I am perplexed by the quest for an appropriate CMS.

The following features are required:
- News
- Participant list
- A group system with different levels of administrative function and content access
- Forum
- Photo album
- Events
- Simple installation and configuration is preferred

There is a hosting option available with PHP/MySQL.

I would greatly appreciate any responses.
Thank you in advance.

I have held leadership positions in multiple guilds and served as a website administrator.

In essence, forum engines such as IPB, MyBB, and phpBB are highly suitable options. They possess all the necessary features, with some even offering add-ons for the DKP system. However, their design can sometimes be lacking.

Currently, the most optimal solution for your task is XenForo + Xenforo homepage plugin. This combination offers a plethora of beneficial add-ons and plugins, including media libraries, photo albums, streams, and blogs.

In my experience, I have found that these tools greatly enhance the functionality and versatility of the platform. They provide users with an immersive and engaging experience, making it an excellent choice for your needs.

Our team is currently working on the development of the Guildmaker project, which is a specialized system designed for creating clan websites in online games.

On one hand, it functions as a free hosting service with a CMS similar to uCoz. On the other hand, we offer direct FTP access to php templates, CSS styles, and an image directory. This means you have the flexibility to customize the design of your clan's website according to your preferences, and even add php code to any of the templates. Additionally, you can upload images to your site's catalog without relying on file sharing services.

The advantages of this approach are as follows:
- You have complete control over your site's files, just as if it were your own site.
- No need to install or configure a separate CMS.
- You won't have to burden your own server or pay for hosting.

Our engine meets all the outlined requirements:
- News
- Participant list (including an Online User widget)
- A group system with varying levels of administrative access and content control
- Forum
- Photo album (dedicated page on the site)
- Events
- Easy installation and configuration are encouraged.

Within the control panel, you can easily install engine updates, widgets, and plugins. We also provide a range of plugins specifically designed for MMORPG clans that can be installed on your website.

In order to sustain and improve our services, we offer additional paid options. While we won't delve into them here, we encourage you to explore and determine their applicability for yourself.

Given your requirements and hosting options available, I would recommend looking at the following three Content Management Systems (CMS):

1. **WordPress:** Widely popular and comes with a very simple set up, WordPress can have functionalities extended with plugins. Though primarily known as a blogging platform, it can certainly handle news, a participant list, group systems, forums, photo albums, and event management. Just to name a few relevant plugins:
  - 'bbPress' for forums,
  - 'BuddyPress' for user groups and participation,
  - 'NextGEN Gallery' for photo albums,
  - 'The Events Calendar' for events.
 
2. **Joomla:** More advanced in terms of built-in functionality, Joomla, has the potential to handle your requirements right off the bat. It is a bit more complex to set up compared to WordPress, but it offers more flexibility and advanced user access control levels. It also has extensions to cover specific needs.

3. **Drupal:** This is the most advanced and flexible, but this comes at the cost of a steeper learning curve and more complex set up. However, it is very powerful in terms of multi-user management and can handle various types of content including news, participant lists, forums, and more. Modules like 'Organic Groups', 'Forum', 'Image Gallery', and 'Events' would be particularly useful for your requirements.

Since you mentioned easy installation and configuration is preferred, WordPress might best suit your needs. It has an abundance of plugins and themes, so it is easier to find ones that fit your website. Additionally, because of its popularity, support and assistance are readily available online.

Each of these suggestions will work with PHP/MySQL configurations. You should also remember that while these CMS platforms can handle the features you've listed, the final output and functionality will depend on the specific plugins, themes, and configurations you select. You'll also want to make sure any plugins or themes you add are compatible with one another and won't negatively impact site performance or security.


If you're looking for more advanced options or alternatives to WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal, there are also several robust CMSs that you may want to consider:

Craft CMS: Craft is a powerful and flexible CMS designed for developers who want precise control over their website's build. While it offers a steeper learning curve, it comes with a built-in Matrix field type that allows you to define block types that your client can use to build custom pages. It also has a powerful user and permissions management, making it a good choice for sites with many types of users.

ExpressionEngine: This CMS is a good choice for complex websites with multiple admins and users because it provides powerful control over user permissions. It contains built-in features such as a member management system, so no add-ons are needed for this functionality.

Concrete5: Concrete5 is known for its intuitive user interface and in-context editing which makes it easier for non-developers to understand and manage. It supports user permissions on different levels – systems, full site, and single pages. It also supports multiple users and groups.

Typo3: This CMS is ideal for enterprise-level sites as it's quite robust and scalable with a wide range of in-built features. It has multiple content types, levels of user permissions, and even allows you to run multiple sites from one installation.

Grav: This is a modern, file-based CMS that is easy to install and configure. Grav comes with a strong set of core features integrated with a powerful API. It allows multi-user management with different levels of administrative access, supports the addition of plugins for customization and is built for speed and simplicity.

October CMS: Built on Laravel PHP framework, October CMS is developer-focused and provides a clean and modern backend interface. There is a learning curve, but it's a very flexible system that comes with a solid number of plugins and an active community.

Backdrop CMS: This is a fork of Drupal and is aimed at small to medium businesses, non-profits, and educational institutions. It is simpler than Drupal and more usable in some ways but keeps most of the flexibility and functionality that Drupal is known for.

Modx: Modx offers full freedom to build your website exactly the way you want. With Modx Revolution, you can create a custom access control policy very easily. Modx has a built-in photo gallery feature using which you can create albums and upload images as you like.

Ghost: This is a beautifully designed, completely customizable platform dedicated to minimalist content blogging. Ghost can be used to manage and organize written content like news and events. It has integrated SEO features and is optimized for speed.