[Cris]

Dark Tavern Forum Update
8/23/09


Better Late Than Never..

Technically, this announcement was supposed to be posted nearly a month ago, but I kept postponing the release due to the craziness of the past few weeks ( recovering from surgery, moving in to college, the like ). I apologize about that, guys - I assure you that the next announcement will be release on time!

Upgrade to IPB 3.0(.2)

The most obvious change in the forum would be that we've officially upgraded to the latest version of Invision Power Board, IPB3. This update has paved the way for quite a few new board features, some of which you may or may not have already noticed. This update has also marked the transition into Dark Tavern v3, which gives Andrew and myself an excuse to continue the board modification process for the next few weeks ;)

Donations

We now have a Donation Tracker where we can list financial goals for the site, as well as accept voluntary donations from awesome members who don't mind sharing a dollar or two. It will give you a overview of where we are at and give you an opportunity to donate to the site. You can find the "Donate" box on the right sidebar, and the tracker can be found at this link, or by clicking the Donate tab at the top of the forum. Any help at all is greatly appreciated.

Links System

Our new Links System is a convert from the old affiliates system. You can submit your own links, as well as find the necessary bbcode and HTML to promote Dark Tavern in your own website or blog. Accepted affiliates are usually placed in our right sidebar, though we reserve the right to remove you for any reason. You can check out the links system here, or through the "Links" tab up top.

Reputation System

We would also like to introduce a reputation system where you can 'rep' users for posts you may like. When viewing a members profile (or even your own) you can see the latest reps they have received including the date and topic. Just look for the this button at the bottom right of any post: .

Status Updates

You can now set your own status, sort of like Twitter. Simply go to your profile and you can set your status (ie. what you are doing, what's the latest in your life, anything). If this gets popular enough we will include the latest status updates on the right sidebar. As of right now, status updates are shown in profile view and in topic view above any posts you make.

Invites

You can now very easily invite your friends to Dark Tavern. From any page on the forum, if your logged in, go to <Member Name> drop down and click on Invite Friends. You can find this drop down menu on the top right of any of our skins.

Overall look and functionality

While it does resemble the older skin we had default here at Dark Tavern, much of it has been redone to improve the overall efficiency and functionality of the forum.

Note: When you make a quick reply, the reply is submitted and page is reloaded using AJAX. The page does not actually reload like a usual website, it will refresh on its own and display the new reply at the bottom of the topic.

Other notable changes

• The VIP section has been completely removed. All information will now remain public, other than the Hacking category which will only be available to registered members.
• The IRC channel is now up. I'll be posting another announcement with full information, but you can use the "Chat" link at the top of the forum to go ahead and check it out (or by clicking here).
• One new skin has also been installed along with the default Deflection skin. Be sure to check it out via the drop down menu at the bottom of the forum.

We have a lot in mind for future updates (we're actually working on setting up a new permanent home page right now, for example). Keep checking the announcements forum over the next couple of weeks to take advantage of our upcoming features.

As always, we are 100% open to your thoughts and suggestions. Please, if you have anything you would like to add or contribute to Dark Tavern, feel free to do so by replying either in this topic, or in the Feedback section.