In which James talks about recent changes to the site, once again copy/pastes a change-log, and talks about upcoming coding-related things on the horizon.

Hi all, It's that time again! About time for another report from your friendly neighborhood Seneschal with the latest ins and outs related to the site.

Deployed Code Changes

Below is a list of most of the code check-ins done to the site since my last report. This isn't an exhaustive list, and does not contain code changes that have not yet been deployed to the main website or code changes that are not contained to the main website's code, most notably code related to the FIST Telegram bot, which, since my last report, has been extended to allow people to specify whether they want to re-matched in case they haven't played the full 12 matches yet. This feature is currently being beta-tested by the FIST staff.

Here are some highlights from the changelog below:

1. Changes/tweaks related to Possessions launch
2. GFX Requests integrated into the site
3. Preparations for SA restructuring
4. Support for broadcasting announcements/news posts to the [DB Announcements - Log in to view join link] Broadcast-only Telegram Channel instead of just DB Chat, which could be useful for people that don't frequent or keep up with DB Chat.
5. Unit conversion on Character Sheets
6. A lot of miscellaneous fixes and tweaks

James Entar:
      Implement initial version of GFX request code
      Add size filter to item prototype overview/admin
      update Maven:Leadership to take consecutive terms of different positions into account
      add validations to gaming activity admin
      Add size filter to store listing
      Add M:FIST to gaming-related e-mail notifications
      Enable Markdown onn Item Source field
      update store slugs when stores are renamed
      Possessions: fix some broken links
      Add two new trophies
      Update Destiny chat link
      Make Prototype Source links open in new tab
      Item Aspect admin tweaks
      Possessions: Clear all non-public aspects on item owner change
      Competitions: Ensure competitions under word count review don't 'disappear'
      Update competition judged e-mail to include link to competition and mention of feedback if provided
      CS: Require Species and Handedness
      Implement CS sandbox tool
      Actually raise exception in Possessions edge cases, instead of just creating one then throwing it away
      Possessions: Increase credit mutation limit
      Add filters to inventory management
      Recolor commodity items
      Implement first version of Loadouts
      Misc tweaks
      Fix typo in db migration
      Loadout fix
      Loadout tweaks
      Recolor item images based on rarity
      Update Regent staff permissions
      Hotfix: fix CI processing queue breaking on deleted dossiers
      Possessions: Item (requirement) Groups; Store Logos; Misc fixes
      Possessions: Implement account/item overview/adjustment interface for Regent/staff
      Add item triggers
      Prep for Possessions open beta
      Implement revised credit values and credit triggers
      Possessions beta prep: Disengage closed beta lockdown
      Disable selling items without a value attribute
      Fix a typo
      Better ordering of account mutations happening on the same date
      Allow searching through sub-competitions
      Permission tweaks
      Fix Maven: Philosophy requirements
      Add search to ACC Venues backend
      Send e-mail notification on event comments
      Telegram integration: Supergroup conversion
      Possessions: Society Rank Triggered Items
      GMRG: Add rank XI and XII thresholds and decouple Leadearboard and GMRG XI-XII
      Various Possessions tweaks
      Trial of Acquisition part 1
      Various misc fixes/tweaks
      Minor tweaks to CoJ admin
      Prevent Promotheus from repeatedly sending the same message
      Fix a bug that would throw 500 errors on Promotheus CSV export in rare cases
      Add SM:RGT permissions
      Finish ToA
      Start implementing clan bonus logic
      Small ToA bugfix
      Update ToA item
      Site-based GFX Requests
      Minor possessions tweaks
      Disable SA course admin for magistrates pending Celebration Comps
      Possessions launch prep
      Disable course grading reminder for Combing the Stacks course
      Possessions live prep
      Correct ACC match values
      Update CS approval mails
      Update CS logic with respect to primary/secondary forms
      Update CS form wiki links
      Add dbb0t rank overrides
      Enable Markdown on HTML e-mail notifications
      Update Combat Maven
      Add CG to Promotion Guidelines
      Fix frontend possessions tabs searching on prototype name rather than item name
      Attempt to make pushstate/browser history handling more intuitive
      Misc fixes
      ACC battle style tweaks
      Fix inconsistent behaviour in date/datetime input fields
      Expand manual event search filters
      Fix bug where competition form target unit field wasn't properly populated if an error was shown
      Update security on gaming approvals by disallowing people to approve their own submissions
      Integrate loadouts with CS
      Add item overview for Regent
      Add more loadout paperdoll options
      Fix last change breaking equipping/unequipping from loadouts
      Disable Markdown in loadout descriptions
      Re-enable markdown on Loadout descriptions but disable images
      Update blacklist
      Upstream library updates, batch #1
      Upstream library updates, batch #2
      Upstream library updates, batch #3
      Unit Event API endpoint
      Update navbar
      Update CoJ tools
      Misc tweaks
      Fix a small mistake
      Fix browsers caching AJAX calls they shouldn't
      Fix editing ACC Comments not updating displayed comments
      Re-enable SA admin for M:HMs
      Add Graphics Competition Archetype
      Add various filters to Possessions screens
      Update default hall for Open Challenges
      Small bugfixes
      Exclude FIST staff from GMRG Leaderboard
      Don't send an expire mail for expired exams that have no answers filled in; skip skipped questions in expiration mail
      Support for DB Announcement Channel
      Permission updates; minor SA exam tweak
      Fix Avatar of Strife calculation
      Fix Elo display graph
      Don't break ACC ranking history on deleted dossiers
      Prep SA reorg - backend side
      Handle ties in Elo gain quarters
      fix ACC Qual grading override breaking because the exam moved between departments
      Hotfix: Fix FillBlanksQuestion breaking on more than 9 options
      Add ACC staff back on Qual exam notification mails
      Promotheus: Switch courses and degrees to ID-based system
      Remove halls from Promotion Guidelines Promotheus ruleset to cope with SA restructuring
      Change admin link from Nov hall to Fundamentals dept.
      Hide Rogue e-mail addresses except to upper leadership
      Hotfix: Hide e-mails when an OoAI is engaged
      Small Avatar of Strife hotfix
      Add reply-all notification to SA mails
      Allow searching dossiers by contact methods
      Fix wiki link on name change form
      Small event search bugfix
      Update icons
      Add more filtering options to promotion assessment
      Add some breadcrumbs
      Small assessment fix
      IP Blocklist update
      Fix probations starting a day too late
      Summit admin API tools
      Competition unit API endpoint
      Show subunit on summit admin API
      IP Blocklist update
      Auto unit conversion for character sheets
      Small CS bugfix
      Flag sheets with inactive skills/powers as invalid
      Use absolute date on dossier/activity/acc tab rather than relative date
      Add option to hide competition award levels from the competition creation form
      Add 'use the bot' warning to PvP submission form

