Posted by Speedie Day 283, Year 3 (29th Jul 13) @ 12:18:01
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Hey everyone, it's great to be back!! ((Again. -.-))
After an extensive talk with HostGator, they decided the site went offline because *I* checked my messages. Yep. My IcePets mail.
After they fixed it, they decided it was actually them who caused the error. Direct quote:
The issue appears to have been caused by some conflicts with the libmysqlclient system libraries. We have corrected this at this time.
ANYWAYS. I'll be you guys have been looking forward to this banner;
It's time for another contest!!
This contest is a Closet challenge. There will be four teams; Blue Audrils, Green Tridos, Red Dovus, and Yellow Sharshels. Players who sign up will be randomly placed on one of the four teams. Each team will receive a starting Pet. They will pick a team leader, and the starting Pet will be placed on that user's account. The object of the contest is to fill your Pet's Closet. To use Morphing Potions or Snow Jars, each team member must send the Item to the team leader, who will use it on the Pet. The team who fills their Pet's Closet first, wins. If, by the end of the contest, no one has their Pet's Closet completely filled, whoever's Closet has the highest count will be declared the winners.
After the contest is over, all four contest Pets will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. The winner of the auction will be able to re-name the Pet to whatever they choose, assuming the name is not already taken by an existing Pet.
Rules
The Morphing Potions or Snow Jars you use can be obtained from anywhere. User shops, NPC shops, Scrap Shop, Historian, previously owned Items, friends not participating in the contest, anywhere Outside messenger services are allowed when forming strategies, but not encouraged. Remember, We cannot moderate chat rooms offsite, so use discretion when chatting. You may not switch teams If your team loses control of the starting Pet, ((Abandoning it in the pound)) it is considered a forfeit. Whoever bids at the auction when the contest is over, must have room on their account for another Pet. All Morphing Potions or Snow Jars used on the starting Pet are not retrievable. You will not get them back at the end of the contest.
Prizes
These Avatars will be awarded to participating users for each team they are placed on. This is not the only time this contest will be held. More prizes will be announced in the upcoming days. If a team completes their Closet 100%, a special prize will be awarded.
If anything is unclear to you, you may post here, or message Speedie.
Sign ups are below! Simply post 'enter' to be added to the list. The teams will be announced, along with the available prizes, in two days.
Posted by Speedie Day 281, Year 3 (27th Jul 13) @ 19:23:20
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It's been quite a while since we've been able to do one of these news posts but this one will make up for it!!
This stunning display of...Radar dish-ness...Is the new Tech Jakrit!! Note the long, signal-picking-up ears, the dashing red horns, the charged up glow...Ready for action!!
And on the other side of the color spectrum is the kind, yet mischievous Angelic Wulfer. Beautiful shades of blue, light fluffy wings, and a grin that will make you wonder if that's toothpaste you're using, or something else...
These stunning Pets can be obtained by using the new Tech Jakrit Morphing Potion and the Angelic Wulfer Morphing Potion! Both of these Items will be in the I.C.E. Shop for the whole month of August for 550 IC. ((495 IC for Gold Members!)) They will also be available in the Snow Jar Igloo for 15,000 IP for the first two weeks of August. At the end of the month, they will be removed from the I.C.E. Shop and will then be sent to the Historian!
Who do we have to thank for the request of these two Pets? Wonderrabbit and Kahvi!! They requested these Pets quite a long time ago! Thank you ladies for being so patient.
Who did the art? Can you tell by their style? It was the lovely and talented Roar!
Thanks so much, Wonderrabbit and Kahvi for the requests, and thanks a ton Roar for the beautiful artwork. ^_^
We hate to say it, but we have some very sad news. One of our most senior moderators is resigning. Elliesaur's personal life has become far too busy and she has resigned as Head Moderator. We will all miss her dearly. If her schedule opens up, and she is able to come back, she will be welcomed with open arms. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to the site, Ellie, we look forward to seeing you around the site on your spare time.
In other news, the Member Of The Month ((MOTM)) and Staff Of The Month ((SOTM)) events *finally* have set dates of start and release. Here is the schedule:
MOTM February: Voting starts on the 23rd, ends on the 28th Months with 30 days: Voting starts on the 25th, ends on the 30th Months with 31 days: Voting starts on the 26th, ends on the 31st.
