Unleashed2k

Unfortunately, I will start this post off with some bad news and that is our lead developer has parted ways with the Ignition4 project.
We wish him the best in the future and I want to thank him for helping us get Ignition4 launched.

I just wanted to clarify a few things with everyone:
We never intended to launch Ignition4 until the main features were completed. This included a long beta testing period where we would fix any problems that we found. We ran into an unrecoverable bug with our old website where the login cookie from the forums would not be sent to Ignition3, causing a login loop. I had all of our devs look into it, and none of them could resolve the issue. Our backups did not resolve the issue and I was forced to upgrade. That is where we are now. 

Ignition4 is still being developed but all future features that we had planned for Ignition 4.5 have been canceled. This is due to the lack of Laravel/Livewire developers we can find. At the moment we only have three including me. None of us know Livewire as much as our ex-developer knew so we're stuck on fixing certain things and adding new features. We will continue to fix any issues and try to improve Ignition4 to make it as smooth as possible. 

What does this mean for the future of CustomsForge? 

Ignition5 - React

We plan on rewriting Ignition4 to use React instead of Laravel. Every developer I've interviewed recently knows react. It is way easier to find react developers over laravel developers.  We already have a dedicated team of 7+ devs (compared to our old team of 4) that knows react over laravel. It took 2+ years to complete ignition3 to ignition4 due to major rewriting issues, but the move to ignition5 should take a quarter of that time in theory. 

To kickstart the Ignition5 project, I brought back our original layout designer @AshesOfOwls. She helped us design the original UI for Ignition3. We adapted that design for Ignition4, and will be updating (or even revamping) the look for Ignition5. We are very excited to get most of our staff on board to help with the Ignition5 react project

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Q&A

Q: Will planned features for 4.5 be included in 5?

A: Our main goal will be porting all currently used features for Ignition4 with features we wanted for 4.5 in mind. This way we can get the website over to react ASAP while also improving missing or broken features.

Q: When will collections come back from the old site (Ignition3)? 

A: At this time, collections from the old site will not be brought over. It has 20 million entries and it's just impossible to work with that amount of data at the moment. We will need to figure out the best way to store that data without making ignition slower.

Q: Are there any planned features that might make it for Ignition4?

A: Not at the moment. We would love to bring Artist search back, as that is highly requested but that would need to be done with extra free time not devoted to fixing ignition4 bugs or coding Ignition5. 

Q: Are you not looking for Laravel developers anymore?

A: We would absolutely love to find another Laravel developer so we can finish some features on Ignition4 that are not completed. If you know Laravel + React that is a huge bonus. Contact Unleashed2k on our Discord if you have any of these qualifications. 

Q: There are tons of broken features! I don't like the new site, etc etc

A: We are fully aware there are some people who do not like the current website. Like I mentioned before we never wanted to release the site in this current state, but it is an improvement overall with the new site speed and forums being upgraded. We are working on bringing all the features from Ignition3 & Ignition4 and the planned 4.5 to Ignition5

Q: Will Ignition5 still use the forums?

A: Yes! We will be using a more advanced integration using the IP Board API which will allow us to use groups & more features from IP Board. 
 

===

We're very excited about the future and the possibilities of Ignition5. 

I hope this answers some questions and we're looking forward to improving CustomsForge.

Edit: I've launched the Ignition4 FAQ. We hope to create the ultimate knowledgebase of all Ignition4 questions there.

https://ipb4test.customsforge.com/index.php?/faq/

Closing Thread - Please use Ignition4 Forums

https://ipb4test.customsforge.com/index.php?/forum/187-ignition4-customsforge-search-feedback-support/

On 11/9/2020 at 9:55 PM, Genesee62 said:

Hey guys i did notice something that i found on the new site that i was a little concerned with. When downloading new cdlc on the new site, it only updates the collection for the new site. Will there be an option or capability to transfer the members current collection to the new site? I try not to download the same cdlc more than once. Knowing what you already have in your collection is very insightful. Thanks for the updates, hope all is well.

 

This is still a work in progress. We do have all the old collection data saved but when using it on the new site it is currently bringing everything to a halt, due to it being 20 million entries. We're working on finding the best way to store this data.

12 minutes ago, beastman69 said:

Things look great. Thank you for all your hard work on the site.

I have a question: is there a way for me to custom-default the CDLC search to "last updated" instead of "DLs"? I mean, hey, it's great to know that Comfortably Numb and Stairway are the top two downloads of all time here, but it takes two quick clicks every time I launch the search to get where I am headed. There's probably a setting somewhere to save my current selection as default, but I'm not seeing it so any help is appreciated. Thanks. 

And the re-sort by heading is really fast now. The old version was painful to hit those, so it isn't a huge deal.

Hm, I reset all accounts like 2 hours ago to default for last updated. Can you check search settings? 

2 hours ago, bendu said:

How do I get the older  version back? This one is too touchy. click once anywhere that you didn't mean to and I have to start over.

The old version is retired permanently due to an error. Please provide more information other than too touchy.

Example: What resolution are you running?
Additionally you can click the menu to launch the modal or go straight to the record page.

I am working on bug fixes for smaller resolutions as well.

Placeholder for images.

Hi all,

I wanted to provide an update to let everyone know the status since our last August update.

We are proud to announce that ignition4 has completed it's first alpha test.

We found plenty of things to fix but this will not delay our next testing phases. We still plan on running another internal staff test to make sure everything is fixed and polished before we let anyone else check it out. While we are working on that, we are working with Invision Power (creator of our forums) on creating a patch to help us upgrade successfully from 3.4 -> 4.5. I have not received the full report on what they need us to do, but to prep for the upgrade we may need to remove some features / clear some data to help the upgrade process proceed without any hiccups. If this occurs it will be announced on our Partnered Discord first: https://discord.gg/cf

The next steps are crucial if we plan on upgrading the website soon. The following conditions must be met:

1) Purchase IP Board modifications for 4.5 version of the website (donation mod, championship, skin, etc mods that are needed)

2) Internal testing of ignition4 to make sure everything is secure, fast, with no big major bugs or issues

3) Test Migrations of IP Board 3.4->4.5 without hiccups

4) Deploy new servers with the latest OS that cPanel supports

5) A private test with friends of CF
6) Patreons will be able to test the website.

7) Full beta access that will be live for about a week or so, to make sure there are no outstanding issues. If we find problems that may delay the full launch until the issue is resolved.

Once everything is good to go, CustomsForge will be locked down for access for several hours while we start the migration of the old site to the new site. This includes our other sites we host: cfmanager.com & editoronfire.com.

Additionally we are working with our partner RSPlaylist.com to add new features that work between CF and RSPlaylist including linking your CF account, tracking your downloads, etc. More details on this later when we have more information to provide.

I've released some preview images to my patreon that will be exclusive to them until the 19th when I will update this post with the images. You can sub to my patreon for $1 for upcoming beta access + images by visiting here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/42814685

I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's feedback while we work on upgrading the whole CustomsForge experience. 

- Unleashed2k

If I can find more time I will tackle this. It's hard because they haven't been releasing tab books lately.

genre tags, and artist pages sound like they will be the most missed from that list.  Anyway, awesome can't wait.

There's some killer planned features for 4.1, the good news is that we've progressed a lot since last month and we're itching closer to the testing phrase. 

What is going to be removed from the final release?

Hey all,

I just wanted to touch base with everyone and give a proper update on what's been going on behind the scenes. At the moment COVID-19 has affected all of us. Due to work constraints and other issues, our main developers has not had the time to continue to develop Ignition4. 

Because of these delays I am announcing that we are currently cutting planned features for Ignition4 to fast-track the release of it. I understand delay after delay can get frustrating.
We wanted to bring you a state of the art search engine with all of these amazing features but we keep running into issues so my current plan is to make sure the cut features are added to the Ignition 4.1-4.5 Roadmap
 
Our primary goal is now is bringing on a few more developers, get them comfortable with laravel/js to finish up the current build and we can get this released. 
 
We have successfully tested a migration from IP Board 3 & Ignition 3 to IP Board 4.5 & Ignition4. 
So right now it's just about polishing and removing all features that won't make it to the build. 

We are still incredibly excited to bring you a rebuilt Ignition and to deliver an overall improved performance. 

I can't wait to have the new upgraded forums live with the improved search engine. The whole development process for Ignition4 has been a very frustrating but rewarding experience. All of our developers efforts will soon pay off once we can get this into your hands. If you're interested in testing what the new forums experience would be like, here's a really good example: https://linustechtips.com/main/

Beta access through my Patreon is still planned. 

If you would like to volunteer to become a developer, we're always looking for new talent: https://forms.gle/YWDzVSgsmGFSUaq39

Thanks all, stay safe!

