Just curious as to why certain threads are locked at the end of a year and a new year version started. I can see where it makes sense for peripheral treads like screen shots and such. However, I would think there is value in keeping certain threads that contain a record of updates, historical data or similar information, as a single thread to facilitate research and review.
Is it a file size thing or something impacting server performance?
We decided to restart these long running threads each year because it makes for easier browsing. The old threads are still available and and will show in the search function.
The yearly threads are also extensively linked to one another at the end and beginning, so oughta be fine.
This year @Fridge did an exceptional job by moving a bunch of posts from the old one to the new, making it that much easier to continue the train of thought the hivemind had.
The software doesnât care, topics can be hundreds of thousands of posts if we want and it all indexes ok.
It was more of an attempt to make the forum a bit more approachable for new people. The thinking was that anyone that came across Mudspike and was interested in DCS (say via a Google search) wouldnât want to browse through a single topic with 900+ messages in it just to see whatâs up today. At the very least theyâd be put off, and might not even figure out the magic buttons to find the most recent posted message. Long meandering topics stop people from joining up or even posting, it can be intimating joining in or starting a new topic; thatâs not really particular to here, itâs just how it is online when it seems like a group of old friends.
Most other discourse forums now âauto closeâ topics (by length or time of last activity) to try to make themselves more approachable, as active, recent and on-topic smaller topics help new members. Moderators can split topics per, uh, topic, but then it shouldnât be the case that baby sitting is required and itâs on the members themselves to understand the motivations and help. It feels like a fight that canât be won, so eventually the effort just stops.
Eventually someone will post âWhy is mudspike so quiet?â and put it as post 19,100 on a topic about 4 years long - it wonât be answered. 
An exercise for the reader: use this forum in an incognito tab and then try to make sense of most topics here - thatâs what a new member sees.
I did not know that. Thanks! 
You can also create links between threads.
If you follow the link above you will notice a link back to this thread. As long as the linked thread is not deleted or moved to a hidden forum the two topics will be associated to one another.
Edit:
As you can see in the location I circled in the image I uploaded there are two topics that have been linked to the first post.
Wheels
CoolâŠthanks!
