The new design is up!

***Marek*** · 09-13-2007, 01:09 AM

Make sure you check out Jack's introduction article on the site and my post in the new Adventure Gamers blog. Hope you like it!

D.C. · 09-13-2007, 01:13 AM

I instantly liked the look of the new forums and how it's intergrated with the site more. Great new features on the main site too. Seems to be more intuitive and user friendly. I'll admit that some of the design decisions I'll have to get used to but I'm fairly sure that's just the shiny new-ness of it all. Nicely played guys.

Glenn Epic · 09-13-2007, 01:16 AM

A+ guys. I take my pants off to you.

Edit - Are the google ads supposed to be below the first post in each thread?

Harald B · 09-13-2007, 01:30 AM

Very nice. It'll take some getting used to, but I already see it all looks more clear and larger. Now for some criticisms:
The front page is a bit large vertically. Also, the large amount of white hurts my eyes and I keep overlooking the "Forum Threads" section. And if there's going to be an ad like that below every first post I'll be seriously *beep*.
In other news, the space "reserved for awesomeness" is going to have new trailers, right?

*Dale Baldwin* · 09-13-2007, 01:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glenn Epic

Edit - Are the google ads supposed to be below the first post in each thread?

Yes. I had some concerns about that too, but you do get used to them being there.

***Marek*** · 09-13-2007, 01:46 AM

Glad you guys like it!

There's no way of making the front page shorter, except for reducing the amount of content, which I don't want to do. The HoM doesn't change very often, so you should be able to see all the new stuff with just one scroll. The reserved space should bring some additional green to the page soon (but I'm not saying what it is or when it'll go up

).

Oh, and the new position of the forum ads is necessary as the top of page ads in the old design were, well, being universally ignored. I visit several forums that put their ads after the first post, and you get used to it very quickly.

Glenn Epic · 09-13-2007, 01:49 AM

No problem. Shouldn't take long to get used to.

D.C. · 09-13-2007, 02:05 AM

I like the return of the 'green' btw. Gives a very nostalgic feeling.

***Marek*** · 09-13-2007, 02:14 AM

I just remembered something that I should preemptively address: some threads with very big pictures (for instance, some of the Scene of the Day threads) might slightly break the narrower forum design. We're going to install a plugin later that automatically resizes them, so it's only a temporary issue.

Jatsie · 09-13-2007, 02:24 AM

Just a small gripe, but I have a widescreen monitor, and the forum used to automatically adjust to make use of that extra space, but now it doesn't, and that space is just being wasted as two large blocks of green either side.

Lucien21 · 09-13-2007, 02:27 AM

First impression.

Hate the new narrower forum. On my widescreen monitor it just looks too small.

The Google ads are universally annoying appearing in the threads. Don't really care that they were ignored previously or that "you will get used to them" they are still annoying and intrusive.

I like the main site design though. Although it does still feel like the sides of the screens are being ignored and everything squashed in the middle. You might want to rename the article link on the front page that just says September 10,2007 and actually links to Mels Sam and Max 2 article.

The new blog is a good idea. The release dates and games A-Z database are cool ideas.

I can't get the Games A-Z to work though it just says "loading"

***Marek*** · 09-13-2007, 02:44 AM

Yeah, I expected people with widescreen monitors not to like the narrower forums. But I wanted one unified template for the whole site.

The ads you'll have to live with, I'm afraid. (I understand what you're saying, but always remember that this site is provided to you free of charge.)

I'll have a look at the Games A-Z, it's still a bit buggy.

Lucien21 · 09-13-2007, 02:53 AM

In the "First Visit" bit at the bottom the Top 20 Adventures of all time link just goes to a blank page that says "This article may be inactive."

***Marek*** · 09-13-2007, 02:55 AM

I made a typo in the url. It's fixed.

Jazhara7 · 09-13-2007, 03:02 AM

There are...*ADS* between the posts!

