Forum Problems That Need To Be Addressed

[bub777]

These problems have existed for at least a month or two, but I don't know if anyone's spoke up about them yet. Anyway, these things need to be fixed.

Note: I've troubleshooted the following issues on different Operating Systems (MacOS X 10.4, Windows XP Professional SP3 and Windows Vista Business) and web browsers (Safari (3.1), Internet Explorer (7), and Mozilla Firefox (2&3).
Color Issue:
One can choose text colors with ease in "Quick Reply" mode:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/ColorIssuept1QuickReply.jpg

However when one goes to regular "Post Reply"/"Advanced" mode, things don't look right:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/ColorIssuept2PostReply.jpg
The text color tool doesn't extend out like it did in "Quick Reply" mode.
It's become tiring for me to go by memory the BBCode to use for different text colors.
Control Panel/Quick Links Issue:
Note: in Vista it appears that these "hidden" links either don't show up or are in-accessible even when visible.
Without a doubt, the company's webmaster(s) have been most likely working on these problems one probably since the forums had started.
When one goes to "Options" some links/tools are missing:
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/ControlPannelissue.jpg

Note: Ibid

When one wants to make changes using Quick Links instead of Control Panel, the problems don't let up:

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/QuickLinksissue.jpg

These are all the big issues I've come across. I pray they can be fixed. Anyone else having these problems? <_>

[bub777]

Also, before I forget there are a few more things that need to be addressed.

Profile Issue:

It seems some linkings in other person's (or your own) have lost their appearance, active or inactive:

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/ProfileIssuept1.png (inactive)

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/ProfileIssuept2.png (inactive & active)

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/ProfileIssuept3.png

(active; we can't know where they are on the forums or what they are doing anymore? Yes, even the statistics express that (not pictured))

Active Users List Issue:

This was one of the biggest surprises I've come across. Does OutSpark have something new planned? It was always a thrill to know who was active before setting foot into a region of the forums; now, we're all in the dark on who's out there. Only the Forum Official roster can we see ANY active/inactive ppl:

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/ActiveUsersListIssue.png

[bub777]

Item: I have no idea what's going on, but it seems that even though I logout sometimes, my indicator stays "on". Usually it'll kick off within a minute or so, but before I made this thread, the last time I posted was nearly six hours ago.

After I logged out, I was surprised to see I was still logged in. In some cases I've logged in from more than one place (don't try this at home), and KNEW that's why I was still active, but in this case, I'm only logged into 1 computer.

It's somewhat terrifying to be sleeping and if a user or a Forum Official wants my attention, seeing that my active indicator is still "on", I could be in trouble.

[Serric]

Thans for these...I've been noticing the same issues but thought it was perhaps my browser. Is anyone else noticing this?

Bub, gray on gray is a ittle hard to read.... I know for some reason part of the forums have a lighter background (not sure why they aren't uniformed) but can you perhaps try another color, one that would show on both backgrounds?

[bub777]

Ok, I've switched to white. It's good to hear that I'm not alone on these issues...

[Serric]

I am going to move this to troubelshooting as well... see if we can get more info on the issue...

And thanks for changing your text... I CAN SEE! :eek:

EDIT: That is until the BG changed from dark gray to this lighter shade... >.<

[bub777]

I am going to move this to troubelshooting as well... see if we can get more info on the issue...

And thanks for changing your text... I CAN SEE! :eek:

EDIT: That is until the BG changed from dark gray to this lighter shade... >.<



Ok, this is funny. Having to go and move a all-forum-related thread to a single game-related forum, just b/c of my text color!:p Hopefully, this'll be the only time we see a "vice versa" action being taken.

While we're here, I can also tell that we appear to have the exact same issues here, despite the visual face-lift.

Item: didn't know the coding for the lighter gray, so it looks like black is the winner here...

[bub777]

Or maybe I should just stick with Quick Reply, until this is fixed.

Another thing to note:

While in the forum area, you can only warp to 3 OutSpark gamesites, at any given time: Fiesta, Secret of the Solstice, and Bread 'n' Butter. Thought I'd let u know...

[Serric]

thanks... I'll get the devs to take a look at this thread and see what we can do....

[bub777]

[Quoting Jackie Chan's Uncle] "One more thing", also despite the revamp of Fiesta's forum, one cannot access their own previous edited posts, as they can in the other forums. My guess is that this feature has just been initiated around the start of this week.

Whenever I spy an issue or something that seems disoriented and wrong, I do best to report them ASAP, no matter how weird or unorthodox, it may seem to report on. One teacher back in high school started to refer to me as "Monk" (of USA Network fame), based on similar events.

[Serric]

I was unaware of any such changes.... I'll look into that as well.

