Fawn
September 8th, 2017, 11:42 PM
Warrior Cats Online has been updated!
Based on member feedback, the forums have been revamped to reflect what the vast majority (over 95%!) of our user base indicated on the survey. We'd like to extend our appreciation to those who voted in the Direction of WCO thread and offered valuable insight. For a list of what has been changed on Warrior Cats Online, click the spoiler near the bottom of this post.
Donations and Rewards
Now it's time to get into some serious stuff: the financials of Warrior Cats Online. Some of you might remember when we were hosted by Webs? Insert shudder and an instant headache. The yearly renewal cost (over $350) to keep it running smoothly was insane for the benefits and mess of a site we were receiving. Now that we are with Bluehost, we're relishing in unlimited storage and bandwidth while enjoying the higher uptime with lower cost of about $215. I could fawn over Bluehost all day, but to cut to the chase, our web hosting plan is going to expire near the beginning of October. Renewing it out-of-pocket can be expensive for the staff, so we're going to be opening donations for a limited time. We've come a long way thanks to member support in this area, and couldn't be more grateful for this - WCO wouldn't be around without you.
It's rare that we accept donations--usually about once or twice a year--but when we do, we try to give a handful of incentives in return for your contribution. Click the spoiler for the donation packages and what we're offering with them!
ALL PRICES ARE IN USD AND THROUGH PAYPAL. If you would like to pay using a different currency, please take your request to an administrator. We are flexible with pricing, but you will receive the rewards from the tier below your donation amount. For example, you want to donate $17.00 - you would receive the perks of the Leopard Package.
If you'd like to gift a package to another member, contact a staff member privately and this can be arranged. All perks of the donation package will be given to that individual.
Kitten Package - $1.00
• 100 Koins
• Bragging rights and our sincerest thanks for donating!
Cat Package - $5.00
• An exclusive award
• Alpha tester key for the Canine Roleplay
• 1,000 Koins
Leopard Package - $15.00
• An exclusive award
• Alpha tester key for the Canine Roleplay
• Design one character (name appearance, brief history) for the upcoming WCO Special Edition
• Rainbow username
• 3,000 Koins
• 1,500 PM Inbox
• Fancy member tag (http://warriorcatsonline.com/forums/images/fancymember.png)
Lion Package - $20.00
• An exclusive award
• Two alpha tester keys for the Canine Roleplay (extra key is to give away)
• Design one character (name appearance, brief history) for the upcoming WCO Special Edition
• Fully functional WCO Email (username@warriorcatsonline.com)
• Scrolling rainbow username
• 5,000 Koins
• 2,000 PM Inbox
• Fancy member tag (http://warriorcatsonline.com/forums/images/fancymember.png)
Tiger Package - $25.00
• An exclusive award
• Two alpha tester keys for the Canine Roleplay (extra key is to give away)
• Design two characters (name, appearance, brief history) for the upcoming WCO Special Edition
• Sneak peeks for the WCO Special Edition novels (access to character and plot information as it is in development)
• WCO Email (username@warriorcatsonline.com) and Canine RP Email (username@TBD.com)
• Scrolling rainbow username - lasts for two months instead of one
• 7,000 Koins
• 2,000 PM Inbox
• Fancy member tag (http://warriorcatsonline.com/forums/images/fancymember.png)
Regardless of how successful this donation drive is, Warrior Cats Online will stay available because we aren't inclined to elicit your help by force. We want you to donate because you love the site as much as we do and wish to ease the financial burden of staff, not because you're afraid it will shut down if you don't. If you're interested in donating, click here (http://warriorcatsonline.com/forums/payments.php)!
The Support Hotline
One rather important announcement is that the staff are beginning to move away from resolving site-related concerns via private messaging or email. This is to aid us in giving you guys the best possible support by ensuring things do not go overlooked or inadvertently ignored*, and there's the added benefit of quality checking our responses. You no longer have to worry about sending your message to the correct staff member that can fulfill your request. Instead, just submit a ticket to the support hotline (http://support.warriorcatsonline.com/) - it's quick and easy, and we'll be doing our best to keep wait times under twenty-four hours.
*Our webhosting provider will only sometimes alert us of incoming emails. A message can be sitting for days before we are notified.
