I know there's been a lot of confusion on here the last few days since the site was upgraded at the weekend, but hopefully this thread will clarify things better.
Some changes have been made which will affect some of you more than others.
Firstly, some of you no longer have avatars. That's because avatars and signatures have been removed for 'registered users'. Those who are classed as 'donors' (ie those who have donated money towards the running costs of the site) still have their avatars, signatures and custom user titles, so nothing has changed for them.
One feature that has been added that is available to everybody is the 'forum style' option that enables you to change the look of the forum. You can now have TLW in full width, rather than the set width that it is now. Also, if you are browsing the site in work and are worried about the bright colours giving you away, you can go for the worksafe option, which is a lot more low key and less obvious.
You can find those options at the bottom left of the page. There's a drop down box that says 'TLW CLASSIC'. Click the box, and select the option you want.
You will notice the new improved user cp section, which allows you to interact with other forum members. Registered users can use some, but not all, of these features. There are more options available to those who have donated, and more still for those who purchase a TLW Season Ticket.
I've introduced the season ticket as a way to try and make the site profitable. As I explained in this thread
2008... , I need to start making more money from TLW if I'm to continue doing it, and hopefully this will help me to do that.
ST's are entirely optional. If you don't buy one, you still get to use the site in the same way you always have (minus avatars unless you are a 'donor' of course). If you would prefer not to buy the ST and just want to make a smaller donation instead, you can do that by clicking the 'paypal donate' button at the top of the page. If you do buy one, you'll have access to features that non STH's don't have.
These features include:
Your own Blog - Every forum member can read the blogs, but only STH's can write their own blog entries. An example of a blog entry can be found by clicking on the 'blogs' link in the menubar at the top of the page.
Added User Profile options - STH's have access to all of the features in the New User Profiles, for example they can upload photo's and create albums.
Access to the TLW Arcade - Space invaders, pacman, tetris etc. Play on your own or organise tournaments with friends. The games will be changed every few months, just to keep things fresh.
Access to the TLW Casino - Black Jack, Roulette, Poker etc. Like the arcade, you can play on your own or set up tournaments. Every forum user has a certain amount of 'virtual cash', and STH's can spend that cash in the casino
Vbookie: A bit like the casino. Users have virtual cash which they can use to place bets on whatever they like.
I'll keep adding various features to the site, but for now if you have any questions, post them on this thread and I'll try to answer them.
The cost of the ST is £24 for 12 months. It's NOT a recurring payment, you will be reminded when it is about to expire and it is optional as to whether you renew.
You can sign up for it by clicking on your user cp link, then scrolling down to 'paid subscriptions' on the left hand menu bar. Then just follow the instructions.
If you can't use paypal, send me a pm and we can sort out alternative methods of payment.
