The Future of the Forums

[Shamus The Brute]

Do not blame them for what they have done; thank them for what they had offered you!

A good bit of advice there, and a reminder which I fail to remember myself.

*Thanks for reminding us - Mark - that POTCO was a "privilege" and not just a mere right.

 

[Sparky Wonderwolf]

I can not wait to see this begin to happen. Always willing to help.

 

[Jason O'Connell]

No offense to anyone, but I think that forum staff that defected to new forums should lose their staff title.
Loyalty is important.

I know this is a bit off topic from this thread, and I would be happy to start a new discussion or a PM with you, Punkin, but I wanted to get this off my chest.

I'm not sure what you mean by "defected" in this post.

The dictionary defines defect as this: "Abandon one's country or cause in favor of an opposing one." Of course in this case, it would be used more as "Abandon this forum in favor of an opposing one." First off, that forum does not oppose this one in any way, and second, I have not heard about anyone of this forum packing up completely and deserting for that one. I honestly don't see the problem with people being members of both forums. I am a moderator on that forum, but I still fulfill my duties on here as a greeter. Unless these forum staff you are referring to have actually become inactive on this forum, I see no reason that they should be demoted.



Again, know this is off topic, and if you wish to discuss this further, we can start a new thread about it, or a PM, if you would like.

 

[Punkin Pie]

Again, know this is off topic, and if you wish to discuss this further, we can start a new thread about it, or a PM, if you would like.

No offense Jason (or anyone), I was just PO'd at the time about Potco and about other things related. It's all good

 

[Jason O'Connell]

No offense Jason (or anyone), I was just PO'd at the time about Potco and about other things related. It's all good

Okay, I am glad to hear this.

 

[John Yellowrat]

You misunderstanded my explanation mate. Everything we "lived for" as pirates is not gone. Every memories and experiences we got from this game, changed our whole lives. If this doesn't mean anything for you; then you probably are in the wrong place. Even if the game is closed; our memories are still there, with us. As community (or what is left of it for some of you) we are still intact and we keep our memories alive rather than vanishing 'em.

A whole stack of memories never equal one little hope.

...And after all; this is bussiness. If you think that holding an online game is piece of cake, then go ahead and try it yourself. I do know that Disney is not the best company in many matters but this doesn't change the fact that there was a reason for their decision to shut down the game.

Do not blame them for what they have done; thank them for what they had offered you!

I know, I was just trying to be funny in a mean kind of way

 

[Mark Scurvyfox]

I know, I was just trying to be funny in a mean kind of way

I can't find the "fun" part within your sentence. I would like to request you to be more careful with your words, as they can turned "against" you. Everyone shares the same feeling with you mate; like being lost onto the High Seas. However, it's up to yourself to accept this situation and proceed with your live. POTCO was a chapter in our lives which is now closed; yet we are still here. We grew up with this game, we are pirates in heart; this will never change. In my country we say the child is how we learn him to be; so we are. Keep a weather eye on the horizon for what is yet to come; as you might see something valuable in return! (POTHS & another remake!)

Faith is a knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof!

 

[Valeqora]

I played POTCO and am now starting on POTBS, which doesn't even have an official forum since it changed developers. I liked the idea of adding an apostrophe. "Pirates Forums" could easily become "Pirates' Forums." We could discuss any number of pirate games and movies, and I for one could share some non-game-specific pirate art.

I've been looking for an active pirate-themed community online, and this site is by far the closest to what I've been seeking. I think it would be a great idea to broaden the forum to encompass all things pirate. I'm sure there are many other wandering souls out there looking for us.

 

[Sparky Wonderwolf]

I played POTCO and am now starting on POTBS, which doesn't even have an official forum since it changed developers. I liked the idea of adding an apostrophe. "Pirates Forums" could easily become "Pirates' Forums." We could discuss any number of pirate games and movies, and I for one could share some non-game-specific pirate art.

I've been looking for an active pirate-themed community online, and this site is by far the closest to what I've been seeking. I think it would be a great idea to broaden the forum to encompass all things pirate. I'm sure there are many other wandering souls out there looking for us.

Definitely. This helped a site I was administering not too long ago. They are back to their feet again and looking to grow further on now that they got back the people that they need to move on. The faster this is done the faster this community can continue to thrive. I believe that we can all somehow chip in with transitioning this place to that too when Davy Darkrage to begin. It excites me to begin imagining how much more we can see from this site.

