Launch Date

September 7th, 2008

After a month of anticipation and hype, we’re finally ready to announce the launch date and time-frames of this new exciting chapter in the history of Seventh-Element.

The Seventh-Element forums will launch on September 12th 2008 with a tweaked forum layout, new rule sets, staff and board script. All your posts are untouched and your accounts are still waiting for you.

SE4, Seventh-Element’s long overdue website portal is due during the First Quarter/Winter-Spring of 2009. To be designed by Allison and Tim (the admins behind Inheritance Forums), you can be sure that the site will boast an impressive , professional shell built over an efficient backend. The release time-frame may be far off, but you can be sure the site is worth the wait. Anticipate monthly updates on this blog as the site progresses!

I hope you’re as excited as we are to get things rolling again on SE. We’re really looking forwards not only to this relaunch but what the future holds!

See you Friday!

Ben

Database conversion complete

August 27th, 2008

Ahead of the three day timeframe that Allison gave me, the conversion is now complete, and all the posts from SE3/3.5 have been transferred over. I’ve had some time to browse over the forums (currently skinless) and can confirm that all your posts, attachments and PMs are still there. Over the next few days, we’ll get permissions working correctly as I and the staff learn the ropes of the new board software. I have to say, the admincp of IPB looks a little daunting, but if it’s really as good as Allison says, I’m looking forwards.

At the moment, SE looks like it’s on schedule for a launch sometime in September. We’ll let you know of the exact date when we have everything set. I know many of you have said to me over IM how psyched all of you are for the new SE, and this reboot definitely won’t disappoint. The admins and are going to put as much effort into the logistics of things to make sure the problems that brought us down in June/July won’t happen again.

Also, I’d like to wish a happy birthday to long-time staffer Mockingbirdflyaway/Janna, who turns 19 today! Respect the wriitng matriarch. Happy birthing day!

Ben

Database Conversion Underway + Release Set

August 26th, 2008

Alright. As of tonight, I’ve submitted all the necessary information to Allison to get our database conversion started. Some of you might have noticed the path to our forums leads to the old boards with a message with some info about the conversion. Also, we’ve set a potential release date for the forums to be relaunched, allowing enough time for conversion (three days, allegedly), configuration, skinning and other graphic work, staffing and the usual technological stuff. All I can say at this point is that it’s sometime next month. Once we’re sure of everything, we’ll let you all know so you can get excited officially.

Hang in there!

Ben

Database switch pending

August 23rd, 2008

Bit of an update for you all–we’re currently undergoing a database switch over to make our old posts and files IPB compatible. Hopefully that’ll be complete within the next few days and we can get the forums running within two weeks.

That’s about as much information as we have right now.  On the user front, a few oldies have told me they plan on coming back when the new updates are in place. Among them are Tom, Revenge and Antonis the Great, all of whom who joined SE early on. I’m really looking forward to seeing them on the board again. ^^;

Ben

Clockwork Crusade

August 17th, 2008

It is my pleasure to announce that Seventh Element will be returning with its very own brand spanking new Role Playing section.

 

Now because here at SE we’re all super nice we’ve decided to give you a little sneaky peak at the maiden RPG on the site ‘Clockwork Crusade’. So with out further gilding the lilly here it is:

 

Above the mountains, a black dot appeared fleeing a towering wave of black-gray clouds that rolled forth from the yellowing evening sky. 


On the observation deck stood Captain Marcellus, the wind washed through his black hair, with flecks of white, like the Mediterranean’s clear spray, but he did not appear to feel it. His jaw was set, his eyes fixed on the black dot approaching over the mountains.


Captain Marcellus was a captain of great renown he was one of the first to captain to have agreed to sail upon one of Her Majesties Airships, the HMA Antioch. At first he had been apprehensive about being in, what could only be described as, a cage suspended under a thick canvas balloon. However one he got used to viewing the earth as an avian he had come to enjoy it.


It was because of his renown as one of the best Airship Captains that he had been task with this mission of speed and secrecy. They had been charged with retrieving some items of extreme value. However said items had been held by the Saracens which had complicated the matter. However they had escaped with minimal losses.


Captain Marcellus heard someone approach from behind him. He look over his shoulder to see a tall muscular figure clad in leather britches and a simple cotton tunic emerge from the ladder that led up to the observation deck. 


“Ah Lord Long, how is our cargo?” Captain Marcellus spoke


“Athena is taking good care of them captain, she’ll be wanting offspring of her own soon. It will be a sad day when I have to release her, she has served me well these years.” Lord Long replied “I must admit I had been hoping to find some solace up here, there’s no privacy down below.”


