. Hopefully we can get this put to rest, and I can up the 'common word' threshold (or disable it completely) before too long.

I could have sworn that the limit was 4-or-more character words at one point.

You're quite right — this was changed a few months back.

[BlueTronic]

Is there any way to make the forum look more DKC-like? Cause the main site is all decorated and the forum is so plain

[Simion32]

Yeah, I could imagine making the blue parts of things into that old paper kinda look - but without changing the actual layout, only the graphics.

This is an eventual must-have when Qyzbud gets around to his forum makeover.

[Qyzbud]

Yeah, I've been looking forward to doing this for quite a while now.

Since I did the much-needed forum software update a couple weeks ago, the forum has been much more pleasant to work with, and I actually see value in adding features and stylistic improvements... I'm sure you've noticed.

I'll try to have something ready for DKCA's five year anniversary next month.

[Simion32]

As long as it's not as horribly cramped as the time you tried to integrate the main site's style into the forum. To be really honest, I think that sucked.

I think an adaptation of the PHPBB layout would be better than a massive everything-changed overhaul. And possibly easier for you to work out.

[Qyzbud]

As long as it's not as horribly cramped as the time you tried to integrate the main site's style into the forum. To be really honest, I think that sucked.

...and that attitude is why I thought "screw you guys — you can deal with what you have"

I think an adaptation of the PHPBB layout would be better than a massive everything-changed overhaul. And possibly easier for you to work out.

I will probably try working on both an adaptation of an existing phpBB style and an overhaul based on the new DKCA design I'm developing. Styling and layouts are my bread and butter — I don't need it to be 'easy to work out'.

[Simion32]

Well, technically speaking I'm not aware of the particular effort(s) needed to actually *do* this stuff. Given your statement, I'd assume it's kind of like how writing C code is for me then - it's easy because it's what you do all the time. For some reason, I was under the impression that it took more effort.

I apologize for my rather harsh wording. I completely understand you put the effort into this for no reason other than that you like doing this (to improve the Atlas community). And I totally appreciate it.

...but sometimes my very picky ways can go to my head.

[Qyzbud]

Fair enough, and thanks for the apology; I do appreciate brutal honesty, but a tactful delivery can help, too.

And yes, I believe it's as you said; a lot of talented designers and IT experts look at what I do with boggled expressions of awe. I'm sure it'd be much the same for you with your C coding.

We do it because we love it, and we want to create beautiful interfaces and unprecedented functionality for 'the people'.

[Geno]

I'm just suggesting, there should be a 'chat history' kind of thing.

I actually said something in it in the chat itself, but I don't know if anybody noticed, BECAUSE MY SHOUT AND ANY RESPONSES WERE SCROLLED OFF THE VIEWING AREA!

[Qyzbud]

I've moved your suggestion to the 'suggestions' topic.

I am certainly considering making the chat archive available to all users here (currently it's just visible to Simion and I for moderation reasons), but at this stage I want to encourage everyone to post anything that they would like to keep 'viewable' in forum topics rather than chat. There are security and server-load considerations, too, but if I can work those out, this could very possibly become a reality soon.

Thanks for your suggestion, it is a sensible (and popular) one, so I'll certainly keep it in mind.

[Phyreburnz]

I'm kinda not sure why you moved the random thought topic to post mortuary... I understand that there's the chat, but there's not really a point in using it when no other user is on... At least with the random thought topic, you can post whenever, without having to worry about who is on. I also haven't used the chat, and sort of have no interest in using it. When I'm logged on, I usually just go on to post, then log off.

[Super Luigi!]

I agree. Like Phyreburnz, I don't really use chat and just check the forums. I also liked the Random Thoughts topic for its convenience and laid-back atmosphere.

[Phyreburnz]

Just in case this didn't get seen before, I am going to tag Qyzbud to make sure he sees it...since Qyz was the last one to post in the Random Though Topic!

I would either really like the random thought topic go active again or make another one. I don't want to make another one if you guys really don't want one. I just don't think that the chat is an apt replacement for the forum thread. Don't get me wrong, the chat has its place, but I just don't think it can completely replace the thread. I have been coming back wanting to post in the random thought topic, but since it's not there anymore, I barely post. (I usually use it to let you guys know I'm still alive! ) Since most of the time when I'm logged on, I'm the only one or there's like one other person, it's kind of pointless to post in the chat.

[Qyzbud]

Oh, alright.

The Random Thoughts Topic Returns!

[Super Luigi!]

Thank you, kind sir. I shall now continue to post in that topic.

[Axis]

Welcome to bumping heads and seeing what moderators think!

