anyone else prefer the old style chatroom?

7 Feb 2008

Quote by st3v3
People post here all the time when things don't work and yes we did ask a long time back about things people would like to see in chat one day, one big room without moving around servers was on the list, amongst a lot of other things.

8 Feb 2008

Quote by gailen
So now we have ONE server instead of four!
still doesnt help getting into a full room? Just how does one get into a room that is full? some people manage it because yu can see the mumbers change!

Technically the rooms should only hold 70, if it goes about this you'll get the message "room Full". if the room drops to 69, then you click on the room but not enter, it does not register "Room Full", so then you can enter at any time. so if a few do this at the same time, then it gets more people in.
many moons ago i thought, it may be the "extra" users that are allowed to access any room regarless if it was full.. so i brought the package... which i found wasn't the case.... maybe i should of asked the question first! but that would be too simply for me.

8 Feb 2008

Its a bit like the Eagles "Hotel California" -- You can checkout any time you like,
but you can never leave!Where's the "logout" button gone ????

8 Feb 2008

Quote by HJ

Its a bit like the Eagles "Hotel California" -- You can checkout any time you like,
but you can never leave!
Where's the "logout" button gone ????

They presumed that the chatroom would be so addictive, that no one would ever want to leave, so they hid it under a small rock in the corner of the Pool.

8 Feb 2008

Quote by HJ

Its a bit like the Eagles "Hotel California" -- You can checkout any time you like,
but you can never leave!
Where's the "logout" button gone ????

You don't need it any more, just close it and go back it when you want.

8 Feb 2008

Quote by gailen
People post here all the time when things don't work and yes we did ask a long time back about things people would like to see in chat one day, one big room without moving around servers was on the list, amongst a lot of other things.

OK fair comment - have to admit i wasn't aware of that! Must have been quite a while ago though?????
So now we have ONE server instead of four!
still doesnt help getting into a full room? Just how does one get into a room that is full? some people manage it because yu can see the mumbers change!
Thats a good point, now we could have the same number of entry rooms, each with the same limits as before, in effect, no different than before except that you wouldn't need to jump between 4 servers to move between them.
So we are going to increase the room size limits to 100 with overfill capacity at 120, if this causes problems we can always crank it back. The only risk is chat moving too fast, on other sites its been ok, time to try it here.

8 Feb 2008

My one problem with it is this old cranky PC of mine just totally freezes now.I can't get in a room and can't chat anymore. :cry:

8 Feb 2008

Some background info here.
Regardless of how you perceive the 4 chat servers, they are a nightmare in terms of reliability, performance and usability, and caused many many issues with the 'balancing' of users between servers.
I can tell you now that Big Daddy (as I’ve code named it) is more powerful than the 4 old servers combined.
I'm sitting here looking at the stats, the server has 16 processors, all of which are at the 15% usage mark - the server is currently serving just under 1600 users, and pushing 120Mbps of video data.
On this particular hardware, we also have redundant power supplies and disk drives - meaning its pretty much covered on the hardware failure front. Still, we will invest in a second server which will sit as a 'hot spare', should the shit hit the fan with Big Daddy, we can quickly move to the backup server.
To list the advantages Big Daddy gives us:
1) No logout needed, simply close the window.
2) No 5 minute timeout when you get disconnected.
3) No more looking for rooms between servers.
4) Future potential for much better video quality.
5) Near Future (tomorrow) potential for larger individual room capacity.
6) Reliability and manageability.
7) Headroom - initial observation is that this server can handle 3000-4000 users.
8) One big happy community smile

Its taken many hours of research, calculations, development and trial and error to get it to this stage, and i for one am extreemly happy to see it like this.

8 Feb 2008

Not too sure if its just my cranky laptop but I seen to be having a resource problem and my laptop is making some strange noises dunno

Nice work Elliot, I like Big Daddy :thumbup:

8 Feb 2008

I like the fact that you dont have to log out and then wait 5 mins to get back in because I was always losing my connection to chat which was really frustrating having to wait to get back in. Upping the room limit is good but it wont completely solve the problem for the popular rooms as they will still get full but it's progress in the right direction and I think we should give it time to get used to it.

8 Feb 2008

I couldn't find the log out, now waiting 5 mis to get back in.
Not really happy with new system as it will become harder to find rooms with 40+ on the server even when quiet. This will lead to yellow pages syndrome (aaa good shag etc) even with the old rooms people had discovered that hyphens take precedence alphabetically. I will quickly get peed off with chat where the first ten rooms start --!
Still wait and see will vote with feet if we think appropriate.

