Forum and Google.

[andy310]

So, Obviously turbine choose not to hire incompetent people to re-create the website.

Why do I say this? Well because as a competent web person, it would naturally have been my duty, if I were in charge of or working on a website switch, to make sure that all the old links to the old website from various search engines were 301 redirected to the proper new link with the new thread.

This is aside from the new forum's layout, which put quite plainly - sucks.
What's that I hear? you can choose a skin? Well to be honest I don't care enough to choose a skin. I'd much rather the information be presented to me in a "forum" like way instead of a mix between a wordpress template and a vbulletin implementation....

That said, the rest of the website is actually looking quite nice. (notice I said LOOKING, I dare not dive into the public source code of it, as I'm sure I'd gag)

MY only 2cent on that is that what people actually use most is the Form, the forum is what should have had your attention, and it obviously did not receive enough.

So how about starting off with getting the .htaccess file to 301 redirect the forum links to the proper new thread so I and the entire forum population don't have to go insane over figuring out the links our self via forum search?

All in all the htaccess code take a max of 10 minutes to code and is 1 line to be applied.

And with the bashing in mind, we all make mistakes, sure. However I can't help but wonder why if I, Professionally, made as many mistakes as you guys make at Turbine I'd be job-less/client-less...

[bsquishwizzy]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and bet that they purchased some "package" from someone that did everything they needs to do, whether it did or not.

Oh, and the paid a lot of mone for this package.

Oh, and management will not admit that they make a massive mistake, and will instead tout the glories of this...uh...thing they've implemented.

[Archangel_666]

I know it's a pain in the arse, but there's a work-around to this that we can use. (It's Turbine, we're used to work-arounds by now, I guess).

Use Google to find a Thread, open it and copy the numbers at the end of it.

Example:

http://www.ddo.com/en/showthread.php?t=347498

Now, open any Thread, or duplicate one that's already open.

Example:

https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/415871-Forum-and-Google

Now paste the numbers over the numbers on the new Thread so that you end up with:

https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/347498

It will now show the correct page.

Yes, it's a pain, and yes I hate having to do it, but it beats trying to use Turbine's "Search Function".

[Archangel_666]

This is not the post you are looking for...

[andy310]

I had a nice bashing all written up to make the - mormon - who designed the PM in white type over a Tan background feel - loved.
Then the - login required - came to tame the water.

Needless to say that, sir, whoever you are, you deserve nothing less then to loose your job(s). And nothing more then to be forced to undertake some flipping classes as to understand what Web Standards even are.

- Regarding the google issue, arch.
My problem is that it takes them literally 20 seconds to add a line to their .htaccess file to automatically take the number and redirect to the new thread offering the broweser (and google) with a 301 error, which will, given time, automatically also correct the links to the new path.

Something any competent web people/it tech, heck why not even a Amish, would be able to understand, know about, and do.

- No offense to Amish, or Mormons intended of course... you guys are alright ;)

[Archangel_666]

- Regarding the google issue, arch.
My problem is that it takes them literally 20 seconds to add a line to their .htaccess file to automatically take the number and redirect to the new thread offering the broweser (and google) with a 301 error, which will, given time, automatically also correct the links to the new path.

Quite understandable, as I said, I hate it too, but until/if Turbine gets it's act together we at least have something we can do to get some kind of functionality out of the Forums.

I think someone forgot that the primary function of a Forum is for Communication, whether that be writing something new, or reading something old. Form should always follow Function with such things, not the other way around.

[Aussir]

What is this tan you speak of? ;)

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a205/alexisdorian/My%20stuff/PMbox_zps9736cf7c.jpg (http://s12.photobucket.com/user/alexisdorian/media/My%20stuff/PMbox_zps9736cf7c.jpg.html)

And yes, there are still funky colors there but I'm still working on the template.

[andy310]

What is this tan you speak of? ;)

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a205/alexisdorian/My%20stuff/PMbox_zps9736cf7c.jpg (http://s12.photobucket.com/user/alexisdorian/media/My%20stuff/PMbox_zps9736cf7c.jpg.html)

And yes, there are still funky colors there but I'm still working on the template.

Painstakingly here:
http://gyazo.com/cbc98889461e7f4580acc48834a49a9b

Also what do you mean you are working on the template? You might be working on Your template... sure I can waste time on firefox's Stylesheet bindings too, I can even inject my own CSS into it for my viewing pleasure. doesn't affect the rest of ya though...

[Aussir]

Painstakingly here:
http://gyazo.com/cbc98889461e7f4580acc48834a49a9b

... argh... I had already forgotten about it... mine looks like this:

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a205/alexisdorian/pminbox_zpsabb2c33c.jpg (http://s12.photobucket.com/user/alexisdorian/media/pminbox_zpsabb2c33c.jpg.html)

It's not complete yet, I have still to tweak some stuff (it's around 90% complete), but for your sanity, install stylish on Firefox and use this:

http://userstyles.org/styles/86849/ddo-light-version-in-progress?r=1367446922

Or the black one that JJ posted here:

https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthread.php/415713-Forums-Stylebot-Changes

[kendo]

So, Obviously turbine choose not to hire incompetent people to re-create the website.



I don't think this means what you think it means :D

unless you are trying to say that Turbine hired competent people but that doesn't really match the tone of the rest of your post. :)

[~Izaak]

I use Google search a lot to find forum posts - I even found this thread via Google.

It's not that the redirection is missing - they have redirection but it's broken. For example, Google search results include this URL:

http://forums.ddo.com/showthread.php?t=409500

When I click it, I end up at:

http://www.ddo.com/en/showthread.php?t=409500

Clearly someone at Turbine tried to make old URLs work, but they appear to have forgotten about forums and simply put /en/ where they should now have /forums/. So as a hint, when you use Google to search, just edit the URL and replace "en" with "forums" and you're good.

[~Pixma]

I think one of the many things turbine fails to understand that most vets will stick around because of the game, not the totally fubarred forums [although with the game direction, i know it's debatable] But, if i were a new player wanting to try DDO out .... with the way the forums are right now .... i wouldn't bother.

[~Eris_Discordia]

I think one of the many things turbine fails to understand that most vets will stick around because of the game, not the totally fubarred forums [although with the game direction, i know it's debatable] But, if i were a new player wanting to try DDO out .... with the way the forums are right now .... i wouldn't bother.

Oh, you judge games based on the look of their public webpages and forums?

So do I.

If it looks like a drunken child programmed the website, that says something about the team designing the game, as a whole.

If I looked at DDO and was considering playing it now, I'd assume they needed a few years to come up with a website design, and were probably a new company, so it's best to give them some time before playing.

regarding the htaccess files, yes, a working regexp would solve the problem. but I'm guessing the team doesn't know what a regexp is, based on the design of this website, so perhaps we should just ask them to outsource their creation until it works again, if they don't have the skills required to fix it.

[Nospheratus]

My personal problem with Turbine is how they choose to do stuff. Never EVER EVER anything is released finished...
I mean, sure there are bugs and mistakes, but things that are clearly unfinished shouldn't be released. Simply going through the forums, looking at all pages once, login and do it again would reveal a number of things.

So, were these things ignored or just not seen? Either way, it's bad.


Hoping I don't get logged out when I hit "submit reply"...

Nospheratus