Add-On Releases - v3 Arcade - Games Arcade System for 3.6.0

Staff note: Requesting or posting links to sites for massive game downloads is considered posting links to Warez and is not allowed. Also see: Posting/requesting (links to) Game Downloads
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v3 Arcade
for vBulletin 3.6.1
=================================

"v3 Arcade" is the third Arcade system I've written for vBulletin. It's coded from scratch, not a port of an older version - and because it was coded specifically for vBulletin 3.6 it uses the product system for code modifications, and utilizes AJAX technology throughout. Here's a brief rundown of the features in this version of v3 Arcade.

- Supports both v3 Arcade and iB games.
- Download *legal* free, premium and multiplayer games directly from v3arcade.com to your Arcade installation.
- Import script to convert your old v3 Arcade installation. (A script to import games, scores and news from old IBPro installations is available here, thanks to Tigga: http:www.v3arcade.com/forums/showthread.php?t=324)
- AJAX based instant ratings, for simple to use game ratings.
- AJAX based inline score moderation.
- AJAX based instant game searching.
- Tabbed, customizable categories.
- Challenge system for one-on-one contests.
- User-permission based settings for email/PM notification, challenge settings.
- Streamlined viewing modes for users with lower resolutions.
- AJAX based quick stats, for viewing statistics by passing the cursor over a username.
- Mass import tools for importing games in bulk.
- Reverse and decimal based scoring.
- Arcade-only closure with customizable message.
- Per game criteria, allows you to control access to games by reputation, posts, registration length.
- Postbit based awards.
- Personalized recommendations for other games users might like, based on what they?re playing.
- Quick stats, letting a user know how many other scores are above and below theirs.
- Score ranking.
- Admin customizable ?score feedback?, displays a message based on how well as user has done.
- Numerous Admin CP settings to control things like popup opacity, maximum comment length, hover delay length, and numerous other behaviors.
- Full admin control over the types of content allowed in comments (BB code, HTML, smilies, etc.)
- Usergroup based access permissions.
- Fully phrased, for each translation into other languages.
- An ever growing collection of third party add-ons, thanks to Oblivion Knight.
- A slick, professional layout.

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Change Log
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1.0.0 - First public release.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

1.0.1 - Bug fixes and feature release.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
- More visible postbit award presence.
- Reverse scoring option added to games.
- Data dictionary implementation, makes sure the Arcade database changes are correctly made.
- Template grouping.
- "Posts in the last 24 hours" criteria added to games.

1.0.5 - Bug fixes and feature release.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
- Added search on/off toggle function in Admin CP.
- Opera compatibility fixed.
- Welcome message now an Admin CP option.
- Use "Miniature Mode" By Default option added to the Admin CP.
- New AJAX based favorites system.
- Hooks in place for vbBux integration (coming soon from CMX_CMGSCCC)
- Per-category on/off settings.
- Default user settings for challenges and notifications.
- Database error when pruning a user?s scores with table prefix.
- Database error when viewing distinct high scores when the table is empty.
- Notification bug fixes, users should now be notified based on their Arcade settings.
- Timestamp bug fixed for news and events.

1.0.6 - Bug fixes.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
- Fixed a bug where unregistered users could challenge people in the Arcade.
- "Wipe All Scores" tool added.
- "arcade_award_bit" template is now cached correctly.

1.0.7 - Features and Bug fixes.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
- Guests can now play games, but their scores aren't recorded. If a guest plays a game, they're asked to register if they want their score recorded afterwards.
- Admins can now wipe all scores through the Admin CP.
- Admins now have a tool to enable challenges by default for all users.
- Usergroup requirements for games are now in place.
- Admins can now choose to flip the columns and have the smaller panel on the left, with the larger content area on the right.
- News & Events - now entries contain links to games.
- Numerous bug fixes.
- Mass category changer for altering game categories en masse.
- High score rebuilder in the Admin CP.


