Administrative and Maintenance Tools - Miserable Users

As of 24 Nov 2017 this modification has been withdrawn.

The ever popular "miserable users" hack for vb 3.8.

Basically a way to really annoy anyone you don't want visiting your forum. This version is based on the vb 3.7 version. Credit to Zzed for the original idea.

When classed as miserable, a member suffers ;

1. Slow response (time delay) on every page (20 to 60 seconds default).
2. A chance they will get the "server busy" message (50% by default).
3. A chance that no search facilities will be available (75% by default).
4. A chance they will get redirected to another preset page (25% & homepage by default).
5. A chance they will simply get a blank page (25% by default).
6. Post flood limit increased by a defined factor (10 times by default).
7. If they get past all this okay, then they will be served up their proper page.

Note: All the above options are set in the vBulletin Options.

To install this hack simply download the xml file to your pc and then import it into vbulletin as a product - then create your 'miserable users' usergroup and set the value of this group, and your preferred other settings, in the hacks settings area (vBulletin Oprions > Miserable Users). To make a member suffer just edit their profile to add them to the miserable users group (it will work as either the primary group or as a secondary group).


History:

v3.8.001 - Initial vB 3.8 release.

[Paul M]

Its impossible for a disabled mod to have any effect. Vb does not even load the code.

[Phaedrus]

Originally Posted by terracore

I recommend you upgrade. I had this mod installed. I had no usergroups assigned to be a "miserable user" and the plugin was disabled via the control panel. When I upgraded to 3.7.4 to 3.8.0 about 20% of my users started complaining about the pages not loading. It took almost a week of my time troubleshooting the problem. IT WAS THIS MOD (the previous version). There was no rhyme or reason to explain why 20% of the users were randomly being affected, or how a disabled mod could do this, or why upgrading to 3.8.0. caused this to happen.

If you are having this problem you might not even know it. Take a look at your stats and see if they suddenly dropped off after upgrading to 3.8.0.

Nah, I've actually had a rise in posts since the upgrade. But then I have use of the hack to begin with. There was this one poster, it was absolutely magical...

Seriously good stuff.

[AMUforums]

Originally Posted by Steeler Nation

Then why post it unless it's been improved somehow?

The better question might be, what changes have been made?

[terracore]

Originally Posted by Paul M

Its impossible for a disabled mod to have any effect. Vb does not even load the code.

Not according to the vbulletin developer who helped me find and fix this problem. This was actually their first suggestion but I too thought it was "impossible" and didn't listen to their advice and spent a week chasing ghosts in the machine that didn't exist.

[Paul M]

Then it wasnt disabled.

[GrendelKhan{TSU]

I love this add-on. one of my favorite in the history of vb. props paul!



______________

btw.... hope this is ok to ask here (paul feel free to edit if not with my apologizes)
I have particularily persistent troll. Does know a url of a site or page with a bad pop-up pornado or malware/virus? or both it might be worthwhile to have a miserable user troll redirect to that site on occasion. (PM me if not)
(right now we have it set to redirect to a random site everyonce in a while - I think I set it to 15% of the time and that just annoys him).

Point: aggressive extra deterent.

its one thing to get redirected to a random or shocking site, but someone would might be very fearful of getting redirected to site that gets them stuck in a pornado bomb and/or potentially damaging to there computer.

hell I know I would.

[Paul M]

Sorry but I would not ever condone using it to do such a thing.

[TheArve]

Thanks for this,, really appreciate ur time taken,

CHeers

thearve

[SloppyGoat]

I actually left this installed when I upgraded from 3.6.5 to 3.8.0, and it still seems to work fine.

[GrendelKhan{TSU]

Originally Posted by Paul M

Sorry but I would not ever condone using it to do such a thing.

fair enough.

apologizes for the post then. I fear my level of spite for trolls has led me down the dark side. luuuuke!! I am your father!!!!!