Discord Server Use

[nbrich1]

The new permanent Link to the RTMM/MFC Discord is: https://discord.gg/6aw97KZ2Hu

We have been informed that the RTMM forum here on this site, after many years of existence, maybe closing by late summer or early fall hence will slowly transition the forum posts to a more cost effective location.

A few years ago, I created a server on Discord for the Misty Flying Club, which houses MFC material and it also can serve the purpose of providing a forum type of environment, for both RTMM and MFC not only in text format channels but also has capability of carrying many voice channels for live voice chat, multi/group flights/events or for live help/support. And, so far, it is a free service.

On the discord server, have already added the download links/descriptions for the RTMM all-in-one scenery packages for FSX, P3Dv4, P3Dv5 and MSFS2020 as well as direct download links to Tongass Fjords FSX (install version) and the Tongass Fjords P3D add-on.

Discord's format is a bit different than many are used to but after a short time and a learning curve, hopefully all will be come familiar with its use and the navigation of this application.

There is three versions of Discord: the browser version on PC, the software application on PC and a Discord app for mobile phone. (For PC use, recommend the software application) (https://discord.com/)

If you have any problems just give a yell and we can assist you.

Norm

[Dan]

Thanks Norm, I appreciate all the work you've done getting the Discord set up and running.      Most communities these days use Discord as their main community hubs, and I think people will come to like it after getting used to it.   It's very effective for communicating and you can do things like hop into a voice channel to either fly together or get some troubleshooting help.

I'll have more info on the future of the forum once I finalize the plan of action.    I'd personally like to perform one final update to the forum software and then disable new forum registrations but possibly leave it open to existing users if they wish to use it.    There's a wealth of information here from over the years and it would be a shame to lose it all.  However, upgrading the forum is not without its risks due to the amount of time it's been since the last update, and things like the RTMM look and feel of the forum risk being lost.

I'll have more updates in the future. Thanks again.

[Dieter]

Dear RTMM-Team,

The probable closure of the RTMM homepage would bring a long, glorious era to an end.
No question, I take my hat off to the hard and extensive work of Norm, who set up the RTMM Discord channel.
But maybe I'm an old geezer or super ager, a well-made homepage appeals to me much more and is much clearer.
Of course, this also involves some considerable costs, while Discord is (still) free.

I would like to thank those responsible on the Team for maintaining the RTMM homepage for decades.

[Penzoil3]

 Deiter, I totally agree. I love the web page. come here daily. You won't see me on Discord. I have it, I know how to use it. I just don't like it.
  Sue

[Dan]

I should have provided more information about this sooner.   To be clear, the intention as of this time is not to completely shut down the website.     The website itself is basically feature-complete and runs itself.    It is the forums that require the investment of day-to-day maintenance and also bump up the cost of web hosting.   

The daily maintenance I do on the forums generally centers around the manual account registration process that I had to implement due to the number of spambot registrations.   I have to review each registration and determine if they are malicious accounts or not.   About 95% are spambots from Russia or using VPNs associated with abusive IP addresses.   

Unfortunately, the forums are hardly utilized these days, with the exception of the Misty Flying Club section.  This is why we're attempting to move that discussion to Discord, since it's a good tool for communicating things like MFC tour completions.   It's difficult to justify paying a higher hosting cost for the forums when they're simply rarely used.

I understand that Discord may not be for everyone, but once you get used to it (it took me a while as well) it is quite easy to use, and a great place to have discussions, even voice discussions.     I thank Norm for all the work he's doing on it, and I'll reconnect with him in the near future.

I'm working behind the scenes to determine what, if anything, can be done to upgrade the forums to make it more spambot-proof as well as lower the server utilization.    This will likely be an upgrade to the forum software and then an upgrade to the server software.    This could possibly then allow us to lower our web hosting costs if we can move to a cheaper hosting plan.    That process is not without risks, though, due to the customizations we've done over the years to the forum to make it feel just like the RTMM main website (they are completely separate in terms of web hosting).

I'll provide more information when I have a more concrete idea of the path we're taking with the forum.  Sorry for not providing more info on this sooner.  Thanks.

-Dan

[Dieter]

Ok Dan, thanks for the clarification!