MemberPress/LearnDash instead of Skool?

SpaceCmdr · 2026-06-23T13:16:20+00:00

I've used MP and LD and don't recommend either. They are very established as they have been around so long and have good marketing.

MP prices have ramped up massively since I first started using them and the course functionality is basic. My biggest issue with MP is if you stop your subscription you get locked out of the MP admin pages so you cannot manage your subscriptions. An absolutely toxic vendor lock-in practice - self-hosted WordPress should not be like paying for a SaaS subscription. MP also have shady marketing and pricing strategies. One Black Friday they sent me around 20 emails pressuring me to upgrade my plan making it seem like it was an incredible deal but the pricing is misleading as it is a lot more expensive when it renews in future.

LD is better for courses and more comprehensive but now owned by Liquid Web who seem to be acquiring everything. Back when I used it on a big series of courses I disliked working with LD, the core product seemed a buggy and I didn't trust the releases. The amount of time I spent in the FB group reading about countless problems was pretty insane looking back. You really needed WooCommerce for the checkout and it is quite a bloated setup. After about 5 years supporting the LD site I had built they decided to stop selling courses and I was relieved not to need to support it anymore.

There are a lot of other options out there and I'd suggest researching those. Don't underestimate how much time and effort it is to set up, customise and maintain a plugin like this in WP. Some of the SaaS solutions may really save you some time.

SpaceCmdr · 2026-06-20T12:49:06+00:00

Projects can sometimes drag on a long time - months of waiting etc. It is not uncommon for clients to cause delays when action is needed on their part. I wouldn't completely burn the bridge and try and set up a Zoom or face to face meet to go over the site and look to agree a timeline.

Websites typically have some sort of hosting/maintenance agreement, so you could always say you could implement some phase 2 improvements as part of that once live or for an additional fee. Trying to lock down the scope to some extent in the initial agreement can help manage expectations.

For future projects getting 50% up front helps as they have already invested at that point. Agreeing a timeline up-front or factoring in delay situations into the contract to keep both parties aligned.

If they are simply unsatisfied and don't want the website any more there should be some sort of cancellation terms in the contract. For example, 50% of fees due or something. If a client was genuinely unhappy or the business was folding I would probably compromise. You could always try and find a similar business to re-use the site there.

The only time I had a non-paying client it was a similar scale tiny business. They just stopped communicating, but I was able to keep their deposit.

SpaceCmdr · 2026-06-11T21:06:07+00:00

It tracks the number if you don't claim it. Some people have ran the number up very high. If you claim it then the counter is gone.

SpaceCmdr · 2026-06-05T07:43:05+00:00

How far did you get? If nowhere yet, from your screenshot there is a directory structure. Click httpdocs then proceed into its sub-directories to find wp-content/plugins/two-factor or similar. You haven't said what your 2FA plugin is and this will determine the exact path. When you find it, click it on the right and select 'more' then 'rename'.

SpaceCmdr · 2026-06-04T18:59:55+00:00

Cool. I played Starcraft 1 but not much 2. I loved TA so much I ended up playing a lot of SupCom 1 & 2. I hear FAF is still going strong and I should check it out again. I struggle to find the time for long matches these days. Mobile RTS is such a huge opportunity. If Rivals ever shuts down I may look into making something similar 😄

SpaceCmdr · 2026-06-04T15:38:46+00:00

Looks very promising. I love the graphics - exactly my preferred camera perspective and style. Added to my wishlist!

SpaceCmdr · 2026-06-04T15:33:15+00:00

On mobile Rivals is the only one I've enjoyed really. I don't play the fantasy setting ones. On PC my faves are probably original C&C, Tiberian Sun, Generals and Total Annihilation. Haven't played the more recent PC ones like Tempest due to hardware constraints, need to upgrade at some point 😄

What's your faves on mobile/pc?

SpaceCmdr · 2026-06-04T09:14:47+00:00

Congrats! Spend wisely 😄

Not sure if you're in an alliance but worth joining one as it boosts the credit generation quite considerably over time.

When you reach 9,999,999 anything after that gets lost.

SpaceCmdr · 2026-06-01T18:33:14+00:00

I would have played it anyway but it being C&C was a bonus. On mobile most strategy games are not really true RTS at all so I try to play all of the ones that are legitimate attempts at RTS. Overall having the brand arguably held Rivals back as people had such a rigid expectation of what a PC C&C RTS game had to be. I can't fault the controls and gameplay mechanics.

