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

[dollster68]

Hello. Just installed; thank you. I've started to fill the "shop" and I'm wondering where those images are displayed once a member purchases them? Is there a gallery of purchased items? Also, can the shop items be gifted?

Additionally, I currently run Post Hack Thank you 7.7, so I install the Post Thanks add-on included in the download? What does this do? Does it allow vBexperience to utilize the "thanks" count?

Looks like vBexperience is already counting the gallery additions. I use Album Pictures 2.0. Is this correct?

[Joshkrz]

Just incase you didn't know, when I got the three fiends achievement, I look on the achievement page and it said 1 user had it and that I didn't (which I do). It also said that I needed nine firends and that I had eight (when I have four).

Im using the beta version by the way .

Still the achievements are great, thanks again for this mod.

[SEW810]

Originally Posted by FRANKTHETANK 2

how does the addons work? I upload it in the plugins and products but what do I do after that to edit them?

You don't need to edit anything pal, add ons are just for SETTING UP points.
I mean, installing add ons you can give activity points for thanks given, files uploaded, v3 arcade champinships won, etc.

[FitgirlWorld]

any way to restart VBExperience calculations from today? Instead of entire forum history?

thanks!

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by Sayid

Very good option

can,t wait for the beta4

I have a suggestion , can you make an importer that Imports gifts and items from vBPlaza ? I think It is already in todo list

Maybe someone other will pick this up?

Originally Posted by egerci

Shortly If I get a item as a gift , I couldn't do anything with this item even buy new this item ot I have more than one this item
Thanks

Known issue, will be fixed.

Originally Posted by ThePimp

Is there a way to reset points to 0 but keep the Experience?

I'm considering using this for running different contests, but to keep it fair, everyone needs to start at 0, and reset for each time a new contest begins.

No, not possible.

Originally Posted by gamerfu

Hey Phalynx, have you been able to look into the calculation problems yet?

I PM'd you the info.

I didn't had the time, sorry.

Originally Posted by Cla75

I installed this mod yesterday and I have performed several times "Recount."
In "vBExperience: Points" I have 2 set to the "Points for thanks" and "should be given points for thanking"
The user profile I see no of thanks received and donated, BUT in vBExperience see all earn more points but no thanks

Why?

Thanks for the support.

Did you installed also the hack for post thanks integration in vBExperience?

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by BWJ

running 3.8.2 and experience 3.8.5 beta3

Problem with the social group ranking.

- Doesn't show number of total members for each individual group. Like group A has 7 members, group B has 5 members. All is set to what is set in the admin panel. E.g. if
'How many Members should a SG have to be included in Rankings? Enter a 0 to disable this'
is set to 1 every group only seems to have 1 member.

- By the way if you set the minimum number to like 2 or 3, the groups in the 'social group ranking' disappear completely...

Cannot confirm that. Working perfectly on my test and live forums.

Originally Posted by hqlman

is there a way to add a space between the user title and the first bars title in postbit?

Simply edit the template xperience_gfx and add a   at the top.

Originally Posted by matthewhotdude

Have you a list of why people loose points? members on my site have been asking, thanks

Click on "Details on Points"

Originally Posted by XManuX

Nice add-on.

Could use an update with the ability of creating my own items+associated scripts.
Would be nice to have at last the old items like :
- bold / italic / colored / glowing username
- changing title
- changing other user title
etc.

Asked almost every week, it is already on my todo list.

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by princeedward

is there anyone can tell me please how to centered the bar to postbit legacy style?

Wrap a <center>-tag around xperience_gfx

Originally Posted by SEW810

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Once again Winner of the MONTH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is GREAT, yes. Thank you all for your Support in this!

Originally Posted by BWJ

Question: Is there a sensible limit for how many achievements one should make? E.g. would 200 different achievements be too many for the system?

Depends on YOUR server. More achievements are consuming more resources...

Originally Posted by BWJ

Suggestion: Make it possible to collapse the Achievements' categories on the front end. Then it would be much easier to get an overview.

Nice idea.