SOTM February: Voting starts on the 21st, ends on the 26th Months with 30 days: Voting starts on the 23rd, ends on the 28th Months with 31 days: Voting starts on the 24th, ends on the 29th
At one point in time, the MOTM was automatically done by a programmed thread in the forums. Since we no longer have funds for such luxuries, the lovely Luventas will be in charge of taking nominations and tallying votes! We are a little behind this month because of the server issues...*Glares at HostGator* So we will start the nominations today! Quickly send your nomination for MOTM to Luventas! Remember, you cannot nominate yourself, and staff members are reserved for SOTM.
For those of you who live under a rock, and haven't noticed, our *very* talented Programmer has dramatically increased the overall speed of our site!!
Direct quote:
There was a bunch of random code that was getting run on each page which served pretty much no purpose but to slow some things down.
There is still a lot of room for improvement, but yeah, those were some fairly substantial things that caused the slow down.
Is that it? *Checks around* Yep that's it! Enjoy your new Pets, your new regulated MOTM and SOTM, and definitely enjoy this new optimized browsing!! We'll see you all tomorrow! (:
Posted by Claws Day 280, Year 3 (26th Jul 13) @ 18:29:14
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We have a few new updates to bring to you over the next couple of days.
First off, we would like to re-iterate that Read will be taking over as Staff Manager. We announced this on the 22nd of this month, but we wanted to announce it again in case it was missed because of the 'downtime'.
Due to recent events, I have decided to hand over responsibility for the daily running of the site to Speedie. This reassignment of duties will allow me to focus on my real life business and give Speedie the freedom to move the site forward in a positive direction. This promotion is the natural progression resulting from Speedie's leadership in dealing with the site's server problems over the past few days.
Speedie will be personally paying off the debt owed to the artists so that they may start producing art for the site immediately. All our artists have agreed to this, and are happy to continue with user funded pet requests.
One of the first changes to the site will be to increase the price of the Pet Request item, to allow the site to generate more revenue in order to pay for the things we need, such as server space, maintenance, and programming.
Previously, when a user bought IC with the intention of buying a Pet Request, that money was put towards the site's general fund, which is used for basic upkeep and upgrades. Consequently, when the user then used their IC to buy the item and request the pet, we had trouble allocating the money they donated earlier to this request. We realize that this was a flawed system and it has lead to problems in the past. We believe users should be able to pay for their Pet Request directly, with the excess money donated being transferred to the site's general fund only after artists have been paid off. To fix this, we are removing the item from the I.C.E. Shop. To buy a Pet Request, send $30 to the PayPal address [email protected] and message Speedie. The Pet Request item will be sent to your account, and the $30 you sent us will be set aside to pay the artist when the pet is completed.
Posted by Speedie Day 279, Year 3 (25th Jul 13) @ 11:06:49
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Hey guys!!! 8D
It's great to be back. Well, I guess we never really left...Story time!!! ((For the TL;DR, skip to the bottom of the italicized text. ;D ))
Once upon a time, the site went down. A support ticket was sent to our server host, HostGator ((HG)). The site was back up by the next morning. Yay! However, users were experiencing MySQL errors every other page, which was quite annoying.
Our programmer found out that our MySQL server had gone offline, and that was the reason for the errors. Another support ticket was sent to HG to try to resolve this, but they told us that the MySQL server was showing as 'online' for them. After a bunch of back and fourth, HG decided to change the password so they could see what we were seeing to try to figure out the issue.
HG thought they solved the issue, and gave us a new password to log-in with. This password worked, but when we exited the chat then tried to log-in, it wouldn't work. Cue another call to HG.
On this call, HG decided we had two different operating systems, and we needed to re-install our control panel to fix it. The database was to be wiped upon the re-installation, so we warned you guys of an impending backup so you could take appropriate action. ...Or rather, not take action, as any action would be lost when the backup occurred.
Our programmer began to back everything up, but was unable to access the portion of the server that we couldn't log-in to. ((Duh, the password wasn't working, that was the whole reason for this re-installation. We felt silly for not remembering this earlier.)) So we called HG again. They said they could do a backup. Fantastic. So we made another news post, trying to inform you guys that the backup may be delayed a bit, but was still going to happen.
