This page is a historical reference for the Kuro-RPG website, commenting on and showing some of the progress which made on here over the many years it has been online. The documents are all written from the perspective of Kuro.
A word of warning about the Layout samples: They are all 'large' images.
If you feel there is anything important missing from this, feel free to contact the Kuro.
~ Kuro-chan
2005
The first year of Kuro-RPG. The site was officially launched on July 7th, 2005 with a small library of ranksets. The ranksets would continue to expand in size and would reach almost 10,000 individual images by year end.
Early on, there were some problems with the layout. The site started off as a basic HTML site that used frames. However, a number of pages were not functioning (Because the editor I was using was adding in a layer of junk, confusing the browser and screwing up the design), so I converted to a non-frame design, early on.
Other things Kuro-RPG did was:
Launch (and lost) the first forum. Followed up with launching a second one.
Established contacts and links with many established simms and fleets.
This year was a busy one for Kuro-RPG. A number of project add-ons and expansions were included, bringing the rankset count to nearly 20,000 and the website was re-built to start handling frames (Since it took this long to figure out what the original problem was).
This was a year of change for Kuro-RPG. The site was in danger of becoming extinct due to the provider's insistence of shutting down and taking all the domain names with him (which at the time was kuro-rpg.com). Fortunately, I managed to register kuro-rpg.net and move the entire site over before the shutdown.
Other things Kuro-RPG did was:
Converted all ranksets displayed to becoming .zip files to download to fix a nasty 'hotlinking' problem the site was having.
This year saw a bit of flaming and angst towards Kuro-RPG and my efforts to keep it going. Despite that, the push to include over 30,000 images happened early in the year.
Other things Kuro-RPG did was:
Shut down the second forum due to an ongoing issue with several users and eventually launched the third forum by the end of the year..
This year marks the end of the HTML era. I started developing the PHP scripts by the end of the year to have something to launch with at the start of 2010, overhauling the core concept of the site. Along with this, the site saw a large expansion on the number of non-canon and non-trek sets, adding diversity to the offerings.
Other things Kuro-RPG did was:
Kuro-RPG regulars finally make their debut on the Updates page
New territory on Kuro-RPG. Since the site became based on PHP and my knowledge of it (at the time) was small and fragile, there were bound to be a number of bugs and problems which needed fixing all through the year (And continued to require fixing through the years).
Other things Kuro-RPG did was:
Introduced an on-site administration system so other registered members can take part in helping to keep the site clean.
Kuro-RPG continued to expand it's code, and include every possible section the site had to offer. It also has to be re-built to accommodate a change in providers. Not a lot of ranksets were made this year, however, the total count is pushing around 50,000 by year end.
Other things Kuro-RPG did was:
Third forums went down and were replaced by the fourth forums.
The institution of site changes seems to be quite commonplace with some dynamic overhaul happening every year or so. Ideas which seem good at the time get scrapped and new ones take their place, looking to see if they work, instead.
Other things Kuro-RPG did was:
Started and developed an internal search engine for the site.
The year of slacking at Kuro-RPG. Not a lot of ranksets got done this year. However, a more serious overhaul to the site was completed, adding a lot more functionality to the main website. The lack of work on the site can be attributed to the recent loss of work on the job and the ongoing pain issues I have been dealing with.
With enough members kicking me back into action, ranksets resumed again, pumping out a large number of new Trek sets (Without pushing myself too hard, to avoid an aggravation of my back).
Other things Kuro-RPG did was:
Overhauled the security and possible privacy issue with the website design.
Rebuilt the database system so it will function on newer versions of PHP.
Built an integrated forum to replace the one shut down (Due to lack of activity). Existing website accounts are already tied into this one.
This year marks the tenth anniversary of Kuro-RPG. A lot of websites don't last this long, as things go, so I would consider it to be an important milestone for the site.
Additional milestones for the site include: 200+ members, 500+ posts and 100,000+ Kuro ranks, all reached this year!
Other things Kuro-RPG did was:
Fixed some casual glitches and improved the layout a little bit.
New banners!
Caught up on a lot of older sets, improving and updating them so they look a little more professional.
