Q&A
If you have a question for us, post in this thread, Twitter or Hermes Q&A thread. I will be looking through all of it. All answered questions will be posted here after each session. New Q&A will be highlighted so they're easier to find.
Release Dates & Roadmap
Here's a roadmap of the development process and an idea of where we're at.
1) Research & Planning - Early process to figure out where we need to go with the new upgrade.
Status: Completed
2)
Mockups & Prototyping - Designing the look and feel of the new forum and its interaction.
Status: Completed, but we're still refining our work while IPS is in its public preview stage.
3)
Main Development - Implementing our custom html, css and javascript into IPS4. Creating custom plugins to enable features unique to ATRL.
Status: Requires downloadable beta of IPB to start (Not yet available).
4)
Beta Testing - Taking direct feedback from Mods, Private Invites, ATRL+, Public Invites - in that order. Feedback will be used to fix bugs, adjust design elements, change how features function and much more.
Status: Requires downloadable beta of IPB to start (Not yet available).
5)
Launch - Forum will be taken offline for a short time to migrate data over to the new forum. ATRL will then reopen with the new software.
Status: Requires official release of IPB4 to start (Not yet available).
But how long will all of that take?!?!????!??!?11123
At the moment, we don't have any control over the timing. We're waiting for a downloadable version of IPS4 to be released for development. Invision Power is currently taking feedback via a
public preview build and implementing quick fixes and changes. I'm glad they're doing this
before the beta because it reduces the amount of major updates/patches we're likely to see during the beta. Major updates/patches released mid-beta tends to break custom code that we'll be working on, setting us back even further because the source code has changed dramatically.
You'll be among the first to know about IPS4's beta by keeping an eye on the
updates in their public preview site and/or their
main forum's news and info.
When will we get a release date?
Shortly after Invision Power makes their release date public. We can't make our own dates without knowing when the core software for our forum will be available.
Is it still planned for this year?
Yes.
I just had a great idea, how about quote notifications for the new upgrade?
...
Forums & Organization
Q:
Will "Videos" be kept as a main section? (by Lippy)
A: No. We’ve decided that videos don’t have the same kind of importance as the other sections, and it’s currently a little messy to have music videos in the same section as random youtube clips. The new format groups videos in their respective categories.
[NEW] Q:
Will "Best of... [Year]" fall under the Personal section now? (JakeKills)
A: For archiving yes, but Best of will still be a major event complete with the gold banner and a separate section when it's running.
[NEW] Q:
The Entertainment section looks brilliant, but it only covers TV/ movies... Should Books + Video Games get their own subcategories here too? Not that we talk much literature around here, but video games are popular... (JakeKills)
A: What you see in the mockup isn't final. There's an ongoing staff discussion about what gets covered where and all the new prefixes we'll be adding.
[NEW] Q:
Is personal split into sub-forums of some sort, then? If Personal is becoming blogs, YTT, and personal games... I can't imagine those three separate crowds getting along together in one section (Vespertine)
A: When you hover over [Personal], you'll see the option for Blogs and YTT. When in Blogs, you'll see an option to switch over to YTT and vice versa. They're still completely separate parts of the forum.
[NEW] Q:
are the subareas permanent? or can we just view the whole sections like we can now.. so do we have a option to use the areas? (Slim Shady)
A: Almost all of those subareas are just filters. It works the same way it does now, but now you'll have access to them in the navigation menu.
Design, UI and Themes
[NEW] Q:
Is there any reason why the tracking for some of the characters is so spaced out though? (The thread titles for example on the second screenshot) it kinda hurts my eyes a bit. (Blood Orange Sun)
A: Some of the elements are from past concepts and weren't updated in the final draft. Issues like that aren't a priority as they won't be reproduced in the markup.
[NEW] Q:
By responsive, does it mean we're going to have some live visuals? Such as, we scroll over something like "The Lounge" tab and the screen moves right along to give a preview of it without switching page URLs (Or something similar, at least)? (X/O/X/O)
A: Responsive means that the site will transform and reorganize elements to best display on the current width of the browser window or mobile device. Here's an example of responsive design:
http://gizmodo.com/
Just resize your browser's width to see it in action.
[NEW] Q:
The "FEATURE THREAD" I'm confused, the pics of the stars how does that work? Do you guys post the pics there? Or is that for like the Most popular thread? Like the most popular post. How does that work. Cause that caught my eye to most. It really makes the site look different. (TRUTH COMMISSION)
A: Moderators can feature threads to be displayed on the front page. They will also add an appropriate image from the article to use as the main thumbnail.
Threads & Posts
Q:
Will the posts update in the thread without refreshing? (by Lippy)
A: No, at least not on day one. The feature you’re referring to puts a lot of strain on a server and we’re not sure it’s worth it yet.
Q:
Will users be able to block people on ignore list from viewing their own posts? (by Lippy)
A: I haven’t tested this to say for certain, but I will get back to it.
Q:
Will the text editor be like WYSIWYG? (What You See Is What You Get) (by Ricanaire)
A:Yes. Here’s an example of IPB3’s real time editor (note: this is an older version of IPB):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8o4yGTtG4U
Notifications
Q:
Will there be any notifications of when warning points expire? (by Caesar)
A: We haven’t made plans for that, but I will add it to the list.
Q:
About the @ notifications. I have an Ē in my username. And there is a member here by the name of HERMES. To avoid confusion, When someone types an @ to get ready to mention someone, will a list of users pop up and narrow down based on what letters are typed? Like when you are sending a PM. (by HERMĒS)
A: Yes, there will be a real time suggestion list right after you start typing @ and the first letter.
