The History of United Empire Forums!

[Gio Takahashi]

So whatever became of Final Fantasy Archives?

Gather 'round campfire, boys and girls, for it's storytellin' time!

THE HISTORY OF UNITED EMPIRE FORUMS AND HOW EVERYONE MET

Glenn/Benji ran a Final Fantasy Archives forum long ago, while it ran for a good 5 or 6 months, it didn't work out for long term.

Prior to the end of FFAF (final fantasy archives forums), Drake and I began experimenting with various forums and UEF. First it started with proboards after we got a virtual world in activeworlds called Omega. That was UEF 1.0. the term "United Empire" came from a network of world owners working together. hence "United Empire". People caught the wind of the forums and posted on the proboard. Since proboard sucked big time, after talking with Benji, I put a phpbb software on the FFAF server, and ran it for two months. That was UEF 1.5

Benji's site went down due to not paying for the server (I think), and everything there was lost. Sure, Drake and I were pissed off. However, at the same time, I managed to snag a nice hefty paycheck of over $500 from quiznos. It was an opportunity waiting to happen.

so I ordered a hosting package from globat, and ordered the forums software ($30 for one time set up fee, and $108 for the hosting plan and $160 for vbulletin package), then we breathed life into UEF 2.5 (vB2.2)

The forums ran good for about 3 months until vB3.0 was released as a release candidate. I decided to go for upgrade, then bam. The upgrade killed 2.5, due to globat's shitty configuration. It fucked up the database for 3.0, so upgrading was impossible. The only way to get to 3.0 was to start from scratch. It wasn't hard because we only had 3 months worth of stuff, and I was used to starting from scratch (That was the third time to restart :P)

so starting from scratch, so began UEF 3.0, and the introduction of "New Silver" that became the native theme until now (which will return). UEF 3.5 came when I upgraded vB to 3.5, which added much needed shit to the forums, including the product/plugin manager which would make forum hacking tremendously easier. (Back then I had to edit 20 files, upgrading was out of the question. Now, it's so easy that even a caveman could do it.

UEF3.5 ran fine for about a year and a half, and things gradually glitched. I attempted to add in the store-hack, but due to several database conflict, the installation crashed, and refused tot ake out the old stuff. Only way to fix that was to manually take out every shred of the storehack, which would mean, table by table, field by field, and data by data editting.

the glitch gradually made things worse and slow, and thanks to Billy Bob Bunyan here, he sped up the inevitable (something that I probably would've done by now) by hacking onto the forums, and posing as an overly perverted girl.

Now we post here at UEF 4.0, with a nice clean new database, where hopefully old shit from the past won't haunt this forums.

and in May 2008, Crogg joined UEF. The universe of UEF is forever changed by this single action.

COOL WAY BACK MACHINE LINKS:

the old pre-frontpage flash page:
http://web.archive.org/web/20030814031049/http://www.unitedempire.net/

UEF 2.5:
http://web.archive.org/web/20030814142437/www.unitedempire.net/forum/

UEF 3.0:
http://web.archive.org/web/20031128004810/www.unitedempire.net/forum/

SPLASH PAGE FOR UEF 3.0:
http://web.archive.org/web/20050308203253/http://www.unitedempire.net/

UEF 3.5:
http://web.archive.org/web/20060717153846/www.unitedempire.net/


REMEMBER JUNE24th MARKS THE FIFTH YEAR OF UNITED EMPIRE FORUMS

[Crogg]

Gio, you're missing one thing in this great history.... THE APPEARANCE OF THE EPIC CROGG THE CROGGINATOR. Add it in, NOW.

[Charlie]

And don't forget, children. September 12, 2008 is the 5th anniversary of my membership to the place. YOU WILL SHOWER ME WITH GIFTS ON THAT DAY! :P

[Gio Takahashi]

there. editted. happy?

[Crogg]

Gio wins the thread. Thank you for all that you have done Gio, it is deeply appreciated.

[Aingeleag]

The links at the bottom are amazing.
Yes, thank you Gio for everything that you've done to start this place and maintain it (in some form) for so long.
Also, gotta give thanks to everyone else involved. I'm sure there are a good handful of key people who would fit into this category.

