RolePlay onLine RPoL Logo

, welcome to Technical Discussions

06:13, 19th March 2024 (GMT+0)

Thread Post Limits.

Posted by athan_untapped
athan_untapped
member, 14 posts
Thu 12 Jan 2017
at 05:25
  • msg #1

Thread Post Limits

I looked but failed to see if this was addressed anywhere.

I know the details of threads running up to/past the 1k post limit; at a certain point you can no long view the whole thread on one page without D/Ling it which only I as the GM can do. My question is, if I ignore that setback and keep a thread going, will it incur any other problems? Not too terribly long keep in mind; in my own game I like to split the game up in chapters and the most recent chapter is running rather long, but the characters are at the very end of it and will move on soon. But, I expect it will definitely go over 1k. So if I let it keep going and it ran over, say to 1.2 or 1.3, would that be okay or will I eventually be kicked out entirely?
bigbadron
moderator, 15254 posts
He's big, he's bad,
but mostly he's Ron.
Thu 12 Jan 2017
at 06:03

Thread Post Limits

Apart from being unable to view the whole thread, there are no other problems with running a thread past the 1,000 post limit.  I know of one board on this site with a thread that has over 6,000 posts, and that's working just fine.
athan_untapped
member, 15 posts
Thu 12 Jan 2017
at 07:08
  • msg #3

Re: Thread Post Limits

bigbadron:
Apart from being unable to view the whole thread, there are no other problems with running a thread past the 1,000 post limit.  I know of one board on this site with a thread that has over 6,000 posts, and that's working just fine.

Awesome. Thank you so much.
Evil Empryss
member, 1517 posts
Try tasting your words
before spitting them out
Thu 12 Jan 2017
at 12:11
  • msg #4

Re: Thread Post Limits

The biggest problem comes if you want to save the thread by downloading it. If you can't view all of the posts at once, you have to save it each page at a time. This is very time consuming if you have 20+ pages in a single thread.
athan_untapped
member, 16 posts
Thu 12 Jan 2017
at 16:16
  • msg #5

Re: Thread Post Limits

Evil Empryss:
The biggest problem comes if you want to save the thread by downloading it. If you can't view all of the posts at once, you have to save it each page at a time. This is very time consuming if you have 20+ pages in a single thread.

Thanks for the warning. I'll try to save the majority of the thread now then, before it goes over the limit. Then I can save the other pages seperately after the chapter is completed.
Evil Empryss
member, 1518 posts
Try tasting your words
before spitting them out
Thu 12 Jan 2017
at 16:20
  • msg #6

Re: Thread Post Limits

I just lock the thread around #995 and started a Part 2 thread.
jase
admin, 3519 posts
Cogito, ergo procuro.
Carpe stultus!
Fri 13 Jan 2017
at 04:13

Re: Thread Post Limits

In reply to athan_untapped (msg # 5):

FYI you can always use the D/L link no matter the size of the thread.  Not sure if you realise but what EE is referring to is using the "all" link on RPoL and then saving the page from your bowser (via file > save as / menu > more tools > save page as).
facemaker329
member, 6882 posts
Gaming for over 30
years, and counting!
Fri 13 Jan 2017
at 08:37
  • msg #8

Re: Thread Post Limits

In reply to Evil Empryss (msg # 6):

A few of my GMs do that, when threads last long enough to become a concern.

And then there's the OOC thread in the game I inherited...it was already well past 1000 posts when I took the reins.  I've never bothered starting another thread.  *grin*

If, however, that were to happen to one of the IC threads (getting close to 1000), I'd worry about it.  I'm relatively sure nothing worth worrying over has been brought up in the OOC thread...*laugh*
theblacksorcerer
member, 31 posts
Fri 8 Dec 2023
at 02:39
  • msg #9

Re: Thread Post Limits

It should be noted that the limit is NOT 1,000 posts, but rather 999. I recently closed a thread at exactly 1,000 posts and have now lost the ability to view the entire thread - something I have just discovered to my great annoyance while trying to go back and retrieve information from somewhere roughly two-thirds of the way through the thread.

This thread necromancy is thus an impotent form of indignant, non-violent protest at the incorrect information which has caused this mishap and wasted valuable seconds.
jase
admin, 3889 posts
Cogito, ergo procuro.
Carpe stultus!
Fri 8 Dec 2023
at 03:43

Re: Thread Post Limits

If you're using the new responsive site then it isn't exact, no wasted nanoseconds.  (c;
theblacksorcerer
member, 32 posts
Fri 8 Dec 2023
at 04:20
  • msg #11

Re: Thread Post Limits

Admittedly, I was using the "old" site, but I just checked the same thread on the responsive site, and although the "all" button was there, it only returned this error message:
quote:
This thread is over the post limit of 1,000 messages.  Viewing all messages has been disabled.

It's not, though! It's exactly 1,000! Grr...

