There is another feature, that seems to be unique to vBulletin, but should be fairly simple to add to the new codebase.. user ranks, seperate from user titles, such that if a user sets a custom title, it doesnt override/replace their post-count rank. While vBulletin has a strange implementation by keeping these completely seperate, I have seen one advantage to their setup that I would like to see available in IPB 3.1. Particularly with respect to customising the text and having multiple assigned ranks seperate from, but associated with, the user's primary/secondary user-groups. IPB: A users title, is set according to their post-count rank, cannot be styled or adjusted with HTML, and under normal circumstances only an administrator can change it until they reach set amount of posts. A users title, if changed, overrides the post-rank title they would otherwise have. A user gets rank-pips or a custom image associated with their current post-count rank, which is overridden when the user's primary group is changed to one that has a custom image set. A user's group title can be customised and is displayed below the rank bar, "Group: Admins". vB: A users title, is initially set according to their post-count, and overriden if a default title is set on their user-group, "Admins". A users rank, is also set, according to their postcount and usergroup, and a user can have multiple ranks, ranks can be images or text formatted using HTML.
Is it possible, then, to have it where if a user and/or an admin sets their own custom title it just slots in above their avatar.
To drop the custom-group image that would override a members rank-pips/rank-image and replace it with stackable ranks.
Stackable ranks being either images or html-formattable text that can be assigned to a usergroup (and displayed for members of that group) or for all groups and shown underneath the users avatar.
This would enable admins to have a standard set of post-count rank 'titles' and optional images for each rank-title (by making the text and image either/or), as well as custom 'titles' that are assigned to the member's usergroup such as having a seperate rank image for Moderators, Admins or General site staff. Admins can also optionally, have no rank-titles and just have images for each rank, and still allow members to have a custom title.
On one site I frequent, this is used to grant an additional title to staff on the main website who may not be staff on the forums while allowing them to have their own custom user titles and seperate rank-title based on their posts.
I think it has the advantage of moving all this related code into the one place, having the one system for managing the whole lot, independent of the usergroup system as well as adding a little more flexibility to the postbit display that could be exploited to good effect.