8 Feb 2008

i think one main room will dilute the real peeps in certain rooms

8 Feb 2008

I'm still getting the 5 mins error message because I haven;t logged out - yes cleared browser cache etc. still happens.
I might be a bit odd but with the old 3 (4) server ststen I could play "chase me" if I was bored an option now denied. (and I thought this was supposed to be fun!!!!)
Melissa

8 Feb 2008

just found out you've made the search function less friendly too. Might be a while ago as i hardly ever use it but wanted to message someone I chatted to - know profile name but spaces or hyphens maybe not, so can't find. No biggie but more breaking of things that weren't malfuctioning

8 Feb 2008

Could'nt agree more...Now we are stuck with all the Tossers in one room! I can't see us staying on this site much longer

8 Feb 2008

same here
the new chatroom is not cool
why change something that is already the best in the world ..i say leave sh as it is sad

:( :( :( :( :( :(

8 Feb 2008

Well I'm logged in, but theres now no "log out" option. What do I do to leave the chatroom?
R x

8 Feb 2008

Quote by TandLdorset
Could'nt agree more...Now we are stuck with all the Tossers in one room! I can't see us staying on this site much longer

Gosh, considering the new server had only been running about 6 hours when you posted that, it really is a rash statement confused

If people start doing 'aaaa room for tossers' or similar the chatroom OPs will just go and close them down.
The log out button is no longer needed, or it won't be anyway :? Just close your window down and you should be able to walk straight back in when you want :thumbup:
Remember folks, its early days yet and Elliot still has lots of work to do to fix the chatroom, its not going to happen in an instant. Hopefully we won't have to see comments about not being able to get onto server 1 now. If it doesn't work for whatever reason then it will be flipped back to the old system but give the guys chance to try some changes an improve the speed and performance :?

8 Feb 2008

The thing i find really funny is in a few months time all you who have moan and complained will be say 'best thing that ever happened'.
Now elliot and the team have been working to solve all the problems how about you all just shut up and let them get some work done.
And for all you moaners
There are two types of people - toxic people and nourishing people. As you might expect, toxic people are the ones who always dwell on the negative

8 Feb 2008

Congratulations Elliot & team.
In general a 'positive' step forward in the terms of capacity and reliability. The old hardware and configuration was becomming unreliable and must have been a nightmare to operate.
Hopefully, after the initial 'bedding-in' others will find that the changes are for the better and that we can move forward together.
As regular room hosts, we only have one 'gripe' in that the hosts controls for the room have not improved to give us more options than just 'kick' or clear chat. Also the control button just says 'undefined'.
If one wanted to be 'really picky' it would have been nice to get some communication from the SH Management team before the changes were implemented, rather than the mass-heartattack that happened yesterday. This really seems to be at the heart of most peoples negative reactions.
As for the 'tossers' comments in this thread - they've been around since day 1! 1 server or 4 makes no difference. Only good 'active' room hosting will keep them at bay - if you open a room, you have a responsibilty to control it! If you have a problem with another user - TALK TO THE ROOM HOST... if they can't help - go find an 'admin' or 'ops' person.
Technology moves on - old harware and software becomes unsupported, so change is inevitable - hey I started on DoS and progressed to Vista - what's the difference??!!

Mods edit - I have removed your avatar, no genital shots please :thumbup:

8 Feb 2008

Quote by Garfield1
The thing i find really funny is in a few months time all you who have moan and complained will be say 'best thing that ever happened'.
Now elliot and the team have been working to solve all the problems how about you all just shut up and let them get some work done.
And for all you moaners
There are two types of people - toxic people and nourishing people. As you might expect, toxic people are the ones who always dwell on the negative

Are you sure people will say " best thing that ever happened " ? Time will only tell but...if this is the new system of rooms and it means scrapping the Beta chat, then you won't hear anymore complaints from me! lol

In my opinion the Beta chat most people just did not like at all...period.