Q:
Will the quote notifications be able to be turned off? (by Lippy)
A: Yes. Here’s how it works on IPB3 (an older version we were testing):
http://i62.tinypic.com/3310u1z.png
Q:
Will quote notifications be for all sections? (by gloamingtheplain)
A: Yes.
[NEW] Q:
So, the three notification types at the top... Is it PMs, Quotes, Wall Posts, in that order? (X/O/X/O)
A: PMs, Notifications, Friends Online - As the name suggests, you'll be able to quickly see your active friends, join threads they're participating in or quickly send them messages. You'll also have the option to turn those features off if you prefer anonymity.
BBCode & Smileys
Q:
Will there be an addition of popular altered smileys or new ones in general? (by Speezy)
A: We’re going to change the organization of smileys and remove some that don’t fit any longer. Smiley additions are not officially part of the upgrade as they can be done at any time. That said, JDM will be back soon to take your requests for new smileys.
Q:
Will the YouTube bbcode be fixed? (by Lippy)
A: It’s completely rewritten.
New User Tour
Q:
How will the New User Tour guide system work? Will it be in a video or will it be interactive? (by Mellark)
A: The interactive tour is a script based navigation that takes you through the site and highlights important areas; much like you’ll see whenever Google releases a new gmail or when Twitter releases a new dashboard. I’ve spoken to a very talented member of ATRL about providing narration for our guide videos and some other promotional material. So we’ll have both text and video form guides available.
Content Migration (Current threads, accounts, profile info, etc)
Q:
Will ALL threads (closed/old ones) move to the new forum? (by ivi)
A: To free up our database we’re going to be removing threads that are several years old.
Q:
Will all of our user-specific information remain in-tact? (Wall Post, etc.) (by Thomasuxx)
A: Yes, we don’t have any plans to remove that information. IPB is structured to import those files seamlessly.
Q:
Will Base threads be recreated and started from scratch? | Will "Best of 2013" be transferred to the new server? (by Toysoldier99)
A: Both of those will be transferred over, but the “Best of” system is being revised as I noted here:
http://atrl.net/forums/showthread.php?t=506447
Beta Testing
Q:
Assuming that the Early Beta and Closed Beta are 2 different phases, that will occur at different times. For the Early beta, how will the first 20 be picked? When will they be notified? and When will the Early Beta take place? (by HERMĒS)
A: We’ve already started picking potential candidates for the private beta but we will also send out a questionnaire to anyone that wants to apply. The candidates we’ve added to a long list so far have provided knowledgeable feedback about what we’ve shown so far. The early beta will start once we’ve reached our core milestones on the new software.
General Functionality
Q:
What's the new search going to be like? There seems to no longer be a dropdown box beside the search box, just a search button/magnifying glass. Will there still be a way to do advanced searches? (by posh)
A: All of that functionality is still there. When you click the search bar you’ll see this:
Mobile:
http://i59.tinypic.com/ht8sae.png
Desktop:
http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/c...ile_search.png
Profiles, Walls, Blogs & PMs
Q:
Will banned members be able to read PMs? (Like to see what a WP was for) (by Lippy)
A: No, but we can offer that on a more detailed ban page.
Q:
Will we still be able to use avatars from other sites with large file sizes? (by posh)
A: Yes.
ATRL+
Q:
Will ATRL+ members be able to delete their own thread outside Games section? (by Lippy)
A: That’s a good idea we didn't consider. We’ll most likely add something that hides it from view and marks it for mods to delete later on.
Q:
Will the people who have already boughten ATRL+ get all the features you can now buy individually in the store, or will we have to buy them individually too? (by Ice Cream Clouds)
A: We’re going to be talking about that in more detail soon, but I can say that existing ATRL+ members will get credits equal to the amount they spent on the subscription. This way they can purchase items they actually want instead of being forced to take everything.
Q:
Will you have to pay for the things in the ATRL+ store or will they be bought with credits? (by Ice Cream Clouds)
A: You can buy credits by purchasing them (the way you used to purchase subscriptions) or you can earn them via an official list of activities that will be announced at a later date.
Q:
Will someone get an ATRL+ badge by buying one thing in the store? (by Ice Cream Clouds)
A: Yes, for as long as that item is active.
Q:
Will we be able to purchase name changes in the ATRL+ regardless of how many days? (by Sam Jay)
A: No. We’ll definitely reduce the waiting period, but it’s a limit we’ve put in place to reduce the frequency of name changes throughout the forum. It can be a little confusing/distracting for many users. We’re also going to be fixing typos/mistakes made at no additional cost or waiting period.
Q:
Will it be possible to donate and/or buy an ATRL+ membership with VISA or Mastercard? (by Sunderland 4ever)
A: No plans for that at this time, but we will try to add other payment methods for international regions
[NEW] Q:
What kind of stuff can be bought in the ATRL Store? (X/O/X/O)
A: You can consider each feature in the ATRL+ subscription we have now an "item". They're just premium features you can get separately. We will be revealing the ATRL+ store once we have a confirmed list of features.
Misc
Q:
There are some rule changes that are coming. Can any of those be revealed? If not, when will they be? and what CAN be said about the new rules? (by HERMĒS)
A: Rule changes are not part of the upgrade, but we are working on overhauling the rules and making a more comprehensive rules page. This will provide a better transition to the new forum when it’s ready.
Q:
In light of the recent Moderator April Fools joke, will there actually be any new moderators coming before, during, or after the upgrade? If there are, will it just be a continuation of the process that happened in January? (by HERMĒS)
A: The possibility for new moderators is something we discuss every 3 months. We have a shortlist built up from the January applications that we’ll dip into when we need new mods.
Q:
Can any of the things in the ATRL+ Store be talked about? (by HERMĒS)
A: Specifics about individual items will be its own reveal when we get to that. I’m more than happy to talk about how the store works though.
