TheMaster99

The School in the Woods - Mystery/Fantasy Roleplay

Kyle Messor Kyle looked up, having been focused intently on tying his cleats. "Heh, yeah. I guess it is," he said, looking up at the sky. He stood up and began stretching. After a while, he looked over at Jamie. With a grin he said, "By the way, there's not a chance in hell that you score on me today," challenging him to a friendly competition. Finished stretching, Kyle took a warmup jog around the field, before Jamie had the time to respond.

Mahz's Dev Journal

Yeah, what @Captain Jordan said. But just to make sure @LegendBegins, you have everything working now? If so I might just add my instructions to the repo myself. Also, my last comment was basically "here, I gave step by step instructions on exactly what to do. If you are lost or can't figure out any problems you are having on your own, then I don't think you are up for working on the guild." And although I wrote the instructions specifically for you, I suppose it applies to anyone who uses it.

Mahz's Dev Journal

<snip>

@Mahz

I downloaded the Node, and once installation was complete, it resulted in a folder, among other files. The Node.exe (or something to that extent) opened up a window similar to command prompt, and that looked similar to the screenshot. Though, I believe the usage will be radically different for our Operating Systems.

@LegendBegins

NOTE: The Windows version of PostgreSQL does not include an extension that the guild requires. I don't remember if this only limits functionality, or makes the site unusable. If you are not comfortable with compiling a .dll file from source code, then keep in mind you may not be able to connect to your local build even after following these steps. You have been warned.

Instructions

I recommend that you set up your cmd.exe to be able to use node commands – if you choose not to, I believe that is fine. First, you might as well try node --version in command prompt, to see if it is already set up or not. If so, skip this part. If not, continue. To do it, you'll want to go to My Computer > Properties > Advanced System Settings. From there, go to Environment Variables as shown below. Select 'PATH' and hit Edit.

Screenshot

'PATH' might not be there, I don't remember from when I tried to set up my dev environment on windows (I decided to install Ubuntu in dual boot and set up there instead; you will see why later). If not, then create it. Find where node.js is installed - probably one directory in Program Files, and another in %appdata%. Set 'PATH' to point to them; it should look similar to this:

C:\Program Files\nodejs;C:\Users\Jeanyves\AppData\Roaming\npm

Now, open command prompt and type node --version to make sure that node is working correctly. It should tell you what version of node you are running. If instead it says "'node' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file." then something went wrong while setting up the PATH. Okay, so that is done (or you skipped it, alternatively). Now, you will need to set up the database. If you haven't already, install PostgreSQL. Once installed, launch PGAdmin III. Right click on 'Login Roles' and create a new role. Username and password (set password in 'Definitions' tab) don't matter, just remember what they are. After the role has been made, right click on 'Databases' and create a new database called 'guild'. Make sure the owner is the user you just made. Now comes the fun part. The guild uses the 'plv8' extension for PostgreSQL. For reasons unknown to us, this isn't included in the Windows version of PostgreSQL. I don't remember to what degree the site runs without it - I'd like to say that latest post, topic count, etc don't work, but the site itself does, but don't quote me on that - but if you are comfortable doing so, it is strongly recommended that you download the source code for the version of plv8 corresponding to your version of postgres, and compile the .dll from it. If you are not comfortable/aware/willing to do this, then skip this part, but be warned: we cannot guarentee how well the site will function, if at all. If you are continuing, then find the source code on google, it isn't hard to find. Next, compile the .dll - I will not be telling you how to do this; if you don't know how yet for some reason are trying anyway, then look it up. Put the .dll in PostgreSQL Install Location\version.number\bin and if all went well, you are good to go. Continue to the next step. At this point, it is assumed that you have already forked and cloned a copy of the guild's github repository onto your computer. Again, I will not tell you how to do this; if you don't know, google it. Go to where you downloaded the repository to, and navigate to the server folder, and open config.js. If for some reason you do not have an editor capable of opening .js files, then install one (for Windows, I recommend Notepad++ or Sublime Text). This is where you need your Postgres login credentials: find 'postgres://localhost:5432/guild', and add your credentials, as shown; afterwards, save the file:

