Guild Launch News
Upcoming Release Version 6.5 - Sneak Peak
Version 6.5 Release Notes Sneak Peak
We've decided to number this release 6.5 due to the scope of the changes. We're in the final stages of testing the release and adding in a few final tweaks. This release focuse heavily on roster imports, templates, refinements to widgets. It's a large release with some important small changes and some great big changes.
At this time this release is planned for May 13th, but may be delayed to may 20th depending on testing.
We hope that you enjoy it!
New Features
=========================
Roster & Character Profiler Imports from Lotro.com for Lotro
Turbine has added XML support for guild rosters and character profiles to the Lotro.com site. We are now pulling this information in. When running an import you have the option to only import the guild roster which will quickly update levels and basic info or to run the longer import which will get character profiles.
Character Profiles from WoWArmory.com for WoW
We are now pulling in gear and stat data from the Armory for all characters on your guild's character roster when you run an Armory import. When running an import you have the option to only import the guild roster which will quickly update levels and basic info or to run the longer import which will get character profiles.
Automated Guild Roster Imports for EQII, Lotro & World of Warcraft
Since these games support web based XML for guild rosters we have made additions to provide for automatic updates of rosters. The automated imports will occur about every 24 hours. Some guilds prefer to update their roster with our Profiler Mods so this feature will need to be turned on in the Admin area on the Members tab in the Automated Import Settings page. This features is only available to subscription sites.
Automated Character Profile Imports for Lotro & World of Waracraft
We are also automating the imports of character profiles for these games. There is a technical issue that kept us from adding EQ2 support for profiles we will continue to research our options here.
NOTE ON AUTOMATED IMPORTS
We have some server configuration to prepare after this launch so the Automated imports will not work right at release. They should be fully operational the next week, we just don't want to delay the entire launch for this feature.
Rapid Raid Initial DKP w/ EPGP Mod Imports & CSV Imports
We've added the ability to import DKP values from the EPGP Mod and from CSV files. The purpose of this import is to allow you to quickly load the initial DKP for a pool.
We've also added the ability for you to set a pool to use only the initial DKP. The purpose of this setting is to allow you to display DKP from an in-game mod and to not use the DKP calculations on the site, but instead display the DKP from the in-game mod on the site and use the Raid Tracker just to import the boss events and items. This will allow users of many different in-game DKP mods to use Rapid Raid more fully.
New WoW Template
A new template is available for World of Warcraft. Called "WoW Theme 1". This is a heavy WoTLK themed template with an Ulduar header for the default. This template includes some new template features that we are releasing in this release including the ability to style each widget individually. We've used this to place icons on each widget.
New Runes of Magic Template
We've added a template for Runes of Magic. This template includes forum icons.
New Darkfall Template
We've added a new Darkfall Template with forum icons.
New Final Fantasy XI Template
We've added a new FFXI template. This template also includes forum icons.
Class Icons for Runes of Magic
Class icons are now available for your roster and for your recruiting by class in Runes of Magic.
Enhancements
=========================
Rapid Raid Customization Options
Rapid Raid now has a customization page on the Template tab in the Admin area. Currently the only options provided are to edit the coloring of Earned, Spent, Current, Low Attendance, Mid Attendance and High Attendance but more options will come later.
Per-Widget Customization Options
There is now customization page that lets you set customization for all widgets and for specific widgets you have on your site. This gives you alot of powerful customization options!
Import Status
All games with imports now have an import status page on the Guild Roster section of their site as well as the Admin area. This page gives details about characters not found in the import. The Admin page gives you the ability to remove the characters and the associated members.
Lotro, Warhammer, EQII
Roster imports for these games will now provide more detail about the import, list characters not found in the imports, etc.
Search Widget for Lotro
MMODB, Lorebook and Lotro Wiki searchas have been added to the search widget. If you want searches added for your game please send URLs for the site to support@guildlaunch.com.
Shoutbox
The shoutbox has been overhauled. The Avatars are now to the right and the horizontal rule has been replaced with a more subtle divider. The display of the shoutbox when placed in the middle content area has also been greatly improved. The layout is more horizontal and easier to read and some quote embellishments have been added. In addition, we are now using Ajax to post the shout so that no page refresh is required.
