I'm sorry for starting a new topic on this, but since all the others have been locked I didn't know where else to put this.

In the couple of days I've been here I realised that both here in the feedback forum and the MAC thread people have been asking for an online version of the MAC over and over again. Something I would be delighted to see, too.

Currently, there seem to be two problems with this - first the fact that staff doesn't have enough time to get this (low priority) feature done. And second there seems to be a request for non-staff members to not use the graphics outside of Menewsha.

So I wanted to ask, would it be possible for a member to offer to do the scripting, yet instead of putting the whole thing on a different site, send it to Menewsha's staff to upload it on the very own server where they have absolute control over it.

This would have a couple of advantages:

1. It would get done. Eventually. :P
2. The only work for Menewsha would be browsing the scripts for any malicious code or backdoors, which (if written in moderately decent code) shouldn't take too long.
3. The item details could be directly pulled from the main database, thus the Online MAC would always be up to date, with no further work to do.
4. It would also directly pull the graphics from the website, which would save a bit of drive space.
5. Part of the code could be re-used for a preview feature in the inventory screen.

I'm sure the staff would appreciate the gesture, but I don't think that they would take up the offer. Every time a user has offered to code something for the staff before, or do something for the staff before to use on the site its been rejected. Its not because they don't believe you have the skills to do what you're offering, but merely that its a matter of quality and consistency with what the site has to offer.

The problem that makes taking a user's coding for a feature for the site is more for security purposes than anything else I believe. You suggested that they check the script for faults, but that would take time, testing, etc.

I also believe that in general, the staff have chosen to not put the MAC at the top of their priority list in general. As it was only a user-created avatar generator in the first place, the staff took it on only because the users had trouble getting images and such to upload into it in the first place, which is also something that the staff member who maintained the MAC for a period of time had as well.

For now, it would be better to just keep updating the MAC manually for yourself if you need updates. I know there are a couple of guides posted amongst the site on how to update it manually to include new items. I know it's not what users want to hear, but its really not priority to anyone to keep it updated.

I don't know how the staff feels about the MAC now, but back when Temmon and I ran it, I know Temmon had plans to create an online version. I was also seeking someone to possibly code an online version when I took over. Though, in both cases, there was no discussion with the staff about making an online MAC onsite; it would have been hosted on a separate website, which, I'm assuming, would have held no affiliation with Menewsha.

Ah - I'd thought someone had replied to this, but apparently not.

We asked Insomniac about this today and he authorized us to say this:
He has his own plans for an online version of the MAC. The coding for that is more than half complete, but he has no estimated release time for his own version. So an online MAC is coming, but we can't tell you when because Insomniac has no time-line he can give us for it.

Your offer is genuinely appreciated, however. We just have something in the works already.

Now, that sounds good! I'm sure that if it's already this advanced it might be released by far quicker than I could have ever managed to. =3

Of course my offer still holds for other parts of the site (I can even proudly assert my coding is readable enough for any security checks to not take too long), though I can understand if this is unwanted for security reasons.

Also, thanks to Seiki Nova and Caroline for the information! :glomp: