April 2, 2013 - By Dr. Cossack


NO, IT'S NOT!! Despite the fact that the forums are back in the colors you expect them to be, Cyber Grid is real and sticking around the board. If you enjoyed the gameplay, rest assured that there's plenty more coming! If you had some problems with it's design, please be patient. I've got several improvements coming. For more information about Cyber Grid, please see the topics in the new forum.

If you enjoyed the Battle Network theme that the board had on April 1st, it's now available as the "EXE" skin in your profile options!

One thing to note is that the items that some of you obtained in the previous years (or even this year!) have been renamed to badges. I now have an actual idea of what to do with those, which will be revealed later on. Additionally, the old RPG stats are gone. Those were only for cosmetic reasons, now we've got a new fancier display that's actually tied to something!

Of course, now some of you might be asking: "well, what was the prank?" The prank is that many of you expected the game to be one, which it isn't...


Cyber Grid is here to stay. Do you want it to? I'm hoping so, but I'd like to hear back from you! What was published on April 1st is only a small subset of what the game was designed to do, and the small team that worked with me during it's construction came forward with a lot of good ideas. Please keep playing it, report any problems and comment on it in the proper forum! Tell us you love it and want more! Feedback is important!


Some of you might be asking "Y U NO DO FUNNYS?" The answer is simple: you haven't seen what happened on the Minecraft server... I'll post a topic about that soon.

April 1, 2013 - By Dr. Cossack


UPDATE: Despite the posting date, this is all serious.


"- Battle routine, set!
"- Execute!!"

Do these words sound familar to you? They might - many of you have read them multiple times over the course of the Battle Network series. While the series has been over for some years now, what if you could create your own NetNavi? Go fight some viruses and opponents? And, most importantly, play against other human opponents?

What if you could do that right here, right now?

This is what Cyber Grid is all about!

It's a web-based, multiplayer Battle Network-like RPG game! Integrated within IOBoard, the game exists within it's own section and is available to all registered users of the forums. Once you enter the game, you create your own character (a NetNavi), define it's characteristics, define a strategy, then go battle against computer and human opponents alike! Not a fan of the Mega Man series? Never played a Mega Man Battle Network game? It doesn't matter, as no background knowledge is required to enjoy Cyber Grid!

How to access this game? Follow the Cyber Grid link in your user options! If you're not logged in, you'll have to do that first.


Note that there are probably some game balance issues that'll need to be ironed out. As with any online game launches, I fully expect several tweaks to be necessary! Those will be posted in the Game Log.

I'd like to thank the following people who helped me at some point with this project. All four handled parts of the game design, data entry and bug fixes, and that help was precious!
- The Helldragon
- J_Hibiki
- Arkane
- Sb20


Cyber Grid reuses several concepts of the Battle Network series yet shakes things up quite a bit with a radically different battle engine. There's a fine line in the Mega Man world between "too much reuse" and "too many changes", and I hope that we got the right balance to keep things fresh while sticking to what made the series fun in the first place. This is, hopefully, also easy to understand for non-fans of the Mega Man series.

Note that this project is definitely not aiming to compete with the folks at MMBN Chrono X, or do something similar to them. They're going to create a full-blown sequel; what we have here is a multiplayer web game based on some concepts of the series only, which will hopefully also be attractive to non-Battle Network fans.

I'll be monitoring closely the launch for any problems or bugs that you might encouter. If something doesn't look right, please post in the appropriate forum and I'll give it a look.


Enjoy!

Edited by Dr. Cossack on April 1, 2013 at 16:44:03

Edited by Dr. Cossack on April 2, 2013 at 0:38:53

February 21, 2013 - By Dr. Cossack


"I can't read that purple!"
"I'm ignoring your posts because of their blinding color!"
"Always typing color codes for each post is annoying!

Annoyed by colors that don't display well on your selected board skin? Want to make your posts stand out a bit more? Looking for that shiny factor? Well, I've got something for you!

Introducing: post themes!

