The new design is up! - Page 2

*stepurhan* · 09-13-2007, 04:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MadTricks

..but...ADS...Why? Nobody likes ads, and i hate ads in news,reviews,relase dates etc, and especially between forum posts.

I know those ads will get some profit to AG, which is good, but i hope amount of ads can be reduced to minimum.

I think Marek has already covered this. To keep the site running it's either ads or subscriptions and I know which one I prefer. Not so sure about the "profit" part either. More like funding for ongoing activity and maintenance.

Sure having them after the first post on a page is a little more intrusive but you can limit that by changing your posts per page setting if it really bothers you. If they appeared at every post that would be more of a worry.

At the end of the day, if a few ads is the price we pay for keeping this quality site free then I'm all for it.

*Dale Baldwin* · 09-13-2007, 04:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Panthera

Edit: oh, and I love the new screenshot viewer in the reviews/previews, but there are some images that occur as broken. One was in Jack's thread, the other in the Dual Motives preview/

That should be another advert.

D.C. · 09-13-2007, 04:57 AM

Also is it possible in the scrolling gallery to have the screenshots in reverse order like GameSpot showing the newest screenshots first and the older ones last. It's just games like Gray Matter we're still seeing concept art first as opposed to the shiny, new screenshots. *shrugs* Not that important I guess. Just a personal preference.

***Marek*** · 09-13-2007, 05:16 AM

Thanks for the specific comments. There's always tiny unexpected bugs all over the place, so it's very helpful to me. I'll quickly respond to everything.

Quote:

Wrong link on writer's name on news posts (both news.php and newsitem.php)

Thanks, fixed.

Quote:

Wrong link on writer's name on Features page

Can't find this one...

Quote:

The RSS link embedded in the pages' <head> section only contains the news feed (instead of all, or maybe the appropriate one for each page?)

Making a huge combined RSS feed is a bit of a pain in the ass, as the content comes from different tables. But I might do that one eventually.

Quote:

The layout of the GC feature is broken

Some of the stuff doesn't fit into the more narrow content column. We're going through all the articles in the next few days to fix them if needed.

Quote:

The "last updated releases" list on the main page obviously isn't that at all

Actually, it works fine. It shows the releases that were last updated (as in: changed in the database). Not the releases that are closest to the current date.

Quote:

The release dates are not sorted appropriately (seems to be a problem with 1-figure days; see the October releases, for example)

They're sorted by how specific they are. We don't use normal dates, we split them by day, then month or quarter, then year. It's how it's always sorted them.

Quote:

The "related games" function doesn't work for UG games, probably because it looks for the same developper whereas UG games have an author instead

Ah, good call. I've taken out the related developer column for UG games. We don't have a database relation for authors (they are a text field, not an id for some reason). You'll see "other games in this series" lists pop up over the coming months for games that are part of a series (these have to be manually entered).

Quote:

The Game info pages could use a little space between the flags and the text

Agreed, fixed.

Quote:

The fourth most recent feature/interview/preview is nowhere to be found on the corresponding page (probably a remnant of the previous design, where four such articles were featured, instead of three now)

Heh, nice one. This one went right past me. Fixed.

Quote:

The bottom bar looks bad for multipage articles

Yeah, I just noticed that. Will fix later today.

Quote:

Some features and interviews still have lo-res main pics

~~Will be replaced by newer features.~~ Nevermind, I can't wait that long, so doing those in a bit.

Quote:

Wrong link when clicking screenshots inside articles

Whoops, you are correct. Will also fix later today.

Your pet peeve feature is not currently implemented, but it's one of our pet peeves too. I just didn't have time for it now. What I'll probably do later on is have one game be the primary assigned game, and list other related games below the gameinfo sidebar.

I can tell you appreciate the site because you had some very specific comments, so thanks.

Panthera: I think that broken link is from an ad.

D.C.: that makes sense, actually. It's easy for me to switch around, so I might do that in a minute.

Panthera · 09-13-2007, 05:25 AM

oh, just scrolled all the way down.. LOVE the game database random pick!

ozzie · 09-13-2007, 05:27 AM

I also dislike the wasted space on a widescreen monitor with the big black blocks to the left and the right.
Of course, you can get used to it, but I don't think it's optimal.
Oh, and the bottom links "what adventure games are all about" and the top 20 work when you're on the forum, but not on the main page.
The first links to the top20, the second brings an error.

On the pro side, I think that all the information is now more easily and faster reachable. Less clicks, less time. Like it!

*Dale Baldwin* · 09-13-2007, 05:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Panthera

oh, just scrolled all the way down.. LOVE the game database random pick!

Hehe, look what it just chose for me

Game Database Random Pick

Christmas Quest: The Best Adventure Game Ever!
Developer:
Adventure Gamers

Giligan · 09-13-2007, 05:31 AM

Wow, phenomenal site design. Awesome work, AG staff!

Kurufinwe · 09-13-2007, 06:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marek

Quote:

Wrong link on writer's name on Features page

Can't find this one...