[llama_egg]

I don't see anything about my amazing "pick my name" games on there.

[Killer_Man_]

And I was here from the start cause of NHF going down hill around that time too. o.o;

EDIT:

And I miss my comic, I really should start up anther one again. Just for fun sake, I like doing sprites and related comic. Espeically something as basic as Dragon Warrior or Metroid... I really should go back to my DW one since I had so many ideas to make fun of that series. Especially the first one cause of how basic the game was. xD

[BillmasterZ]

Darn Gio I tried to start my first anime Club with proboards. That is why if I make new one I will go with one of the better boards.
Double Post
...

Oh yea that was a little heart warming story!!!

Even numbers though >

[Gio Takahashi]

well about all free forums hoster are crap, but good for online multiplayer games for clans and other kind of groups.

[BillmasterZ]

http://web.archive.org/web/20030814031049/http://www.unitedempire.net/unitedempire.jpg


wow been a long time since I seen this image. I was just thinking about it the other day too.

[Gio Takahashi]

Heh. that was the splash page that served the front page until I installed the portal.

[Detrevni]

PORTAL? LIECAKE!

ther was one other splash page from the time that we lost staafl, still got that one?

[Gio Takahashi]

Yes, somewhere within my fast hard drives, Give me time to find it.

I believe Doomkitty made it a year after his death in commemoration.

Oh Just remember, there was another splash page where everyone had their pictures up. Hmm. I wonder what happened to that one.

[Detrevni]

Yeah I made that first one but the hard drive that that picture was one has come and gone.

[Jasmin Jaquine]

And I didn't save it, didn't think about it. Wasn't in much of a state to when it came to Mike.

[Gio Takahashi]

Did ANYONE saved that?

[Detrevni]

Ah shit. Well.. I can check my parents computers next tim eI go over on the off chance that it somehow got backed up.

[Gio Takahashi]

I'll look through the ftp, there's a good chance that I kept it on the FTP.

[DoomKitty]

Lol, something that I don't have. :P

[reginacroft]

Lol I started sometime between 3.0 and 3.5

[Gio Takahashi]

I think you started at 3.0. 3.5 is around summer 2006.

[reginacroft]

Yeah.
Lol not much to say...

[Frozen]

Man i don't rember much.Until doom kitty im'd me on the 12th i have complety forgot about uef.How long it was sence i got bannd or when i first joind.

And what about neogamers?I think that's what it's calld.I don't know what happind to those people.

I can't belive it's ben 17 days now.That was fast.

[Gio Takahashi]

You were banned for almost five years. Neogamers is long dead.

[Frozen]

Yeah i know but i wonder if they moved to another board.
5 years? i was band in 2003?

[Gio Takahashi]

probably. late 2003.

[Frozen]

I thought it was 2006.

[Gio Takahashi]

That was when you were banned the second time, probably.

[Seegtease]

5 years? Huh, I guess Frozen can't be 13 unless he was 8 back then.

[Frozen]

5 years? Huh, I guess Frozen can't be 13 unless he was 8 back then.
I'm gonna say this one time and one time only.

POOR SPELLING AND GRAMMER DOES NOT ALL WAYS MEAN SOME ONE IS UNER 16!!!.

[deathofcheese]

No, but it usually is a good indication.

Calm down, it could've been a joke.

[Bloodcinder]

POOR SPELLING AND GRAMMER DOES NOT ALL WAYS MEAN SOME ONE IS UNER 16!!!.

Yeah, but if they're over sixteen it's harder to forgive them.

[Frozen]

Yeah, but if they're over sixteen it's harder to forgive them.
There are people that are not good at speaking a language or maybe arn't speaking in there first language do you forgive those people?

There are people that can't read and are 50 years old do you forgive them?

[Bloodcinder]

Oh, I'm not talking about me. I don't really care about who types like what. It's not an issue to me. I'm just saying that people in general don't excuse "young-looking" posts online unless they're by young people. That's just a typical prejudice.

[Killer_Man_]

That and sometimes the people from anther country speak type better than most.

[Gio Takahashi]

And that is very true.

[Seegtease]

It's not so much as to how you spell your words, or what order they are in, but rather the words themselves that indicate a young age.