 

[Shamus The Brute]

...I was thinking that it would be cool if this forums had a pirate-themed "reference" area to where various sources or websites could in-turn be listed for the purpose of assisting those whom have an interest towards learning more about the historical background of piracy (for either personal understanding or school-related projects).

Was thinking also if there could be categories related to current-day pirate nostalgia. For example, below are possible areas of interest (for our new forums) I know I could likely devote a lot of my time towards:

• Pirate Museums (facts & listings)
• Pirate Festivals (happenings and calendar of events)
• Pirate news, discoveries, and findings (via archaeology efforts devoted to both land and sea)

Forgot to add the possibility of these two other categories:

• Piracy issues affecting modern-day society (i.e., Somalia groups and news pertaining to task forces devoted to keeping such groups 'at bay,' various forums of online piracy and consequences, etc.)
• Pirate-themed restaurants/dinner theater experiences from around the world

 

[Valeqora]

That sounds great!

 

[Sparky Wonderwolf]

Was thinking also if there could be categories related to current-day pirate nostalgia. For example, below are possible areas of interest (for our new forums) I know I could likely devote a lot of my time towards:

• Pirate Museums (facts & listings)
• Pirate Festivals (happenings and calendar of events)
• Pirate news, discoveries, and findings (via archaeology efforts devoted to both land and sea)

Forgot to add the possibility of these two other categories:

• Piracy issues affecting modern-day society (i.e., Somalia groups and news pertaining to task forces devoted to keeping such groups 'at bay,' various forums of online piracy and consequences, etc.)
• Pirate-themed restaurants/dinner theater experiences from around the world

Speaking of current day this would definitely be nice to see as I for one, have St. Augustine in my backyard so there is tons for me to post regarding pirate festivals and museums. As a matter of fact, I am going on Saturday for an all Piratey Day to St. Augustine.

 

[Captain Bladerage]

I think we should remain a forum dedicated to Pirate themed games and events, I agree, loyalty is VERY important. But there is a difference between deserting and "following the captain" so to speak. There is still hope an emulator will eventually arise and the legacy will continue, but until then, we should keep going forward with what we do best, pillage the high seas, even if it must be under a different name of the game.

 

[Shamus The Brute]

I was wondering...is there any way that myself or others (as forums members) could "donate" to help assure that this forums remains intact, within the distant future?

*I realize that Davy (and possibly other administrators) might be shouldering the full-cost to keep this forums ongoing but as a member, I was just wondering if there was any way that I could help to alleviate such a cost as it cannot be "cheap" to finance this forums, year after year.

Thank Ye ~

 

[Mark Scurvyfox]

I was wondering...is there any way that myself or others (as forums members) could "donate" to help assure that this forums remains intact, within the distant future?

*I realize that Davy (and possibly other administrators) might be shouldering the full-cost to keep this forums ongoing but as a member, I was just wondering if there was any way that I could help to alleviate such a cost as it cannot be "cheap" to finance this forums, year after year.

Thank Ye ~

Aye, I agree with you Shamus!

After all these years since these forums are up and running, I do believe that administrators should let us give a hand. I really love this community and I am checking in on daily basis. As Shamus stated before, holding a website such as this is not that cheap actually. You do not only have to care about the server and it's components/special equipments, you also have to carry about XenForo forum software. Personally, I would love to help out with an amount of money spend even for keeping the website intact or probably for server updates/forums updates.

What do you think about that Davy Darkrage ?

 

[Sparky Wonderwolf]

I was wondering...is there any way that myself or others (as forums members) could "donate" to help assure that this forums remains intact, within the distant future?

*I realize that Davy (and possibly other administrators) might be shouldering the full-cost to keep this forums ongoing but as a member, I was just wondering if there was any way that I could help to alleviate such a cost as it cannot be "cheap" to finance this forums, year after year.

Thank Ye ~

This is actually something worth looking into. Not only would it take a lot more burden off of the Administration that contributes but also could, should the administration approve, have some extra cash flow to possibly put towards elsewhere on this site and not just the maintenance costs. However, it is just an idea and we still would also want to get ideas like what many have said on this thread set up on here before really doing anything else in my own opinion.

 

[Davy Darkrage]

I want to start off by saying I promise these forums won't just disappear one day.

