So, do the old updates still exist, anywhere?

stapler942 · 04-05-2010, 01:07 AM

I'm probably a bit late in saying this, but I thought I should get it out since it's been bottled up in me since the site redesign. I know this is an old topic (a year old, actually), but I never really participated in the forum discussions until recently, so I'm not sure what all has been said (I have read some of it, however).

Anyway, I've been kind of anxious to know if anything from the old site has been archived anywhere, apart from Twinkin' Out (of which we have at least a partial collection up and running elsewhere) or the "other content" which apparently exists but has been buried for good (I do miss said content, and I regret not getting to finish reading all of the extras, but I respect the wishes of those involved).

Anyway, I'm particularly wondering about the old blog posts. I personally miss the post about the "Picard w/ Optimus Prime" image contest thing (and "Jesus is their Optimus Prime")...And of course, What Did Charlie Eat? I remember it being a nice bonus to read through the comics archives then to read the blog post underneath it for witty observations (though it did also make scrolling a slight issue when you just wanted to read the comic, and seeing as 8-Bit was moreso the primary feature of NP back then it made more sense than now to have blog posts attached to individual comics).

It seems odd that I would lament the absence of old things like that, but I guess it's because when you become attached to a site like this, you become attached to its history and its progression. Oh well, at least there's a partial record in the old forum threads.

I think I could take a small bit of comfort in knowing that somewhere out there, content like that exists, even if it doesn't surface on the site any time soon.

If the content is truly lost, is there at least a good screenshot out there of what the old site looked like? Just for nostalgia's sake, as I will always associate that blue, gray, and black scheme with that time when I first started reading webcomics.

That's my rant for the day (apologies for wordiness), feel free to ignore me or to join me in silent rememberance. This isn't so much of an instance of "things are different now, and that makes me sad" as me wanting to hoard all content, new and old, that's related to 8-Bit Theater, (that's what a fan does, right?).

Kalbelgarion · 04-05-2010, 09:20 AM

Sadly, I think they are gone forever.

Heck, I miss the blog posts from two designs ago. T'was a sad day when we forever lost Brian's take on stupid pasta strainer infomercials.

Chocobo · 04-05-2010, 09:58 PM

Didn't Brian block archive.org from accessing the site? Is there any reason why he did so?

Bard The 5th LW · 04-06-2010, 12:21 AM

Don't know about everything you mentioned, but a lot of Twinkin' Out with Red mage still does exist on the site Nuclearpedia. Check it out.

Grognor · 04-06-2010, 07:47 AM

Ahoy.

I can't help you with your problem, but I have to say I agree with it.
I started to associate comic time periods with blog posts attached to them. At least some part of me regrets not having kept up on blog posts here because I know I have missed genuinely good humor and interesting links.

Also, I really rather preferred the datenumber.php system for archiving, as well as having all the titles in an archival list.

I don't know why any of these changes were made. Why doesn't matter to me. Asking why is for suckers. What matters to me is that I'm a doddery old lout who can't bare to see this website different than it was for all those years.

Pardon my hackneys.

BB · 04-06-2010, 10:20 AM

When we were talking about this before, the basic answer was "unless someone archived the site, no dice". There was a hard drive failure or something so Brian's own backup got wiped, and as far as anyone knows no one else had a copy. Also, his answer might be different regarding the blog posts if they ever are dug up, but a lot of the old site content which we found was politely requested to stay buried. In short, it's not likely.

Kalbelgarion · 04-06-2010, 10:25 AM

Regarding the blog posts and the comic archive...I can never remember when a specific plot arc happened. The only one that really sticks out in my mind is the Gurgu adventure happened in October 2004, since it was capped off by a King Steve comic about the 2004 Presidential election.

It would help if the pictures for the months in the archive were of something that happened during that month of comics. But as it is now the archive is unusable. If I want to read from a specific point, I use the 8BT Story Arc thread.

Meister · 04-06-2010, 10:31 AM

That's why we have it. Although while the archive page could be better, "unusable" strikes me as a little bit harsh. I like the picture-representing-storyarc idea, though.

rpgdemon · 04-06-2010, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meister

That's why we have it. Although while the archive page could be better, "unusable" strikes me as a little bit harsh. I like the picture-representing-storyarc idea, though.

Nah, I don't think it's really that harsh...

I've tried finding stuff with the archive system, but the old system was just vastly superior, what with the whole listing of comics by title.

stapler942 · 04-07-2010, 05:01 AM

I agree about the archives, though if I recall correctly it was hard for me to find stuff in the old archive just 'cause there were so many titles to scroll through and read. The calendar might be more aesthetically pleasing, but it means harder work for us to find something really. Also, I know some readers who have never been to the forum, so they wouldn't even have the "Story Arc" thread to help them out so I could imagine it being really confusing to a newcomer.

I suppose in a sense the more clicks it takes to find something, the harder the navigation. Between clicking on "archive" + year + month + day and on "forum" + 8-bit subsection + thread + link (assuming you have know prior knowledge of the forum), that's four mandatory clicks each, but with the archive it's much less likely to happen in that exact sequence. In reality it's more like, click-nope-back-click-nope-back-try next year-click-wait when did they get there...etc. With the numbered archive it was two clicks, and even though it was still a lot of guesswork you could say it was maybe half the guesswork.