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Branding Free
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All v3 Arcade installations carry and require a small "v3 Arcade" logo in the footer, as well as the text "Powered by v3 Arcade" which links to http:www.v3arcade.com. For information on legally removing the branding, please visit www.v3arcade.com.


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www.v3arcade.com
=================================

If you're looking for more games, add-ons, support, tutorials, or anything Arcade related - www.v3arcade.com is the place to go.

Bug tracking: http://www.v3arcade.com/forums/vbugs.php

You can contact me directly at john@v3arcade.com for support.


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Many thanks to...
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- All branding-free customers and donors, for supporting the project.
- Oblivion Knight, for his work on the forums and great add-ons.
- Snowy, for his work on the forums.
- Andreas a.k.a. KirbyDE, for his vB 3.5 tutorials.


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Copyright
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All code in distributed in this zip is Copyright ?2005 John Warwick, with the following exceptions:
class_tar.php - Credits within.
All Actionscript code within the included .swf files, unless otherwise noted.

[Deepdog009]

My bad, I forgot about that obstacle. I will delete them...<>

MarcoH64 I will C if I can get permission in the future...<>

[Hornstar]

v3arcade is now closed for 1-2 weeks for maintance wtf lol He is meant to be releasing the new version last week, now I bet it wont happen for quite some time. and as im a premium member on his site, he doesnt even let us know whats going on.

[bairy]

Originally Posted by Mark.B

I do get the feeling that periodically he gets "inspired", updates the arcade, but then when it starts to feel like a chore again and people are pressuring him he loses interest, I can understand that if it is indeed the case.

I think this is the most likely explanation too.

The thing to me is that, yes he did promise 12th May, and before that 1st March and probably before that too, and yes he isn't good at communicating.
But, v3 v1.0.6 is actually pretty good. It does what it's supposed to and has nice features.

People who whine because he's not constantly releasing new versions really piss me off. I understand he's going well past his quoted days and there are some valid points to the complaints, but since whining about it clearly isn't going to get it released any faster and it may well demoralise and demotivate him, what's the point?
Just accept that it will come out when it comes out. Check the site occasionally but don't hang on every day late like it's the end of the world.

/My Opinion

[Marco van Herwaarden]

Originally Posted by Deepdog009

My bad, I forgot about that obstacle. I will delete them...<>

MarcoH64 I will C if I can get permission in the future...<>

Thank you for your fast response.

[Phooey]

Originally Posted by bairy

I think this is the most likely explanation too.

The thing to me is that, yes he did promise 12th May, and before that 1st March and probably before that too, and yes he isn't good at communicating.
But, v3 v1.0.6 is actually pretty good. It does what it's supposed to and has nice features.

People who whine because he's not constantly releasing new versions really piss me off. I understand he's going well past his quoted days and there are some valid points to the complaints, but since whining about it clearly isn't going to get it released any faster and it may well demoralise and demotivate him, what's the point?
Just accept that it will come out when it comes out. Check the site occasionally but don't hang on every day late like it's the end of the world.

/My Opinion

I couldn't agree more. I think John makes a great product, and it's free, so there's no one has any right to complain about it.

[malisert]

I have just installed it.But I had database problem.I completely installed it.What is the reason of that?

[Mark.B]

Originally Posted by bairy

I think this is the most likely explanation too.

The thing to me is that, yes he did promise 12th May, and before that 1st March and probably before that too, and yes he isn't good at communicating.
But, v3 v1.0.6 is actually pretty good. It does what it's supposed to and has nice features.

People who whine because he's not constantly releasing new versions really piss me off. I understand he's going well past his quoted days and there are some valid points to the complaints, but since whining about it clearly isn't going to get it released any faster and it may well demoralise and demotivate him, what's the point?
Just accept that it will come out when it comes out. Check the site occasionally but don't hang on every day late like it's the end of the world.

/My Opinion

I also agree.

John's was the first arcade I ever used back on vB 3.0. Back then they were much less common than they are now, and his product truly revolutionised my site in terms of what it could offer people.

These days I run both v3Arcade *and* ibproarcade, and wouldn't want to be without either.

