You can say that again
But you've built the forums from scratch o_0 Isn't that more effort than is really necessary. Wouldn't some kind of middle ground have been better, building on some pre-built forum framework that was designed to be customisable (unlike IPB).
I'm glad Eupolemos asked this question. Those of us (well me) who are fans of you guys but have worked on GR needed to hear your reasons.
Nice to see you here.
We do use Yii framework, and some extensions or modules going with it so I can't really stay it's totally from scratch. But even for half of them, I already see limitations or even had to change some part of their code. :/ It is indeed no forum framework though, but I just hope the effort will be worth it.
At the end of the day, getting used to Yii, and CSS styling (which I hate), were the two most time consuming aspects, not so much creating the basic forum structure, which I think took me around the same time to build as it would have been to get used to yet another framework (for forums) and adapt it. Also the forums how we have build them will be the most easily adaptable to any new content we create requiring posts, such as replays or vods, or news and the pm system which are already up.
Also quick Q even though it's the wrong place. I see a VOD link, will this be developed by the time SNF happens or will you be posting up the links somewhere. I always miss the live streams and having a single place with the links to downloadable videos was handy.
We'll be developing it in a relatively near future, but in the mean time I think the best way would be to check on the twitch channel for past videos, and we'll most likely make a youtube playlist with them too.