Considering switch from VB, can you help me?

Logicalpath

New member
A very dear friend of mine recommended that I consider Xenforo instead of spending more resources on customizing our vBulletin based forums. Which is how I arrived here but I do have a few questions that I need answered. Before I get into the questions I would like to create a framework so that there is a solid of understanding of our challenges and reservations. We have been operating a gaming community on the vBulletin platform for about 7 years and have several "plugin/add ons" which our members have grown accustomed to having present. Some of which we have spent a great deal of time creating custom content to go along with http://www.tacticalopsunit.com/forums/awards.php?#award33. Furthermore, we have two custom themes and unfortunately the member that created both is no longer available for that kind of work. I was hoping to come here and "magically" find all the mods/add-on/plugins I would need to transition smoothly but either they don't exist or I haven't quite figured out how to navigate to that area. I know vB has vB.org and that's where most of the stuff is that we utilize but I was unsure if there was a similar option available here. At any rate, here it goes:

1. Is there a way to migrate our current forums over without losing any threads, posts, user data, usergroups and permissions?

2. Is there a way to migrate our current themes so that we do not lose the work that was put in previously in that department?

3. If the mods that we need do not exist is there a way to get them created? If so, is there a resource that we could utilize to easily find quality Xenforo developers?

4. Is there an easy way to search for add-ons that we have already installed on vBulletin to avoid unneeded development costs?

5. Currently our site is hosted on URLJet.com, is this still a viable solution or would that present an issue for us?

6. The latest enhancements we were looking for(which is what prompted us to begin this search) is the need to integrate a clan engine into the forums. Basically this would consist of a roster(that would take usergroups into account) and then a match scheduling system that would allow us to pre-schedule matches, allowing members within a given usergroup to sign up for said matches and after the fact be able to record results per match and per participant.

If any of my questions sound silly, I apologize as I am still learning the capabilities and differences between vB and Xenforo. Thank you in advance for your time and responses.
 
1. Yes, there is an importer.

2. No, you will need to create a new style.

3. If add-ons do not exist you can of course commission new ones. There are many competent third party developers.

4. Try the Resource Manager: http://xenforo.com/community/resources/

5. Use the compatibility script found here to check the server is capable: http://xenforo.com/purchase/

6. I am not aware of a clan/roster add-on, try searching in the RM.
 
Thank you for such a quick response and I appreciate your input.

2. No, you will need to create a new style.
Do you have any recommendation on companies or individuals that have done theme transitions between vB and Xenforo? I would not have a problem paying someone to re-create the themes on our behalf but I would like to make sure we're dealing with top notch Xenforo indivduals.

3. If add-ons do not exist you can of course commission new ones. There are many competent third party developers.
Do you have any you could suggest or a place where we could evaluate among some of them?

5. Use the compatibility script found here to check the server is capable: http://xenforo.com/purchase/
Are you referring to the option to download a demo and install on our current server as a means of testing?
 
Do you have any recommendation on companies or individuals that have done theme transitions between vB and Xenforo? I would not have a problem paying someone to re-create the themes on our behalf but I would like to make sure we're dealing with top notch Xenforo indivduals.

Do you have any you could suggest or a place where we could evaluate among some of them?
I know that @Forsaken from http://www.xenique.com has done at least one, and he's a fantastic designer.

Are you referring to the option to download a demo and install on our current server as a means of testing?
No, there's a script that will tell you if your server works. The link can be found in the orange box on this page:
http://xenforo.com/purchase/

Upload that and run it, you'll know if your server is 100% ready for XenForo.
 
Do you have any you could suggest or a place where we could evaluate among some of them?

Check the reviews and ratings in the Resource Manager, that will give you a rough idea.

I can't really recommend one designer or developer over another one as it could be seen as favouritism/endorsement.
 
Yes.
It is all managed here on xenforo.com, rather than a separate site.

Ok before I venture over there is there anything else you think I should look into when making this decision? Are there any "special" considerations that you think a vB user should take into account when making the decision to switch to Xenforo? This would be a big change for us and I just want to make sure it's the right move for our community.
 
Is there a place where I can post what we're looking for? It appears that I cannot make a thread in the resource add-on area. Was hoping to post the details of what we're looking to do and see if there is any one that could help me with it. Unfortunately, what we're looking to do does not already exist or is not completed.
 
Would it be acceptable to make a detailed thread in this section of what we are looking to do in the hopes that some of the developers would chime in? I just would like to open the dialog with that crowd in an effort to find out who is capable of the kind of work we need and reliable(for now I can go by their ratings but I have no way to measure credentials and ability without creating a post). Or is there a list of all the developers and their portfolios/expertise?
 
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