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search
Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2026 3:14 am
by ~nyx~
Every time I go to use the search function on here I get an error message about too high a load
been an issue for a few weeks
Re: search
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2026 5:38 am
by Bernie Sanders
^
Months, actually
Re: search
Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2026 3:37 am
by ~nyx~
ongoing :'(
Re: search
Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2026 3:38 am
by ~nyx~
Information
Sorry but you cannot use search at this time. The server has high load. Please try again later.
Re: search
Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2026 6:47 am
by Support
tl;dr: Search is 'temporarily' limited to prevent automated abuse. It has been since massive spikes in May 2025 and in the two years prior to that. Until PHPBB comes up with a decent countermeasure, it will remain limited.
We’ve had to restrict the search function due to a sharp rise in automated traffic (AI-driven scrapers and bots) hitting the forum. These systems can generate significant load and may attempt to harvest large portions of the site.
This isn’t unique to our forum. Many websites are currently dealing with similar issues. Modern AI crawlers collect large amounts of content and, unlike traditional search engines, don’t always send visitors back to the original site or respect access controls.
As a result, even relatively small spikes in automated queries (like search requests) can have a disproportionate impact on performance and availability for actual players.
Search will remain available in a limited or throttled form, and we’ll continue adjusting the safeguards to balance usability with stability.
I recognise that this impacts usability based on your reports, and I'll review whether the 'high load' definition is set too strictly.
Update 25/04/26: I have changed the definition to give everyone a bit of space to search, while remaining strict on automated processes and guest searches.