I just wanted to post up a few plans for the next couple of months for this place. Nothing major, don't worry. ("We don't like change!")

Firstly, over time, with the forums here going through several upgrades and changes in a relatively short amount of time, and adding in the SG section/forum, and then integrating these boards with the main site, things have become both disjointed in terms of themes and colours, and a little messy behind the scenes. To add to this, the regular issues that we are having with access being a problem and errors in the site due to sheer numbers - a nice problem to have - means that the current server plan and hosting is really no longer meeting our needs. (As an aside, to all web site owners out there, just because a host advertises 'unlimited bandwidth, unlimited web space and 100's of database accounts', it doesn't mean that they have any intention of actually supporting the traffic that these claims assume. )

So, in general, the place needs a bit of attention, a tidy up and coat of paint. The current hosting plan runs until around June. My goal is to start transferring the site to a new host prior to this, ideally around May time, and setting up a new home for it. Then, when the current hosting plan expires, I should be able to backup the site, and reinstall it in the new location. This will mean that the site will be unavailable for a couple of days (hopefully!) while this happens.

I intend to rebuild the site and forums from the ground up in terms of mods and features - although they will not change in structure of setup. This means that all of those untidy pieces of code will be removed, and things should be easier from a maintenance and development side of things. (If I just backed up the entire lot and moved it all to a new home, it would carry the admin irritations with it.)

I will also take the opportunity to set the common theme throughout the site and boards, and work on the layout of the main pages. And, yes, the dark theme will stay, although it is likely to be more dark grey than the current black.

However, I am also making plans to move.... job, house and country! I won't say more at this point, as nothing is finalised yet, but it is likely to all kick off around Summer if I can get things sorted out. This may delay things!

I am only posting here to let you guys know that I continue to work on this place, and that the various errors and availability issues will hopefully be resolved shortly.

Thanks for your patience.
Iain

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https://www.cybershadow.ninja - A brief look into my twisted world, including wargames and beyond.
https://www.net-armageddon.org - The official NetEA (Epic Armageddon) site and resource.

fine. so long AS NOTHING CHANGES.

are you going to be taking up subscriptions for the new hosting? I feel a little guilty at the amount of bandwidth i can eat through in terms of up and downloads. plus if you spend this much time in someone's front room, a gift of flowers or wine for a housemoving seems appropraite.

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My shifting projects

I can't guarantee that nothing will change, but there is a gradual evolution.

The current hosting plan - and any new one - includes unlimited bandwidth. This is a site where the posting of pictures and PDF files is a huge part of the fun, and is encouraged. So, don't worry about that.

The idea of a 'subscription' or 'premium' membership is really something that goes against what I believe the web - and this site specifically - should be about. There are really three factors;

- cost of the hosting and running costs
- revenue generated through adverts and banners
- content/value for any premium membership

I always take on the hosting with the absolute assumption that I should be able to support the site without outside help. That's my base line. To offset that, we may have a couple of banners or ads on the site after the move. However, I would like to offer cheap banners to 6mm miniature and games companies, so that the content is targetted for the advertisers (and cheap) and relevant for the community. On top of that, there are eBay click through banners and other potential sources. However, I hate pop-up adverts and adverts that get in the way. If we have ad's they will be discrete and limited to not take away from the site.

If - and it's really unlikely at this point - we do go to a premium membership model, this will be because the content demands it, and therefore members will be getting value.

But, like I said, this is very unlikely at this point. Hosting is currently entirely manageable and even if/when it increases with additional hosting, I doubt it will be an issue that a bit of advertising can't solve. At the end of the day, this is my hobby too.... and it's cheaper than wargaming most years!

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https://www.cybershadow.ninja - A brief look into my twisted world, including wargames and beyond.
https://www.net-armageddon.org - The official NetEA (Epic Armageddon) site and resource.

The Wiki

With the move, the current Wiki will be taken down and will not be made available again. I have been thinking of how best to handle this. I full intend to make all of the resources which are currently on the Wiki have a home. I also fully intend to make sure that I have a backup of everything and not lose it.

However, I cannot make all files available in the period between taking down the Wiki and making a new home for the documents.

So, I would ask that - if there are documents that people really do want - you make a copy of anything on the Wiki that you either really don't want to lose (in case my copies suffer some random issue) or anything that you want to make sure remains available without any temporary down time.

The plan is....

- You guys make sure that you have everything that you want from the Wiki.
- When we switch over to the new server/host (or just before, with a warning), I back up all documents and take down the Wiki.
- After we have moved across, I can create a 'resources' thread or temporary section and make some of the documents available again.
- Following this, I can get all of the resources back online in their new home.

Thanks.

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https://www.cybershadow.ninja - A brief look into my twisted world, including wargames and beyond.
https://www.net-armageddon.org - The official NetEA (Epic Armageddon) site and resource.

Hi Iain

Stupid question but where is the wiki again?

Just wanted to check what info we had stored there re Adeptus Titanicus and Codex Titanicus to make sure I had a copy of anything we had before Wiki went down

Thanks

James

Hi. It's at - www.players.tacticalwargames.net

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https://www.cybershadow.ninja - A brief look into my twisted world, including wargames and beyond.
https://www.net-armageddon.org - The official NetEA (Epic Armageddon) site and resource.

Thanks C/S

Hi Iain,

I'm very excited for you. Keep us up to date.

PM me if you get a chance.

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.

How about donations? how does one help out?

Thanks for the offer, but at this time I want to make sure that the site doesn't rely on donations. I may set up a few adverts after the move/changes to help offset costs, but keeping this place free and open is important. Cheers.

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https://www.cybershadow.ninja - A brief look into my twisted world, including wargames and beyond.
https://www.net-armageddon.org - The official NetEA (Epic Armageddon) site and resource.

Well I for one would pay for this site if it came to donations.

Many thanks, but it is important to me to keep the vast majority of the content here free for all, unconditionally.

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https://www.cybershadow.ninja - A brief look into my twisted world, including wargames and beyond.
https://www.net-armageddon.org - The official NetEA (Epic Armageddon) site and resource.

Sounds exciting, as a new user it will be nice to be in at the beginning of a new era. Good luck with it all (and the move).