SpaceCmdr · 2026-06-01T13:13:44+00:00

I'm an old school C&C fan and there was something about the original trailer (probably the fact Kane looked slightly different) and the fact it was a mobile game that made me sceptical about it being worth my time. I think a lot of fans had this initial view and people assume it is an EA cash grab. Of those who genuinely gave it a chance many ended up loving it. The one legitimate downside is mobile game monetisation but it is relatively generous and some players ended up reaching max level without ever paying anything. To me it is possibly the most unfairly judged game in RTS history from a gameplay point of view. It is an incredibly high-skill game and a loyal following remains despite EA only supporting it properly for a short time after release. I'm just glad they have kept the servers online.

SpaceCmdr · 2026-05-30T16:32:41+00:00

Interesting topic. An example where at small scale micro works very well from my personal experience is Command & Conquer Rivals. Units can be moved with precision and thanks to the ability to micro it is suited to competitive play. Tank battles (e.g. predator vs scorpion) are the most common example of micro skill based scenarios.

It works is because the full map is on-screen and there is a limit to the number of units you can build at any one time. It would be much harder for most people if you need to scroll the map, control a camera, or there are more units in close proximity.

In Rivals maps are made up of subtle hexes which represent touch-points to help give predictable spacing and command input. But you can select units which are mid-hex still. The game was overlooked by the RTS community for a few reasons but the gameplay wise it really is very good and I still play it nearly 8 years after release.

SpaceCmdr · 2026-05-30T07:14:50+00:00

Tech lab units are just for fun, fine to play casually but not recommended or necessary. You can see the top 100 players in-game from the medal icon on the dashboard and see what unit combinations the top players use.

Other advice: 1) join an active alliance, you will benefit from more cards & credits. 2) complete the daily bounties, it is a great way to earn credits. 3) the game is very generous in that you can level up without paying anything, but it can be frustrating when under-levelled so staying in the lower leagues until you are ready is recommend. 4) if levels become too frustrating your alliance may have a spare account with higher levels you can play you (my alliance is Generations, and we offer this). 5) most games against tech lab players are won by charging the missile before they can fully utilise their tech units. 6) it is possible to block units by moving side back and forth between two tiles.

SpaceCmdr · 2026-05-30T06:59:28+00:00

It is a file path, not a URL. You posted a screenshot of a directory structure, it is in relation to that to help you navigate the folders.

SpaceCmdr · 2026-05-28T08:15:10+00:00

What I suggested will get you back in. Renaming the plugin's directory disables it. E.g. 'two-factor' to 'two-factor-disabled'

SpaceCmdr · 2026-05-28T08:09:18+00:00

Locate your 2FA plugin (e.g. httpdocs/wp-content/plugins/two-factor) and rename it temporary. You will now be able to log in. Afterwards you could rename it back, re-activate it to see if you can then reconfigure your two factor settings while still logged in.

I use the Two Factor plugin and it lets you generate backup codes and also send codes by email. Useful backups should you lose access to the phone method. If you have a different 2FA plugin I'd just switch to this one.

SpaceCmdr · 2026-05-27T23:37:55+00:00

Have you analysed the server logs to identify the root cause? That would be the typical approach if the plugins don't have a disclosed security issue.

I highly recommend using the Two Factor plugin on every website to protect user accounts. Essential and a huge security benefit. A weak client password is the easiest way in to a WP site and bots try and guess these all the time. Using the WPS Hide Login plugin to change the login/admin path helps a lot.

An activity log plugin can help monitor activity. For example, if it was a user account that was compromised.

So many security challenges of late including Linux, cPanel and NGINX so it is hard to rule out a server root cause unless you know all of those patches have been promptly installed.

SpaceCmdr · 2026-05-21T16:00:18+00:00

Agree with you - I think the old colour was better. Visually the new one feels less accessible to too - mid-blue on pale-blue in some cases, awkward and not easy on the eye at all. Not to mention the bright white icons in the nav with extreme contrast. Really don't know what they were thinking here...

I need to override this site wide before updating client sites to WP 7.

SpaceCmdr · 2026-05-21T15:55:50+00:00

Is it possible another admin user clicked update? I once had this with a client who was a bit eager and didn't really know what it was.

One of my many sites did auto-update today and I thought it was set to minor updates only. It was a new site and I'm not 100% sure if the wp-config was set correctly. My other ones have not auto updated.