Miscellaneous Stuff
If you don't want further details on the upcoming WCO Special Edition and Handbook, as well as the current status of the Canine Roleplay, this is where you can stop reading - no judgments, we won't hold it against you if you're eager to jump back into roleplaying.
The WCO Handbook
...is ready to be proofread! If you'd like to be a proofreader, go to Edit Profile (http://warriorcatsonline.com/forums/usercp.php) and look to the sidebar on the left. Click on the link labeled "Group Memberships (http://warriorcatsonline.com/forums/profile.php?do=editusergroups)" and request to be a proofreader. Within 1-2 days, you will see a new, temporary section of the forums with instructions on how to access the Handbook and give helpful feedback.
Proofreader registration will close on September 13th, and we will not accept anyone on or after that date.
WCO Special Edition(s)
There's not terribly much to say about it... aside from the official confirmation that it's happening and is in progress!! The votes decided our first novella would be the history of the Main Clans, then we will take on SkyClan's history. After that, perhaps the Dusk Syndicate will get its own (shorter) Special Edition.
Currently, there's no projected date of completion, but we will forward information to you all as it becomes available. <3
Canine Roleplay
Above everything else, wow! We didn't expect such an overwhelmingly positive reception to this idea but are so happy you seem to be just as excited about it as we are. As suggested by the donation perks, this site is on its way to becoming a reality, though we don't know when it will be open for testing or how long the testing phases will be.
Alpha testers will be the first to access the site after its setup is (mostly) complete. They will be braving the possibly-buggy, newest canine roleplay to give us loads of feedback on the technical side of things and the basis of the roleplay. These folks will have the most leeway in determining what parts of the site/roleplay experience get improved, trashed, updated, or otherwise changed.
Beta testers will be the next group and will join the already-present alpha testers. Their responsibility is to iron out any remaining issues, primarily technical, and ensure the forum is polished.
Testers will get up close and personal with the staff in providing detailed suggestions or simply letting us know what you like and don't like.
At this point, you might be wondering how to become a tester. Donating will guarantee a spot as an alpha tester, though that is the only certain way to become one. Beta testers will be selected from a pool of applicants at a later date.
A Shoutout of Gratitude
As always, thank you all for everything! Your continued support and encouragement means so much to us, and we hope this update will enhance your experience on Warrior Cats Online.
Updates:
+ Added Hiatuses category
+ Added Roleplaying (OOC) section
+ Added Roleplaying Information category
+ Added Monthly Kudos category
+ Added Ceremony Requests category
+ Added Support Hotline & Ticket System (please do not use staff members' inboxes for site-related requests, thank you :) )
+ Added limited-time donation packages
+ Added archive for (formerly / at the time) Warriors Free Roleplay
+ Revised rule restricting Alternative Warriors Roleplay interactions between Clans
+ Removed limit on Alternative Warriors Roleplay threads
+ Changed names (Main Warriors Roleplay, Non-Warriors Roleplay, Alternative Warriors Roleplay, Character Resources, Off-Topic (OOC))
+ Created Handbook proofreader section
+ Added Resources to Non-Warriors Roleplay and Alternative Warriors Roleplay
+ Added Roleplaying (OOC) category
+ Moved Allegiances, Resource categories, Adoption Acres, and Biographies to Roleplaying (OOC)
+ Restored previously confiscated Alternative Warriors Roleplay threads
+ Prefixes applied to Character and Plot Resources
+ Informational threads added to Non-Warriors and Alternative Warriors RP
+ Published a guide on Finding Old Threads (http://warriorcatsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10670) for Alternative Warriors RP
+ Archive made for Roleplaying Information
Fixes / Tweaks:
- Removed unnecessary Rating link from categories
- Reduced amount of smilies shown in smiliebox to 10 to avoid page overflow on most displays
- Fixed extreme resizing/quality loss when uploading album images
- Various forum maintenance and optimizations
- Fixed incorrect permissions for Old News
- Polished logo (9/3)
- Category description update for (formerly / at the time) Other Roleplaying
- Moved Ceremony threads to appropriate category
- New category description updates
- Ceremony Request permissions fixed
- Roleplay Guidelines updated (removal of WFRP section)
- Updated Site Assistance to reflect changes in support
- Threads created in the new categories should now show up in Latest Threads
Based on member feedback, the forums have been revamped to reflect what the vast majority (over 95%!) of our user base indicated on the survey. We'd like to extend our appreciation to those who voted in the Direction of WCO thread and offered valuable insight. For a list of what has been changed on Warrior Cats Online, click the spoiler near the bottom of this post.
