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Upload videos from Youtube, HTML5 video player, new servers... find out what we've been up to behind the scenes.

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Over the past month we've deployed a ton of awesome updates to the site, figured it was about time we gave a roundup.

New hardware

About 3 months ago our DB server hit it's RAM limit and our web boxes were spiking. So we began a massive data migration onto entirely new hardware. It hasn't been without pain and a few sleepless nights, but it is finally complete. Massive thanks to Greg who is the architect behind the upgrade, he has installed a media CDN with locations in Europe, USA and Australia, separated our upload system, upgraded our PHP threading so we can push more clients than ever before and made countless other upgrades. The site should be lightning fast and will remain that way.

HTML5 videos

My favorite update has to be HTML5 video support. This means you can now watch trailers and content via your mobile devices such as iPhones and iPads which don't have flash support. This update will be followed with more, as we slowly retire our old video player. Expect our new one to eventually add HD support, have less ads and to work quickly and always.

Upload direct from Youtube

Possibly the coolest feature is the ability to upload videos directly from Youtube URLs. You just select "upload from URL", paste the Youtube link then click upload. Our system will automatically attempt to grab the best quality video available from Youtube. It isn't perfect as the good guys at Google are constantly changing the system, but it is handy when it works! Please note that we still ALWAYS advise you to upload the original high-quality video to the system. It will yield better quality output, especially when we roll out HD support.


iFrame textarea support

The textarea you post content in now allows iFrames, which means you can embed widgets and other cool features from external sites which was previously not possible.

Created a newsletter system

Previously newsletters we sent were manually coded up with no stats to track subscribers or do anything awesome. Well we've finally built in a backend system which does all of this for us. Means we can track read-rates, click-rates, bounce-rates and hopefully deliver better content to your inbox more often as a result. To subscribe check out our new newsletter page! It also opens up the possibility for teams to use the system to email press and fans, though that functionality is still yet to be fleshed out.

Integrated social buttons everywhere

While i'm not the biggest fan of slow-loading social buttons spamming basically every site on the internet, I caved in and added them to all content on the site. To make them bearable I made sure none block the page loading and the bigger buttons only show up on the most popular content. I also choose to use Addthis for their in-built analytics and smart-button ranking support. We are seeing a bump in Twitter and Facebook followers as a result, so if you are on those sites (who aint!?) fan us and we'll keep you updated. Oh and also supported the new Google+ button, so if you haven't plussed us up yet, now is the time:

ModDB:


IndieDB:


Desura:


Clear all button for updates

Our heavy users have requested this for years and it is finally here. A tiny clear all updates button, so you can reset all mod/gamewatch updates in one go, saving tons of clicks. Enjoy!

Developers can trigger sales on Desura

Our aim with all of our sites has been to make them developer driven, after all it is bloody hard to get an editor to write about your game let alone give it front-page treatment. So we want to give you control. On Desura we initially hid away a few features but are now opening them up, as we need to get better at running sales, doing bundles and all that cool stuff. Desura has a ton coming so if you are gamer give it a go (and support ModDB / IndieDB) and if you are a developer - we want to release your game.

Speaking at Freeplay

Finally for those in Melbourne, Australia - i'll be speaking at Freeplay on Sunday the 21st of August at 10:00am. Topic of the presentation is "Cheating the Golden Rule". I'll be joined by Farbs and a few other indie game developers. Stop by for a chat if you can. Here is the blurb:

In the traditional studio model, the cry of ‘he who controls the gold makes the rules’ is at the root of everything. Independent development aims to remove that restriction, but we all need to eat. This panel discusses some of the innovations in funding, their good and bad, and some of the best practices in each to make sure that the one controlling the gold is you.

Post comment Comments
R3ven
R3ven

Uploading from YouTube! YES.

Clear all button! DOUBLE YES.

Reply Good karma Bad karma+17 votes
mgs2 Online
mgs2

Yeah, the clear all button really is a life saver when it comes to clear updates

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Xylemon
Xylemon

Finally, I mean I love Mod DB but uploading videos was nothing but pain.

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INtense! Author
INtense!

Bah our upload system is better than Youtubes. Just make sure you attempt to upload the original high quality video before reverting to Youtube. As youtube reencodes the videos and they do loose a bit of definition, even when in HD mode.

Reply Good karma+7 votes
R3ven
R3ven

It takes forever to upload to ModDB compared to YouTube that it's almost painful :|

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ceriux
ceriux

awesome guys ! thanks for giving us such and awesome website! to me it's like the facebook of video games... lol -.-

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Xylemon
Xylemon

Ugh, personally I'd want to not think of Mod DB as the Facebook of games.

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[rs2.fi]Tuomainen
[rs2.fi]Tuomainen

Great updates!

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Tatsur0
Tatsur0

Nicely done :)

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ZaPx64
ZaPx64

Excellent! :D

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VectorIV
VectorIV

"Upload direct from Youtube. Possibly the coolest feature"

Not possibly, it IS the coolest feature :D

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Katana_
Katana_

Not a fan of iframes. Never have been, never will be. Browsers don't seem to implement them in the most intelligent or secure fashions. ~_~

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jjawinte
jjawinte

Greg's the man ! Hat's off to you all !!

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Duruk
Duruk

Oh wow thanks for the improvements.

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TheUnabridgedGamer
TheUnabridgedGamer

...I thought updates already had a "Clear all" button.

I seem to remember it being present.

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BluishGreenPro
BluishGreenPro

Great to see these updates rolling out! Makes me happier than ever to host my content on Mod DB.

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z0id
z0id

You mean you don't use WebM for HTML5?

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liamdawe
liamdawe

Awesome work guys some very needed updates, keep up the good work and hopefully we can see a Linux client soon, fingers crossed!!

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justgoaway
justgoaway

Just love the "Upload direct from Youtube"

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newbie2356
newbie2356

Darnit, I was like "AUSTRALIA? :D" then "oh.. bummer, not near me." Australia is too big.

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Ubris
Ubris

Hooray for indiedb!

Reply Good karma Bad karma+3 votes
*pandabear*
*pandabear*

Intelegent stuff maybe i should invest more time in coding then reading forums only, good job !

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MrCal3x
MrCal3x

Facebook "Like" button for track us.. =\

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gmh_michael
gmh_michael

yay! html5!

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