PlaneShift

Support => Forum and Website Discussions => Topic started by: Raa on May 20, 2008, 11:25:40 pm

Title: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: Raa on May 20, 2008, 11:25:40 pm
Forget this.
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: Prolix on May 20, 2008, 11:55:51 pm
Just ignore them.  Nobody forces you to read them or respond to them.  They are not really directed at you as you cannot do anything about the server being down.  You cannot have an argument unless someone takes an opposing position. Do not post and it won't be you.
 ;)
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: Izzabella on May 20, 2008, 11:56:27 pm
They already lock all the duplicate ones at times they are useful because at times new players really have no idea..I think if you can't nicely link them to a page where they can see the server status then maybe certain people should just refrain from answer such threads? I mean no one has to reply to every thread. in fact you don't have to reply to ANY thread...its all just volunteering your own opinions and thoughts.
I personally don't think this is necessary but maybe thats just me..in fact if you'd like I'll be sure to watch the forums extra close when the server is down for long periods of time and be sure to respond to them all as fast as  I can :P and simply link them to the server site..I mean thats really all that hard.
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: zorbels on May 21, 2008, 12:00:54 am
 :) These threads come up every so often and they aren't that big of a deal. It is just players who are anxious to get back to playing PlaneShift. That is a great compliment to the game. Those of us who roll our eyes at the same thread popping up every now and then should just be polite and answer their questions or leave it well alone. The mod's will decide if the thread is worthy of the forums or not.

Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: Raa on May 21, 2008, 12:01:22 am
I just realized I'm obviously a hated person on this forum and I shouldn't have made this thread because my hatedness will totally ruin what I'm trying to say.

Lock, pliz.
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: Cebot on May 21, 2008, 12:06:34 am
 :offtopic:
I dunno if you are hated or not, but if you feel you are, then thinking about why might be an option to consider. Think about what you have done that others - in your own opinion - hate you and then try to change it ;)
Oh and please stop that emo crap, look positive and others will look positive back at you ;)
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: Izzabella on May 21, 2008, 12:07:58 am
Agree I don't care whose idea this was or who would have posted it..my opinion the matter would have still been the same ;)
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: Raa on May 21, 2008, 12:10:19 am
Stop posting.  X-/ And I'm not emo!
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: zorbels on May 21, 2008, 12:10:56 am
For the record I don't hate you Raa. I don't know you to hate you. Hope that helps? But as Izzabella said, my post would have been the same as well no matter who posted this.  :)
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: Prolix on May 21, 2008, 12:19:37 am
 :oops:
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: Candy on May 21, 2008, 12:48:25 am
Raa, it's pointless to hate people on the 'net and most of these forumgoers seem to realize that.

However, you might want to click your way to your profile, your posts, take as an objective look as you can at them, and maybe think about why people are saying these things.

I'm not trying to flame here, just trying to help.
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: Raa on May 21, 2008, 12:53:38 am
Shtop poshting.
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: Mathy Stockington on May 21, 2008, 02:13:57 am
Remember this forum reflects PS. If we want new players this is NOT how to do it.
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: Raa on May 21, 2008, 02:54:01 am
I said stop posting! This is really beginning to annoy me. Let a mod lock this and forget it.
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: neko kyouran on May 21, 2008, 03:55:16 am
its not getting locked until theres a reason to, as stated by the forum rules....

and attempts to get it locked will simply be thwarted by removing those attempts and letting the thread progress along its merry way of discussion..
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: Candy on May 21, 2008, 05:23:26 am
If you don't like your thread any more, you could just ignore it...
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: Sen on May 21, 2008, 09:20:33 am
Apparently new ones don't know about surprising and longer server downtimes. And for some reason neither that this has been asked for so many times.
I wonder if a better noticable hint to the fact that this question will always get the same answer in the forum would help this a bit.

Sen
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: Socius Rockus on May 21, 2008, 10:53:01 pm
I love those threads, they give me post count +1 ^^ :sorcerer:
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: neko kyouran on May 21, 2008, 10:53:49 pm
until they are locked and deleted a few days later....   :whistling:
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: SerqFeht on May 21, 2008, 11:26:29 pm
I actually haven't seen many 'down' threads lately.

