Features available at virtualaces.net

[Tiger]

Portal

The main page of the web site is actually a portal for phpBB3. It gives the appearance of a clean, professional looking web site, including a menu, links, a search function, various statistics, and a mini calendar. In addition, I have integrated tsviewer for both the =AVG= and Wings~of~War TeamSpeak servers which you can connect to directly using the "connect" button for either TeamSpeak server. And, I am also using a tsviewer banner for the =AVG= TeamSpeak server so that we can keep track of the number of active pilots and provide information about the Wings~of~War server and the TeamSpeak server itself.

The site has been optimized for search engines, and if you use Google or Yahoo! (or any other search engine for that matter) to search for our web site you will find that we appear on the first page, at or near the top, of the organic listings (organic listings are the main listings on the page. Typically, the "sponsored links", which are paid links, will appear at the top or on the side of the page). This was no small feat as I had to compete with the free AVG anti virus software as well as other sites relative to the AVG Flying Tigers for the top positions in the organic searches.

Many of the links that you see on the main page are there for the purpose of search engine optimization (SEO) as well as handy references for downloadable programs and other web sites that are useful. The tsviewer, as mentioned above, links us to tsviewer.com which has thousands of other TeamSpeak servers listed all using the features of tsviewer. These features include our server statistics depicted in graphs detailing the use of the TeamSpeak servers. These statistics include usage statistics for the day and the week, and are a useful tool in determining the peak hours of use for our TeamSpeak server. Other links include the web site for the TeamSpeak program, HyperLobby, XFire, and Ubisoft. These links give us what SEO experts call "link juice" which helps with our page ranking and is, in part, what has helped us appear at or near the top of the organic searches for nearly every search engine on the web. It is the same for our PayPal link, as millions of people use PayPal. It is associated with my PayPal account, and you can make donations using the link, but it is there primarily to provide additional "link juice" to help us with our position in the organic searches.

Aside from the "portal" the web site is essentially a phpBB3 bulletin board system with many features. These features include private messages (PM's), and e-mails, as well as the standard functions you have come to expect from forum software, such as the ability to post messages in various forums. The phpBB3 system allows the administrator to create any number of forums with different permissions both at the forum and user level. In addition, the portal (known as the Canver Portal) allows you to display messages from specific forums as "Latest Global Announcements" and "Latest News" including or excluding specific forums as needed to maintain security.

Our phpBB3 system utilizes a custom skin known as "DivineBlack". Standard phpBB3 systems typically use either prosilver or subsilver2 skins which are stock. Many of the modifications for phpBB3, which I will address in just a moment, come only with prosilver or subsilver2 skins, so each modification for our phpBB3 system not only requires implementation, but also requires that the modification be skinned to match the "DivineBlack" theme. Some of the modifications that we use here on the site are as follows;

Calendar

This modification is quite useful, and was implemented at the suggestion of =AVG=Space. Some of the features include the ability to post various events, either for a specific time or across a range of dates. Recently, the calendar was upgraded to include a function that allows the user to post recurring events. The events posted can be viewable by the general public, specific groups, or can even be private so that the user can post a reminder that is only visable to him. In addition to the full month, the current week is displayed at the bottom of the index page. To enter an event, simply click on the appropriate date and enter the event information.

Medals System

The Medals System modification is also quite useful. The administrator can create medals and ribbons complete with various devices that appear on the pages of the web site when a member posts. These medals and ribbons, along with their associated devices, also appear on each member's profile page. And, if you click the "Award Details" button on a member's profile page, the awards section expands so that you can view the awards given to that particular member, and the description of the award, along with the reason that the awards were given. One of the most useful functions of the Medals System modificication is the "Nominate User" link that appears on the member's profile page. This link allows any member to nominate another for an award, and even give a detailed reason why the award should be given. The administrator has the ability to edit the reason given, so it may be used in whole, or in part, when awarding a medal or ribbon. The Medals page has a complete listing of all availbale awards and those members who have received them.

Each member's profile page is linked on the Pilot Roster, which I will cover in the next section. The member's profile page is intended to represent that member's "pilot page" where his medals, ribbons, and his signature are displayed. In essence, a member's profile page represents a member's "uniform" on the web site.

Pilot Roster

The Pilot Roster modification was written for the =AVG= by the same person who wrote the Medals System modification at my request. The Pilot Roster lists every member and gives the administrator the ability to determine the catagory (such as 3rd Pursuit Squadron, Hell's Angels) and the order of precedence. It also allows the administrator to specify a date that the member joined the organization that is seperate from the registration date, as many members register for the forums before being accepted into the group. The Pilot Roster modification allows for a rank and avatar image to be displayed on the roster page in addition to the ranks and avatars available for use with the standard phpBB3 system. And, there are many other features built into the Pilot Roster modification that have yet to be used.

Server Statistics

In addition to the self contained modifications for phpBB3, I have integrated the stats modules for all of the server scripting software that is available for IL-2 and skinned them to match the site. The server scripts include FB Daemon II, FBDj, and IL-2 Server Commander. Currently, we are using FB Daemon II as it is the only server scripting software that currently has the ability to run a continuous campaign using the Dynamic Campaign Generator (DCG). And, the statistics pages are resized automatically so that they are the correct size for whatever stats module page is currently being displayed.

Online Forms

Another function of the site that is not self contained are the online forms that are used for the Membership Application and the Wings~of~War Registration forms. These forms are based on the Common Gateway Interface (CGI) and they have the ability to autorespond with or without an attachment, and to store the data submitted in a data file on the server. They also e-mail the contents of the submitted online forms to any number of e-mail addresses specified by the administrator. This is useful so that the administrator, and any other member that he designates, will receive a copy of the membership application or registration form via e-mail, and the form also autoresponds to confirm to the user that the information has been received. Many of you have registered for the Wings~of~War: Manchuria 1945 Campaign, and you would have received a confirmation, including a word document containing the rules of the event attached. And, since some people use web based e-mail and can not see the text (since it is written in white) there is a link that is invisible in the HTML version of the e-mail for people to click so that they can read the details as specified in the e-mail.

There are many other features that I have not touched upon, such as the RSS feed, the ability to create a signature in your profile, or the ability to post polls. I do hope that you take the time to explore them all, and please enjoy the site.