I should also point out that I haven't made the amateur mistake of allowing 1,000 replies - there are 999 replies to the original post in the thread, but I'm now locked out of viewing all. :(
Skald
moderator, 1031 posts
Whatever it is,
I'm against it
Fri 8 Dec 2023
at 05:01

Re: Thread Post Limits

What happens if you delete one message (there's usually one that's a PM or a dice roll or a player has posted twice in succession, and you could edit it into another post by the same player without losing the thread) ?
theblacksorcerer
member, 33 posts
Fri 8 Dec 2023
at 06:18
  • msg #13

Re: Thread Post Limits

That was my very next question. What would happen if one post were deleted?

I was reluctant to attempt it without some assurance that it would work, but you're right in that there will undoubtedly be a few posts that are redundant. I'll give it a go and see what comes of it...

*a frustrating hour later*

Right, so I finally managed to find a double-post and edit it out. That has done the job and I can now view all again since the thread is back at the ACTUAL LIMIT of 999 posts. =}

But the point remains that 1,000 posts is not the upper limit, it's one too many. While editing the first of the two posts (before I'd deleted the second) I got the message "This thread is over the 1,000 post recommendation.  If possible, you should start a new thread." (emphasis mine, obviously) below the edit box.

No, it's not! It's just objectively not! 1,000 is not more than 1,000! Argh!!

Oh well, lesson learned. I shall be curtailing at 999 in future. But let this stand as a warning to those as obdurate as I, who would dare refuse to close a thread on a number that is not divisible by 100...
jase
admin, 3890 posts
Cogito, ergo procuro.
Carpe stultus!
Fri 8 Dec 2023
at 06:25

Re: Thread Post Limits

In reply to theblacksorcerer (msg # 11):

Surely not, try again.  (c;
theblacksorcerer
member, 34 posts
Fri 8 Dec 2023
at 07:42
  • msg #15

Re: Thread Post Limits

In reply to jase (msg # 14):

Ha, the programmer is always (retroactively) right!

Fortunately I had another exactly-1,000-post thread in the same game (an old OOC thread) so I could check that out immediately.

Thanks for the quick fix! I can now go back to my old anal-retentive ways.
This message was lightly edited by the user at 07:45, Fri 08 Dec 2023.
Zag24
supporter, 781 posts
Tue 12 Dec 2023
at 02:27
  • msg #16

Re: Thread Post Limits

There's another issue if the "all" choice is disabled:  making links to specific posts.  Right now, the only reliable way to make a link to a specific post is to include "&show=all" in the URL because the paging might make it drift to the page before or after where it is at the moment.

Not a huge deal, but I do use it occasionally.
Skald
moderator, 1032 posts
Whatever it is,
I'm against it
Tue 12 Dec 2023
at 06:07
  • msg #17

Re: Thread Post Limits

We're going to have that problem wherever we set the goalposts, though - if All was disabled at the 2000 post limit instead, then that would become the new norm to work up to/cross that line.  And then &show=all would stop working again.

One way to solve it would be to set 1000 posts as a strict limit - IE not allow any more posts to be added to the thread once it hit 1000 posts.

Might cause some short term angst while the GM played catch up to create a new thread, but to me that'd be preferable to allowing the thread to go over the limit and losing the All button (which I use quite regularly when I'm searching for a name or a phrase that's come up before  as I'm certain my characters have better memories than I do).
SunRuanEr
subscriber, 591 posts
Tue 12 Dec 2023
at 12:07
  • msg #18

Re: Thread Post Limits

The warning to create a new thread starts pretty early if I recall (in my memory, I feel like it gives a solid 25-50 post warning before hitting 1000, but it's been a while so I'm probably wrong), so it feels like it would be pretty difficult for a GM to /miss/ it, but...

What about a compromise, much like the gas light in your car? The warning remains the same. The 1000 post "limit" remains the same. But the hard lock (if one was put in) goes in at (an unannounced) 1005ish to allow a little bit of leeway in case there's some delay in getting the new thread up/posts are coming too fast for people to realize they're at 1000?

I realize that would do away with the 'All' option in those cases, but the GM could (if they needed/wanted) edit down a few posts into the start of the new thread when they get one fired up and bring the original thread back down to 1000.
This message was last edited by the user at 12:08, Tue 12 Dec 2023.
jase
admin, 3895 posts
Cogito, ergo procuro.
Carpe stultus!
Tue 12 Dec 2023
at 14:51

Re: Thread Post Limits

It warns at 95%, so 50 to go.  Not sure if there's any point with the small amount of grace.  I think the idea behind the hard-limit was to avoid the "all" being unavailable, any grace fails that intent.
SunRuanEr
subscriber, 592 posts
Tue 12 Dec 2023
at 15:08
  • msg #20

Re: Thread Post Limits

That's true. I was really just thinking that if a discussion/scene/conversation is rolling, so to speak, that having a few posts extension might give that a chance to finish while allowing the GM to roll the thread back to 1000 posts or less when they get a chance to create a new thread. (Assuming they don't get one made in advance for some wild reason.)

