This new version, which I’ve been developing for a while, is finally up and running!
The concept for this new version came from the realization that XenForo and WordPress didn’t really work well together. Plus, there were a lot of issues with WordPress. (Although it’s still a very good CMS, it just wasn’t right for this site.)
So I decided to rebuild the site from scratch using two frameworks:
- Laravel for the content section.
- XenForo for the community section.
The two work together perfectly and allow us to combine the strengths of both.
This new version comes with many changes.
New Design
The site’s design has been completely revamped for a look that’s more app-like than blog-like. The design was handcrafted with the help of AI, but with meticulous attention to detail and thorough review.
New User Management
Gone are the days of having two separate accounts—one for the site and one for the forum. You now have the same account everywhere! All authentication is managed through XenForo. All accounts have been saved; duplicate accounts have been merged based on email addresses or any syncs you may have performed.
We prioritized importing information from your WordPress account first, followed by your XenForo account. You can therefore log in using the same credentials as your previous WordPress account.
New Submission Form
The form had a few issues. Those have now been fixed. The form has been completely redesigned and now flags (almost) all submission errors.
Game management has also been revamped. From now on, games are linked to a console and a genre, rather than the entry itself. So now you just need to select your game if it already exists, or create a new one by entering its title, console, and genre.
Hash handling has also been updated to detect No-Intro and Redump ROMs.
Finally, the credits system has been changed to a “Name”/“Description” list.
Addition of Clubs
Clubs are now available on the forum. These are forums that you can moderate for your communities.
If you have a popular ROM hack and want a place to discuss it, you can now do so.
New Home Page
The home page may look the same, but now it displays everything: new posts, news, threads, messages, reviews, and club creations.
Additionally, if you’re only interested in one type of content, you can hide the others.
Improvements to the ROM Patcher and ROM Hasher
These two tools have been improved to match the Plaza’s visual style. The ROM Checker, which finds all entries with a specific hash, has been integrated into the ROM Hasher.
Improved Filters
To search for your entries, everything is now available on the “Database” page, with a wide range of filters available.
Addition of the “Play Online” Feature
The “Play Online” feature lets you test a patch directly in your browser. To do this, you need to upload the corresponding ROM, and the game will launch via emulator.js!
This feature must be enabled on a per-entry basis, as it’s still in the testing phase. Contact me if you’d like to enable it on all your compatible entries.
Documentation Available
New documentation is being developed for the Plaza’s features; it’s still a work in progress. https://documentation.romhackplaza.org
Switch to Open Source
This might seem like a minor change, but it’s actually crucial for the site’s long-term sustainability.
The site is now open source, and you’re free to read, audit, and contribute to the platform’s code.
https://community.romhackplaza.org/help/development/
Other miscellaneous changes
- The tutorials have been removed from the main site and moved to the forum.
- The information and legal pages are available here: https://community.romhackplaza.org/help/
- Notifications, private messages, and reports are now entirely handled by XenForo.
- And others I’m forgetting...
All data from the previous site has been migrated. However, there are bound to be some oversights—misaligned accounts, incorrectly copied entries, missing files, etc. Please report any of these issues to me as soon as possible so I can resolve them quickly and before I take the old version of the site down permanently. (After that, it will still be possible to report them, but it will take longer to address.)
I hope you enjoy this new version of the site! Thank you for your trust in Romhack Plaza!
After all this work, if you'd like to support the platform by contributing to the server operating costs: https://ko-fi.com/romhackplaza
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