If you click on the link to the writer's bio for the three most recent features on this page, it links to team.php instead of bio.php.

Quote:

Making a huge combined RSS feed is a bit of a pain in the ass, as the content comes from different tables. But I might do that one eventually.

Can't you just embed (don't know if that's the right word) more than one feed (as CNN does, for instance)?

Quote:

Actually, it works fine. It shows the releases that were last updated (as in: changed in the database). Not the releases that are closest to the current date.

What I currently see is the beginning of an alphabetical list of unreleased games; but maybe it's just a coincidence.

Quote:

They're sorted by how specific they are. We don't use normal dates, we split them by day, then month or quarter, then year. It's how it's always sorted them.

Yes, I understand that. But you have a problem with some dates. For instance, for October, you have Oct 15, Oct 16, Oct 23, Oct 25, Oct 9, October. I think it's related to days with only one digit.

Quote:

I can tell you appreciate the site because you had some very specific comments, so thanks.

I really do. To be honest, I've been spending far more time reading the new version than the old version over the past few weeks (yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I shouldn't have; but I decided that was my privilege as a former staffer; and seeing the design evolve hour by hour is better than any kind of reality TV

), and I'm really fond of it. Hopefully the forum style will end up growing on me too.

***Marek*** · 09-13-2007, 06:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kurufinwe

If you click on the link to the writer's bio for the three most recent features on this page, it links to team.php instead of bio.php.

Ah, got it.

Quote:

Can't you just embed (don't know if that's the right word) more than one feed (as CNN does, for instance)?

Hmm. Apparently you can! No idea how browsers/readers deal with that, but I can definitely have the news, articles and blog feeds in there (those are probably the most important).

Quote:

I really do. To be honest, I've been spending far more time reading the new version than the old version over the past few weeks (yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I shouldn't have; but I decided that was my privilege as a former staffer; and seeing the design evolve hour by hour is better than any kind of reality TV

), and I'm really fond of it. Hopefully the forum style will end up growing on me too.

Tsk tsk tsk brownnosing, eh?

I'll take a look at that release dates issue.

AGA · 09-13-2007, 06:21 AM

http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,784/ <- all the links in the footer navbar of this article (and all others, it seems) lead to http://www.adventuregamers.com/artic...4/PAGENAME.php, when they should really go to http://www.adventuregamers.com/PAGENAME.php presumably.

***Marek*** · 09-13-2007, 06:38 AM

Thanks, fixed.

Most of the bugs are related to this btw. I never tested the site with the /article/id,000/ URLs (those URLs are redirects to a php file). So a lot of links had to have a slash put in front of them to point to the site root.

*Melanie68* · 09-13-2007, 06:53 AM

Congratulations!! Thanks for all the hard work and long nights (for everyone involved). I'm proud to be here.

Wouter · 09-13-2007, 07:00 AM

a small bug: if you are on the forum and press "Screenshots" in the top menu, it doesn't work. It points to http://www.adventuregamers.com/forums/screenshots.php instead of http://www.adventuregamers.com/screenshots.php.

kuze · 09-13-2007, 07:10 AM

Is there a way to disable the screenshot slideshow autostart? Because by the time you actually look at the loaded page to see the screenshot you clicked on it's already gone.

aries323 · 09-13-2007, 07:17 AM

Hey - I first thought I was in the wrong place, so I got a little like this:

and also like this

but I son realized that I was in the correct place all along.

I like it. Good jobs guys & gals

- especially the work done during the long nights

The site is much more logical in its design now. It is also easier to find things on this new site, I think...

I have tried the beta of the a-z games, but the site keeps saying 'loading'
Is that where it explodes

as it says in the headline on the page...

or do I just need to be more patient....before I go all

about it...

Anyway, the new site looks & feels great

Nautilus · 09-13-2007, 07:28 AM

The new home design is incredibly bad.

Information is not well organized, tabbed navigation is a design mistake.

Frankly, the new site design discourages to browse.

***Marek*** · 09-13-2007, 07:42 AM

Fortunately we can actually monitor that with site statistics, so in a few days I can let you know if the new site design is discouraging people to browse.

(If the page bounce rate, which is the number of people not clicking further, goes anywhere but down, I'll buy a hat and eat it.

)

***Jackal*** · 09-13-2007, 08:02 AM

Aww, c'mon, Nautilus. Admit it. You're just trying to get your post picked for the next "Quotable Thread".

bigjko · 09-13-2007, 08:06 AM

Awesome! That's truly an awesome new design. Congrats! Really felt nice to check out the site after such a long absence only to be greeted by a new design!

EDIT: Have an issue with the Sam & Max: Season 1 review. Running on Safari 2.0.4.