[bub777]

Yes, to better clarify what I mean, where it would say "Last edited by [your u-name here]" (just underneath the signature area) has now been turned into a link, that allows you to view your original post(s) before they were put in the edited state they're in now.

[bub777]

"One more thing", is anyone feeling annoyed or getting tired of seeing the message at the bottom of each game forum "There have been no posts in this forum" ("for 75 days" is the case for Fiesta's)? Just curious.

[bub777]

This thread should probably get stickied in case others have other forum bug stories to share...

[Callypso]

Thans for these...I've been noticing the same issues but thought it was perhaps my browser. Is anyone else noticing this?

Me. All of them. Except for maybe the blue question marks... but the others all apply. (Including the readable text posted by bub777. xP)

I'd already mentioned them in someone else's thread in Website Issues, and I started a thread or two about some issues.

[bub777]

AFAIK, the "blue question mark" boxes are associated with those who use Safari as a internet browser; they indicate a sign of imagery or other visuals not being able to be shown properly (similar to the "red x" boxes or blank spaces you may find in Internet Explorer and/or Firefox).

[bub777]

Thanks for returning this thread back to "Website Issues". ^^

[bub777]

Thread Owner's Note: This is not a necro-post, per se, but in actuality a worthy addition to this thread. Plus, the earlier issues mentioned on this thread haven't been fixed yet, either.



Fellow OutSparkers, I've taken the liberty, of troubleshooting/testing the login engine(s) OutSpark uses on this forum, from just about every concieveable angle I could think of. From start to finish, this whole project has taken me roughly, 2-3 humanhours +another 2 or more to put this in post form, to work on (Think listening to the entire Ragnarok Online OST plus Episode 11's additions(sic)).



Here's what I've gathered (from here-on, others may have had different login issues from myself :) :



Part I

Pic #1

Let's start from home plate, yes?

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture1-1.png







Pic#2

Let's get logged in...

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture11.png





Pic#3



Okay We're In, and on the first try! (at least for me; Note: for dignitary/privacy purposes, I have hidden monetary/message info in pics such as this).

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture13.png



Pic#3-A



If you get this screen, you may have just simply entered something in wrong. I can't recall an instance, that I put in all correct credentials, and failed to get in. If this happens to you and you're certain all credentials are in order, please contact OutSpark Support (http://corp.outspark.com/contact.php) about it. (on top of that, I hope you registered!)



http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture2-2.png





Pic #4



Okay, here we are having a look-see at the forums main page. It appears we're still logged in. Gr8!



Pic #4-A



Hmm, even after logging out, the log engine seems to think the user is still logged in, but perhaps as a guest. Note the bar in the upper right will still say "logout". Dunno if this was intended or not, but if you click it, you will be returned to the main portal [Pic #1]; this applies also to if you logout from this page [Pic #4 or #4A] after being logged in from the portal.



http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture30.png



Pic #5



'Kay, let's get logged back in from the main portal [Pic #1]. Let's head over to Fiesta's forums. It appears we're still logged in here.



http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture4-3.png



Pic #6



How about Secret of the Solstice? Yep!



http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture31.png



Pic #7



Project Powder checks out, too.



http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture31.png



Pic #8



...And Bread 'n' Butter!



http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture33.png



Pic #9



Last but not least, BlackShot keeps the continuity goin'.





http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture34.png



Pics #10,11,12 & 13



Fan Art, Website Issues, News & Announcements, and Welcome to OutSpark appear to be in order ^^.



http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture35.png



http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture36.png



http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture38.png



http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture37.png







Okay let's see if we can mess around a lil more with the functionality of the login engine(s).

Hmm, well it appears that after logging out, we've got some instability issues starting in...:

I relogged in from the main portal [pic #1], and notice that I'm not registered in the forums [pic #4].

What's that about, huh? :confused:

[bub777]

Part II

Fiesta Plank


Pic #14,15,(5),16,17,18

Logging in through Fiesta's webpage, all the pages seem to keep me logged in.


http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture7-1.png

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture9-1.png

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture5-3.png

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture10-1.png

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture12-1-1.png

Likewise, when logged out I'm logged out everywhere. However one thing to note
from even being logged in Fiesta's area, the upper right of the bar in Fiesta's Forums
[Pic #5] has the words "login" still present.

While logged in, I'm still able to access all the areas of the website, without relogging in.

On a side note, it appears we have a continuity issue. The Support page Fiesta directs you to,
differs from all the other game, OS General,et al.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture11-1.png


Secret of the Solstice Plank

Pic #19,(6),20, 21

Okay, let's log in via Secret of the Solstice's webpage.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture22.png

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture13-1.png

To save post space (and lol, can't believe I just said that), I tested out the navigation bar of SoS,
and it kept me logged in. Here's what Support looks like from every where else, beginning with SoS.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture14.png

Also, it appears that I'm logged into, the portal [pic #3], But not the Forums [pic #4-A].


