Add-On Releases - vBExperience 3.8

vBExperience 3.8 (aka xPerience)

Created by Marius Czyz aka Phalynx.

Triple Winner of the "Mod of the Month"-Award (March 2008, September 2009, July 2010) on vBulletin.org.

A version for vBulletin 4.0 has been released! Thread: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=245023


vBExperience 3.8.6 is currently (August 2010) in development.


Description
vBExperience is your feature packaged solution for motivation and satisfying your users. vBExperience is an advanced Level/Promotion and Activity System with Shop, Awards and Activities. It will calculate an activity and experience score for every user based on their activites on the forum. Now your users will see how their level is increasing by participating on your forum.

This mod was developed by me because I was never satisfied with the post count. Communities are not only defined by post count, they need much more parameters: Are the postings the user creates helpful? Are his threads frequently read? Does the user participate on the community by posting pictures, attachments, leaving visitor messages, tagging threads? All this can be answered with this mod.

Comments, suggestions, translations, bugs, etc... are very welcome! Support is only given to people who have clicked Mark as Installed.


Compatibility
This mod will work with vBulletin 3.7.x and 3.8.x. For vBulletin 3.6 you will need vBExperience 3.7



Demo:
http://www.insideearth.net/xperience.php?langid=5

Demo 3.8.6:
http://www.insidetwoworlds.com/xperience.php

Other Demo Site:
http://www.insidesupcom.de/xperience.php?langid=1


There are mainly four things visible for the users: The users score, his level, his next level up in %/points and his activity in %.


Calculation of the score
Taken into calculation are these things:
Threads
- Created threads
- Thread views of own threads
- Thread replies of own threads
- Thread votes of own threads
- Thread tags
- Replies to own threads
- Sticky threads
- Socialgroup Discussions (Discussions, Posts)

Posts
- Created posts
- Views on attachments

User
- Days since registration
- Average posts per Day (for users who are on forum for at least seven days)
- Referrals
- Received infractions
- Reputation / Use of reputation system
- Visitor messages on profiles
- Members of own social groups
- Albumpictures
- Friends
- Completing Profile

Misc
- Calendar entries


Additionally there is support for 3rd party addons (some are already installed):
- vB Tournaments and Ladders (via CDP Addon)
- Post Ranking System (via CDP Addon)
- Helpful Answers (via CDP Addon)
- AWCoding-Donation System LITE and PRO (via CDP Addon)
- Cyb Paypal Donate (included)
- DownloadsII (included)
- ibProArcade Highscorer Points (via CDP Addon)
- LDM Links and Downloads Manager (included)
- PhotoPlog 2.1 (via CDP Addon)
- PhotoPost vBGallery (via CDP Addon)
- PhotoPost Pro (via CDP Addon)
- Post Thank You / Use of Post Thank You (via CDP Addon)
- QuoteIt! 3.16 (via CDP Addon)
- SAPR: Advanced Post Rating system (via CDP Addon)
- thanks via vS-Hide Hack Resurrection (Expanded Edition) (included)
- v3arcade Highscorer Points (via CDP Addon)
- v3arcade Submissions Points (via CDP Addon)
- vBulletin Blog (included)
- Who Downloaded This Attachment? (included)
- Other Addons can be easily added via CDP - Custom Data Provider plugins.

Additionally you can install these modifications:
- Thread Necromancer: Gives (minus-) points when a user is posting in old threads.
- Scrupulous Poster: Gives points for editing posts. Award users that are editing own posts instead of doing double post.
- Deletion Addicted: Gives points when an user/nod soft-deletes post, thread, visitormessage, groupmessage or picturecomment.
- Arm of Law: Give points for moderators who are using the infraction system
- Discussion Ender: Give points for people who are the last on a discussion
- RadioActivity: Reduce points for every day the user is not online

Also, there are already addons available that are working as Custom Data Provider (CDP). A CDP can extend vBExperience by collecting data and adding it to the vBExperience datastore. All point providers can be used for Awards and Shop.

You have to install these hacks for your own, vBExperience doesn't install nor touches these.


vBAdvanced
There are three vBAdvanced 3.0 XML modules: Most Active Users, Most Experienced Users and Last 20 Activities. Import them via vBAdvanced AdminCP.


Awards
There are six default awards: Most Popular, Activity Award, Posting Award, Community Award, Frequent Poster, Blog Award, Calendar Award. The awards are shown in Rankings and Profile. You can set them also to display in postbit near the username. There is a scheduled job running once a day (02:30h) to calculate them.
Via AdminCP they are completely customizeable and can also be assigned manually.
Awards can be created for every data provider.