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by ConfusedCartman

I'm using the latest non-beta version, and I have two related niggles to bring up:

First, users get 1XP for giving away XP. That's nice and all, but it's kind of backwards, at least from my view, and I don't have the option of customizing it or turning it off in the "points" configuration page.

Second, users can give points to themselves. While that doesn't do anything bad, it does leave them with an extra 1XP for giving away points, so they can do this as many times as they want and build up their XP.

As for solutions, I have two suggestions: allow us to configure the amount of XP rewarded to those who give away XP and/or compare the person giving away XP to the person receiving it, and if they're the same, deny the transaction completely.

A user does not get any XP if he is using GAP. That must be a mistake. Please show me the logs that are saying this.

Originally Posted by animcentral

it's really good to have an statistics to find xperience users per forums. I made most of my decisions base on users experience and sometimes need to find active users per forum.

Statistics per forum would eat too much resources.

Originally Posted by BigDog56

How can I change the achievement awards from 3 friends to 5, and days registered from 10 days to 365 days? I have searched and cannot find the answer.

Simply add required points for it. Edit the achievements and add the extra points needed for it.

Originally Posted by doubleclick

This must be a dumb question, since I can't find it asked anywhere, but where exactly do you download these options?

Thanks,
dc

ZIP, extras

Originally Posted by Lianelli

The YAAS (Yet another award s..) doesn't work well together with vBExperience. The award showcase from YAAS and vBE are both displayed on memberprofile page.

Is there a plugin/mod or code to fix this? Otherwise I'll fix it myself

What is the problem as they are displayed both? What do you expect from it? They are two complete different systems.

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by Sador

*Marks as installed*

It's too bad there isn't something like a way to buy other points or have a point like custom point that can buy any item, no matter what currency (points for threads or whatever) is decided.

Is something like that by any chance on your to do list?

Anyway, thanks for the great mod.

Added to my todo list.

Originally Posted by Mr. Brian

I'm abit confused as how the ponts being calculated actually :/ How can a user loss so many points in a day? Usually what caused a user to loss points?

A thread or a post got deleted, a friend removed you from buddy list, a thread is not more sticked, etc... All actions that are adding points are also substracting them if they are beeing removed.

Originally Posted by doubleclick

Where do you disable "give away points"?

Options.

Originally Posted by mikeinjersey

why does it still show my Social Groups stats & Visitor Messaging stats in the Statistics section even though I have those option disabled both in vbExperience and in Vbulletin CP ?

Or is there a way to choose what shows up in the Statistics section ?

You need to run recount to make such changes visible.

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by EidolonAH

Has anyone figured out a way of combining 'all' earned points into a single class of points for purchasing an item from the shop.
The system as it is now is awesome, but on my own site I should like all earned points to be spendable on all items.

The field you are looking for is called "Experience".

Originally Posted by FRANKTHETANK 2

how does the addons work? I upload it in the plugins and products but what do I do after that to edit them?

To get support, you will need to click "Mark as Installed".

Originally Posted by dollster68

Hello. Just installed; thank you. I've started to fill the "shop" and I'm wondering where those images are displayed once a member purchases them? Is there a gallery of purchased items? Also, can the shop items be gifted?

Check options. It can be displayed in profile and postbit.

Originally Posted by dollster68

Additionally, I currently run Post Hack Thank you 7.7, so I install the Post Thanks add-on included in the download? What does this do? Does it allow vBexperience to utilize the "thanks" count?

Yes.

Originally Posted by dollster68

Looks like vBexperience is already counting the gallery additions. I use Album Pictures 2.0. Is this correct?

Yes.

Originally Posted by Joshkrz

Just incase you didn't know, when I got the three fiends achievement, I look on the achievement page and it said 1 user had it and that I didn't (which I do). It also said that I needed nine firends and that I had eight (when I have four).

Im using the beta version by the way .

Still the achievements are great, thanks again for this mod.

It's counting in points, not in real items (as has been said multiple times already....). Check also the readme.

Originally Posted by FitgirlWorld

any way to restart VBExperience calculations from today? Instead of entire forum history?

thanks!

Not possible.