I've got no dog in the fight for or against a hard lock at 1000, as long as any hard lock makes the thread definitely just 'Closed' and not 'Archived'.

Would the GM be able to unlock it again, though, if they desired? So that players could quote something from it in the future, for instance? Under the current system, the GM doesn't /have/ to close the thread at 1000 posts, even when they open a new thread to direct the posts there (thereby preventing posts from going over the 1000 post limit in the old thread), and that means that players still have access to features in the original thread.

I'm unsure if retaining the ability for some people to always utilize the 'All' feature in every thread would necessarily outweigh the downsides to others not being able to utilize some of the other features like 'Quote' in those threads if the hard lock "closed" the thread.

(Ignore me entirely if any hard lock would just be a flat 'you can't post here' effect, and not a forced closing of the thread. <.< )
This message was last edited by the user at 15:09, Tue 12 Dec 2023.
facemaker329
member, 7485 posts
Gaming for over 40
years, and counting!
Wed 13 Dec 2023
at 05:28
  • msg #21

Re: Thread Post Limits

I think the decision to close or not close a thread, even at the 1000 post limit, is still something that should be up to the GM's discretion.  I mean, I'm in a game where the GM never bothered to create a new OOC thread, so it's somewhere in the vicinity of 3000 posts at this point...

I'm in another game where the GM typically doesn't start a new thread until the one in use is at or just over 1000 posts (a lot of the old threads have 1003-1009 posts in them), and it hasn't seriously impacted anyone's enjoyment of the game.

If the ability to use the "All" feature is a serious concern, there's no reason for the GM to not start a new thread the minute the warnings start showing up for peoples' posts.  I'm pretty sure the percentage of threads throughout RPOL that can rack up 50 posts before the GM could intervene is negligible, and most players will move to the new thread as soon as they realize it's there, even mid-discussion.

I'm very much in the 'It ain't broke--don't fix it' camp on this one.  If a GM intends to be able to recall all the posts via the "All" feature, there's no reason the thread should ever get to 1000 posts.  There's ample warning time and the GM is certainly under no obligation to maximize the number of posts in a thread...they can start a new one at any time.
donsr
member, 2972 posts
Wed 13 Dec 2023
at 12:05
  • msg #22

Re: Thread Post Limits

Maybe i don't notice, or maybe i am Lucky. But i don't seem to have the problem..if it is there. It hasn't made me notice.
my space game  has a ton of posts..soemthing like 9 pages. I tend  to wait as  close to 1000 as i can before  i close off and make a new thread for that 'reason' the post is there.

Because of the History of the  game ( closing in on 13  RL years)..i have to dig through old posts to find a tidbit of information. I have always  found it, though, it takes  a while.

 2 years ago  i made  a list of  PCs who have  come  and gone, ..I started  on the oldest  page and scrolled through every thread to see the names  and  add the names who are no longer in the game..( that took about a Month! )...anyway.. i didn't miss anything, and if i did, it wasn't important  enough to notice.
for the decades of  wandering the wastelands of PBP.. I have seen very good places that have died. ( as you may have heard  me Say EZ boards where great, but  got hacked  and never  returned. I must have been on 5 different boards playing games..I am on another  site  right now for 1 game..only because of the history i have with that game from a site that crashed years ago..I really dislike the site. i have a link to take me straight to my game, because  ...for me..its  so hard to navigate the mess  i don't care about...but? some folks like it..that's  them.

 So? As  Facemaker  said... I don't think little things  need to be addressed, that don't effect the  site. I liken that to  'making that one extra turn on a bolt, and then it gets stripped."
jennab
member, 13 posts
So many worlds to explore
Fri 15 Dec 2023
at 22:06
  • msg #23

Re: Thread Post Limits

What would be nice is for closed threads to have an ALL link so they're more easily searchable.
SunRuanEr
subscriber, 596 posts
Fri 15 Dec 2023
at 22:12
  • msg #24

Re: Thread Post Limits

I do currently see an 'All' link for closed threads. On both the old site and responsive both.

If you're not seeing it, perhaps the thread has too few posts to need it? The 'All' option won't pop for a thread with fewer than 26 posts (because 25 or fewer all fit on the same page anyway.)

Edit - and it seems that overnight a stealth 'All' has appeared for threads that are shorter than a full page of posts, closed or otherwise. I know that wasn't there yesterday in the sub-25-post threads I checked, so go go quick responses!

...as a weird aside, being in the 'Edit' interface seems to eat the rest of the thread so that you can no longer scroll back through it while editing, even from the preview window.
This message was last edited by the user at 21:55, Sat 16 Dec 2023.
Sign In