The next day, nothing had happened, so we got in contact with HG again to find out the status of our ticket. They couldn't give us a time frame, and escalated our ticket. This happened a couple times over the course of a few days, until last night, when we got in contact with HG through a live chat and expressed our frustrations. They checked, and assured us the backup and re-installation would be happening within the hour. Cut to this morning, approximately 12 hours after we were told this.
We wake up to an e-mail from HG saying the instructions weren't clear, and they needed permission to do the backup and re-installation. Of course we gave them permission, and waited. Another e-mail arrived almost instantly, saying there was no need for a backup to be made, as the MySQL server was online. Remember, they had been telling us this from the beginning. Getting aggravated, we called and nearly demanded to speak with the admin who was currently addressing our ticket. He explained that someone had changed the username of something on the back end, which prevented passwords from syncing, causing errors. He then fixed that issue, and all was well. No need for any backups.
TL;DR: MySQL server went down, couldn't log in, HostGator said we had two control panels running, had to re-install to have only one running, re-installation of control panel would mean database wipe, ask for backup, head administrator finds easy fix, no need for backup.
We want to thank all of you guys for being so patient and understanding. We, the staff, have had to deal with over 10 different technicians, 5 different administrators, and over eleven, yes, ELEVEN hours of contact with HostGator to get these errors resolved. We are just as frustrated as you are with this whole process, trust us. ;D
We understand many of you have not done your dailies because we warned of an impending backup and said your progress may be lost. The staff are going to get together and try to come up with proper compensation for this lost time and will get back to you when we find something adequate.
Lots of news is going to come in the next few days, with some exciting announcements. Please allow us to catch up and get organized before we continue with site progression. (:
Posted by Speedie Day 276, Year 3 (22nd Jul 13) @ 18:35:03
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Just a quick update
We were not able to access *all* of our files in the database to back them up, so HostGator was called and notified. We are now waiting for them to backup all our files.
Once that backup is made, they will re-install the portion of the programming panel that needs re-installing and we will bring the site back up.
Posted by Speedie Day 276, Year 3 (22nd Jul 13) @ 16:17:45
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Hey guys. Just letting you know our programmer is going to back up the site in approximately 2 hours after this news was posted. Once the site is backed up, HostGator will be e-mailed letting them know it's ok to begin re-installing our programming panel. Re-installing the panel will wipe everything on the site, which is why our programmer is backing it up. ;D
Once the backup starts, anything you do to your account will NOT be saved, and will not be shown on your account when the site is re-instated.
HostGator did not give us a time on how long the re-installation would take.
If we get word when the site will be back up, news will be posted to our Facebook page, as well as Virtual Pet List under Virtual pets news. Once again, we are not sure if this will fix the MySQL errors you're experiencing, but it needs to be done regardless.
In other news, the IcePets staff have decided on a new Staff Manager! Congratulations Read!! She will be in charge of checking in with the individual members of staff, making sure we're on top of things and on the same page, and refilling Claws' coffee cup when he's out.
This isn't decaf, is it??
We all know you'll do a great job. ^_^
We have more good news, but that will be saved for after the downtime. See you then!
P.S. Has anyone noticed a difference in the speed of the forums? Post below!!
Posted by Speedie Day 274, Year 3 (20th Jul 13) @ 19:36:13
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As promised, the much awaited downtime update.
Some of you may already know a portion of this information, but let's go over it anyways.
It was originally thought that the entire site went down because of an attempted hack. There was an attempted hack of the site, but it was much more minor than what we thought. At the exact same time of this attempt, HostGator, our server host, decided to do some updates on their servers. The updates, coupled with the attempts was what caused the site to go boom.
We later discovered that the site could be hosted on a personal server and run fine. This meant that the issue was not with our coding, but with our server. We got into contact with HostGator, and the issue was resolved overnight.
But the site is still displaying massive errors...What gives!?
That is the reason this news post is coming to you so late. After spending most of the afternoon talking to our server host, the end result was our ticket being escalated to a higher level, for an administrator to look into when they have time.
But do not fear! The last time this happened, they responded within twelve hours. Let's hope they're as efficient this time around.
So what happens now?
At this point in time, we are waiting on a couple e-mails from HostGator. Once we receive those e-mails, a couple things can happen.