Last Forum Post
The Last Forum Post widget has had it's middle content area display completely overhauled. The new display fits better with the horizontal space avaialable and is more of a traditional columnar table layout. The result is more space efficient and fits better in the space.
EQ2 Item Stats
EQ2 Itemstats are now set to primarily come from LootDB. If the item is not found on LootDB it will try MMODB.
Other Changes
* The icon will now show for Itemstats items on the Item Refresh page in the Admin area.
* The Members tab in Admin now contains a report of Members without any characters.
* The guild name, game and server is now displayed at the top of the Admin index page with an edit link.
* Tier 8 is now available on the Leaderboard
* Titles on many pages have been refined so that you can better tell what the page is about when on your toolbar.
* Some pages have been made slighly narrower.
Bug Fixes
=========================
* The Refresh Itemstats page in the Admin area will now correctly refresh items for all games.
* Assigning characters to a member will no longer show an error in certain circumstances.
* The number and list of Updated characters when performing an import will now report the correct value.
* The selection of "NONE" for a background on the Customization CSS Editors will properly load when edited instead of resetting.
* Navigation customization will now properly load blank titles and links when editing.
* The "iFrame" option is now available on the Navigation Customization when adding a link to a custom page.
* The shoutbox will no longer double post when refreshing the page.
* The tabs on many of the pages have been standardized so they are more consistent. The effect is small, but some tabs were within the content area and some were just above. They are now all just above the content area.
* The moderation page has been fixed to work when using the Guild ID URL for your site.
* An issue where certain subscriptions would not be shown on the Subscription tab has been fixed.
* An error causing Warhammer roster imports to recreate characters with accented characters in their names has been fixed.
* Various changes have been made to improve Lotro Lorebook itemstats.
Performance
=========================
* We've shaved about 5 hundredths of a second off of page creation times for guilds with a handful of widgets. Guilds with alot of widgets may see nearly a tenth of a second. This amount of time is only noticeable subconsciously but we found an optimization that we could implement quickly and effectively so we made the change.
We've decided to number this release 6.5 due to the scope of the changes. We're in the final stages of testing the release and adding in a few final tweaks. This release focuse heavily on roster imports, templates, refinements to widgets. It's a large release with some important small changes and some great big changes.
At this time this release is planned for May 13th, but may be delayed to may 20th depending on testing.
We hope that you enjoy it!
New Features
=========================
Roster & Character Profiler Imports from Lotro.com for Lotro
Turbine has added XML support for guild rosters and character profiles to the Lotro.com site. We are now pulling this information in. When running an import you have the option to only import the guild roster which will quickly update levels and basic info or to run the longer import which will get character profiles.
Character Profiles from WoWArmory.com for WoW
We are now pulling in gear and stat data from the Armory for all characters on your guild's character roster when you run an Armory import. When running an import you have the option to only import the guild roster which will quickly update levels and basic info or to run the longer import which will get character profiles.
Automated Guild Roster Imports for EQII, Lotro & World of Warcraft
Since these games support web based XML for guild rosters we have made additions to provide for automatic updates of rosters. The automated imports will occur about every 24 hours. Some guilds prefer to update their roster with our Profiler Mods so this feature will need to be turned on in the Admin area on the Members tab in the Automated Import Settings page. This features is only available to subscription sites.
Automated Character Profile Imports for Lotro & World of Waracraft
We are also automating the imports of character profiles for these games. There is a technical issue that kept us from adding EQ2 support for profiles we will continue to research our options here.
NOTE ON AUTOMATED IMPORTS
We have some server configuration to prepare after this launch so the Automated imports will not work right at release. They should be fully operational the next week, we just don't want to delay the entire launch for this feature.
Rapid Raid Initial DKP w/ EPGP Mod Imports & CSV Imports
We've added the ability to import DKP values from the EPGP Mod and from CSV files. The purpose of this import is to allow you to quickly load the initial DKP for a pool.