Programming is my livelihood and these forums are a part of that. Though I've been trying to balance school, work, and free time, I have been working slowly but steadily at updating the forums. I don't want to make any promises I can't keep but I do want to share some insight on my plans and where we stand today.

These forums are running a ~2 year old version of XenForo and my first priority has been getting them up to the latest version. I've developed quite a handful of additional features both big and small on top of the forums, and the code for these must be updated to support the latest version.

I've been rewriting all custom code from scratch to bring it in line with new technologies that have emerged since I first developed them. This is the most time-consuming part of the upgrade process. The albums and pirate profiles are 2 features I wrote myself and are rather complex and span thousands of lines of code alone.

The other thing that requires updating to support the latest version is the style. Since I put this style together in 2010 I figured it's time for a facelift, so we're going to introduce a brand new look and feel to the forums rather than spend time upgrading a dated style. I'm not heavy into design so the brand new look is being supplied by a third party. It is more or less complete and just warrants some color changes to make it feel a bit more piratey.

My current intention is to upgrade the forums as soon as I'm done rewriting most of the code. Since they are so time consuming, we will initially launch with legacy (old) versions of albums and pirate profiles, and I will be updating them over time.

Immediately after upgrading my priority shifts to realigning the focus of the discussion to be more broad. We will be adding and changing (though not removing) categories to hopefully be the catalyst for more discussion.

--------

Sorry for the long winded post, I wanted to be a bit more transparent about what is going on.

As far as donations:

I have always felt it my responsibility to finance the forums and have outright refused any donations in the past. I don't wish to sound ungrateful, I just think I have a duty to be invested in the wellbeing of the forums. I can't express how much I appreciate the enthusiasm and investments in both time and proposed donations people have offered the community.

In the not-so-distant future I may offer fundraisers to bring new features to the forums or maybe a very small fee to remove ads so you can support us without having to look at ads (or using an adblocker, which doesn't support us). Before any of that though, as Reyes mentioned, I want to whip the forums into shape.

Happy to answer any questions on the above or otherwise!

Finally, there are some things I could use help with to expedite the upgrade process. I'd like to put together a team of people willing to help organize some things and brainstorm some ideas, so if you want to be part of that, write me on my profile and we'll try to get something going.

 

[Captain Bladerage]

We're always willing to help the good of this forum! I think I can speak for everyone when we say we're looking forward to a long and successful life of the forums.

 

[Sparky Wonderwolf]

I want to start off by saying I promise these forums won't just disappear one day.

Programming is my livelihood and these forums are a part of that. Though I've been trying to balance school, work, and free time, I have been working slowly but steadily at updating the forums. I don't want to make any promises I can't keep but I do want to share some insight on my plans and where we stand today.

These forums are running a ~2 year old version of XenForo and my first priority has been getting them up to the latest version. I've developed quite a handful of additional features both big and small on top of the forums, and the code for these must be updated to support the latest version.

I've been rewriting all custom code from scratch to bring it in line with new technologies that have emerged since I first developed them. This is the most time-consuming part of the upgrade process. The albums and pirate profiles are 2 features I wrote myself and are rather complex and span thousands of lines of code alone.

The other thing that requires updating to support the latest version is the style. Since I put this style together in 2010 I figured it's time for a facelift, so we're going to introduce a brand new look and feel to the forums rather than spend time upgrading a dated style. I'm not heavy into design so the brand new look is being supplied by a third party. It is more or less complete and just warrants some color changes to make it feel a bit more piratey.

My current intention is to upgrade the forums as soon as I'm done rewriting most of the code. Since they are so time consuming, we will initially launch with legacy (old) versions of albums and pirate profiles, and I will be updating them over time.

Immediately after upgrading my priority shifts to realigning the focus of the discussion to be more broad. We will be adding and changing (though not removing) categories to hopefully be the catalyst for more discussion.

It made me so happy to see this post and now I am just excited to see this new overhaul. I definitely understand the troubles of all the lovely things of life (Lordy, do I have some and I don't even have a job, I can't begin to imagine with job and here.). I am especially interested in seeing the new features, specifically big ones, that will be added to the forums as most forums are kind of meh to me and all. We are thankful for the update Davy and are now ever so excited and I think I can speak for all of us when I say this: You have us at the edge of our seats.

Cheers to Davy!