Donations and Rewards
Now it's time to get into some serious stuff: the financials of Warrior Cats Online. Some of you might remember when we were hosted by Webs? Insert shudder and an instant headache. The yearly renewal cost (over $350) to keep it running smoothly was insane for the benefits and mess of a site we were receiving. Now that we are with Bluehost, we're relishing in unlimited storage and bandwidth while enjoying the higher uptime with lower cost of about $215. I could fawn over Bluehost all day, but to cut to the chase, our web hosting plan is going to expire near the beginning of October. Renewing it out-of-pocket can be expensive for the staff, so we're going to be opening donations for a limited time. We've come a long way thanks to member support in this area, and couldn't be more grateful for this - WCO wouldn't be around without you.
It's rare that we accept donations--usually about once or twice a year--but when we do, we try to give a handful of incentives in return for your contribution. Click the spoiler for the donation packages and what we're offering with them!
ALL PRICES ARE IN USD AND THROUGH PAYPAL. If you would like to pay using a different currency, please take your request to an administrator. We are flexible with pricing, but you will receive the rewards from the tier below your donation amount. For example, you want to donate $17.00 - you would receive the perks of the Leopard Package.
If you'd like to gift a package to another member, contact a staff member privately and this can be arranged. All perks of the donation package will be given to that individual.
Kitten Package - $1.00
• 100 Koins
• Bragging rights and our sincerest thanks for donating!
Cat Package - $5.00
• An exclusive award
• Alpha tester key for the Canine Roleplay
• 1,000 Koins
Leopard Package - $15.00
• An exclusive award
• Alpha tester key for the Canine Roleplay
• Design one character (name appearance, brief history) for the upcoming WCO Special Edition
• Rainbow username
• 3,000 Koins
• 1,500 PM Inbox
• Fancy member tag (http://warriorcatsonline.com/forums/images/fancymember.png)
Lion Package - $20.00
• An exclusive award
• Two alpha tester keys for the Canine Roleplay (extra key is to give away)
• Design one character (name appearance, brief history) for the upcoming WCO Special Edition
• Fully functional WCO Email (username@warriorcatsonline.com)
• Scrolling rainbow username
• 5,000 Koins
• 2,000 PM Inbox
• Fancy member tag (http://warriorcatsonline.com/forums/images/fancymember.png)
Tiger Package - $25.00
• An exclusive award
• Two alpha tester keys for the Canine Roleplay (extra key is to give away)
• Design two characters (name, appearance, brief history) for the upcoming WCO Special Edition
• Sneak peeks for the WCO Special Edition novels (access to character and plot information as it is in development)
• WCO Email (username@warriorcatsonline.com) and Canine RP Email (username@TBD.com)
• Scrolling rainbow username - lasts for two months instead of one
• 7,000 Koins
• 2,000 PM Inbox
• Fancy member tag (http://warriorcatsonline.com/forums/images/fancymember.png)
Regardless of how successful this donation drive is, Warrior Cats Online will stay available because we aren't inclined to elicit your help by force. We want you to donate because you love the site as much as we do and wish to ease the financial burden of staff, not because you're afraid it will shut down if you don't. If you're interested in donating, click here (http://warriorcatsonline.com/forums/payments.php)!
The Support Hotline
One rather important announcement is that the staff are beginning to move away from resolving site-related concerns via private messaging or email. This is to aid us in giving you guys the best possible support by ensuring things do not go overlooked or inadvertently ignored*, and there's the added benefit of quality checking our responses. You no longer have to worry about sending your message to the correct staff member that can fulfill your request. Instead, just submit a ticket to the support hotline (http://support.warriorcatsonline.com/) - it's quick and easy, and we'll be doing our best to keep wait times under twenty-four hours.
*Our webhosting provider will only sometimes alert us of incoming emails. A message can be sitting for days before we are notified.
