The last time I really got in-depth talking about a new version of Zelda Sages was October 24, 2009. In that article, I outlined the basic philosophy for the new Zelda Sages, and what I hoped to bring to the community. Unfortunately, obviously, there have been roadblocks. I even had a news article set to go saying, “We’re upgrading Zelda Sages on INSERT DATE HERE” that I created back in 2009 (all that was needed was for me to publish it). I feel a year and a half deserves some explanation.
Originally, the intent was to upgrade our forums to vBulletin 4.0, which includes a Content Management System (CMS). The theory was that the CMS would allow unparalleled connectivity, streamlining a lot of the functions of ZS. We even created a style for the new site (pictured below, note that this is still an early beta style so it is VERY rough around the edges). Unfortunately, we found that would could not move to the new vBulletin platform. vBulletin was taken over by a company called Internet Brands a few years back, and since the departure of the last few old managers and developers, the quality of vBulletin seriously plummeted. If you’ve used vBulletin 4 on other sites you probably well know how many bugs exist in the software, and how slow and clunky it is. Now, imagine being a webmaster (or the co-webmaster) and having to deal with that, let alone the knowledge that we’re letting down our visitors. A decision was reached in September 2010 to completely abandon the vBulletin based Zelda Sages project.
During the past few months, we’ve been experimenting with other CMS platforms, and even contemplating creating an entirely static site like we had with ZS 1.0. Some of the platforms were superb, some were great, and some had something to be desired. On the plus side, I had a lot of fun experimenting with different systems, but unfortunately it was not until the last few days that I for certain decided on one after getting advice from a number of other webmasters, and my boss. I don’t want to say what exactly we’ll be using, but I think you will all find it an absolute pleasure to work with! Know that a great deal of thought and consideration went into the usability on your end, not necessarily how easy it is to administer. We want to make it quick and easy for you to find what you’re looking for, and I’ve spent months experimenting to find a CMS platform that would allow you very easy access to everything you need, while still allowing expandability in the future.
I’ve just recently begun work on designing a template for the new ZS to be used with this system. It will be very different from the template pictured in the VB 4 photo, a far better design, and with brighter colors. We will also no longer be using the vBulletin forum platform. Instead, I’ll be moving the Zelda Sages forums to a platform that I believe not only has the most potential, but will also be the most enjoyable for all of you to use. Because work on the new site design is not complete, I have not started creating a new forum style, but it will be similar to the design of the new ZS theme I’m creating in conjunction with Dane (although that’s a bit of a given, haha).
In closing, I want to apologize for this whole process taking so long to complete. Between all the issues we’ve had, and the fact that every staff member is a full time student at a college or university, we’re left with little time to work on really expansive projects. Thank you so much to all those that have stuck with us through the long dry spells and interruptions. I want to also extend to all of you the invitation to suggest things for the new Zelda Sages. Please feel free to send me an Email at any time, or post in our suggestion forum, with any ideas you have.
