Posted by Kim on January 26, 2019, 10:30am
Over the last few weeks, I've been deep in a code hole, running experiments to see how well the RPR might take to being converted into a more modern codebase and framework.The results were even better than I had hoped. So many features happily evolved to fit into the new system. So many showed glimmered of new super powers they could take on. I'm generating pages of notes and ideas and diagrams.
So many doors opened. So many possibilites revealed themselves.
Because of this conversion, a lot of features I had previously turned down or not had a prayer of finding the time to create are going to come back on the table - for example, having a "dark" theme for the site for those whose eyes are sensitive to light, allowing for bigger image uploads, the ability to keep characters in "draft" mode until you're ready to unveil their profiles, even more ultra-deep character/group theme customization, finer control of column layouts and more.
A lot of interfaces will be re-architected to better accommodate all the various features that the RPR has evolved over the years, which I hope will make it easier to understand and take advantage of the wide array of options the RPR already includes but maybe doesn't do a good job of explaining.
Of course, some things will come out on the other end looking and feeling basically exactly as they do right now -- if I try to change everything at once for the relaunch, we'll never make it there!
All in all, I'm super, super excited and happy.
So, on the subject of that relaunch: We're still looking at at least 6 months of work to make this happen, and quite possibly in the range of 8-10 months. Obviously, faster is better! How fast I can get this done will depend very much on how much time I can devote to focusing on it, rather than having to build other things for clients in order to put food in my belly.
To support the rapid re-development of the site, in the coming weeks, I'll be organizing a sort of RPR "bake sale" to raise funds. More on that soon.
As an unintended result of my brain filling up with this obsession, I'm way behind on your PMs and bug reports. Many apologies on that front! I'll do my level best to catch up over this week.
Here are some answers that I can offer right now to some questions I've gotten about this process:
Are we going to have to start over? Will we keep our characters?
You won't lose your account or characters. You'll keep any benefits you purchase. Your RPs won't be deleted. It's just the code that will be starting from scratch - not you.
The purpose of this rebuild is to make the site function better into the future, modernize it, and make more features possible. Every effort will be put into preserving your data.
Will there be any downtime?
When RPR 2.0 is ready to go, I'm currently anticipating about 12-24 hours of downtime as everything is migrated onto the new system. This is months away, and you'll get plenty of warning.
Will we get any updates in the meantime?
Shortly, we will be replacing the current push notifications system with a new one intended to fix some of the issues with push notifications only working for a few weeks before needing to be re-enabled, and possibly make it available to Apple users. This will be the last major update to this version of the site.
After that, we will enter a complete "development freeze," which means that no new features will be built for this version, and only mission-critical bugs will be fixed here. All development energy will go toward making the new version of the site ready for us as quickly as possible. This is unfortunate, but I strongly believe it will make the site better and stronger for years and years to come.
You'll start to get responses from me that say things like, "I've fixed this bug in RPR 2.0" or "Good idea, I've added that to/put that on the list for RPR 2.0"
What about the Meet Cute and Epic Week?
We will still be running the Meet Cute, Epic Week, and other regularly scheduled events as normal! The social side of things will keep on kicking here.
Epic Week site-wide prizes may look different this year, as frozen development will mean we won't be able to release new templates and features as your rewards. I'm sure I'll tantalize you with screenshots of what's coming, though
And we'll find other methods of giving suitably epic rewards. 
Do we HAVE to call it RPR 2.0?
No, absolutely not. Taking suggestions for a better name in the comments!
Comments
Hades_
February 2, 2019
1:39am
I would love to be able to buy more character slots in terms for the RPR "bake sale" I don't find much use in buying too many pages, individual cloaks, or "colored" cloaks. I would also be up for putting something in towards Epic Memberships.
I'm so excited for RPR to get this rebirth, and my suggestion for the name would be RPRepositry Epic. It's like RPR getting its own epic membership status!
I'm so excited for RPR to get this rebirth, and my suggestion for the name would be RPRepositry Epic. It's like RPR getting its own epic membership status!
I love the idea of a sale! RPR 2.0 makes plain sense to me, it doesn't make it sound like RPR itself is a game. Ever since I read that RPR's main use used to be character storage, I've got my eye on buying more slots for the ones I don't RP with and I hope the draft profile function happens.
I've been sitting on my hands for a bit on this one -- no real particular reason since I don't believe it's really anything that would gain a public outcry. :p Just that I've been busy and remembered it just now:
I'd like to put in a request that when the dark theme is being worked on, that maybe text shouldn't be just a stark white against the dark backgrounds. If possible, it would be nice to have a generally light shade that isn't straight white against the dark backgrounds.
I don't really like bright colours since they give me headaches, which makes general layouts using bright colours together hard to look at. Switching to darkmode on most sites means that I'm looking at straight white on black, which is no better and strains the eyes even more.
So it's just a small request for consideration for a dark theme that would make it easier for some users that have similar grievances of straight white on black (or general darker colorus). :'D
I'd like to put in a request that when the dark theme is being worked on, that maybe text shouldn't be just a stark white against the dark backgrounds. If possible, it would be nice to have a generally light shade that isn't straight white against the dark backgrounds.
I don't really like bright colours since they give me headaches, which makes general layouts using bright colours together hard to look at. Switching to darkmode on most sites means that I'm looking at straight white on black, which is no better and strains the eyes even more.
So it's just a small request for consideration for a dark theme that would make it easier for some users that have similar grievances of straight white on black (or general darker colorus). :'D
All the hilarious name suggestions...I'm dying LoL!How about...
RPR: Evo
(Short for evolution)
Or...
RPR-X
(...because it just sounds epic...?)
I got a pair of name ideas for RPR v2:
RP Repository Kai
RP Repository Telos
Bonus points if you get the reference to Persona3. (Kai means Custom, to play up customizability. Orpheus Kai was localized as Orpheus Telos in Persona3.)
RP Repository Kai
RP Repository Telos
Bonus points if you get the reference to Persona3. (Kai means Custom, to play up customizability. Orpheus Kai was localized as Orpheus Telos in Persona3.)
Wonder if we'll get a veteran status for having been on here during rpr 1.0
Will there be cookies and milk after the update?
RPRepository: Uprising
RPRepository: Season 2
RPRepository: A New Beginning
RPRepository: The Sequel
RPRepository: A New Beginning
RPRepository: The Sequel
RPRR: Roleplay Repository Redux!
RPR: INCARNATION
RPRREDDIT.
LOL @ RpR: The Next Generation
Engage!
Engage!
Taciturn
January 26, 2019
6:49pm
RPR 2: Electric Boogaloo.
I wouldn't say I'm anxious about anything specific. Change is just always difficult, even good change! I suppose I am a little nervous about the epic templates as well but to be fair some epic templates people have made don't work correctly with the current code either. 😂
"RPR: The Next Generation".
I'm definitely not planning on doing away with the current theme, just offering more options!
And this seems like it's going to be exciting. Congrats on all the new code you've already created.
I agree with Dunedain about the layout. I love the scroll-colored background and other such things that give the site a relaxing feel.
I agree with Dunedain about the layout. I love the scroll-colored background and other such things that give the site a relaxing feel.
Maybe my tastes are simple, but actually I like "RpR 2.0." just fine. *shrugs*
AdoniVaeFebruary 10, 2019
12:01pm