Since I've used the Atlas forum, into my new account, I've always had a tip for the comment box that I forgot to relay because everything is working fine already anyway. I wanted to suggest if we could implement different consoles or genres into the Gaming Discussion forum in the Unrelated category? I know we're pure Nintendo banana here but I would really like to see some possibilities open, even for some newcomers, to sit on the atlas and have the chance to discuss some Xbox games or start oozing over what's coming in the eighth generation for other branded home consoles?

What's your take? I tried looking for a similar topic but I doubt it was Gaming Discussion specific if it happened to exist.

[ProminenceF]

From what I gather, the general Gaming Discussion area is the place for that kinda thing.

[Qyzbud]

So Squawks, I just want to be clear with what you're proposing... are you suggesting that we add new subforums in the Gaming Discussion forum? Something like this:

Gaming Discussion
- Rare Games
- Mario Games
- Emulation
- Consoles
- - Nintendo
- - - NES
- - - SNES
[...]
- Genres
- - Platform Games
- - Puzzle Games
[...]

Etc. etc...

If so, it'd definitely be possible, but for such a DKC-centric forum/site like ours, I personally think we're best off keeping the forum structure simple for non-DKC stuff. Although discussion of Xbox/PlayStation/SEGA etc. games is welcome, I'd like to keep a strong focus on DKC and its 'cousin games'.

That said, feel free to make more of a case for your idea, and I'll consider it. If there's enough support for what you're suggesting I will put it to vote and allow the Atlas community to decide.

[Simion32]

I personally don't think there is enough discussion going on to merit the groupings, though it would provide for some organization. meh...

[Axis]

From what I gather, the general Gaming Discussion area is the place for that kinda thing.

Bingo, I assume I was simply pleading for some more discreet organization regarding platforms or genres. The site does need to stay Nintendo banana for most of its means. The etc ladder you have going there Qyz made the most sense to me, like I said in my original post, it's no necessity for implement but can help reduce the spam of some topics in the general section.

[UncleBazerko]

I've noticed the different ranking names given to users:

Newcomer, Tourist, Treasure Hunter, Atlas Author, Sage of DIscovery, etc.

I'm curious. Is there a list of ranking names with descriptions on how to earn those ranks?

[Super Luigi!]

Qyzbud would have such a list for special names. But as far as I'm concerned, your rank increases as you post more.

[Qyzbud]

Super Luigi's quite right, UncleBazerko; the "rank" is generally based on a user's total, forum-wide post count.

I do have a list of the ranks, and the post count they are awarded at, but I have decided to keep it as a surprise for each user, rather than publishing the list. Hopefully this mystery is more intriguing than it is frustrating.

"Special" ranks
Some ranks (such as Atlas Author) are assigned on a per-user basis, but these are fairly uncommon. Also, if a user's name is changed for whatever reason, I will generally assign them a "rank" that clarifies this name change.

[Mattrizzle]

Here's a suggestion: Since the Wiiconnect24 service ended about a year ago, and the official Wii/DS online servers (Brawl) were taken down about three weeks ago, these fields could be removed and one could be added for the Nintendo Network ID. If not, at least the latter could be done.

[Qyzbud]

Excellent suggestion, Mattrizzle; I've disabled those obsolete fields, and have added the Nintendo Network ID.

Anyone wishing to add their NNID can do so at the bottom of the Edit profile page.

[Markster]

Damn you Nintendo!!!

[Gaz]

My thoughts exactly, Markster. Mario Kart DS online play was fun... And I never got to do Diddy Kong Racing DS online play...

Anyway, this isn't a suggestion (and I couldn't find a more appropriate topic), but I noticed a rather humorous webpage that says this if you want to take back someone's banana: "Well that's mean! Do you really want to take back this banana?"

I found this out by accidentally clicking on a "Take banana" button. I suppose taking a banana is the biggest crime in the DK universe. It's a fun message, Qyzbud. I like the double confirmation you added.

[Mattrizzle]

And I never got to do Diddy Kong Racing DS online play...

You didn't miss much. A short time after the game was released, I never could find any opponents.

[Super Luigi!]

"Your banana is no good here!" so I'm told,
Yet it's starting to get really old.

[VideoViking]

The subtle tag could stand some improvement. Here's a couple tests:

- Normal Text
- Subtle Text

Combine the size tag, and you could make the subtle message even more subtle:

- Subtle Text
- Even Subtler Text

The problem is that if you make the size too small, like in the above example, you're going to get jargon when you point to it. A recommendation of 75 for the size tag would be best. See this next example:

- Even Subtler Text
- Legibly Subtle Text

In short, I would love to have the subtle tag include the ability to modify its size so that the size tag is not needed. Something like [ subtle = x ], where x is any number from 1 to 3.