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Messages - RickPowers

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1176
NWR Feedback / List of Suggestions
« on: February 01, 2003, 08:15:32 PM »
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Enlarge them, let us change the colors of our names, allow size restricted signitures (to be avature size), give us all custom titles, ANYTHING! Some of the moderators need to think about this, every board has some way to recognize members of a community more then text.


The problem is, we don't want this to become a contest, who can have the best avatar, who's got the best title, etc.  We turned all of that off on purpose.  In any message board community, the MOST important part is the conversation, the posts themselves.  Everything else serves to get in the way.  Custom titles based on post counts is part of the software, and we disabled it specifically to avoid garbage posting used to get new titles.  It's just not worth the effort.  For the record, many of those features are still enabled for moderators, so we can see your post counts, when you registered, your IP Address, etc.  It's just hidden from general view.

As for the custom titles you already had, I might consider bringing those back.  I realize that you all bought things from PGC to do that, and we do want to reward that sort of thing.  We might even do something along those lines formally in the future.  Right now, I'm just more concerned with getting the bugs worked out, and sprucing things up a bit.  Better graphics and whatnot are coming, it's just going to take a bit.  The color scheme, however, is pretty well set (and those actually are shades of purple, believe it or not).  It was a matter of improving legibility more than anything.  But maybe ... just maybe ... we'll let you guys pick your own scheme later on.  

1177
NWR Feedback / new threads?
« on: February 01, 2003, 07:59:55 PM »
Yes.

When you press the "refresh" button at the top of the Forum Home page, it will check for New messages, and mark any messages as not new that were New when you LOGGED IN, leaving messages that were posted since you logged in.  Hitting "refresh" again will clear these messages as well.

Also, check the Help button.  FuseTalk has a GREAT Help interface, and there's lots of great information there.

1178
NWR Feedback / New Forums BUG DISCUSSION
« on: February 01, 2003, 12:59:45 PM »
We've still got a few things to tweak yet, and we've turned off several features in order to help speed things along.  We're going to try to turn a few things on as long as they don't impact performance too much.  But I've got a couple of things on tap that should help with the speed issues.

1179
NWR Feedback / Begone, Evil EZboard!
« on: February 01, 2003, 12:22:37 PM »
Can't do it, Zach.  The only option for avatars this board has is hosting them on our site.  Unfortunately, that's going to cause a huge bandwidth drain if we turn them on.  If FuseTalk issues a release that allows off-site avatars (linked to your personal webspace), then we'll revisit the issue at that time.  But for the time being, they're staying off.

1180
Nintendo Gaming / w00t. First Topic Ahoy.
« on: February 01, 2003, 12:19:55 PM »
The forums don't have the ability built-in to allow off-site avatars (hosted on your own webspace), and having them on our server would be a HUGE bandwidth concern.  Sorry, but it's just not likely to happen unless FuseTalk releases a version to allow off-site avatars.  Sorry, but that's one of the tradeoffs that had to be made.

1181
NWR Feedback / New Forums BUG DISCUSSION
« on: February 01, 2003, 10:30:42 AM »
MSN8 and IE6 both use the IE6 rendering engine, as do many other browser "replacements".  If you have problems in one, you'll have them in the others as well.  One thing to keep in mind is that you want to avoid blocking cookies from PlanetGameCube.com.  They aren't "evil" cookies, I promise you.  In fact you REALLY don't want to do that, since some things we might do later might need them.

The only types of cookies anyone really needs to be concerned about are "third-party" cookies.  Those are cookies that are served to you by a different server than the one you're on.  Those tend to be used for tracking you.  We only use them so that the server knows who you are.

1182
NWR Feedback / New Forums BUG DISCUSSION
« on: February 01, 2003, 10:16:32 AM »
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At the top of each page, above the PGC Forum logo, is some text that varies depending on where I am on the forum. Looks like they're variables that the forum software is spitting out, things like date, page completion status, etc. The main homepage (planetgamecube.com) is also displaying this text at the top, above the banner ad.


Fixed.  

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Every once in a while, using my browser's back button, the page I return to is not rendered. The HTML code is still there, but for some reason it's displaying it as plain text and not HTML.


Sounds like a problem with your browser.  There's nothing in the code that could keep it from displaying.  Regardless, there are breadcrumb links at the tops and bottoms of the pages you can use to navigate.  Perhaps avoiding the back button would help.

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"New Messages" tags aren't refreshing correctly for me. I go into a category or thread and several messages are marked as "new". I exit the thread, reload the main page (or forum page) and they're still displayed as new. This might not be a bug with the software, but just my problem dealing with this new UI.


That's intentional.  New messages added when you refresh manually will still appear, but the ones there when you first log on do not.  Why?  Because we don't want you to miss which ones were new if you have to refresh due to a page that didn't finish loading or whatnot.  If you want to refresh the new messages, use the "Refresh" button at the top of the forum page.  