*The issue will be solved, and we can resume activity as normal *They will not be able to solve the issue, and we must turn to a third party to try and help
We don't want to make false promises, so we are not going to give you a time frame of when this will be fixed. However, we are very optimistic about the abilities of HostGator, as well as the abilities of our third party, who has been helping us upgrade our security from the start.
You may now consider yourselves up to date with what we know. Thank you for reading. Be sure to watch our Facebook page for regular updates throughout the day.
Posted by Speedie Day 271, Year 3 (17th Jul 13) @ 18:05:08
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Some of you have already noticed, and have taken action. But for those of you who don't regularly check the Ideas & Suggestions and Voting Booth forums, this is for you!
Posted by Speedie Day 267, Year 3 (13th Jul 13) @ 21:06:23
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Hello, users of IcePets.
Things have been kinda shaky here recently. Osteology, our staff manager, has decided to leave the team. She felt she wasn't being utilized to her full potential and decided to invest her time on projects that she could expand in. She is currently on an archeological dig in Israel, pursuing her PhD, and is welcome back to IcePets if her situation ever makes time for it.
We will be discussing the responsibilities a staff manager has and will announce a new staff manager in a few days.
Nate also left the team, and I'm not going to lie to you, we are going to be without a programmer for a while. Updates are still going to happen, they are just going to be more labor intensive for the staff.
I'm sure you all remember a day or two ago when the site reverted back to 2011, Claws said we were refunded some money in the form of credits. He was refunded about $240 worth of credits, which will cover the server costs for about two and a half months.
Any obstacles IcePets management needs to overcome are not your problem, and should never have been made so. We will do our best to produce quality updates and make IcePets a fun place for you to enjoy, and hope to earn your support, however we will not ask for donations.
Posted by Claws Day 263, Year 3 (9th Jul 13) @ 23:27:49
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If you tried viewing IcePets earlier today, you probably seen the site reverted back in time. In April 2011 we upgraded a hosting package, our hosting company left the old hosting package active and included the price in our bill this whole time. Hostgator migrated our account to a new server (the April 2011 plan that should not even exist) and requested we update the domain to point to the new server. That was done and we were pointed at the April 2011 server. Hostgator is accepting their mistake and issuing refund, the old hosting plan is canceled, and the domain is now pointing to the right server.
These issues are corrected forever, you won't see them again.
They are written in extensive detail to help you understand the expectations created.
The most prominent rule is that ALL posts in an RP thread must meet the 500 character minimum. This isn't hard to achieve, but ensures that posts aren't considered spam. We are moving away from short script based RPs and more towards collaborative stories, which is what Roleplaying is all about.
All threads/posts written previous to this announcement will obviously not be penalized. Over the next week or so, I ask if your RP is considered more of a... (click to read more)
Posted by Claws Day 261, Year 3 (7th Jul 13) @ 22:16:48
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Pet Request is back! Now the act of requesting a pet is done with an item. You can select the date you want it completed, if a release day is fully booked it will tell you. Select the species and color you want to have made, then write us a description of how you want it to be. When your pet request is accepted you'll have access to a thread where you can see the progress.
Posted by Claws Day 261, Year 3 (7th Jul 13) @ 10:02:42
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Did you ever have trouble searching for the book Santa's Reindeer? Our search function doesn't like punctuation. The name was changed to Santas Reindeer, you should have no problem searching for it in user shops now.
If you know of any other items that have punctuation in the name, needing to be fixed, let us know.
Thanks Plasmastar for pointing this out in the glitches forum.
Space Sharshel Morphing Potion was removed from the Snow Jar Igloo and added to The Historian. Try your luck at getting something great from The Historian!
Posted by Claws Day 260, Year 3 (6th Jul 13) @ 12:04:20
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The direction of IcePets has made a change. Nate has passed his half of IcePets ownership to Claws, and is no longer a part of the team. We are moving forward without new programming until increasing IcePets income to being able to afford a qualified paid part time programmer. Regular updates and events will continue.
I'm sure the change can be alarming, but I want to assure you IcePets future is secure. We are here to stay.
Posted by Claws Day 258, Year 3 (4th Jul 13) @ 18:31:19
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These items are seasonally released in honor of Independence Day in the United States.
The American Flag Ducky and Independence Day Ducky were requested by Lainie and first released last year. They will only be available in the Toy Shop for the month of July, so get them while you can!
UPDATED ANNOUNCEMENT