John's current version of the arcade offers everything I could possibly need, I have customised it a bit in terms of layout but the basic functionality is all there, with a couple of OK's add-ons to go with it.

John will be back I am sure, but people really need to get off his back and let him get on with it, he always comes up with the goods eventually and he will do so again.

[Mark.B]

Originally Posted by malisert

I have just installed it.But I had database problem.I completely installed it.What is the reason of that?

You'd need to post a bit more information on exactly what goes wrong and what the error messages are.

It may be worth installing a copy of your board (password protected as per licence) and installing the arcade on there first, so you can troubleshoot and get copies of errors etc.

[ijob]

In case you?re wondering what?s going on with the v3 Arcade site, there?s a lot happening at the present moment. It?s pretty hectic, and trying to get everything done at once is part of the reason why the next release of the Arcade was delayed. Here?s a little news bulletin to keep you up to date with what?s going on.

The v3 Arcade site
The v3 Arcade site is finally undergoing a major overhaul. That?s not the reason it?s closed, though - as you can imagine what with the site redesign and the new release of the Arcade I?m pretty busy, and to make matters worse I?m having server issues causing random MySQL errors to be thrown out straight to my email address. At the same time, I needed to move to another server to handle the increased load on the site - so, to kill two birds with one stone, I?ve decided to close the forums temporarily, get the new site implemented, and reopen with a new release on the new server. Sorry for the lack of warning, but I think it?ll be worth the wait. :-)

So, what?s up with the new release?
The next release is going to be big in that it contains as many features suggestions (from the forums) as I could fit in. The problem with doing this is that it just seems to go on and on, there was a lot more to do than I anticipated. Because I have lots of other commitments, I?m not going to reset the release date - I want to make sure it?s a good release, rather than one which I rushed to get out of the door on time. I apologise for setting a release date and not managing to stick to it though, you know what I?m like when it comes to scheduled releases! I?m sure that when it?s released, you?re all going to be pleased with the new features. :-)

Whatever happened to v3 Arcade Pro?
The release after next, you?ll be seeing v3 Arcade Pro. I don?t want to get started on the feature list here as it?s a little premature to be talking about it, what with the next release coming up soon. One thing I can say is that it?ll be platform independent - you can run it without vBulletin, or you can integrate it with any popular forum software. (Including vBulletin, iPB, phpBB, and a few more.) And yes, there?ll be a lot of exciting stuff in it. :-)

As you might have guessed by the title, it?s not going to be free - but the changes are going to be well worth the small license fee. However, as a way of saying thanks to everyone who has supported me in the past, anyone who has ever donated to me via PayPal will receive a free license. For branding-free users, their branding-free license will extend to the new version of v3 Arcade Pro.

So, what was up with the games distribution system?
As you may have noticed, we never really added any other games to the game distribution system. Unfortunately it was just a matter of time - because of real life commitments, time spent working on the multiplayer gaming, new modifications, etc. - I never got around to finding people who were willing to have their games distributed via our system. That?s where I need your help!

I?d really like the distribution system to be used as an effective way of getting games into your Arcades, quickly and easily. What I need is 3-4 people with good communication skills to volunteer to collaborate with me to make an effort to get game authors on board when it comes to distributing their games with us. I can provide more details of exactly what is involved, send me an email at john -at- eovie.co.uk if you?re interested. And yes, there?ll be perks!

Well, thanks for reading this far. Email me if you have any questions, and sorry about the site downtime - looking forward to seeing you all at the new site.

http://www.v3arcade.com/forums/index.php

[zappsan]

Originally Posted by ijob

http://www.v3arcade.com/forums/index.php

So he didn't let us down *phew*
I was a little afraid that after all the comments he received from people, he would.

I'm just glad there is a sign of him, even though the thing I would like to have the most - more games won't be there.

I'd be happy to do about everything to make the whole process go faster, but I don't think I'd be suitable for something like talking to game authors *sighs*

Anyway, I really hope the site will be back soon...