“Yes, I sympathize, it hard for one who is not used to being on a ship of any description to get used to the confines. Especially for you my Lord. I come here every day to contemplate on things to come.”


The pair remained in silence for some time before Lord Long broke the silence.


“Captain I understand that you are quite knowledgeable of avians. If you wouldn’t mind could you kindly illuminate me as to what species those are,” he said pointing at a flock of birds heading straight for them each one was easily the size of a man.


“Those my lord are” he said pausing as he squinted looking at them “Harpies” he hissed. In an explosion of movement he ran over to the internal communication system.


“This is the Captain speaking we have Harpies inbound off the rear starboard. Gun Crews to the spinal and broad side gun mounts, engine crew power up the steam jets I want maximum thrust and puncture repair teams to balloon” He replaced the receiver in its cradle “Damn it, I had hoped we could have escaped without them following us”


“Sorry Captain but what is a….”


“Its a Saracen flying machine” Captain Marcellus interjected “One man is strapped into a harness with four wings, those four wings then flap like an insects, which are controlled through pulleys attached to the mans legs. They’ve been hounding out caravans and patrols for months. They’ll be carrying tar and fire in the hopes of destroying the balloon. And in this light my gunners will be hard pressed to find their mark. Damn it, they’ve done this perfectly.”


“My good captain these ‘Harpies’, as you put it, obviously have never crossed paths with a member of my order” Lord Long said with a gleam in his eye. “You’re right Captain I don’t think I could get used to these confines, permission to disembark,”


Captain Marcellus sighed “Do what you must Lord Long”


Without a backwards glance Lord Long left the observation deck.

 

 

Risstalle

Welcome back!

August 17th, 2008

It was getting annoying to keep updating the “return” page with all the updates about how the new SE is coming along, so I’ve made the Development blog to help make updates not only by myself, but the staff easier. Over the coming weeks up until the relaunch of the forums, I’ll be updating this to let you know how things are coming, what changes to the staff will be and to outline the launch of the actual website.

As I mentioned on the “return” page, we’re not just throwing the forums back up and saying, “we’re back.” This time, a lot more work is going into this reboot of Seventh-Element. The following will give you an idea of the changes we’re making.

1. New Forum Software

Since we launched, SE has used vBulletin software to run the forums. When we relaunch, we will be upgrading to Invision Power Board, a far more powerful and corporate-driven option. I’ve also found that in many respects it’s a lot easier to use than vB. Don’t worry, though! All your old posts and accounts will still be there. We’re going to have our old database converted so you won’t have to rebuild your post counts when we relaunch.

Also, you can expect a new skin.

2. Complete Staff Reorganization

One of the problems on SE3 was staff. This time, we’ve enlisted the help of Allison (Arthryn), Charles and Tim from Inheritance Forums to not only give our forums a boost, but to help us in the construction of our site portal. That doesn’t mean you won’t see old faces on our staff. Steve (HappenStance) will still be there on the admin side, and Janna (Mockingbirdflyaway) will still be in our Writing forums.

3. Concrete Site Goal

Since our inception, SE has always had a fairly ambitious goal to using the internet to help young writers learn to ropes of writing, presenting and marketing their work (we also used to have this for graphics designers, too, but let’s face it, we’re not deviantArt and we always lacked the staff for that, too). This time, we’re following that more closely to make a more focused, yet loose environment.

You can still look forward to a word-filterless, lax-run forums.

4. A Professionally-Designed, Professionally-run Site Portal

Having Allison and Tim with us will allow us to finally launch a professionally designed and run portal. To be run by Charles and I, the design will finally allow  Seventh-Element to reach the level of community-driven functionality that was always intended. Our ultimate goal with the site is also to forge connections with publishers, allowing our writers hands-on tools to selling their work and seeing what publishers are looking for.

On the administrative end, the site will also sport a fancy backend, making it easier for our staff to update.

5. Return of Old Features

In the future, SE plans to reincorperate features like the Live-chat Workshop, Podcasts, and on-site blogging. The Underground will also be relocated on-site using a script Allison and Tim have developed. Also, in the future we plan to add an IRC chat to hold Workshops.

I hope you’re excited as I am for all this! At the moment, we’re planning to relaunch the forums sometime in early September. Allison is hard at work on the new logo and once that’s done we’ll get the forums up along with a temporary skin while Allison and Tim go to work on the site portal.

Over the coming weeks, you can expect updates from some of our staff (including Risstalle, who’s got some updates for you about the RP), as well as updates from me about the progress of the site and forums.

Don’t go away!

Ben