As hinted with the last update to IOBoard, I've added a new component that allows you to use and build post themes that will be applied to all your posts automatically. You can use this to do anything from simply changing your text color to creating a completely custom look for all your posts, including fonts and backgrounds.

Two main creation options are available: simple and full-featured. Simple will allow you to easily pick colors to be applied to all your posts, while the full-featured editor allows you to define your own CSS properties on your posts' containers. Be creative!

I've added a few themes to get you started right away with a special look. Here's a preview!




To find those, click "Edit profile", then "Post theme" in the left menu!

These themes are also available to be copied then modified, so you can use them as a basis to make your own, custom look. Granted, not all of us have the knowledge or the skills to pull this off. As such, I suggest that those who do take the time to create some different post themes, then set them as public to allow others to use them! I'll be happy to answer any quetions on how the use the tool in this topic.

UPDATE ON 2013-02-24: I have added a new field, "Share with". You can enter the username of a single board member there to share a given theme with him only, and no one else. This is useful if you create a post theme for someone else and want him to access it without marking it as public.

Don't like this idea? You'd rather read the board easily instead of having to look at various colors all over the place? You can instantly disable all post themes from your profile options. Additionally, if you want to disable only the colors used by a given member, open his profile then select the appropriate option at the bottom left of his page.

You've now got the tools. Surprise me with the results!

---

Also included in this update are two extra changes:
- Bigger posting boxes
- Clickable BBCode icons

The second item will save you from the trouble of remembering the various BBCode tags or check in the board FAQ. When typing a post or private message, you'll find a row of icons on top of the text area. You can use these to automatically insert to tags to format your posts!

Edited by Dr. Cossack on February 24, 2013 at 11:05:42

January 25, 2013 - By Dr. Cossack


With the recent retirement of ION Gamma and based on a suggestion from some members, I've added more network options for you to fill in your profile.

Now listed alongside Minecraft, Steam, Tumblr and others, you can enter your profile information for your Playstation Network, Skype, Nintendo Network ID, Xbox Live Gamertag and YouTube accounts. This is completely optional, but allows other members of the board to contact you directly if they want to get in touch with you! That information can be viewed directly on your profile

August 28, 2012 - By Dr. Cossack


As posted yesterday on the Creeper's Lab, achievements have been added for the players active on the server. This means that all board users now see the achievements links a bit everywhere. While these only apply to Minecraft players for now, I've got plans to extend that in the future. If you have something in mind related to that, or have any ideas that you'd love to see the achievements system used for, don't hesitate to speak up!

Edited by Dr. Cossack on August 28, 2012 at 12:54:01

June 15, 2012 - By Dr. Cossack


It's time for another update!

One important thing to note first: you might need to do a full page refresh (Ctrl-F5) to see the new elements properly.

I'm happy to present you with a new update to the board: IOBoard v1.4.1! This upgrade adds some new features to the Stream, introduced officially last April, alongside some surpises.

New features and improvements:
- Posts and Stream: images can be uploaded next to messages
- Notification when someone adds you as a friend
- Posts that only contain an URL will automatically get the linked page's title
- Minor posts layout update
- Stream: edit/delete comments
- Stream: allow moderation from super moderators
- Fixed: Notifications on Stream comments now properly show who posted the original message
- Fixed: PM previews with quotes


As indicated above, it's now possible to attach images to posts and Stream notes! Some members here, especially those coming from social networks, don't have any easy way to display images or screenshots to illustrate their posts. This new feature takes care of that: you can post an image coming straight from your computer by using the options displayed right under the main posting box!

The Stream also supports the display of images. To do so, while on your (or someone else's!) Stream page, select the "Picture" tab and do your thing! Note that direct linking to these uploaded images from other sites is disabled. Sorry, but I don't have the ressources of a pro images host!

The next update is already underway under the codename "personalization". Stay tuned for more information!

April 2, 2012 - By Dr. Cossack


After the madness of yesterday, as X himself would say, time to get serious.

Before I begin, a full report on this year's April Fools' Day event will be posted in another topic soon.

The most important of all: the Stream is back and now a permanent feature of the board. Quite a few of you apparently liked the idea last year, and after spending some serious time refining the concept, I'm happy to announce that it's here to stay! I'd like to thank all the willing beta testers from last year for their participation in helping me locate bugs. Now, you might want to ask what the real purpose of the Stream is. You can post on it, share items with friends, use it as a journal, track your board status, and more. For the full details, please see this topic when you can learn several tips & tricks on how to make the best of it.

One consequence from this new addition is the removal of the "Thought" option in member profiles. This short line of text, meant to be displayed next to all your posts, has been replaced by the Stream itself: your latest Stream thought, posted by yourself, will be shown next to your posts.

Next on the plate, the forums. Bad Box Art Mega Man, Katawa Shoujo and the ponies are obviously going away. However, the Anime & Manga area is here to stay. Many of you have posted about your favorite series in the past, and I'm sure that others would like to chat about the current releases, the past classics, and maybe get a few recommendations. Make the best use of it! Likewise, the Valve & Steam forum is still here. Steam as a platform is a huge thing, and many of us use it often (fun fact - did you know we have a Steam community?). Valve's games are included in this as they tend to have a deep integration with the platform. I'm not 100% convinced yet that you'll adopt this new forum, but I'll give it a chance and let you people run with it. Be sure to speak your mind if you want it to stay!

What you're now using, as it was already the case yesterday, is IOBoard v1.4. This new version brings several new features and upgrades, which are detailed below.

New features and improvements:
- Redesigned member profile display
- Stream!
- Board items!
- Option to disable modules
- Stream: like/dislike
- Stream: edit/delete thoughts
- Stream: view our own information more easily
- Thoughts moved as part of the Stream
- Improved display of the list of forum moderators
- After a login, return the user to the page he was viewing
- Display the pages counter at the bottom of a list of topics
- Parse posts properly when more than one YouTube movie is included
- Forums: when posting in a subforum, it's parent's last post information will be updated as well

Most obvious when browsing around is the redesigned member profile page. For an example, you can check on my own profile. The left column is dedicated to each person's information and contact networks, while the right column is all about the member's interation with the board. This makes each module much more visible, such as the list of Mega Man games owned & played and the Minecraft player info (if available). On all browsers excluding Internet Explorer, you also get a look at each person's in-game skin!

A new option, included in your user profile, allows you to disable the board modules that you're not interested in. If you're someone that has no interest in the Mega Man series, for example, you can check the "Mega Man" option and most of the pages and sections related to the series will vanish. Forums aren't affected by this: you always have access to all available forums, so you don't miss out of the posting going on. You can go back to that page later to uncheck any module that you suddendly want to pay attention in.


This update was done with a very precise deadline in mind (April 1st!), so this hasn't gone through my usual battery of tests. I did get to iron out several bugs and flaws on the Stream since last year as well as yesterday, but I'm sure that some tuning will be required here and there. Be sure to post here or in the IOBoard forum in case you have a problem, a suggestion, or simply a comment.

I've got some new key features on the drawing board for the next several weeks. This includes:
- More posting options on the Stream
- Improved notifications
- A way to personalize your posts and signatures much more easily
- A tool for you to post your pictures directly on the board, without having to upload them on another service first
- A surprise for our Minecraft players...

The move to v1.4 adds a whole new group of functionalities to the board. Some are well integrated, others have been showcased but serve little purpose at this point, while a few are still in the waiting room. This is your board to use: what features would YOU like to have? Is there some critical tool that you'd love to use? Something special that the Stream is missing? Would you like to be able to "Like" and "Dislike" specific posts and topics on the message board itself? Do you want fries with that? Speak up!

January 9, 2012 - By Dr. Cossack


A new chatroom structure has been installed to replace the previous web chat. What's old is new again: we're going back to IRC!

First of all, let me quote the two main announcements. First, from the Mega Man PC Website:



Next, from the Creeper's Lab:




As you might have gathered from these messages, there are now two chatrooms, or IRC channels. The first one, #interordi is all-purposed for all topics, including Mega Man. The second, #interordi-mc is dedicated to Minecraft and links directly to the players in-game.

Some members commented that the integration between the board and the web chat was nice to have, and I have been able to keep this going to a degree. The usernames don't have to be the same between the two anymore, while the list of people connected is still available! You can see that at the bottom on the index, in the Who's Online section, or on the dedicated Who's Online page.

January 1, 2012 - By Dr. Cossack


A new feature has been introduced today for Mega Man fans: the ability for you to go in your profile, check which Mega Man games you've played and now own, then compare your results with your friends!

For the details on how this works, please see the appropriate news post. The full list of games is accessible from the main menu's "Mega Man games option". For an example on how this works, see my profile or directly go to my own list of games.

Happy New Year!

November 22, 2011 - By Dr. Cossack


Makeover!

After being asked from time to time for the past few years if I was going to change the look of the board, here's the answer: a brand new skin!

This new look is based on the future appearance of the Interordi.com domain, once I move forward with it's planned makeover. The goal of this operation is to offer a refreshing new look more in line with the future focus of the website. As I've said before, I'm working on an expansion to cover other topics beyond Mega Man, starting with Minecraft. The "all blue, all Mega Man" appearance might give newcomers the wrong impression on what this place is all about, now and in the future.

"omg wtf turn it off!!11"
Relax. Give this a serious try, I think you'll grow to like it very soon. Otherwise, this update also introduces a skin selector! You can go in your profile options and select the board appearance that you like the most. Some pages, however, will be tied to a specific skin and you don't have any control over that.

Four skins are currently available to choose from! The first and current one, Interordi.com, is made to match the main Interordi.com website and is a preview of the upcoming redesign. Your previous favorite blue theme returns as Mega Man, slightly updated from it's previous form. This April's Fools Day Facebook-lookalike is back for an encore under the IOSoBo name. White, blue and grey tones dominate it's look. Finally, the previously TJ-exclusive Hot Pink look makes a surprising appearance for those who have... specific color tastes.

Here's a preview of all four skins:




Some extra improvements are tagging along with this update.

New in this update:
- New skin: Interordi.com v6!
- Logos for specific forums on the index list
- Quick announcements displayed directly on the board's front page
- The Who's Online page will now display all online users, including in the chat and Minecraft
- No multiquote!

The board has gotten fairly large by now, and with four skins, it's entirely possible that I didn't check through everything properly. Additionally, I'll probably do some tweaking here and there in the coming days. If you notice anything not displaying properly, or want to suggest a change, send me a PM about it!

November 13, 2011 - By Dr. Cossack


Pay attention, things have been changed around!

As I'm working on expanding the scope of Interordi.com, I've reorganized the forums to match current and future goals.

Most notably for long-time users, the five forums dedicated to the Mega Man series are now available as subforums under a single one called Mega Man Series. This helps to shorten the board's index by regrouping common topics together. This also means that the Mega Man Series forum is now a general-purpose area on the Mega Man universe, giving us a place to write the topics that don't only apply to a single series. Things like the future of the franchise, multi-series compilations such as the Mega Man Dual Pack and crossovers will be right at home!

This allows me to create an entirely new category named "Gaming", where the forums on Mega Man, Minecraft and other games will be regrouped. Wait, did I say Minecraft? Of course, as the new website is now live! For more information on the Creeper's Lab, see it's dedicated forum !

If for some reason you don't like this new structure, you can go into your profile and set the "Expand subforums" option to YES. That way, the entire list of forums will be displayed in full on the board's index.

In the coming weeks, a brand new forum skin will be introduced along with some new features. If you'd like to share some ideas, suggest something or give me some comments on all this, then by all means do so!

In order to support these changes, IOBoard has been updated to version v1.3.1. None of the changes are very obvious, as most of them are here to prepare the ground for future additions.

New and updated in this version:
- Improved the security of the forums
- Improved BBCode parsing (nested codes now allowed)
- Added "quote" and "edit" buttons for forums in the blog format
- Usability improvements

October 9, 2011 - By Dr. Cossack


Here is a new IOBoard update full of improvements and new features! I attempted to modernize some sections of the software while providing some features you might have come to expect.