NOOOOOO!!! This is one of the things I hated so much about other boards, because they separated the first post from the rest of the thread, and also because there's ads between the posts.

The old forum was perfect...why did you have to change it that way?

Also, what's up with the all-bold writing on the main site?

-

***Marek*** · 09-13-2007, 03:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jazhara7

Also, what's up with the all-bold writing on the main site?

What is that?

Kurufinwe · 09-13-2007, 04:19 AM

Woohoo! The new design, at last!

I really love the new site's design, both in terms of general look and new content. However, I seem to share the general sentiment regarding the forums (wasted space on the side and ad after first post). Then again, I'm sure it's nothing some tweaking with my userContent.css can't fix.

I found a few bugs, though:

Wrong link on writer's name on news posts (both news.php and newsitem.php)
Wrong link on writer's name on Features page
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?)
The layout of the GC feature is broken
The "last updated releases" list on the main page obviously isn't that at all
The release dates are not sorted appropriately (seems to be a problem with 1-figure days; see the October releases, for example)
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
The Game info pages could use a little space between the flags and the text
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)
The bottom bar looks bad for multipage articles
Some features and interviews still have lo-res main pics
Wrong link when clicking screenshots inside articles

Oh, and have you implemented my pet feature request, namely being able to link an article to more than one game (so that interviews, etc. discussing several games can appear in the "related articles" list for each of these games?

But anyway, great work on the new AGs, Marek and all!

Panthera · 09-13-2007, 04:22 AM

I have a wide-screen monitor, and I really like it centered like this. But I only had my wide-screen for a week before the change though.
I also really like the blog, and there are several good things about the front page, but I would have liked the dark green between the features.

And I'm also very skeptical to the ads in the forum. I'm actually ignoring them more now, because they now come at the same time as the text, and not before.

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.

Edit two: Google gives me localized ads, if anyone wondered what the strange language in the nintendo ad is.

MadTricks · 09-13-2007, 04:39 AM

I like the new design. Very informative etc.

..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.

09-13-2007, 04:43 AM

I hate change, but congratulations Marek and team for adding new things.
Very nice.

My thoughts though. I've always used 800 x 600 screen res and don't want to change to a higher res, so I'll have to put up with scrolling left and right a bit more to read whole posts since the font is so much larger. Also, as Harald B mentioned, the amount of white takes some getting used to, but it's no biggie. In reviews, the score, the good, the bad and the bottom line is now horizontal above the review instead of vertical and to the right of the review. I dunno, my first thought was 'oh no! I like it to the right' because you could almost avoid seeing the score immediately if you didn't want to before reading the review. This way you have no choice, then again, so what, it's fine.

It's kinda like when adventure games first went from 2D to 3D. Many of us weren't that keen. Nowadays, we hardly give it a second thought and welcome it. :p

09-13-2007, 01:09 AM	#1
*Marek* Puts the 'e' in Mark Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 3,138	The new design is up! Make sure you check out Jack's introduction article on the site and my post in the new Adventure Gamers blog. Hope you like it! Share Share this post on Twitter

09-13-2007, 01:13 AM	#2
D.C. Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 1,773	I instantly liked the look of the new forums and how it's intergrated with the site more. Great new features on the main site too. Seems to be more intuitive and user friendly. I'll admit that some of the design decisions I'll have to get used to but I'm fairly sure that's just the shiny new-ness of it all. Nicely played guys. Share Share this post on Twitter Last edited by D.C.; 09-13-2007 at 01:33 AM.

