Administrative and Maintenance Tools - Miserable Users

As of 23 Nov 2017 this modification has been withdrawn.

The ever popular "Miserable Users" modification.

Basically a way to really annoy anyone you don't want visiting your forum. 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 they will get redirected to another preset page (25% & homepage by default).
4. A chance they will simply get a blank page (25% by default).

If they get past all this okay, then they will be served up their proper page.

Note: All the above are set in vBulletin Options > Miserable Users.

To Install ;

Download the xml file to your pc and import it into vbulletin as a product.
Ceate your 'Miserable Users' usergroup and set the value of this group, and your preferred other settings, in the modifications settings (vBulletin Options > Miserable Users).


To make a member suffer just edit their profile - add them to the Miserable Users group (it will work as either the primary group or as a secondary group). There is also the option to set ip addresses.


History:

v4.0.1 : 24-Dec-2009 : Initial release for vb 4.0.0 Gold.
v4.0.2 : 20-Jan-2010 : Not released.
v4.0.3 : 26-Jan-2010 : Various updates.
v4.0.4 : 16-Feb-2010 : Fix server busy, phrase blank page message.
v4.0.5 : 18-Feb-2010 : Installer update.
v4.0.6 : 07-Mar-2010 : Changed the way the delay works.
v4.0.7 : 29-May-2010 : Fix error in upgrade section of install code.
v4.0.8 : 06-Nov-2010 : Install code updated.

v4.1.0 : 04-Dec-2010 : Updated for vBulletin 4.1.

v4.1.7.0 : 16-Oct-2011 : Updated for vBulletin 4.1.7.

v4.2.0.0 : 24-May-2012 : Updated for vBulletin 4.2.0.

[lazytown]

Originally Posted by Videx

I think you're obsessing for no reason. Assuming your forum is so incredibly busy with griefers that you would even think about using this more than once a month, what's wrong with using the automatic infraction system to engage it?

Maybe you just need to promote more admins - how many do you have now on such a busy site?

Also know that these days this mod is becoming a lot less effective since people have access to a lot of different computers in a way they didn't a few years ago.

Obsessing? I made one post. Yes it's incredibly busy.. Why don't you worry about how you run your forum and I'll worry about mine. I know what works on mine. This is about the mod's features -- having it accessed by supermods and not only admins. No I don't want to use infractions for this because it defeats the point of them seeing their infractions (and hiding the power of MM). If you use infractions with MM, you basically can't use it for anything else.

You're arguing against the usefulness of this mod... It IS quite useful, and if mods can permanently BAN a member, they surely should be able to make them MM (which is a slightly lower action to take).

[Max Taxable]

Originally Posted by vissa

Obsessing? I made one post. Yes it's incredibly busy.. Why don't you worry about how you run your forum and I'll worry about mine. I know what works on mine. This is about the mod's features -- having it accessed by supermods and not only admins. No I don't want to use infractions for this because it defeats the point of them seeing their infractions (and hiding the power of MM). If you use infractions with MM, you basically can't use it for anything else.

You're arguing against the usefulness of this mod... It IS quite useful, and if mods can permanently BAN a member, they surely should be able to make them MM (which is a slightly lower action to take).

I might be wrong, but I am thinking that in your moderator permissions you can allow "manage usergroups" and this will allow them to put users in the "Miserable Users" usergroup.

[lazytown]

Originally Posted by Max Taxable

I might be wrong, but I am thinking that in your moderator permissions you can allow "manage usergroups" and this will allow them to put users in the "Miserable Users" usergroup.

Unfortunately, that option doesn't exist.

[Max Taxable]

Originally Posted by vissa

Unfortunately, that option doesn't exist.

Yes if you make them Super Moderators, you can permission them to manage usergroups. Therefore they will be able to place users in this MU group.

[Paul M]

There is no such ability in default vBulletin.

[Max Taxable]

Originally Posted by Paul M

There is no such ability in default vBulletin.

So... They would have to make them a administrator, and set permissions the same as a super moderator, or even less - with the exception of the ability to manage usergroups?

Could they create a new usergroup based off the administrator usergroup, call it something like "Board Moderator" and do the same thing?

[lazytown]

Originally Posted by Max Taxable

So... They would have to make them a administrator, and set permissions the same as a super moderator, or even less - with the exception of the ability to manage usergroups?

Could they create a new usergroup based off the administrator usergroup, call it something like "Board Moderator" and do the same thing?

Thanks for the suggestion, but this won't work (I already tried it). There are some features administrators have that cannot be turned off. They unfortunately can't be made to just have mod powers.

[Max Taxable]

Originally Posted by vissa

Thanks for the suggestion, but this won't work (I already tried it). There are some features administrators have that cannot be turned off. They unfortunately can't be made to just have mod powers.

I have one such administrator, done this way so he could manage only smilies. And that's all he has powers for above and beyond a moderator. But then again I use v3.8.7 not v4 so, maybe there's a difference there.

[Mark.B]

Just a quickie on this, but I never realised this until today when I caught someone doing it.

Miserable users doesn't work on the archive. Meaning people smart enough (as my user was) can at least READ posts by using the archive link.

I fixed this by copying the contacts of the Miserable Users plugin at global_bootstrap_init_start, into a new plugin at archive_global.

It *seems* to work ok, I haven't done extensive testing though so don't blame me if anything goes wrong.

[Paul M]

No it doesnt. I was actually aware of that, but no one has ever mentioned it until now.

The main reason I guess is that you cannot post from the archive, its more or less the same as logging out and reading as a guest.