Perhaps to prevent these from happening, maybe the forum could spam someone creating an account to read stickies and searchto see if their 'great' idea was used before.
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: Raa on May 22, 2008, 02:49:09 am
This is an abuse of your power, Neko. You know this only generates spam, so lock it. Or I'll make you have to.
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: neko kyouran on May 22, 2008, 03:46:19 am
Let me tell you something Raa.  With the "pleasant" PMs and posts you have made, I could have you removed from these forums permanently.  Why don't I? Because I'm a nice guy.

You don't seem to understand that the world isn't just about you.  You may have started this thread yes, but that doesn't give you any power to say, "I don't want this thread to exist any more just because people didn't like my idea". 

If you were afraid that people didn't like it, then you should never have posted it to begin with.  The moment you pushed that submit button, you agree to allow other forum users to read, think about the topic you bring up, and respond with what they think about it.  And that is exactly what they have done.

You need to get over yourself and realize that the world isn't just about you.  You think they are just ridiculing you, that people are just disagreeing with your viewpoint because they hate you and want to make fun of you?  That's the biggest bunch of BS I've heard in a long time.  Have more respect to your fellow forum users.  Take a good look at the replies.  Do you see people making fun of you?  I sure don't.  The people who replied thought about the issue and expressed their thoughts on the issue.  That's all.

There were a few posts that drifted offtopic yes, but as you can see they were removed, so that the thread could continue along in the mature manner it had.

You don't seem to understand exactly how this forum functions so I'll take a little time out of my busy life to explain the basics for you.

1) rules are posted.  these rules are to be followed by forum users and staff alike, and dictate exactly what is permissible and what is not on these forums.
2) forum users then make posts following these guidelines.
3) forum staff ensure that forum users adhere to these guidelines and step in and correct issues when they arise, as per stated procedure in said forum rules.
4) in a perfect world, ever one lives happily ever after, the end.

 I will not just lock a thread just for lockings sake.  Thread locking and thread deletion are tools used only and i mean only, when the other options are proven to not be working, or to perform forum cleanup, such as to close and remove duplicate threads about the same issue, to better improve forum searching and archival purposes.

This particular thread and subject matter does not fall under the lock/delete criteria, and as such it will not be locked/deleted until that is deemed necessary.  But that will never happen, as I will simply remove offtopic posts and allow the thread to continue to have it's discussion for as long as forum users wish to discuss it.  When no one wants to discuss it further, it will simply fall away as new threads are created into the archives not hurting anyone.  If anyone purposely tries to derail a thread as to cause its removal, then they are in a world of hurt as I lay my ban hammer into them.  Contrary to what you may think, I've have only had 3 people banned in the entirety of my time here, as I'm too nice of a fellow for my own good and think people will change if repeatedly nudged in the right direction.  I'm not about to start making exceptions to how this forum is run just for people who create threads and then want to have them removed without a very just reason for me doing so.

For people who choose to post in this thread after I finish writing this post.  Make sure its on topic and discussing the topic and not any person in particular.  If I even think for a small smidgen that your post is trying to flame anyone or derail this thread, your post is being removed and you will be faced with the consequences of your actions.

As for you Raa, I expect an apology PM in my inbox for the rude comments you made towards me both publicly and through PMs, and hope you grow up a bit.  It's time you get over your teenage angst and start acting like a mature individual.  Otherwise, please don't return to these forums until you do.

Edit: cleaned up some wording and fixed a few typos.
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: Izzabella on May 22, 2008, 04:25:56 am
/me gives Neko a hug and a big homemade cookie

Hmm I was wondering..what about the news box in the top right corner?

maybe when the server is down a small message can be put in there that might get the attention of the noobs..something simple such as "yes we know the server is down we are working on it, it will but when we are done" I dunno just an idea.
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: Nikodemus on May 22, 2008, 11:40:35 am
A server status \o/
someone would have to write a javascript :s
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: neko kyouran on May 22, 2008, 02:55:47 pm
Hmm I was wondering..what about the news box in the top right corner?

maybe when the server is down a small message can be put in there that might get the attention of the noobs..something simple such as "yes we know the server is down we are working on it, it will but when we are done" I dunno just an idea.

It's a good idea.... The forum code would have to be modified a bit though, but Mythryndel made some good points in another thread about it, and I'll quote them below for discussions sake:

pingo works on just the PS [EDIT]service? If http://laanx.fragnetics.com/ responds, then the physical server will respond to pings. It was my understanding that JUST the game was down, not the physical server. I am not trying to be contrary, just trying to make sure the suggestion covers what people really would like to know.