New in this version:
- Improved password and login security
- "Lost password" feature
- More network settings. Add your profile information for Facebook, Tumblr, Minecraft and more!
- The search engine now links directly to a post result instead of the topic's first page
- Search results can now be sorted by score, latest first, or oldest first
- The list of unread topics should no longer show your own posts if using multiple computers
- A member's online status is now displayed along his posts and on his profile
- Inactive and banned members will no longer be listed among the list of birthdays
- Description header for some forums, linking them to their matching website
- Replaced lists with checkboxes when appropriate
- Fixed post previews with quotes and spoilers
- Quick reply at the bottom of topics
- Preview the first post of a topic when putting the mouse cursor over it's name in a forum listing
- Fix: Foreign languages such as Japanese can now be included properly in posts
- Some performance improvements

One new element that you've probably seen already is the password update screen. A new password system has been introduced with better encryption. It also allowed me to add a "lost password" feature: if you can't remember your password, use this and you'll receive an e-mail with a reset code! If you haven't seen this page yet, please follow through to update your profile information! Also, I'd appreciate it if you could add your IOekaki profile information to your account. To do so, either do it during the password update or follow this link.

Another new element is a profile section for you to enter your network information. You can now specify in your profile your Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter accounts among others. I especially urge Minecraft and Steam players to enter their usernames there, so we can play with you!

Another update is already under preparations. While this one improved the board overall, the next update will be all about visual changes. A new skin will be introduced to refresh the look of our community! Stay tuned!

Edited by Dr. Cossack on October 23, 2011 at 1:03:09

April 2, 2011 - By Dr. Cossack


The social platform and the Stream might have been decoys, but the board did receive some actual updates!

First of all, you might have noticed yesterday that the Private Messenger opened in the main browser window instead of a floating one. The PM system is back to it's previous state, but if you don't want the floating window, you can go into your profile and set the "Private Messenger in new window" value to NO. This is especially useful on some locked down computers that won't allow new windows to be opened, such as Internet kiosks. It also makes the PM system usable without any Javascript.

Next, a [video] BBCode object is now available. Using it is as simple as including the movie's URL within the tag. For example, entering [video*]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVWX9oevTjg[/video*] without the asterisks will embed a video in your post. Only YouTube is supported for the time being, but you can request other sites to be added.

Obviously, the format of this forum changed. Instead of using the standard display, I'll keep it in the blog-like form. I think it works better to post short to medium updates, possibly more frequently where they can be easily seen. This new format is also closer to the announcements display on the oekaki board. You always have the ability to comment on these posts, of course.

Finally, the quick login was moved to the right of the main header, again closer in position to the oekaki board. I think it's a more logical location for this small, useful feature. Beyond that, small changes have been done here and there, but nothing too noticeable.

I'll be posting a bit later a topic on this April's Fools Day gag, which will be available in the Mega Man PC Website forum. Please hold your thoughts until then.

January 31, 2011 - By Dr. Cossack


Much like the previous update allowing you to comment on the news, I've now added the ability for registered members to comment for the pictures of the FanArt Gallery. The comments on the gallery, as well as their related pictures, are now available in the new self-titled forum. As before, any posts done about the pictures will also be displayed on the website itself, under each picture.

This new option also works on the daily art piece featured on the front page. Some people requested this, and I hope you now make the best of it.

January 17, 2011 - By Dr. Cossack


As you might have noticed, two new subforums have been added: one "News and updates" for each of the Mega Man PC Website's forum and ION Gamma's one. In these subforums, you'll find the list of updates that were posted on the two sites, giving you a chance to read them directly here. You're also able to speak up on each news item, your comments being carried over to be displayed on the matching site. Express yourself!

This also marks the introduction of the subforum feature. By default, you'll see them listed below the description of each forum. If you'd like to have them more visible, you can go in your profile and set the "Expand subforums" option to YES. That way, they'll be displayed on the main board index just like any other forum.

Coming soon: the ability to comment on the pictures of the FanArt Gallery!