Rankings
Showing User, Level, Awards, Activity Points (experience, thread, post, user, misc) - sortable.
Since 3.8.3, there is a also a ranking for Social Groups

Shop
A virtual Shop will motivate your users to earn more points. You can define categories and put virtual items with pictures in it. A currency can be defined seperatly for every item, e.g. 20 points from threads or 100 points from gallery. Users can purchase the items, they appear in their profile. The costs of the item are substracted from their xperience points. Additionally you can set quantity of the items.
The Shop will motivate your users to collect specific points to buy an item. Optionally you can show the last purchased items on postbit.
You can put virtual items in it, like WoW addons: Sell WoW Items in exchange of f.e. thread points. Great for RPG forums.
Non-Virtual Items like bold Usernames or Downloads for Points are already on my todo list.

Earn Points
There is an overview for the user on how points can be collected, with a list of users own points. All data is beeing pulled from the database (settings, phrases)

Statistics
The statistics is showing a Top-X list of the leading users. Usefull for optimizing points of the point provider. Only enabled point providers with results will be displayed.


Promotion system
To motivate users to do more on your forum I created the promotion system. By reaching defined xperience points the user will be moved to another usergroup - where you can set graphics, shadows, highlighting, etc... What is interesting in combination with this: you can give the user more possibilities f.e. larger avatars or bigger PM box. A log of the promotions is available.


Calculation of the activity
The system calculates the activity by taking the average post count/visitormessages/group discussion/Blog entries of the ten most active user and comparing it to own post count. This can be set to count only the last X days, f.e. 21 days.


Settings
You can control how many points are given to every calculation. For example you can give many points for creating new threads but only a few for views of that thread. Setting a value to 0 will disable a setting.
Additionally, you can set ignore users (f.e. for bot users), forums (f.e. offtopic forums) and usergroup id's.


Performance, Big Boards
vBExperience has been tested on smaller and also on some bigger sites. I know from boards with around 120k users running this mod smoothly. More about this topic can be read in the file readme_optimization.txt


Frequently asked questions
Q: How do I change the name Experience to something new?
A: You can change the name via phrases. Just search and replace all phrases that contains vBExperience.

Q: When installing vBExperience, does everyone start from scratch, or will it automatically configure everyone's points based on actions before the install?
A: If you recount, vBExperience will calculate ALL existing data since the beginning of the board.

Known Issues:
- Awards: On "Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread" awards are only shown for the user who is viewing this.
- Awards: If activated in with rich username, they are attached to the username. If the username is linked, the awards are also linked. If a link is underlined, the awards are also underlined. This behaviour is hardcoded in vBulletin and cannot be fixed.
- Settings are showing only a blank page, read here: http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/proje...6979#note74140
- If you completely remove vBExperience, you need also to uninstall the product XML manually from the pluginssystem

Credits for icons
- FAMFAMFAM, http://www.famfamfam.com/lab/icons/silk/
- IconExperience


History
3.8.4.3 / 3.8.5 Beta 5, 10th July 2011
- Prio 1 security patch, please update just xperience.php!


3.8.5 Beta 4, 25th September 2009
- Promotions: Listing now also the last Usergroup. Please notice the new settings for nethermost/uppermost usergroups.
- Several minor cosmetic changes
- Clear Activities (except Shop)
- Fixed error with GetActivityAll() on profile
- Several Beta 3 fixes

3.8.5 Beta 3, 18th September 2009
- Fixed Promotions
- Fixed Notifications
- Added Activities to Promotions
- All Activities are not obeying limit
- AdminCP/Experience has a recount for Promotions and Achievements
- Fixed listing of Achievements with Firefox
- Several Beta 2 fixes

3.8.5 Beta 2, 02nd September 2009
- Just a short note: Condition in Achievements and Promotions are calculated in POINTS, not in counts of items.
If you choose 10 Day, you must enter the points needed for this.
For example: You have an achievement for 10 days. You have set 2 points for every day since registering. Calculation: 10*2 = 20
You will have to set 20 as the condition.
- New tabbed interface. If you want to change the style, edit the template xperience_navbar_css
- Promotions now showing usergroups and conditions for a promotion to the next group
- You can import old vBExperience Legacy promotions (that were created within level.xml)
- Achievements in Profile
- Achievements below Avatar
- Several Beta 1 fixes

3.8.5 Beta 1, 28th August 2009
- Achievements!
- Promotions!
- Notification on Awards, Promotions and Achievements
- GAP: Empty pointfields will not be displayed anymore
- Activity: Showing percent values with a decimal
- Activities now also for users
- Awards below Avatar
- Default Awards are now also creating new category
- Shop: Fixed issue in not returning cash on sells
- Reworked Edit Shop Items



For more see history.txt

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by RaZoRShawN

SUGGESTION 1
Add the links to mods/hack that are being supported by vBeXperience.

Sounds nice, but this would mean to keep all links updated, also during updates. Too much work for me.

Originally Posted by RaZoRShawN

SUGGESTION 2
Name of the hack small/big letters, my vote is:

vBeXperience

There is different naming being used in different files/forums etc.
There should be one name, since this might be one of the best hack ever...
Think about it

And THX again for great HACK!
Support is also unbelievable !!!

Some users are naming that product like they want. It has been called earlier "xPerience", but I named it with a more vBulletin touch "vBExperience".