A Special Message: This will be the last edition of this version of the newsletter. I am currently reassessing a better method to give news and interviews. This may come in a form of a blog, a quarterly newsletter, or something else but at the moment there is nothing else planned for August. Thank you for all that read. Unfortunately this month's newsletter I am unable to edit due to limitations on my side, I apologize for any grammar/spelling errors. Thanks - U2K

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You can also download this PDF here: https://customsforge.com/newsletter/newsletter_jul_2020.pdf

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You can also download this PDF here: https://customsforge.com/newsletter/newsletter_june_2020.pdf

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You can also download this PDF here: https://customsforge.com/newsletter/newsletter_may_2020.pdf

I've provided an update to the original post, THANK YOU ALL!!

Hi all,

It's been a tough 24 hours for me dealing with this and it's hard to even think right now. Starting yesterday my cat Gordon started throwing up over 20 times, unable to keep food or drink inside of him or even use the bathroom. For the initial hospital cost for him to stay overnight to get hydrated, get blood work, and xrays we paid 1800 which we could already barely afford. Unfortunately the doctor contacted me saying Gordon needed emergency surgery. I now owe them $3000 of money which I don't have and was denied carecredit and scratchpay. This whole situation breaks my heart and he's like a son to me. I would do anything for him. Anytime I'm down, playing guitar, gaming he comes to me and lays on me or next to me. A true buddy. If you can help please do, if you can't but know someone who can please feel free to share this. I am heartbroken and would do anything for my cat.

This is one of my last resorts to see if we can get the surgery crowdfunded. I'm happy to edit this post to let you know that Gordon's surgery was a success. I have not talked to the billing department yet to figure out what we're going to do but I hope they will work with me so we can get all of this behind us and have a healthy 6 year old boy who still has plenty of life left in him.

I hope everyone has a pleasant day and Gordon can make it through all of this. A donation goal has been setup and any amount helps.

http://customsforge.com/donate/goal-149-fundraiser-goal-for-gordon/

Thank you so much,
Mark Beeson - CustomsForge Founder

UPDATE!!: Gordon has successfully woken up from surgery. They found a large string and tons of fur. I'll be arranging with the doctors on how to pay soon. At the moment I don't have much options so hopefully we can all figure something out.

 

UPDATE!!!! 5/13/2020 

Thank you everyone for the support!! It means the world. This has definitely been a journey and a learning experience. I'm so happy to report that Gordon is back home, and healing. For those who have never been a parent, but at least have an animal at home. There's no feeling in the world then helping your pet back to health by feeding him and giving him drinks with plenty of pets. He's getting better day by day and we had to move his sister to my in laws for about as week as he heals. For those who want to see what is in his stomach, all I can say is graphic warning as it's pretty gross. https://i.imgur.com/Co3DKXk.jpg (not gonna display it here, but it's basically a big bag with a long string...maybe a shoelace? bunch of hairties?) either way, I'm shocked that he was able to fit all of that in him and glad we got it out. 

We've worked out an arrangement with the vet and the new total is $2683 so I've adjusted the goal for that. If we're able to reach even half of that, that would help us out so much. Thank you all for being able to help.

I've got the file. I'll reupload it after I do some fixes to it.

If you're doing repairs to PC Plum's CDLC make sure to credit him, thanks!

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When I go to the CDLC search part of this site nothing shows up. It comes up with zero results. I can't search for individual artists or songs. Also, for me, the site is running very slow.

 

Any help appreciated.

 

Thanks.

 

Check the filters in the top right and try clicking the reset button next to the search button.

Double check it says just "http://ignition.customsforge.com/"at the top, since filters can change the url.

 

If none of that works try a different browser?

 

Site being slow is normal lol.

 

I hope to resolve this soon with the website upgrade. It's the old code unfortunately. :( 

Thanks for this. This has been a long broken feature that will be fixed on the new ignition. We're not really fixing anything on old ignition unless it is super critical. If you want to check on how I4 does it just PM me on discord and I'll set you up with early pre-alpha access ;)

Do you ship it?

Amazon makes them for us and ships them

We have some new tools in development that will help you find and discover artists. The main problem was the time it took to rewrite the current ignition. It's almost done and even if we do not see some of the features requested here upon release, it will take a couple months instead of years to release any additional features. We already have genre tags (generated by a 3rd party api and not the user), a love system if you like a CDLC, and a report button. It's all looking good and I hope we can release this soon for everyone.

To view this months newsletter please use a PDF Reader such as Adobe Acrobat Reader
You can also download this PDF here: https://customsforge.com/newsletter/newsletter_feb_2020.pdf