Hey everyone! Just a quick note to let everyone know that the authentication database was down for a few hours earlier today while we updated the server. This means that Constellation icons didn't show up for a bit. Sorry for the confusion, it was an unintended side effect.

During this site downtime, we were able to update the site with a variety of fixes and performance enhancements! This brings us one big step closer to opening up the forums and site again. One of the two big problems left has been performance, which we hope this update will fix. I think we are the biggest InvisionBoard community on the net (at over 1.5 million messages) and it's been chugging and grinding under the load, causing timeouts and other problems, especially when searching. The NS Playtesters are testing our changes now and we're hopeful it has gotten a lot better.

In other news, the NSPlayer.net League (NSPL) finals are now entering round two! This is an Australian/Singaporean league with a strong focus on helping new players get into the clan scene. All finals games will be viewable over HLTV and full details can be found at the link above. The NSPlayer team also has plans to start a new NS event after the NSPL, which will be tracked by the bet system where you can win a prize by betting with e-dollars on the outcome of matches. NSPBet is 100% free but you must be signed up before the next big event happens! Catch them on #NSPlayer on irc.GameSURGE.net for more information.