TempServers Status Update

This is just a quick update on the status of our TempServers project. After the first public beta, we realized there was much room for improvement, so we went back to the drawing board. The original goal was to create a simple yet powerful user interface that took as few steps as possible to perform each task. With this goal in mind, several parts of the site are undergoing changes to improve the user experience. Here is a brief overview of these changes:

• User Registration. During beta 1, there was no user registration required to use the service. Each server reservation was a sort of user account with its own unique name and password, but we decided this would get annoying, especially to repeat customers. So we decided it would be simpler in the long run to require a user account to reserve servers, with all servers accessible from the same account. This also allows us to save user preferences.
• Time Zone Conversions. Another problem we had to solve was the lack of internal time zone handling. During beta 1, the user had to deal with converting their local time to our server's local time, which does not fit the original goal of user-friendliness. Now during user registration, we ask the user to provide their time zone (we decided it was easier for the users to figure out their own time zone than to think in our time zone). This info allows us to automatically convert times to the user's local time seamlessly. Read about the process here
• Custom Configurations. We also improved the server control panel by allowing the user to add their own configuration options instead of the predefined options.

We are also working on more features such as email notifications, as well as adding more games to the lineup. Stay tuned for more updates!