09-13-2007, 04:57 AM	#23
D.C. Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 1,773	Also is it possible in the scrolling gallery to have the screenshots in reverse order like GameSpot showing the newest screenshots first and the older ones last. It's just games like Gray Matter we're still seeing concept art first as opposed to the shiny, new screenshots. shrugs Not that important I guess. Just a personal preference. Share Share this post on Twitter Last edited by D.C.; 09-13-2007 at 05:09 AM.

09-13-2007, 05:25 AM	#25
Panthera female animal lover Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Norway Posts: 1,480	oh, just scrolled all the way down.. LOVE the game database random pick! Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Pennies are never the healthy end, risk all! The Panthera Effect If you can't beat Panthera, join Panthera.. My sporadically updated blogs: Animation enthusiast, Sci-fi enthusiast and Snark, pedantry and random geekery

09-13-2007, 05:27 AM	#26
ozzie Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Germany Posts: 726	I also dislike the wasted space on a widescreen monitor with the big black blocks to the left and the right. Of course, you can get used to it, but I don't think it's optimal. Oh, and the bottom links "what adventure games are all about" and the top 20 work when you're on the forum, but not on the main page. The first links to the top20, the second brings an error. On the pro side, I think that all the information is now more easily and faster reachable. Less clicks, less time. Like it! Share Share this post on Twitter

09-13-2007, 05:31 AM	#28
Giligan The Greater Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 6,541	Wow, phenomenal site design. Awesome work, AG staff! Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. -Cliff Bleszinski

09-13-2007, 06:21 AM	#31
AGA AdventureGameAficionado Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Cardiff, Wales Posts: 1,968	http://www.adventuregamers.com/article/id,784/ <- all the links in the footer navbar of this article (and all others, it seems) lead to http://www.adventuregamers.com/artic...4/PAGENAME.php, when they should really go to http://www.adventuregamers.com/PAGENAME.php presumably. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Berian Williams - [SIZE=1]Visit agagames.com for free adventure games!

09-13-2007, 06:38 AM	#32
*Marek* Puts the 'e' in Mark Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 3,138	Thanks, fixed. Most of the bugs are related to this btw. I never tested the site with the /article/id,000/ URLs (those URLs are redirects to a php file). So a lot of links had to have a slash put in front of them to point to the site root. Share Share this post on Twitter

09-13-2007, 06:53 AM	#33
Melanie68 Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 8,907	Congratulations!! Thanks for all the hard work and long nights (for everyone involved). I'm proud to be here. Share Share this post on Twitter

09-13-2007, 07:00 AM	#34
Wouter Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 153	a small bug: if you are on the forum and press "Screenshots" in the top menu, it doesn't work. It points to http://www.adventuregamers.com/forums/screenshots.php instead of http://www.adventuregamers.com/screenshots.php. Share Share this post on Twitter

09-13-2007, 07:10 AM	#35
kuze In an evening of July... Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Germany Posts: 1,215	Is there a way to disable the screenshot slideshow autostart? Because by the time you actually look at the loaded page to see the screenshot you clicked on it's already gone. Share Share this post on Twitter

09-13-2007, 07:17 AM	#36
aries323 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Denmark, Europe Posts: 577	Hey - I first thought I was in the wrong place, so I got a little like this: and also like this but I son realized that I was in the correct place all along. I like it. Good jobs guys & gals - especially the work done during the long nights The site is much more logical in its design now. It is also easier to find things on this new site, I think... I have tried the beta of the a-z games, but the site keeps saying 'loading' Is that where it explodes as it says in the headline on the page... or do I just need to be more patient....before I go all about it... Anyway, the new site looks & feels great Share Share this post on Twitter Last edited by aries323; 09-13-2007 at 07:17 AM. Reason: edited smileys

09-13-2007, 07:28 AM	#37
Nautilus Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Posts: 239	The new home design is incredibly bad. Information is not well organized, tabbed navigation is a design mistake. Frankly, the new site design discourages to browse. Share Share this post on Twitter Last edited by Nautilus; 09-13-2007 at 11:52 AM.

09-13-2007, 07:42 AM	#38
*Marek* Puts the 'e' in Mark Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 3,138	Fortunately we can actually monitor that with site statistics, so in a few days I can let you know if the new site design is discouraging people to browse. (If the page bounce rate, which is the number of people not clicking further, goes anywhere but down, I'll buy a hat and eat it. ) Share Share this post on Twitter Last edited by Marek; 09-13-2007 at 07:49 AM.

09-13-2007, 08:02 AM	#39
*Jackal* Hopeful skeptic Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Toronto Posts: 7,743	Aww, c'mon, Nautilus. Admit it. You're just trying to get your post picked for the next "Quotable Thread". Share Share this post on Twitter

09-13-2007, 08:06 AM	#40
bigjko El Luchador Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Denmark Posts: 1,629	Awesome! That's truly an awesome new design. Congrats! Really felt nice to check out the site after such a long absence only to be greeted by a new design! EDIT: Have an issue with the Sam & Max: Season 1 review. Running on Safari 2.0.4. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Use Verb On Noun - Adventure game inspired illustrations Last edited by bigjko; 09-13-2007 at 08:16 AM.

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