1183
TalkBack / BREAKING: Space Shuttle Columbia Destroyed
« on: February 01, 2003, 09:48:51 AM »
In eerie similarity to the Challenger disaster nearly seventeen years ago, Columbia falls apart 38 miles above Texas during re-entry.

If you're having a wicked feeling of Deja Vu this morning, you're not the only one.  Nearly seventeen years to the date the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded in the early morning hours in front of a startled nation.  So many people are wondering if they were watching a history reel when confronted with the news this morning that the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia met the same terrible fate.  Many of the circumstances are different, but it is a tragedy of similar proportions, nonetheless.

We'll leave the details to the regular news sites ( CNN, MSNBC, Yahoo News ) but our hearts go out to the families of the crew of Columbia, and to everyone else affected by this terrible accident.  God Speed, Columbia.      

1184
Nintendo Gaming / w00t. First Topic Ahoy.
« on: January 31, 2003, 11:59:47 PM »
Bear in mind that no one ever said the forums would remain ad free.  We're going to be playing around with things quite a bit, which is why the forums are in BETA.  However, we're going to try to stay away from pop-ups if we can.

1185
NWR Feedback / Begone, Evil EZboard!
« on: January 31, 2003, 11:20:08 PM »
That might be doable.  I'll see what I can do.

1186
TalkBack / Samus Action Figure!
« on: January 31, 2003, 11:05:25 PM »
Fully poseable doll, er ... ACTION FIGURE.

For those of you wanting your very own pocket-sized Samus Aran, wait no longer! for just $13.95, you can have your very own Samus Aran action figure from the fine folks at Die Cast Express.  It's officially licensed, and comes with a collector's card and codes for some of the Metroid games.


Want to see what she looks like?  Well, you're going to need to get over to Die Case Express to see it!


1187
General Chat / Hey yo
« on: January 31, 2003, 09:04:51 PM »
Click the "Profile" button at the top.

Do note, though ... if you change your e-mail address, another randomly-generated password will be e-mailed to the new address.

1188
TalkBack / Haven Canned for GameCube and Xbox
« on: January 31, 2003, 08:12:47 PM »
Well, there's another possibility.  That the potential userbase for Haven had quite a bit of crossover with the GameCube and Xbox owners, and they chose to wait to see it on those machines, making the PS2 version's sales suffer.

1189
Nintendo Gaming / GameCube's Appeal to the Teen Audience
« on: January 31, 2003, 07:32:00 PM »
Actually, I'd say that Nintendo's appeal problem is largely a function of the typical teen (or anyone, for that matter) wanting to fit in.  GameCube is NOT "kiddy", but that doesn't stop people from branding it like that.  It's small, or purple, so it must be for little kids, right?  Well, only if you THINK so.  There is nothing inherently kiddy about the machine.  Sure, some of Nintendo's games are cartoony or bright, but does that make THEM kiddy?  These same people have no problem watching animated TV shows and movies, but in a game?!  Oh, that's so kiddy!  Please.

Fact is, people just want to fit in, and they'll spurn anything that isn't mainstream or seen as "cool" by their friends.  It's pretty pathetic, but it's a major part of marketing strategy for not just the game industry, but just about every major brand as well.  Clothing, drinks, food ... be the coolest, and you'll get the most sales.

That's really all there is to it.  When people learn not to be swayed by peer pressure and marketing, they'll be much happier consumers.  All that matters in game consoles is how fun the games are (and how many there are).  Unfortunately, the games industry suffers a Catch-22 situation where if the Developers or Publishers fall for that same "kiddy" argument against a console, they won't release games for it.  Less games, means less sales, and the cycle continues.

If anything, THAT is the reason Nintendo needs to work on it's image.  Not because of the public stigma, but the one in the developer/publisher communities.

1190
NWR Feedback / Talkback.
« on: January 31, 2003, 07:22:57 PM »
In eerie similarity to the Challenger disaster nearly seventeen years ago, Columbia falls apart 38 miles above Texas during re-entry.

Nearly seventeen years to the date the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded in the early morning hours in front of a startled nation.  So many people are wondering if they were watching a history reel when confronted with the news this morning that the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia met the same terrible fate.  Many of the circumstances are different, but it is a tragedy of similar proportions, nonetheless.


We'll leave the details to the regular news sites (CNN, MSNBC, Yahoo News), but our hearts go out to the families of the crew of Columbia, and to everyone else affected by this terrible accident.  Godspeed, Columbia.


1191
NWR Feedback / Why Fuse Talk?
« on: January 31, 2003, 07:20:54 PM »
Frankly, we'd rather catch the hotheads.  Think of it this way ... you could go post a whole bunch of obscenities, piss people off, then delete it before the mods see it.  No thanks.  At least this way, even if they edit what they posted, the proof that they posted SOMETHING is still there, so we can catch them.

1192
NWR Feedback / Polls..
« on: January 31, 2003, 07:18:10 PM »
Basically, if you're asking for someone to offer you their opinion on *topic*, and that answer can often be just a couple words, it's pointless.  Yes, you asked for "why" as well, but it's just not going to cut it.

