Add-On Releases - vBExperience

vBExperience 3.8 (aka xPerience)

Created by Marius Czyz aka Phalynx.

Winner of the "Mod of the Month"-Award (March 2008) on vBulletin.org.


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 Profile:
http://www.insideearth.net/member.php?u=1&langid=5

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

Demo Awards:
http://www.insidesupcom.de/xperience...wards&langid=1

Demo Promotions:
http://www.insidesupcom.de/xperience...=shop&langid=1

Demo Shop:
http://www.insideearth.net/xperience...=shop&langid=5

Demo Stats:
http://www.insideearth.net/xperience...stats&langid=5

Demo Earn Points:
http://www.insideearth.net/xperience...=earn&langid=5

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
3.8.5 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


Todo for Beta 3:
- Download files with vBExperience as a credit system ("LDM Links and Downloads Manager", "DownloadsII")
- Activity eraser
- AdminCP Permissions
- Advanced User Permissions


For more see history.txt

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by Probyte

Is there a way I can remove an itme from a user?

AdminCP, vBExperience, Manage Shop, Transactionlog.

Originally Posted by dapellegrini

- If I omit a specific user from Awards, where that user was winning them, the awards disappear completely and are not give to anyone else. This happens with both the standard awards (Activity, Posting, etc) and with custom Awards (I created one that just counts total Threads). * Perhaps this is part of a bug that was reported earlier?

Already reported multiple times, thanks. Will be fixed in Beta 3.

Originally Posted by Phoenixgal

I've got a few other Custom Styles on my forum...and the activity bars aren't showing up...can someone please help me....

There is a setting where you can activate it.

Originally Posted by Phoenixgal

also I never figured out how to put items in my shop...i don't seem to find the option to do this. and I've uninstalled and re-installed.

AdminCP, vBExperience, Manage Shop

Originally Posted by gamextract

Got the same problem. The bars below the username are not showing up. The bars show up on the default theme, but not on the custom theme.

You will need the template hooks. Take a look at readme_install_uninstall_upgrade.txt

Originally Posted by Phoenixgal

OK What just happened?

Your database is not updated. Uninstall XML, Install again.

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by crazzyustad

Can u please help me to customize the promotion thing...i am not getting how to use it

Please click Mark as Installed to get further Support.

Originally Posted by Probyte

Because I made a test item, bought it, then deleted the item from the shop and it says I still have it.

You need to delete transactions.

Originally Posted by Probyte

In the profile part (Where is shows the various statistics for vB Experience) says I have...
_________________
Points for Posts: 387
Posts: 387
_________________

When really I only have...
_________________
Total Posts
194
_________________

Welcome to vBExperience. This is not counting your posts, it's calculating your posts with the modified that can be defined via settings, e.g. 2.5 - see also Earn Points.

Originally Posted by slinkyman

Is it possible to set an item's Costfield based on the sum of ALL your points?

Yes. It's called "Experience"

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by BatMs.com

Not working with vB 3.8B1... First mod I have not to!

Yes, because 3.8 Beta was released AFTER the last beta. There is a dependancy.

Originally Posted by rafa3l

Sorry if this question already exist in the forum.

I would like to create something like a contest in a elapsed time, for example the user with more referers, posts, thanks in a month, or with more points in a month. This is the right mod to do that?

Thanks in advance

Not now.

Originally Posted by dataman

Is there any way to change "points" to "pennies" or "cents", so it's more like play money?

This product is fully phrased, change the phrases via AdminCP.

Originally Posted by cykelmyggen

I'm having an error in the shop. I added a new item in one of the categories - uploaded the images in the misc/shop directory and filled out the form in shop management. The icon in postbit only did show the link and not the image. I've doublechecked the paths to images, spelling errors and so on and I can't seem to pinpoint the error. I deleted the item in the category, but the link still shows up in postbit - not in my status though. See attached screenshot. Any ideas?

If you do some changes to the items you need to refill the cache as the items are cached. This is to accomplish a page not using queries because of the shop.
AdminCP, vBExperience, Manage Shop, Categories, Items, Generate...

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by Abe1

Phalynx, I saw there was a problem with the new option to remove awards from a certain usergroup. It was showing the same user getting an award for gold, silver, and bronze. Since lets say user 1-5 were not to get awards, then the first user that is able to get awards gets all 3 since they will be in the limit 10 each time.

Anyways, i changed it to the mysql query. here is the whole CalculateAwards() that fixes any issue with this.

Thanks for helping with this, I appreciate it. Will test it tomorrow.

Originally Posted by Winterworks

I enabled the shop, but it displays...

Shop
You don't purchased any items yet.

When I try to access it? How do I get it fully working?

The Shop must be filled with (virtual) items by you.
Please click Mark as Installed to get further Support.

Originally Posted by blogthea

i have one question tho, is it possible to display a user's level and exp points in the navbar welcome box, (navbar template) ? and what variables store this information?

Currently there is no support for this, I will add something for Beta 3.

[biocyberman]

Hi!
I also enjoy this mod very much. I also made an addon for Post Rating mod integration. If anyone would like I can share it.
Here I have some questions:
Is that a convenient way so that we can set a time cutoff show that we can calculate Point for a Month, Quarter or Year? Awards can be given according to these periods. There should be also option to show calculation result at different periods.

[Phalynx]

Originally Posted by biocyberman

I also enjoy this mod very much. I also made an addon for Post Rating mod integration. If anyone would like I can share it.

Would be great to include this as an addon.

Originally Posted by biocyberman

Is that a convenient way so that we can set a time cutoff show that we can calculate Point for a Month, Quarter or Year? Awards can be given according to these periods. There should be also option to show calculation result at different periods.

This has been asked several times, currently there is no option for this.

[biocyberman]

Currently my addon is based on sample addon code. I tested in vb 3.7.3 PL1, it works fine. I want, however, to put it into main section, not the MISC section because I consider post rate is an important parameter. It may take more time to accomplish it. Mean while anybody can test it for oneself.

Originally Posted by Phanlynx

This has been asked several times, currently there is no option for this.

I would be great if you could afford your time to do it.

[Phalynx]

Thanks for sharing. You will need to add the new Earn Points functionality introduced with 3.7.18 - the CDP has been extended with this.
Also, change the dependancy to 3.7.18 and lift the version to 1.1.0 to show that your hack is supporting Earn Points.

I would suggest to change hooks/templates to post instead misc. See for example addon_scrupulous_poster.xml.

[slinkyman]

Is there any way for Admin & Mods not to show on the stats but can still use the shop, awards, etc?

[Phalynx]

You can only exclude them from getting awards, but not stats.