Bread 'n' Butter Plank

Pic #22,(8)


We're logging in, and things are looking all right across the nav bar. Portal looks fine. Also appear to have no luck
keeping login status in the Forums [pic #4-A], still a guest, no?

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture24.png


Project Powder Plank

Pic #23,(7)

I'm logged in, okay here. Checked the portal [pic #3], looks good. Forum main [Pic #4-A], no good.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture20.png


BlackShot Plank <at some points I think I may have had some "incorrect login credentials" errors. Not to gripe,
sometimes myhands may just move too quickly, to hit the right keys, or the system may be wrong...sometimes...
you be the judge...>

Pic #24,(9),*8-turned-on-its-side (infinity)*

Like Microsoft's slogan for the launch of Windows Vista: "The WOW starts NOW." I'm logged in EVERYWHERE! ^_^
Navigation area's good. ALL Forums, check! Support, Check! Other game websites, check! OutSpark definitely appears
to have gotten it right through BlackShot's login engine. YES! Did I mention SparkCash, too?

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture19.png

That concludes games login stage...


Pic #25,26,27

Observing the buttons in OutSpark General Forums (Calendar,Today's Posts, Forum Search) continuity stays intact, logged in and logged out.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture27.png

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture28.png

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture29.png


Pic #28, 29


At SparkCash, we're looking perfect, Logged in and out. All other places still recognize me as completely logged in (or out).

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture23.png



http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture25.png

[bub777]

Part III

Okay, let's all take a deep breath; we're closing in on the knitty-gritty end of this series of posts
(by this time, the RO OST has died out, too, lulz, switching to SoS..., XD).

Pic #30

Sometimes we just want to go right to the forums and log in by clicking on the login button to the right.
Sometimes it does work the first time, others one may have to try 2 or more times, depending on the mood of the login engine >_<...

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture2-1.png
(no matter what, that button in the upper right will always say "logout", [any Forum pic, excluding Fiesta's]

Pic #31

Wanna see your account? go ahead! Log right in, and you should be set throughout the forums, excluding
the main portal [pic #1], SparkCash [pic #28], and any game webpage.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture4-1.png


Pic #32,33,34,35 <haha, logged out from Fiesta's forums, while logged in via "My Account" and it cleared teh cookiez!>

This is it (or at least all I wish to cover X_X). Say you just deliberately, wanted to be summoned to login, by pressing
"post reply" or "new thread" anywhere in the forums...

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture7.png

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture6-1.png

You'll be prompted to come here. Well, Hello Dolly! Some people may remember this relic of a login engine, used in
the main portal, back when it was secure to just login with your username (not e-mail address) and password. Unfortunately
it seems that this approach is ill, and unusable. You could put either your e-mail address or username in the first box, with your
pass in the second, and NEVER get in. So...I would avoid this approach to logging in...for now.

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture8.png

http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t27/Bub777/CropperCapture9.png


As is said at the end of every Looney Tunes cartoon, That's All Folks!

Let's pray that OutSpark can comprehend and debug this monster of an issue. Guess, this is the biggest issue topic,
i've seen ppl bring up, so I devoted a good chunk of my HW time, to get this in-text.

Questions & Comments are always welcome. I'll leave all the other "exploits" to everyone else :P.

Bye-Bye!

*FAINTS & ASPHYXIATES*

[Poisoned77]

Yes, the forums will recognize you as logged in for a short amount of time after you log out, but eventually it does log you out.

I agree on the missing links and the color options. A workaround however, is that, the bbcode contains more colors than are shown in the dropdown menu. You can pretty much type in any color you want, and it will accept it. You just have to remember that the tags are

The blue question marks are not a problem with the forums, they are a browser function that appear when it was unable to load a graphic because of some incompatibility issue, or your connection to the internet may have weakened or slowed, resulting in your browser's inability to load certain elements.

I have had some problems myself with it recognizing my password, but it is fixed easily by going to 'my account' and resetting your password. If it won't log you in, even though you enter the correct account information, click 'logout' before logging in. You may not have properly logged out when ending your last session, and the log-in server acts a little screwy. I have had it happen to me, and I just make sure I click logout before logging in every time, and I haven't had a problem since.

[ikimoto]

Thans for these...I've been noticing the same issues but thought it was perhaps my browser. Is anyone else noticing this?

Bub, gray on gray is a ittle hard to read.... I know for some reason part of the forums have a lighter background (not sure why they aren't uniformed) but can you perhaps try another color, one that would show on both backgrounds?

As it happens Serric, i'm experiencing the exact same problems!
I have tried on 4 different browsers and 2 different computers.
I'ts not a MAJOR issue, but for some, like me, it's quite irritating.