09-13-2007, 01:16 AM	#3
Glenn Epic How am I not myself? Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Australia Posts: 1,009	A+ guys. I take my pants off to you. Edit - Are the google ads supposed to be below the first post in each thread? Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Happenstance

09-13-2007, 01:30 AM	#4
Harald B Red Bicycle Brake Unit Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 177	Very nice. It'll take some getting used to, but I already see it all looks more clear and larger. Now for some criticisms: The front page is a bit large vertically. Also, the large amount of white hurts my eyes and I keep overlooking the "Forum Threads" section. And if there's going to be an ad like that below every first post I'll be seriously beep. In other news, the space "reserved for awesomeness" is going to have new trailers, right? Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ "The golden age of mathematics - that was not the age of Euclid, it is ours." -Cassius Jackson Keyser

09-13-2007, 01:46 AM	#6
*Marek* Puts the 'e' in Mark Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 3,138	Glad you guys like it! There's no way of making the front page shorter, except for reducing the amount of content, which I don't want to do. The HoM doesn't change very often, so you should be able to see all the new stuff with just one scroll. The reserved space should bring some additional green to the page soon (but I'm not saying what it is or when it'll go up ). Oh, and the new position of the forum ads is necessary as the top of page ads in the old design were, well, being universally ignored. I visit several forums that put their ads after the first post, and you get used to it very quickly. Share Share this post on Twitter

09-13-2007, 01:49 AM	#7
Glenn Epic How am I not myself? Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Australia Posts: 1,009	No problem. Shouldn't take long to get used to. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Happenstance

09-13-2007, 02:05 AM	#8
D.C. Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 1,773	I like the return of the 'green' btw. Gives a very nostalgic feeling. Share Share this post on Twitter

09-13-2007, 02:14 AM	#9
*Marek* Puts the 'e' in Mark Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 3,138	I just remembered something that I should preemptively address: some threads with very big pictures (for instance, some of the Scene of the Day threads) might slightly break the narrower forum design. We're going to install a plugin later that automatically resizes them, so it's only a temporary issue. Share Share this post on Twitter

09-13-2007, 02:24 AM	#10
Jatsie Lovable rogue Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Great Britain Posts: 6,378	Just a small gripe, but I have a widescreen monitor, and the forum used to automatically adjust to make use of that extra space, but now it doesn't, and that space is just being wasted as two large blocks of green either side. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ "Jatsie is amazing." - Jazhara "My mental image of Jat is a gentleman sitting in a leather armchair, wearing a robe. The light in the room is dim and strangely he's not sitting in front of a computer, but next to a small, round table with a box of cigars on." - Jelena Gay-Nerds.com

09-13-2007, 02:27 AM	#11
Lucien21 Psychonaut Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Edinburgh Posts: 5,114	First impression. Hate the new narrower forum. On my widescreen monitor it just looks too small. The Google ads are universally annoying appearing in the threads. Don't really care that they were ignored previously or that "you will get used to them" they are still annoying and intrusive. I like the main site design though. Although it does still feel like the sides of the screens are being ignored and everything squashed in the middle. You might want to rename the article link on the front page that just says September 10,2007 and actually links to Mels Sam and Max 2 article. The new blog is a good idea. The release dates and games A-Z database are cool ideas. I can't get the Games A-Z to work though it just says "loading" Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ I'm not insane, my mother had me tested!

09-13-2007, 02:44 AM	#12
*Marek* Puts the 'e' in Mark Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 3,138	Yeah, I expected people with widescreen monitors not to like the narrower forums. But I wanted one unified template for the whole site. The ads you'll have to live with, I'm afraid. (I understand what you're saying, but always remember that this site is provided to you free of charge.) I'll have a look at the Games A-Z, it's still a bit buggy. Share Share this post on Twitter Last edited by Marek; 09-13-2007 at 02:51 AM.

09-13-2007, 02:53 AM	#13
Lucien21 Psychonaut Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Edinburgh Posts: 5,114	In the "First Visit" bit at the bottom the Top 20 Adventures of all time link just goes to a blank page that says "This article may be inactive." Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ I'm not insane, my mother had me tested!