8 Feb 2008

Quote by carl-selina
my arse is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sore keep gettin booted i want the old style rooms bk i pay money to cum on this site and and all sh is doing playin with it all them time

We haven't had any changes in a very long time and the rest of the site is fully working. Try posting in the cafe for fun or perving a few adverts for an hour or two and give the techy guys time to get things right.
I'm sure you won't be complaining when the chatrooms run smoother, quicker and the cam speed goes up :thumbup:

8 Feb 2008

Quote by carl-selina
when sh did the beta room it was gud to use should of left it as that then when started messing about with server 4 and now one room its all gone pearshaped its just not me who saying this there a few people who i know saying the same thing as me

The new chat room beta version was no where near finished. I think it could host a few hundred users, but with the usage hitting nearly 2000, leaving it wasn't a choice.
We've never messed around with server 4, it was introduced to ease the load and make the servers more stable. Yes we had to tweak it over the course of a few days, but after that, it was steady as a rock. The same which we are trying to achieve with the single server that is now up.

8 Feb 2008

One question.
Is there any way now of getting into one of the "site" rooms, Jacuzzi, Pool etc once you are logged in?
With the old system you could use the "take me to" button to get into a site room on the same server - there's no way of doing that now.
Any possibility that once a site room hits maximum the system then starts filling up another site room until that hits maximum. Rather than always "topping up" the default room? The site rooms could then operate like the user rooms and only allow new entrants once they've dropped below the magical 69?

8 Feb 2008

OOOhhhh new chat room!!! Love it! I can flit between rooms and not get the 'server full' message, I find the rooms I like and find the people I like!
Only complaint is that I want to go in the Sauna and there is no one else in sad

Seriously, we all sometimes question if change is necessary, but do you honestly think that Admin are doing this just for the sake of it? Do you think that if they felt the existing set up worked ok, they would make all this work for themselves?
The upgrade is for a reason and apart from making using the chat rooms so much easier for everyone, in the long run, it will also make it so much easier to use.
It is something new, and rather than just post about the negatives, why not try and be supportive and give it a bit of time. People are too quick to moan, but not quick enough to say 'Well done guys',
I honestly think the new chat will be great and will be so much more welcoming for new chat users who are not faced with having to constantly move from server to server' :thumbup:

8 Feb 2008

Quote by Eros
One question.
Is there any way now of getting into one of the "site" rooms, Jacuzzi, Pool etc once you are logged in?
With the old system you could use the "take me to" button to get into a site room on the same server - there's no way of doing that now.
Any possibility that once a site room hits maximum the system then starts filling up another site room until that hits maximum. Rather than always "topping up" the default room? The site rooms could then operate like the user rooms and only allow new entrants once they've dropped below the magical 69?

When you enter the chat room you will join one of the admin rooms - Pool, Beach, Jacuzzi, Lounge, Sauna or the Terrace.
If one of those rooms is full, it will automatically direct you into the next available admin room.
The 'Take Me To' function used to change you from server to server, with the Pool, Beach and Jacuzzi on each of them. Instead of four servers with those rooms, we now have one big one with more admin rooms so there's room for everyone.

8 Feb 2008

Yes that is correct, but you could play the system to get yourself into the default rooms.
Now, as far as I can see, once you are in the chat room there is no way of getting into say "The Pool" as this appears to be the default entry room and never drops below 69.

8 Feb 2008

I'll try to pick up some points from today so no one feels left out.

Quote by slartyukuk1
I like the fact that you dont have to log out and then wait 5 mins to get back in because I was always losing my connection to chat which was really frustrating having to wait to get back in. Upping the room limit is good but it wont completely solve the problem for the popular rooms as they will still get full but it's progress in the right direction and I think we should give it time to get used to it.

I agree. When the logout feature was introduced, it did improve the chat room. However, it was always frustrating if someone forgot to log out or they got disconnected from the servers.
User wise, not getting 'locked in' is one of the best improvements.

Quote by webster
I couldn't find the log out, now waiting 5 mis to get back in.
Not really happy with new system as it will become harder to find rooms with 40+ on the server even when quiet. This will lead to yellow pages syndrome (aaa good shag etc) even with the old rooms people had discovered that hyphens take precedence alphabetically. I will quickly get peed off with chat where the first ten rooms start --!
Still wait and see will vote with feet if we think appropriate.

Obviously :thumbup: Something I'd recommend to everyone before throwing in the towel. Hang around to see the changes and you'll benefit from the improvements.

Quote by biguyseeks
i think one main room will dilute the real peeps in certain rooms

Currently there are 65 rooms in total, between 1100 people. If my calculator serves me right, that would make an average of 16 users per room. This will probably double by tonight. At peak times 30-50 people in a room doesn't sound too bad.