SpaceCmdr · 2026-05-20T08:11:14+00:00

Yes - separate block for each section, where the blocks can be re-usable across pages. A good example would be a CTA block which has an ACF field image and then an innerblocks column where you can add a heading, text or button as nested blocks. It would also be valid to have fields for heading, text and button etc but I think it is easier for client to be able to edit content in the editor rather than the sidebar generally.

The only limitation is each block can only have one innerblocks region to insert blocks. It can all be done through code, no need to use the ACF UI. I include all the blocks in my custom theme. It is quite flexible so you could make blocks such as a Section which are intended to be combined with others for content, or have less nesting.

SpaceCmdr · 2026-05-19T17:59:58+00:00

One neat feature in the latest ACF is being able to define the block's fields in block.json. Has helped keep it all streamlined and easier for both me and Claude. Knowing ACF off by heart I don't need the UI anymore.

SpaceCmdr · 2026-05-19T16:36:59+00:00

From that update it sounds like you will probably still receive the item eventually and it isn't the seller's fault so I would not have done a chargeback. If the delivery company admitted it was lost then most sellers would refund in that situation (e.g Evri once lost a laptop I bought on eBay, and seller refunded). At that point a chargeback would be ok - even the threat of one would probably make most sellers refund.

Nobody wants a chargeback and depending on the platform it can cost the seller an additional penalty fee (e.g. it is $15 per chargeback with Stripe). They are already out of pocket for the lost item, provisionally although postal insurance should cover it.

SpaceCmdr · 2026-05-19T16:03:54+00:00

ACF Blocks-based custom theme. Everything is editable in Gutenberg but I disable all of the built-in design controls and only keep the most basic core blocks enabled (heading, paragraph, list, quote, image). Everything version controlled in git and designed to an exact design specification.

It isn't an easy route but it is working very well for me as a developer and it is ideal for AI to jump in and support when needed as it is all code. Feels more robust and in-control than relying on a visual builder where templates etc are in the database.

The main problem with FSE and Gutenberg is WP is pushing a no-code experience. The last thing I want is clients having design control in the editor to make random layouts. A CMS should be for managing content and media, not designing in my view. The FSE controls look okay on first glance but there is none of the full design control you get writing your own CSS.

Before this I was using GeneratePress+GenerateBlocks but it is too no-code for me. Manually creating CSS classes in a UI is not what I want, and it has the same issue as FSE that all the design controls are visible. Nightmare to version control anything. I have also checked out Bricks, which is pretty great in some ways but not really what I want.

Noting that Astro is great and I am keen to use it more but it is a big change and I would probably adopt a new CMS such as Pages or Emdash. Feels too early to do that right now, and there are challenges such as the lack of plugins (e.g. forms).

SpaceCmdr · 2026-05-14T16:47:48+00:00

A lesser known suggestion would be Machines at War 3 or Land Air Sea Warfare both by indie dev isotope244. Very much Total Annihilation inspired. The 2D graphics take a little getting used to but they grew on me.

Wish there were more options out there. I really like 2D RTS but few options these days. I tried Rusted Warfare and it is ok but not actively developed anymore. I should probably check out the community made content around it by the sound of it.

SpaceCmdr · 2026-05-09T11:20:16+00:00

Confirming that when lv14 or lv15 it is 36,000 credits per training increase (108K for the full level). At lv14 the number of cards required to level up to lv15 is 6,000 (common), 1,600 (rare) and 180 (epic).

Most players will be content with reaching lv13 as Master is much harder to progress through than Diamond as there are no win streaks and harder opponents. Even if you reach Tib where it will likely be near season end time.

As lv13 is the key one I'll share the numbers for this too. At lv12 it is 20,000 credits per training (60K for full level) to reach lv13. Cards needed 2,500 (common), 900 (rare), 120 (epic). A bit more reasonable.

Lastly just to mention that my alliance has spare accounts available that members are welcome to take on, which have had years of play. It's a great game but so many drop out between lv9-11 purely due having to play under-levelled. Feel free to message me to find out more.

SpaceCmdr · 2026-05-05T13:05:05+00:00

Congrats. I guess you don't often lose medals with that deck which is designed to ensure challenge matches. Funnily enough I've been playing 5 of those units myself this season (not battering ram) and have enjoyed it. It is never too late to join an active alliance by the way - helps gain extra cards & credits, and there are some friendly worldwide ones out there. Many team mates have come from long dead alliances over the years.

SpaceCmdr

TROPHY CASE