09-13-2007, 02:55 AM	#14
*Marek* Puts the 'e' in Mark Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 3,138	I made a typo in the url. It's fixed. Share Share this post on Twitter

09-13-2007, 03:02 AM	#15
Jazhara7 Ale! And keep 'em coming! Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Beyond the Pattern of Reality...or Germany Posts: 8,527	There are...ADS between the posts! NOOOOOO!!! This is one of the things I hated so much about other boards, because they separated the first post from the rest of the thread, and also because there's ads between the posts. The old forum was perfect...why did you have to change it that way? Also, what's up with the all-bold writing on the main site? - Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ - "esc(x) cot(x) dx = -csc(x)!" Dennis added, and the wizard's robe caught on fire. "Gosh," Dennis said, "and some people say higher math isn't relevant." >>>Inventor of the Mail order-Assassin<<< And This...is a Black Hole - BYE!

09-13-2007, 04:19 AM	#17
Kurufinwe Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Santa Barbara, CA Posts: 3,038	Woohoo! The new design, at last! I really love the new site's design, both in terms of general look and new content. However, I seem to share the general sentiment regarding the forums (wasted space on the side and ad after first post). Then again, I'm sure it's nothing some tweaking with my userContent.css can't fix. I found a few bugs, though: Wrong link on writer's name on news posts (both news.php and newsitem.php) Wrong link on writer's name on Features page 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?) The layout of the GC feature is broken The "last updated releases" list on the main page obviously isn't that at all The release dates are not sorted appropriately (seems to be a problem with 1-figure days; see the October releases, for example) 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 The Game info pages could use a little space between the flags and the text 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) The bottom bar looks bad for multipage articles Some features and interviews still have lo-res main pics Wrong link when clicking screenshots inside articles Oh, and have you implemented my pet feature request, namely being able to link an article to more than one game (so that interviews, etc. discussing several games can appear in the "related articles" list for each of these games? But anyway, great work on the new AGs, Marek and all! Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Currently reading: Dune (F. Herbert) Recently finished: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (J. K. Rowling) [++], La Nuit des Temps (R. Barjavel) [+++] Currently playing: Skyrim Recently finished: MCF: Escape from Ravenhearst [+], The Walking Dead, ep. 1 [+++], Gray Matter [++]

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09-13-2007, 04:22 AM	#18
Panthera female animal lover Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Norway Posts: 1,480	I have a wide-screen monitor, and I really like it centered like this. But I only had my wide-screen for a week before the change though. I also really like the blog, and there are several good things about the front page, but I would have liked the dark green between the features. And I'm also very skeptical to the ads in the forum. I'm actually ignoring them more now, because they now come at the same time as the text, and not before. 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. Edit two: Google gives me localized ads, if anyone wondered what the strange language in the nintendo ad is. Attached Images 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 Last edited by Panthera; 09-13-2007 at 04:48 AM.

09-13-2007, 04:39 AM	#19
MadTricks Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Estonia Posts: 445	I like the new design. Very informative etc. ..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. Share Share this post on Twitter __________________ Now Playing: Secret Files 2 Next: RunAway 2, Still Life 2 Just Completed:: Sanitarium

09-13-2007, 04:43 AM	#20
Roman5 Guest Posts: n/a	I hate change, but congratulations Marek and team for adding new things. Very nice. My thoughts though. I've always used 800 x 600 screen res and don't want to change to a higher res, so I'll have to put up with scrolling left and right a bit more to read whole posts since the font is so much larger. Also, as Harald B mentioned, the amount of white takes some getting used to, but it's no biggie. In reviews, the score, the good, the bad and the bottom line is now horizontal above the review instead of vertical and to the right of the review. I dunno, my first thought was 'oh no! I like it to the right' because you could almost avoid seeing the score immediately if you didn't want to before reading the review. This way you have no choice, then again, so what, it's fine. It's kinda like when adventure games first went from 2D to 3D. Many of us weren't that keen. Nowadays, we hardly give it a second thought and welcome it. :p Share Share this post on Twitter