Yes, a question can avoid being a poll if it's asking for a factual response, and not a purely personal preference one.

Quite frankly, your question kind of gets answered just by checking people's profiles here and seeing which IM service they have handles registered for.  

1193
General Gaming / Phantasy Star Online: XBOX Version.
« on: January 31, 2003, 07:09:24 PM »
I hate to say it, but that's going to be pretty standard for MMORPGs on Xbox Live.  Live is your key to the service, and most games let you play peer-to-peer (using one Xbox as the "server").  MMORPGs, however, need a huge mass of central servers, and they need to keep those servers running.  That's what the extra fees are for.

Now, if they can just roll that into what you're paying for Live when Live goes monthly, that would be more convenient.  I don't think that will happen, though.

1194
NWR Feedback / Why Fuse Talk?
« on: January 31, 2003, 07:01:19 PM »
We picked FuseTalk, because it ran the old Forums (before we had to shut them down), we had all the custom code already in place, and because it was already paid for (out of Rick's own pocket, no less).

As for deleting your own posts, no.  You can EDIT your posts, but we removed the delete ability because people need to take responsibility for their posts.  And it gives us a trail.

1195
NWR Feedback / Good Job :)
« on: January 31, 2003, 05:24:38 PM »
The makers of the board are listed in the copyright message at the bottom of every page.  We've tweaked quite a few things, and there are most enhancements to come, since we have all the source code.  That's right.  This is the tip of the iceberg.

1196
General Chat / Hey yo
« on: January 31, 2003, 04:02:09 PM »
Just so we don't get out of hand, here ... This is the ONLY "firsties" post we're going to allow here.  All others will be deleted.  This isn't a competition.

1197
TalkBack / What the heck is going on?!
« on: January 25, 2003, 05:54:35 AM »
Major internet "worm" took down many web servers running SQL last night.  Details inside ...

If you noticed that many of your favorite websites were out of commission or unreachable in the wee hours this morning, then you witnessed the effects of a major SQL virus that's been spreading like wildfire.


The gist of it is this ... servers running Microsoft SQL Server that are open to the internet (mostly web servers), have a vulnerability that was used to create a virus that infects these machines, then connects to other machines the same way to spread itself around.  This one appears to have been started at one infected machine which has been sending bad packets out, flooding 5 of the 13 main "nameservers" on the internet.  (A nameserver is what allows you to reach us by typing "www.planetgamecube.com" instead of our IP Address.)


Regardless, we're back up now.  Thanks for being patient with us.  :)


If you're curious about what happened and want to know more, in addition to the Yahoo link above, you can find more information at Slashdot and at CNN.


1198
TalkBack / Buy a GameCube, get a free game!
« on: January 17, 2003, 04:29:03 PM »
For a limited time, you can get one of four titles free with your GameCube purchase.  Plus, new additions to Nintendo's "Player's Choice" line!

Starting on February 9th gamers that buy a GameCube at $149.99 from participating retailers will get one of four titles free.   Buyers can choose from Metroid Prime, Resident Evil 0, Star Fox Adventures or Mario Party 4.  


The program is scheduled to end in May, but if the response is positive, it wouldn't be unheard of for Nintendo to extend the program into the Fall.


The free game is likely in retaliation to the stiff competition Microsoft's Xbox is proving to be, with recent news that Xbox has pulled ahead of Nintendo in worldwide sales.


In addition, you will now be able to get three of Nintendo's major sellers for a low $29.95.  Luigi's Mansion, Pikmin and Super Smash Bros. Melee are all added to Nintendo's list of hit titles to be offered at a discount.


1199
TalkBack / Limited Edition SP units already?
« on: January 14, 2003, 08:51:25 AM »
Limited Edition Game Boy Advance SP's are on the way, and you'll never guess what game it's for ...

According to the Official Final Fantasy Tactics Advance website, there will be a limited edition "Pearl White" Game Boy Advance SP package released in Japan the same day as the standard version (February 14).


This limited edition unit comes with Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, the Pearl White GBA SP, A FFT-A premium wrist strap, and a FFT-A carrying case.


Pricing is set at 18,300 Yen, which is about $150 US.  Expect the price to be at least 50% higher for a limited edition unit imported from overseas.


We'll have more information as soon as we can dig it up.


1200
TalkBack / Happy Birthday, j00ny!
« on: January 10, 2003, 05:49:31 AM »
Our resident Managing Editor and PR Guy Jonny Metts is celebrating a birthday today.  How old is he?

Happy Frickin' Birthday, Jonny.  I have to admit, I was a little stunned when Billy not only reminded me that today was your birthday, but that you were turning just 21 today.  How does TEH SEXIES MAN stay so young?  Must be all that clean living and late night debates.


Billy would have posted this himself, but he was on his way out for another busy day in Vegas.  He'll stop by later to add his birthday wishes too, I'm sure.


Happy Birthday, Jonny!  Now get back to work ... there's a lot to do!


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