We've also added the ability for you to set a pool to use only the initial DKP. The purpose of this setting is to allow you to display DKP from an in-game mod and to not use the DKP calculations on the site, but instead display the DKP from the in-game mod on the site and use the Raid Tracker just to import the boss events and items. This will allow users of many different in-game DKP mods to use Rapid Raid more fully.
New WoW Template
A new template is available for World of Warcraft. Called "WoW Theme 1". This is a heavy WoTLK themed template with an Ulduar header for the default. This template includes some new template features that we are releasing in this release including the ability to style each widget individually. We've used this to place icons on each widget.
New Runes of Magic Template
We've added a template for Runes of Magic. This template includes forum icons.
New Darkfall Template
We've added a new Darkfall Template with forum icons.
New Final Fantasy XI Template
We've added a new FFXI template. This template also includes forum icons.
Class Icons for Runes of Magic
Class icons are now available for your roster and for your recruiting by class in Runes of Magic.
Enhancements
=========================
Rapid Raid Customization Options
Rapid Raid now has a customization page on the Template tab in the Admin area. Currently the only options provided are to edit the coloring of Earned, Spent, Current, Low Attendance, Mid Attendance and High Attendance but more options will come later.
Per-Widget Customization Options
There is now customization page that lets you set customization for all widgets and for specific widgets you have on your site. This gives you alot of powerful customization options!
Import Status
All games with imports now have an import status page on the Guild Roster section of their site as well as the Admin area. This page gives details about characters not found in the import. The Admin page gives you the ability to remove the characters and the associated members.
Lotro, Warhammer, EQII
Roster imports for these games will now provide more detail about the import, list characters not found in the imports, etc.
Search Widget for Lotro
MMODB, Lorebook and Lotro Wiki searchas have been added to the search widget. If you want searches added for your game please send URLs for the site to support@guildlaunch.com.
Shoutbox
The shoutbox has been overhauled. The Avatars are now to the right and the horizontal rule has been replaced with a more subtle divider. The display of the shoutbox when placed in the middle content area has also been greatly improved. The layout is more horizontal and easier to read and some quote embellishments have been added. In addition, we are now using Ajax to post the shout so that no page refresh is required.
Last Forum Post
The Last Forum Post widget has had it's middle content area display completely overhauled. The new display fits better with the horizontal space avaialable and is more of a traditional columnar table layout. The result is more space efficient and fits better in the space.
EQ2 Item Stats
EQ2 Itemstats are now set to primarily come from LootDB. If the item is not found on LootDB it will try MMODB.
Other Changes
* The icon will now show for Itemstats items on the Item Refresh page in the Admin area.
* The Members tab in Admin now contains a report of Members without any characters.
* The guild name, game and server is now displayed at the top of the Admin index page with an edit link.
* Tier 8 is now available on the Leaderboard
* Titles on many pages have been refined so that you can better tell what the page is about when on your toolbar.
* Some pages have been made slighly narrower.
Bug Fixes
=========================
* The Refresh Itemstats page in the Admin area will now correctly refresh items for all games.
* Assigning characters to a member will no longer show an error in certain circumstances.
* The number and list of Updated characters when performing an import will now report the correct value.
* The selection of "NONE" for a background on the Customization CSS Editors will properly load when edited instead of resetting.
* Navigation customization will now properly load blank titles and links when editing.
* The "iFrame" option is now available on the Navigation Customization when adding a link to a custom page.
* The shoutbox will no longer double post when refreshing the page.
* The tabs on many of the pages have been standardized so they are more consistent. The effect is small, but some tabs were within the content area and some were just above. They are now all just above the content area.
* The moderation page has been fixed to work when using the Guild ID URL for your site.
* An issue where certain subscriptions would not be shown on the Subscription tab has been fixed.
* An error causing Warhammer roster imports to recreate characters with accented characters in their names has been fixed.
* Various changes have been made to improve Lotro Lorebook itemstats.
Performance
=========================
* We've shaved about 5 hundredths of a second off of page creation times for guilds with a handful of widgets. Guilds with alot of widgets may see nearly a tenth of a second. This amount of time is only noticeable subconsciously but we found an optimization that we could implement quickly and effectively so we made the change.