Kalen Aquillarum:
      Allow competition organizers for a Container Competition to click 1 button to automatically import all of the valid participants of the child competitions into the container competition
      Small optimization for Container Competition participant import
      Display correct society progress for max-rank members
      Expire Saved SA exams after 6 months of inactivity

On the Horizon

This section provides some sneak previews of upcoming site changes and the larger things on the Seneschal Office's todo-list in various stages of completion, in no particular order.

1. Snapshots
   Status: ▮▮▮▮▮▮▯▯▯▯ (In progress)
   Integration of the Possessions System's Loadouts feature into the ACC and various other fiction facilities. Once completed, this feature will allow you to take a 'snapshot' of your Character Sheet and a Loadout of your choice, and subsequently use this snapshot in an ACC fight or Run-On without having to worry that any future changes to your sheet or loadout will affect the realism of the ACC fight.
   Snapshots are progressing steadily, albeit a bit slower than initially expected, mainly because I'm tackling various other overdue character sheet maintenance tasks while I come across them, for example the Unit Conversion feature that was implemented recently.

2. SA Restructure
   Status: ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▯▯▯ (On hold pending finalization of backend data by SA staff)
   An effort by the SA staff to streamline the organization of the Shadow Academy and make it easier to get to and find information, and to create a more focused new member experience. Read Farrin's latest report for more information.
   All required coding changes to the administration back-end of the SA have been completed, which allows Farrin and his staff to prepare all the required structural changes and set up course prerequisites and other metadata. Once this has been completed, we will finalize and deploy the front-end changes.

3. GFX Requests
   Status: ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▯▯
   A project that aims to improve member experience when requesting custom graphics from the Herald staff. This is accomplished by integrating the request forms into the Brotherhood website, and only showing options that are accessible and relevant to the requesting member.
   The main framework for this feature has been implemented, as well as the request forms for Unit/Position-related graphics, Custom Robes, and Custom Weapons. The request form for Warbanners will be implemented soon™

4. Skins
   Status: ▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯ (on hold until Snapshots are completed)
   Integration of Possessions Items with Dossier Graphics.
   Planned, but no coding has been done. Postponed until Snapshots are deployed.

5. NPCs Status: ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▯▯ (on hold pending access/cost discussions)
   Non-player characters for Members, Clans, and the Brotherhood.
   The current CS system has been designed with NPCs in mind, so most of the code required for NPCs has been in place for a while now. Figuring out how members would gain access to such NPCs was dependent on Possessions. Now that Possessions is live, we have been in discussions with the Regent and Voice staff, and have been figuring out most of the logistical details. Once that's all finalized, the last bits of code can be put in place.

6. Possessions: Item Upgrades
   Status: ▮▮▮▮▮▯▯▯▯▯ (on hold pending content)
   A proposal to implement Upgrades, which basically can be described as pre-written aspects provided by the Regent Staff (members can't submit custom versions), that don't necessarily need to have a downside like regular Item Aspects.
   This is currently on hold at Evant's request until the Regent staff has enough decent content to drop into this feature. Once this is the case, this should be fairly easy to implement as we can leverage the existing Item Aspect infrastructure.

7. Graphics Society
   Status: ▮▮▮▮▮▯▯▯▯▯ (on hold pending Society Development)
   A new Society to provide our artistically capable members with a new outlet of creativity and activity. More information can be found in Vyr's report.
   Vyr and his staff have been provided with a bunch of data that will be used to figure out progression and balancing for the upcoming Graphics Society. Once they are done number-crunching, and all the nitty-gritty details have been worked out we will start working on translating the society progression paths into Promotheus rule sets (leveraging the framework that's already in place for the other societies, SA degrees, promotion requirements, and various other checks), and implement any necessary checks and metrics.

8. Random Bug fixes and Things That Come Up™
   Status: ▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯▯ (Never-ending)
   A wild Dark Council member appeared. It uses Feature Request!
   [FIGHT][ITEM][PKMN][RUN]

Closing

Again, lots of fixes and additions to the site, and even more interesting things to come. As always, if you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to e-mail me, Telegram me, or throw in a comment.

James L. Entar
Seneschal of the Brotherhood