postgres://{USERNAME}:{PASSWORD}@localhost:5432/guild

Now, go back to command prompt and change the directory to the repository. Enter: npm install then npm run-script reset-db and lastly, npm start (or alternatively, npm run-script start-dev for slightly better stack traces) and wait for it to say 'listening on 3000'. If it doesn't say this (or an error occurs afterwards) then something has gone wrong. If it does, then congratulations, you are almost there! Open your browser and go to http://localhost:3000/. If the site loads, then success; you are done! If not, something has gone wrong (obviously), which you can probably figure out to some extent by reading the error that almost definitely appeared in the command prompt. If, after all this, you still do not have the site working, and have no idea what to do, then the following is all I have to say: No offense, but you probably just aren't cut out for this. Development of any sort requires the ability to problem solve, and if you are completely lost then I don't know what else to say. Don't feel bad; Mahz didn't expect anyone to be able to help with the site, so anyone who can is a bonus. Sorry!

The School in the Woods - Mystery/Fantasy Roleplay

Kyle Messor BZZZ! BZZZ! BZZZ! BZ– Kyle moaned as he silenced his alarm. “Why do I have to be up so early?” he complained to himself. But he knew very well. Soccer season starts soon, and even a goalie needs to be in shape. He sat up, looking at the clock that he had just silenced. 5:01. Great. Twenty-nine minutes to kill before conditioning starts, Kyle thought. He grabbed a towel and made his way to the shower room, half-asleep. He stripped, and as he stepped in and turned the water on, he started to let his mind wander. Kyle reflected on what had happened yesterday, in the library. Over the top of his textbook, he had watched as a new student sat down with a library regular, and for some reason she sat on his lap – even kissed him – although she looked very uncomfortable while doing it. Something’s going on there, and it doesn’t seem right… he thought, sighing. Finished showering, Kyle turned the water off, wrapped a towel around himself and went back to his dorm. He changed into his practice uniform and walked out the door, headed towards the field.

Mahz's Dev Journal

Will we be able to post YouTube videos on the Guild again eventually?

@The Patriarch

Yeah, I'll be adding the youtube BBCode at some point.

@Mahz

The School in the Woods - Mystery/Fantasy Roleplay

Ok guys, it has been thirteen days since Thea has done anything here. I've sent her two pms (one of them after the notification system, so there isn't any possible way she didn't see it), and she has just been online a half hour ago. Alas, she has replied to neither, nor has she done anything on the rp. I've talked with two other people who are in this rp (@McHaggis and @Kirah) and we agree that this is going nowhere if Thea continues to do absolutely nothing, despite having logged on to the guild on multiple occasions. So, we decided to have a vote – shall we put a new GM in power, or continue to wait and hope that Thea will become active again? As of right now, Kirah has volunteered to become GM if the vote passes. So now it is up to you; shall we get a new GM, or wait?

Mahz's Dev Journal

So, this isn't relevant quite to continued forum software development, but how do we intend to make the forum grow more? We've been hemorrhaging users for a while now, is it just intended for us to gain new users over time? Does RPGuild show up high on google results for play by post roleplaying? should we advertise in certain other roleplaying communities? (Not other forums of course, but perhaps things like reddit or more general roleplaying forums?)

@Draconilian

I just did a google search, and the guild is the fourth result.

Mahz's Dev Journal

Hi! Thanks for all the hard work you're putting into bringing this site back to what it was. ^.^ I was wondering if you plan to make it so you can click a PM and go to the last post like it used to be. Haha. It's a bit tiring having to scroll and scroll to get to the last post. Not a huge deal, but I know a few of my friends really liked it that way more. Or maybe it could be changed to show the newest post at the top instead of the bottom when it comes to PMs. Something. <3

@Miss Gallagher

Click the chain-like symbol next to the name of the latest poster in the PM, and it takes you directly to that post.

The Siberian Sickle OOC (Post-Apocalyptic/Military)