04-05-2010, 01:07 AM	#1
stapler942 Goomba Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 20	So, do the old updates still exist, anywhere? I'm probably a bit late in saying this, but I thought I should get it out since it's been bottled up in me since the site redesign. I know this is an old topic (a year old, actually), but I never really participated in the forum discussions until recently, so I'm not sure what all has been said (I have read some of it, however). Anyway, I've been kind of anxious to know if anything from the old site has been archived anywhere, apart from Twinkin' Out (of which we have at least a partial collection up and running elsewhere) or the "other content" which apparently exists but has been buried for good (I do miss said content, and I regret not getting to finish reading all of the extras, but I respect the wishes of those involved). Anyway, I'm particularly wondering about the old blog posts. I personally miss the post about the "Picard w/ Optimus Prime" image contest thing (and "Jesus is their Optimus Prime")...And of course, What Did Charlie Eat? I remember it being a nice bonus to read through the comics archives then to read the blog post underneath it for witty observations (though it did also make scrolling a slight issue when you just wanted to read the comic, and seeing as 8-Bit was moreso the primary feature of NP back then it made more sense than now to have blog posts attached to individual comics). It seems odd that I would lament the absence of old things like that, but I guess it's because when you become attached to a site like this, you become attached to its history and its progression. Oh well, at least there's a partial record in the old forum threads. I think I could take a small bit of comfort in knowing that somewhere out there, content like that exists, even if it doesn't surface on the site any time soon. If the content is truly lost, is there at least a good screenshot out there of what the old site looked like? Just for nostalgia's sake, as I will always associate that blue, gray, and black scheme with that time when I first started reading webcomics. That's my rant for the day (apologies for wordiness), feel free to ignore me or to join me in silent rememberance. This isn't so much of an instance of "things are different now, and that makes me sad" as me wanting to hoard all content, new and old, that's related to 8-Bit Theater, (that's what a fan does, right?). Last edited by stapler942; 04-05-2010 at 01:12 AM.

04-06-2010, 07:47 AM	#5
Grognor Rage Mage Join Date: May 2009 Location: Florida Posts: 157	Ahoy. I can't help you with your problem, but I have to say I agree with it. I started to associate comic time periods with blog posts attached to them. At least some part of me regrets not having kept up on blog posts here because I know I have missed genuinely good humor and interesting links. Also, I really rather preferred the datenumber.php system for archiving, as well as having all the titles in an archival list. I don't know why any of these changes were made. Why doesn't matter to me. Asking why is for suckers. What matters to me is that I'm a doddery old lout who can't bare to see this website different than it was for all those years. Pardon my hackneys. __________________ "Go away. I'm fine." - Last words of H. G. Wells

04-06-2010, 10:20 AM	#6
BB >-❥ Love Arrow, Shoot! ~💖 Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 677	When we were talking about this before, the basic answer was "unless someone archived the site, no dice". There was a hard drive failure or something so Brian's own backup got wiped, and as far as anyone knows no one else had a copy. Also, his answer might be different regarding the blog posts if they ever are dug up, but a lot of the old site content which we found was politely requested to stay buried. In short, it's not likely. __________________ Twit - Tumbl - T...Steam

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04-05-2010, 09:20 AM	#2
Kalbelgarion King Rappy Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 111	Sadly, I think they are gone forever. Heck, I miss the blog posts from two designs ago. T'was a sad day when we forever lost Brian's take on stupid pasta strainer infomercials.

04-05-2010, 09:58 PM	#3
Chocobo Shyguy Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 127	Didn't Brian block archive.org from accessing the site? Is there any reason why he did so?

04-06-2010, 12:21 AM	#4
Bard The 5th LW Feelin' Super! Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 4,191	Don't know about everything you mentioned, but a lot of Twinkin' Out with Red mage still does exist on the site Nuclearpedia. Check it out.

04-06-2010, 10:25 AM	#7
Kalbelgarion King Rappy Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 111	Regarding the blog posts and the comic archive...I can never remember when a specific plot arc happened. The only one that really sticks out in my mind is the Gurgu adventure happened in October 2004, since it was capped off by a King Steve comic about the 2004 Presidential election. It would help if the pictures for the months in the archive were of something that happened during that month of comics. But as it is now the archive is unusable. If I want to read from a specific point, I use the 8BT Story Arc thread.

04-06-2010, 10:31 AM	#8
Meister Pure joy Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Germany Posts: 10,689	That's why we have it. Although while the archive page could be better, "unusable" strikes me as a little bit harsh. I like the picture-representing-storyarc idea, though.

04-07-2010, 05:01 AM	#10
stapler942 Goomba Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 20	I agree about the archives, though if I recall correctly it was hard for me to find stuff in the old archive just 'cause there were so many titles to scroll through and read. The calendar might be more aesthetically pleasing, but it means harder work for us to find something really. Also, I know some readers who have never been to the forum, so they wouldn't even have the "Story Arc" thread to help them out so I could imagine it being really confusing to a newcomer. I suppose in a sense the more clicks it takes to find something, the harder the navigation. Between clicking on "archive" + year + month + day and on "forum" + 8-bit subsection + thread + link (assuming you have know prior knowledge of the forum), that's four mandatory clicks each, but with the archive it's much less likely to happen in that exact sequence. In reality it's more like, click-nope-back-click-nope-back-try next year-click-wait when did they get there...etc. With the numbered archive it was two clicks, and even though it was still a lot of guesswork you could say it was maybe half the guesswork.