I have a service monitoring perl script that I use for lots of things. It is very basic, but it checks every X minutes and sends an alert (usually e-mail) to an admin when it is not responding... and again every X minutes until it starts responding again. I would be happy to modify this to put a status in the "News Box" and it would give a delta time since last responding. This should prevent a significant portion of the posts like this one.

The other thing that would be nice is if any intentional maintenance (AKA NOT a crash) would be announced and give players fair warning that the server might be flaky for a few hours/days. If this is pre-planned maint then it should not be too much to ask for a 30 second post before and after the maint event. If, as I understand it this time, there was an announcement made in-game. That is great... but what about those that weren't in-game to get that announcement?

PLEASE don't take this as griping, but as me seriously offering help and advice to keep the devs from getting frustrated with the players, and to keep the players from badgering the devs as much as possible while still keeping them informed.
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: Cebot on May 22, 2008, 03:09:39 pm
I had a laanx status checker on our guild wiki too.
It was an external program, in fact, it was pingo's code a little modified for the output, which created a wikipage with the content
Quote
Laanx Status: [[up.gif]]
the image was replaced by either up.gif, down.gif or wait.gif. in fact for up and wait i used the gifs with the proper name, but for any other status i used the down symbol. a text output would be possible for more information.

I had pingo run from a shellscript which timer controlled generated the wikipage.

Why i use the past tense? well, currently my server is down due to hw issues or a misconfigured kernel. need to fix that when i get the time for that :P
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: acraig on May 22, 2008, 03:18:24 pm
Don't make me break out the FailCat on this thread.

When the server stops it's usually one of several reasons.
1)  Planned Stoppage for new release.  This one is usually fairly obvious and details are posted on the main site and the forums about server downtime because a new release is being made.
2) Update stoppages.  This is when we fix a bug or have some database stuff to do.  This usually only takes a couple of minutes and there is usually a warning in game about down time.
3) Unplanned stoppages ( ie crashes ).  When the server crashes it will automatically restart itself after a minute or 2. 
4) Unplanned halts.  This is when the server either gets locked up somewhere (we've seen it get 'stuck' ) or it fails to restart itself properly.  In these cases the server will be down for several hours until somebody takes a look.   

The majority of the time it will fall into 2 or 3.   #4 is where most of these problems (and threads) can occur from.   For me, the best bet is if the server has been down for several hours and no information on main site or forums then inform somebody (GM) on IRC and they can get in contact with somebody that will investigate the problem.
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: Socius Rockus on May 22, 2008, 03:28:11 pm
While it may help a bit, a server up/down indicator on the forums.
 Still I think the threads will come because:

1- Mostly people new to the game make these threads
 1.5- So they might as well not know there is a server up/down indicator in the top left corner, even if it's said in the player guide :P

2- When the server is down for a long time (Arcraig's points 1 and 4), they still going to ask 'Why is the server down?'
 2.5- Knowing if the server is down/up only helps people who think it's their firewall. The 'Why' question about the server downage is mostly the main thing the thread-makers are after.

So though I ,like the Idea of the server up/down thingie, I don't think it will help stop the 'Server down?'  threads ;)
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: Cybelia on May 22, 2008, 04:00:08 pm
Just my two cents worth - the server up/down indicator box is a good idea

*Cybelia eyes Neko's big homemade cookie
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: SerqFeht on May 23, 2008, 04:38:42 am
I think it is a good idea, but it won't completely stop the threads. Just like stickying the tutorial walkthrough doesn't stop those kinds of threads.
Title: Re: Ban "Server Down" Threads!
Post by: Mythryndel on May 23, 2008, 04:49:45 am
I don't think it will stop all the threads, but if the news box displays a status... Down since 00:00 1 May 2008 for instance, it will help people know that it isn't just them or that it is not necessarily a quick hiccup. I personally like the threads because it annoys people into responding :) I mean that in as nice a way as possible.  But seriously. If the server is not responding to me at whatever time i attempt to log in, I have no idea how long it has not been responding unless there is one of the server down threads to reference. I have seen people announce a restart in-game and that is useful to those in-game at the time. It is not, however, useful to those of us not in game at that moment in time.

The news box could also be used as a positive... server up since 00:00 2 May 2008.

Again though, I am trying to offer constructive criticism, and I am offering to do some of the leg work to make it happen. I am not just griping because the server isn't up 99.999% of the time.

[EDIT] Raa... I don't hate you... but I frequently enjoy annoying easily offended people... so this post is for you! :-P