Quote by Wkdcouple2008
I'm still getting the 5 mins error message because I haven;t logged out - yes cleared browser cache etc. still happens.
I might be a bit odd but with the old 3 (4) server ststen I could play "chase me" if I was bored an option now denied. (and I thought this was supposed to be fun!!!!)
Melissa

I think you've been unfortunate to hit one of the teething problems late last night. If you were still seeing the same error today, I'd blame the page being cached, but you should be fine now, even though our changes are still ongoing.

Quote by webster
just found out you've made the search function less friendly too. Might be a while ago as i hardly ever use it but wanted to message someone I chatted to - know profile name but spaces or hyphens maybe not, so can't find. No biggie but more breaking of things that weren't malfuctioning

Slightly off topic but you deserve a reply.
Just for the record, the feature wasn't functioning correctly, it was killing the site significantly at times so we didn't have a choice. The feature was coded from scratch, the best that we could do at the time, and of course we're going back to it soon to improve the functionality further.

Quote by moodszo
same here
the new chatroom is not cool
why change something that is already the best in the world ..i say leave sh as it is :( :( :( :( :( :(

I would disagree, chatters spread across four servers because of high load and instability doesn't go down well. It wasn't ideal but it worked which is what we concentrated on at the time.
Now that we've been able to reflect and look to the future of SH, the larger server is probably the best thing we've done.

Quote by robinhot
Well I'm logged in, but theres now no "log out" option. What do I do to leave the chatroom?
R x

I think this has been answered but you don't need to log out any more. Just closing the window is fine.

Quote by Garfield1
The thing i find really funny is in a few months time all you who have moan and complained will be say 'best thing that ever happened'.
Now elliot and the team have been working to solve all the problems how about you all just shut up and let them get some work done.
And for all you moaners
There are two types of people - toxic people and nourishing people. As you might expect, toxic people are the ones who always dwell on the negative

Great to hear :thumbup:
Thanks.

Quote by Gufuncouple
Congratulations Elliot & team.
In general a 'positive' step forward in the terms of capacity and reliability. The old hardware and configuration was becomming unreliable and must have been a nightmare to operate.
Hopefully, after the initial 'bedding-in' others will find that the changes are for the better and that we can move forward together.
As regular room hosts, we only have one 'gripe' in that the hosts controls for the room have not improved to give us more options than just 'kick' or clear chat. Also the control button just says 'undefined'.
If one wanted to be 'really picky' it would have been nice to get some communication from the SH Management team before the changes were implemented, rather than the mass-heartattack that happened yesterday. This really seems to be at the heart of most peoples negative reactions.
As for the 'tossers' comments in this thread - they've been around since day 1! 1 server or 4 makes no difference. Only good 'active' room hosting will keep them at bay - if you open a room, you have a responsibilty to control it! If you have a problem with another user - TALK TO THE ROOM HOST... if they can't help - go find an 'admin' or 'ops' person.
Technology moves on - old harware and software becomes unsupported, so change is inevitable - hey I started on DoS and progressed to Vista - what's the difference??!!

Mods edit - I have removed your avatar, no genital shots please :thumbup:

Some good points, thank you.

Quote by kentswingers777
Are you sure people will say " best thing that ever happened " ? Time will only tell but...if this is the new system of rooms and it means scrapping the Beta chat, then you won't hear anymore complaints from me! In my opinion the Beta chat most people just did not like at all...period.

:gagged:

Quote by vodka_babe22uk
ive got a sore arse now where ive been booted all the time
it now needs tlc

Sorry, some server side configuration changes were made and Elliot had to restart the server. A broadcast message from Admin is an ideal way in the future to warn users, this was in the Beta version, but I won't say any more because I don't want to upset kentswingers777 :lol2:

Quote by Eros
Yes that is correct, but you could play the system to get yourself into the default rooms.
Now, as far as I can see, once you are in the chat room there is no way of getting into say "The Pool" as this appears to be the default entry room and never drops below 69.

That was a bug more than a option. However, it's been covered before, but we're upping the room capacities so no one should need to force their way into rooms.

8 Feb 2008

why pay for extra then take the extra lounge of us seem a bit of a con there

8 Feb 2008

Quote by Daju
why pay for extra then take the extra lounge of us seem a bit of a con there

It's just temporary - the Lounge will be back today :thumbup: