IMPORTANT! We're Finally Bugging Out! (Moving, That Is) - on March 21!

And here's what you need to know:

All right, you've undoubtedly noticed that for the last two years, we have been discussing, on and off, the Move i.e. the migration from the boards hosted by IGN to a new website. Initially vbulletin, we're going with Xenforo. IGN have been snowed with their other million boards while doing the same, and as such various facilities have been stopped e.g. password recovery, and the access of new users.

Or you may not have noticed, and this is the first you've heard of it, at which point I'd recommend you read this thread here, in Communications.

The Gist

Here's what IGN is going to do: IGN is planning to export our forum data at some point in the coming weeks. We have not yet decided on an exact date.
Here's the effect it will have: The JC is about to undergo a major upgrade. After the move, all the current glitches like new user registrations and email notifications will finally work again.
Here's how you'll get to the temp board: Once the boards are officially shut down for the move, boards.theforce.net will automatically forward you to the temp board.
Here's how the temp board will work: This will basically just be a place to hang out until the move has been completed. The temp board is going to be a brand new board - nothing from this board is going to be transferred to it, which means you will have to register a new temporary account in order to post. No threads or posts will be transferred either. After the move is completed, the temp board will be shut down.
Here's how the conversion will work and how long we expect it to take: IGN will be exporting all the data from these forums and converting it into a database compatible with Xenforo. They will then mail us the data on a hard drive, which will then be imported into the new board set up on TFN's servers. We expect it to take somewhere between 1 to 3 weeks, depending on how long each step of the process takes to complete.
Here's how the boards will go back up again: When the move has been completed and we've had the chance to verify the import process, boards.theforce.net will automatically switch over to the new board.
Here's what you can expect when the new board opens: Your password will not be transferred, so in order to log in for the first time, you will need to have your password emailed to you via the email associated with your account.

Questions Asked Elsewhere

So just so I've got this right: when the new boards (not the temp boards) come up, a new password will be automatically sent to the account I specified while I was still on these boards?

The password will not be automatically sent. You will have to initiate the password recovery when you attempt to log in for the first time. (More in-depth details on how this process will work will be provided in the near future once we've had a chance to test out the process for ourselves.)

Just to emphasize:

You MUST have a working email address in your profile.

Your username will be transferred to the new boards, BUT your password will not be.

The ONLY way you can get a new password will be to have it emailed to you.

In short, if you have no email address in your profile YOU WILL NO LONGER HAVE ACCESS TO THE BOARDS (unless you have a new username)



Any other questions, ask them here or PM me and I'll do my best to answer them.

 

One thing I will add:

If you have login problems (other than password-related) when going to the temp boards or new boards for the first time you might need to delete any cookies associated with boards.theforce.net. In Firefox, if you go to Tools>>Options>>Privacy there is an option to delete individual cookies. I know I had to do this to get on after IGN did their 'pizza run' last year.

 

Move update from Grimby:

OK everyone, buckle up because this is it. On Wednesday, March 21st, 2012, IGN will be shutting the boards down to begin the data migration. It it not currently known what time this will happen, but I will update this thread as soon as I do.

The Gist:
When: Wednesday, March 21st, 2012
What: The Move™ will officially begin.
Where: Everything will remain right here on boards.theforce.net. When the move begins, this site will display a message indicating what is happening and there will be a link to our temporary forum.
How: IGN will be exporting all data from the boards, converting it into a database compatible with the Xenforo forum system, and sending it to us to import into our new boards. This process will take around 2 weeks to complete. During that time, you will NOT be able to access the boards, your account, or any of your private messages. A temporary forum will be set up, however this forum will not have any posts, users, or private messages from the old board.


Be sure to keep an eye on this thread, or better yet subscribe to our facebook page and/or our Twitter account.


So make sure your email address is updated!

Note - the thread Grimby refers to is here in Comms. In addition we will have a forum on the temp boards for move updates.