Miscellaneous Stuff
If you don't want further details on the upcoming WCO Special Edition and Handbook, as well as the current status of the Canine Roleplay, this is where you can stop reading - no judgments, we won't hold it against you if you're eager to jump back into roleplaying.
The WCO Handbook
...is ready to be proofread! If you'd like to be a proofreader, go to Edit Profile (http://warriorcatsonline.com/forums/usercp.php) and look to the sidebar on the left. Click on the link labeled "Group Memberships (http://warriorcatsonline.com/forums/profile.php?do=editusergroups)" and request to be a proofreader. Within 1-2 days, you will see a new, temporary section of the forums with instructions on how to access the Handbook and give helpful feedback.
Proofreader registration will close on September 13th, and we will not accept anyone on or after that date.
WCO Special Edition(s)
There's not terribly much to say about it... aside from the official confirmation that it's happening and is in progress!! The votes decided our first novella would be the history of the Main Clans, then we will take on SkyClan's history. After that, perhaps the Dusk Syndicate will get its own (shorter) Special Edition.
Currently, there's no projected date of completion, but we will forward information to you all as it becomes available. <3
Canine Roleplay
Above everything else, wow! We didn't expect such an overwhelmingly positive reception to this idea but are so happy you seem to be just as excited about it as we are. As suggested by the donation perks, this site is on its way to becoming a reality, though we don't know when it will be open for testing or how long the testing phases will be.
Alpha testers will be the first to access the site after its setup is (mostly) complete. They will be braving the possibly-buggy, newest canine roleplay to give us loads of feedback on the technical side of things and the basis of the roleplay. These folks will have the most leeway in determining what parts of the site/roleplay experience get improved, trashed, updated, or otherwise changed.
Beta testers will be the next group and will join the already-present alpha testers. Their responsibility is to iron out any remaining issues, primarily technical, and ensure the forum is polished.
Testers will get up close and personal with the staff in providing detailed suggestions or simply letting us know what you like and don't like.
At this point, you might be wondering how to become a tester. Donating will guarantee a spot as an alpha tester, though that is the only certain way to become one. Beta testers will be selected from a pool of applicants at a later date.
A Shoutout of Gratitude
As always, thank you all for everything! Your continued support and encouragement means so much to us, and we hope this update will enhance your experience on Warrior Cats Online.
Updates:
+ Added Hiatuses category
+ Added Roleplaying (OOC) section
+ Added Roleplaying Information category
+ Added Monthly Kudos category
+ Added Ceremony Requests category
+ Added Support Hotline & Ticket System (please do not use staff members' inboxes for site-related requests, thank you :) )
+ Added limited-time donation packages
+ Added archive for (formerly / at the time) Warriors Free Roleplay
+ Revised rule restricting Alternative Warriors Roleplay interactions between Clans
+ Removed limit on Alternative Warriors Roleplay threads
+ Changed names (Main Warriors Roleplay, Non-Warriors Roleplay, Alternative Warriors Roleplay, Character Resources, Off-Topic (OOC))
+ Created Handbook proofreader section
+ Added Resources to Non-Warriors Roleplay and Alternative Warriors Roleplay
+ Added Roleplaying (OOC) category
+ Moved Allegiances, Resource categories, Adoption Acres, and Biographies to Roleplaying (OOC)
+ Restored previously confiscated Alternative Warriors Roleplay threads
+ Prefixes applied to Character and Plot Resources
+ Informational threads added to Non-Warriors and Alternative Warriors RP
+ Published a guide on Finding Old Threads (http://warriorcatsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10670) for Alternative Warriors RP
+ Archive made for Roleplaying Information
Fixes / Tweaks:
- Removed unnecessary Rating link from categories
- Reduced amount of smilies shown in smiliebox to 10 to avoid page overflow on most displays
- Fixed extreme resizing/quality loss when uploading album images
- Various forum maintenance and optimizations
- Fixed incorrect permissions for Old News
- Polished logo (9/3)
- Category description update for (formerly / at the time) Other Roleplaying
- Moved Ceremony threads to appropriate category
- New category description updates
- Ceremony Request permissions fixed
- Roleplay Guidelines updated (removal of WFRP section)
- Updated Site Assistance to reflect changes in support
- Threads created in the new categories should now show up in Latest Threads