Dmitrii Tolstoi

Name: Dmitrii Tolstoi Gender: Male Age: 29 Role: Pilot & Logistics Officer Callsign: Wasp Weight: 220 lbs. Height: 6’1” Description of Appearence: Former Military Enlistment: Russian Air Force Brief History and Background: Dmitrii grew up in Moscow, Russia, the only child of a middle-aged couple. It was clear from an early age that he loved to fly – it was impossible for his parents to pull him away from his expensive flight setup connected to his computer, which had been fleshed out over many Christmases. Another passion of his was flying quadcopters, mini drones. On the rare occasion that Dmitrii was found away from his virtual helicopter, he was practically invisible – he did as he was told without question, he wasn’t amazing nor terrible in school, and was overall just kind of shy; as a result of all of this, people tended to forget he was there. But of course, such was the life of a pilot in the military. “Chair Force” when performing everyday duties, hero when he saves everyone’s lives with a hot extraction. It was to nobody’s surprise when Dmitrii enlisted in the Armed Forces the day of his eighteenth birthday, determined to become a pilot in the Russian Air Force like no other. And he was on track to be just that, until the fateful night of March 17, 2042. He was flying two squads from a forward operations base in Ukraine (the site of a renewed “undercover” invasion) back home to a base near Moscow, when things went awry. Unbeknownst to them, a Ukrainian fighter jet had been following them from a distance, and when they struck, they struck hard. Out of nowhere, their helicopter was bombarded by several missiles. Dmitrii shot flares which deflected two missiles, and he narrowly evaded a third. The fourth, however, struck the main rotor cleanly, leaving it inoperable, as well as causing moderate hull damage. He attempted to perform an autorotation (completely idle the motor to put them in a freefall, then push it back to full as they are closing in on the ground, using the preserved motion in the rotor to slow their descent), and did so to the best of his ability. But unfortunately, his best efforts were no match for the stubborn, useless motor, and the landing was little more than a glorified crash. Thought to be dead, the Ukrainian jet returned to base, where it’s pilot earned a hefty promotion for his success. The Ukrainian pilot’s assumption wasn’t far off. Hours later, Dmitrii woke up as he was pulled out of the wreckage by two Russian soldiers. He began to look around wildly, searching for any sign of his transport. “Where are my men?” he demanded of his rescuers. The only reply he got was a grave frown. After being rushed to the nearest military base, he learned that nobody had survived. Nobody, of course, except him. “You did your best,” they said. “You’re lucky that you survived at all,” they said. But all Tolstoi cared about was that the men he had been tasked with were dead – that there was literally nothing more that he could’ve done didn’t matter in the slightest. Since that day, he has worked harder and harder than ever before. He pushed himself so hard that his higher ups “recommended” that he go to Officer Training School to become a Logistics Officer. That is to say, they signed him up without asking him and gave him a slip of paper telling him where to be and when, so he’d take a rest from flying to get some sleep, before he died from exhaustion. Although sent to Officer Training for his health moreso than for himself, he thrived nevertheless. He proved to have a great sense of strategy and coordination, which both lend themselves to his career in logistics greatly. When the Sickle struck, Dmitrii was fortunate. With his acquired skill in logistics, he quickly found a place in the ArtAmos society in Moscow. Over time, he found himself moving from society to society, being persuaded to leave each one by a better offer, one after another. Eventually he found himself in New York City, which was truly a logistical nightmare. 99% cement and steel, 0% agricultural prowess. 100% impending disaster. Not long after moving to the Big Apple (which was now more like the Big Hellhole, with the region that supported the city, Upstate New York, devoid of all life beyond the reanimated corpses), Dmitrii woke up to find himself restrained to a chair, surrounded by other soldiers who were in the same situation as him. With no other choice in front of him, he shrugged and began to fill out the form sitting on his lap. Other Items of Importance:

• Pilot - Tolstoi’s role in the Armed Forces was as a helicopter pilot. He takes great pride in what he does, and has been seen flying in military-grade simulators for hours and hours. To him, the slightest mistake meant an entire squad of soldiers died in a fiery wreckage, thus nothing short of perfection was acceptable. Although he isn’t perfect, not by any means, he is without a doubt one of the best pilots in all of Russia.
• Logistics - Dmitrii, in addition to his adept piloting, was also a skilled logistics officer. For the military he managed food rations, equipment distribution, and even determined where soldiers were most needed. Later, he found great benefit in helping to keep the ArtAmos societies afloat, with an absolute minimal supply. Without his aid, numerous societies may have struggled to keep everyone fed (although they didn’t do too great even with help).
• Self-Blame - Everyone knew that Tolstoi was lucky to be alive, and that there was nothing he could have possibly done to save his men. Unfortunately, he refuses to believe it. Every day he blames himself for not doing more, for not being able to dodge four missiles at once. He blames himself for living.

Mahz's Dev Journal

How about a search feature? Might help people find interest checks with their preferred setting/genre rather than make a new thread and add to the site's clutter.

@La Inquisidora

That's been mentioned by me and @Mahz, one of us will probably work on it soon™.