UBB.Developers Forums Announcements Announcements U-Zine Member Spotlight Bac-Clan.com - 1st Place March 2003

Bac-Clan.com : 1st Place March 2003
By: Allen



Note: Around for quite a while now and steadily improving, Bac-Clan.com brings us out of our hiatus in grand style. Combining great graphics, content, and style, Prime Time stops for a few to let us in on how he gets the most bang for his bb. Here is the "inside stuff":


Allen: First of all, congratulations on a well-deserved win! Tell those out there in tee-vee land about the history of your site and when you got started.
Prime Time: Thank you! The bac-Clan (Blood Angel Corps) was founded in the summer of 2000 by (the late) Dark Angel and NSDF_Trooper off of our root game Battlezone 2. After Dark Angel had passed away in March 2001, Ghost In The Shell and myself continued our roles as Co-Administrators to the clan. That summer I started to dabble in HTML and because Ghost became extremely busy I was fortunate to assume the role as site and board designer. While the clan progressed I used it as a testing tool for template/graphic designs (and still do ).

We were looking for a board at that time and tried many of the free versions. Not satisfied with the features we decided to look elsewhere...That's when someone suggested UBB. We looked into it and saw what it had to offer and our search was over. Now I don't recall how I came across UBBDev but I knew that was the place to get the "cool" stuff. LOL. What inspired me was the UBB at Netwerkin. X (XPerT) was kind to help with the Category Separation and questions I had. Seen what graphics can do for a board, I decided to get into Photoshop & Flash sometime in 2002 and loved it since. It's been about a year now and UBB is still a work in progress and an interest I continue to have...It's quite an addiction.

Allen: Randy has inspired legions of followers When did you start using UBB on your site?
Prime Time: 0ver a year ago.

Allen: Nice job with the graphics and template work. Are there sites you go to for inspiration? If so, name your top 3 (not counting ubbdev and netwerkin )
Prime Time: http://www.2advanced.com/ (I go there to admire the design/template.)
http://www.worldogl.com/ (When I first started HTML I visited OGL and focused on their bordering. I visit there now because I like the look of their site. )



Allen: And besides inspiration, what sites do you use for the technical aspects of learning how to build a site and grow it? Do you regularly visit a site like www.alistapart.com ?
Prime Time: Actually, for HTML I refer to "HTML - Black Book" (Coriolis), "HTML 4" (Peachpit Press) and sometimes ask Ghost. For Photoshop I sometimes ask my uncle for technical advice and often search the web (usually MSN, sometimes Googles) for specific things I want to do. Once I learn a technique I practice continuously until I get to the point where it's good enough...I say this because I'm rarely satisfied. I always feel that I can out-do myself on the next attempt.

Allen: It seems to really be paying off for you. I've noticed your skills refining over the last six months Which are the most popular forums on your board?
Prime Time: Hmm...That's hard to say since each forum has its importance to specific members and guests. If I were to choose which forums I think will excel over time would be the "The Gamer's SpotLight", "The Fried Capacitor a.k.a. Comp Stuff", "4 The Web Design, Coding & GraphX Junkies" and "Coal Chamber a.k.a. The Flaming Forum"...All four forums are considered in the baby stages.

Allen: Besides the UBB, what other content do you have on your site?
Prime Time: We've just released our new site on February 9, 2003 and so we're still putting the pieces together. Currently we have the "expected" contents (e.g., servers and IRC info, Roster, Gallery, Downloads, Links...) one would find in a clan and a few additions to give us the extra kick. LOL.

Allen: Great results, I say How do you keep your site "fresh", and what can you recommend that will keep visitors coming back for more?
Prime Time: Continously adding and maintaining content that will promote interaction and encouraging members to participate as their time allows. For example, we have a GraphX team who do an amazing job creating members' avatars (in Flash) and signatures; a new project, "Gamer's SpotLight", consisting of selected members who report gaming news/reviews/updates (for PC & console, including gaming hardware) which is shown on the main page of the site as well; in a gallery section members can submit their original artwork or photography (only 3 so far). As you can see, it's the members who play a vital role in our site/community and we're proud to have them with us.

Allen: What's the UBB mod that you like the best? And the one your users like the best?
Prime Time: I love the Custom Title/Rank Hack (modified). I think the users like the Avatar Hack (old school version v0.0007e FINAL w/Add-on v2.2).

Allen: DPK did some great work on that one. What's the one mod that you feel is an absolute necessity for your UBB?
Prime Time: There are 3 hacks that I think are a necessary: Sticky Threads, UBBNews and Calendar.



Allen: Those are my 3 favorite I think. I definitely install ubbnews and the calendar with every upgrade. Are there any "tricks of the trade" you'd like to share, so other UBB users can benefit from your experience?
Prime Time: To take a chance and explore with the UBB files (.pl and .cgi) and any ideas you will have...Think "outside of the box". Also think simple. Cramming every hack onto your board serves no functional purpose and it just hogs unnecessary resources. Pick and customize the hacks (and templates) that your users will benefit from.

Allen: You've come a long way with the site, thank you for letting us in on some secrets What are your future plans for bac-clan?
Prime Time: I will continue working on the site and doing my thing here. Our PHP coder will soon add a database system which will give our site a HUGE boost. Our Clan Development team are in the process of planning new divisions and projects...With so much happening, the most rewarding thing would be to continue growing as a community and having fun.




Allen: OK, now for a couple questions I've got For someone like me who has missed most of the gaming craze of the last few years ( I do still have callouses from playing zelda tho ), what game would you recommend that would be the most fun? I kinda like the style of that game on TV where the navy seals say "it's like shooting fish in a barrel"
Prime Time: Well, believe it or not I rarely play games myself. LOL. If anything I'll play Battlezone 2 (real-time strat) online, but I'm old school at heart (e.g., Tempest, Galaxian, Joust, Missle Command...). Since SOCOM appeals to you I would recommend something along the lines of a shooter game like Medal Of Honor: Allied Assault (online). Now Allen...Will we see you applying to our clan anytime soon?


Allen: If I can ever spare some time to do the fun things, maybe soon... In a couple sentences, tell us what a typical day is like for you
Prime Time: Waking up everyday thinking to myself, "I need more sleep". LOL.