[Dutch_Boy]

In the readme file there is a line saying that i have to turn off the vbulletin promotion mod. Where can i turn it off? I cant find it.

Dont know if thats the problem why my promotion stuff didnt work.

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by Dutch_Boy

In the readme file there is a line saying that i have to turn off the vbulletin promotion mod. Where can i turn it off? I cant find it.

Dont know if thats the problem why my promotion stuff didnt work.

No, it says:
This will replace the internal vB promotions. If you enable this system, make sure that you delete any promotions that could collide with Experience. Also, take care that the promotions are overwritten the primary group of every user.

[RaZoRShawN]

Originally Posted by Phalynx

Sounds nice, but this would mean to keep all links updated, also during updates. Too much work for me.

Nah... all the hacks has one supporting site (main one)... once You give direction for the link everybody will be able to track the supported hack by them-self, no need to update.
The problem is that some of the hacks are difficult to target, once targeted there will be no problem.

There is lots of people who can support You in doing things. (updating readme.txt etc.)

-----------------------------

If You really think that links might be a problem, my idea is that we can add coder name at least
ex.:
- ibProArcade Highscorer Points (via CDP Addon) Origin Hack by MrZeropage --- will be enough to target the proper hack.

Originally Posted by Phalynx

Some users are naming that product like they want. It has been called earlier "xPerience", but I named it with a more vBulletin touch "vBExperience".

I have suggestion for You nick also

Ph4LynX

since You R c0d3R and h4ckZ0R (joke)

Originally Posted by Phalynx

No, it says:
This will replace the internal vB promotions. If you enable this system, make sure that you delete any promotions that could collide with Experience. Also, take care that the promotions are overwritten the primary group of every user.

Meaning:

-Create new User Groups
-Add new ranks to the proper groups (original vb promotions are based on post count, so add new ranks with Minimum Posts 0 --- will not create problems with the vBeXperience promotion system.
-update(edit) ex.: vbexperience_level_2_average.xml with the proper usergroupid values (from the new groups that you have created)

$vbulletin->db->query_write("INSERT INTO " . TABLE_PREFIX . "xperience_level (xperience_points, xperience_level, usergroupid) VALUES (50,1,9)");

-import new(updated by You) vbexperience_level_2_average.xml

DONE

Enabling internal promotion system of vBeXperience will promote users to usergroups based on eXperience level (values) from now.

See Also
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showpost....postcount=1013

for details of editing and rules of doing such.

[Phalynx]

Yes, naming the coder would be good.

There is lots of people who can support You in doing things. (updating readme.txt etc.)

Maybe, but why nobody is helping me then? I asked already multiple times for such a help, since the first version of vBExperience in 2006. Nobody (zero, null) said he would help me. So I doubt it also this time.

[RaZoRShawN]

Originally Posted by Phalynx

Yes, naming the coder would be good.

ISSUE1
OK. Help me to identify all for first time I will update the readme.txt for You.

Originally Posted by Phalynx

Maybe, but why nobody is helping me then? I asked already multiple times for such a help, since the first version of vBExperience in 2006. Nobody (zero, null) said he would help me. So I doubt it also this time.

ISSUE2
Do not /dev nuLL me!

PM me with the infos about ISSUE1, i will extract the support informations and will do the update the readme.txt and others if necessary and will send you back to be implemented.
I will use as a basis the ones from vBExperience_3841.zip

[Dutch_Boy]

Originally Posted by Phalynx

Yes, naming the coder would be good.


Maybe, but why nobody is helping me then? I asked already multiple times for such a help, since the first version of vBExperience in 2006. Nobody (zero, null) said he would help me. So I doubt it also this time.

Why dont you put it in your main post. In red so everyone see it

And im still busy translating to dutch. Damn allot of text to translate :P Gonna translate the readme to.

[EidolonAH]

Greetings Marius, I was wondering if you are still going to add the ability to have shop items link to actual downloads. If memory serves you said it might be released in 3.8.4 version, but I see it didn't make it in that time around. I would like very much to be able to use your mod on our Skin site but we really need linked items before I can install this, is there a real estimation of when you might include the items being able to link to download files?

[SEW810]

Welcome back Phalynx

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by Dutch_Boy

Why dont you put it in your main post. In red so everyone see it

And im still busy translating to dutch. Damn allot of text to translate :P Gonna translate the readme to.

Waiting for your Translation In normal case the language file is enough.

Originally Posted by EidolonAH

Greetings Marius, I was wondering if you are still going to add the ability to have shop items link to actual downloads. If memory serves you said it might be released in 3.8.4 version, but I see it didn't make it in that time around. I would like very much to be able to use your mod on our Skin site but we really need linked items before I can install this, is there a real estimation of when you might include the items being able to link to download files?

Yes, it is still on my todo list. For 3.8.5 there will be reworked User promotion system, additionally achievement (which are almost finished) and also the linkable items. As to the linked items we need to talk seperatly via PM.

Originally Posted by SEW810

Welcome back Phalynx

Thanks