[Kingzjester]

JustAdventure+ is like a living fossil, an ugly, stinking, living fossil, like a hoatzin or something like that. Every time I visit the site I am disgusted how useless the layout and opinions are.

Spoiler:

...even though you're slighly gimpy yourself.

Spoiler:

Sorry this spoiler doesn't deal with Marek's ear; I just broke the thread convention.

[Squinky]

AGS loves you too...

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Originally Posted by Kingzjester

JustAdventure+ is like a living fossil, an ugly, stinking, living fossil, like a hoatzin or something like that. Every time I visit the site I am disgusted how useless the layout and opinions are.

IMO, they certainly need a huge amount of help in polishing and updating their image - as a site, as a business, and as a community. The very first thing people see is the site, and if it's not efficiently designed and aesthetically pleasing it creates ripples in the mind, associations with how the place is run and who runs it. Sorry, that's me as a professional designer, artist, and press release writer talking. A strong, streamlined image speaks volumes, especially when substance and high quality follow it up.

'Fossilized' is the perfect word to describe it, Kingz. But I do like some of the quality of their writing. I dunno, maybe it's just that I'm personally biased towards a more sophisticated, analytical, well rounded style of journalism (like what you'd find at The New Yorker, Salon.com, and National Public Radio). Still, I like the 'homegrown' feeling of JA+, it's just a pity that they seem to mistake homegrown with provincial. And, to be blunt, it does NOT make the adventure game as a genre look very attractive to potential interests.

[Lucien21]

Originally Posted by Intrepid Homoludens

IMO, they certainly need a huge amount of help in polishing and updating their image - as a site, as a business, and as a community. The very first thing people see is the site, and if it's not efficiently designed and aesthetically pleasing it creates ripples in the mind, associations with how the place is run and who runs it. Sorry, that's me as a professional designer, artist, and press release writer talking. A strong, streamlined image speaks volumes, especially when substance and high quality follow it up.

HEY as a member of that community i'm taking umbrage.

I do agree the website is a dreadful design, but the forum and quality of the writing isn't bad. It's like anywhere else it has it's good reviews and it's bad ones.

[Melanie68]

I think we're walking on very shaky ground here. I don't know all the past stuff but there are plenty of people (Lucien, Colpet, Trudysgarden, Skye, SirDave, Helen-I think, and I'm sure many more - me included) who visit both sites. A little speculation about their anticipated game list is OK, I guess. But now we're starting to analyze what is wrong or right with their site which I don't think is right. It's just not our place to do so. There are lots of nice people over there. They may be more traditional in what they want in adventure games (I like the more traditional as well as some experimental) but if it doesn't appeal to you, don't visit, simple as that.

Edit: I'm just afraid of things getting pissy between sites and that wouldn't be fun. Too much drama for my taste. I don't know what impact a site would have on how others see Adventure Games as a genre. If someone were to search, they would run into AG, JA, Gameboomers, Quandary and they are all different. Vivent la différence!!

[Intrepid Homoludens]

I'm not necessarily criticizing them as a community. After all we here at AG have our perks and strengths, too. What I mean to say - and forgive me if I came across as condescending - is that once you put yourself up as an entity out there to do business, it's very important to present as polished and professional an image as possible. In the end it only helps to attract attention to what you have to offer.

Constructive criticism is always healthy. Nowhere in my post above did I even say that it's wrong to like traditional things. My focus is on the quality of design and image, and how that is crucial in presenting a site, content, and community in the best light possible.

Personally I admire the intelligence and sophistication of some of the community members over there (it's great that they also come here to hang out), but that, I emphasize, is part of the SUBSTANCE that JA+ has to offer. There are feature articles and reviews there I enjoyed reading, and my commendation and respect to their authors. But otherwise, as someone browsing through their site, (and again this may have more to do with my own background) it's hard for me to tell. It simply needs polish and streamlining, that's all. Please don't put me on the spot just because I offer my own thoughts on it, especially in a constructive context.

EDIT: I also must add that a good chunk of why I rarely visit them as a site is that it's horribly designed in terms of navigation and finding things. I have no idea what's new and what is archived, there's no coherent visual flow, no sense of quality in aesthetics. It's simply hard on my eyes. I have the same experience with Myspace.com, it's just jarring to look at and find your way around in.

[Maquisard]

Originally Posted by Kingzjester

JustAdventure+ is like a living fossil, an ugly, stinking, living fossil, like a hoatzin or something like that.

Interesting article. This smelly, bad-tasting, "largely unmolested" bird might go extinct if people figure out how to use it's leaf-fermentation properties to produce alcohol.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Did someone say alcohol?

[Jatsie]

I went to JA once, the site was such an ugly mess that I clicked the back button only a couple of seconds after arriving.

[samIamsad]

Originally Posted by Kingzjester

JustAdventure+ is like a living fossil, an ugly, stinking, living fossil.

DUDE! You totally missed that. Isn't that like, you know, the entire point? Look at the games that are getting coverage there. See? *runs*


Just kidding. Agreed about the whole design thing, but if they like it that way.. But then, I don't even remember what AG's main site looks like...

Originally Posted by Mel

I'm just afraid of things getting pissy between sites and that wouldn't be fun.

Wouldn't that be a bit ridiculous? Well, it did happen before, but it's pretty darn stupid.

[Marek]

Originally Posted by Intrepid Homoludens

IMO, they certainly need a huge amount of help in polishing and updating their image - as a site, as a business, and as a community. The very first thing people see is the site, and if it's not efficiently designed and aesthetically pleasing it creates ripples in the mind, associations with how the place is run and who runs it. Sorry, that's me as a professional designer, artist, and press release writer talking. A strong, streamlined image speaks volumes, especially when substance and high quality follow it up.

'Fossilized' is the perfect word to describe it, Kingz. But I do like some of the quality of their writing. I dunno, maybe it's just that I'm personally biased towards a more sophisticated, analytical, well rounded style of journalism (like what you'd find at The New Yorker, Salon.com, and National Public Radio). Still, I like the 'homegrown' feeling of JA+, it's just a pity that they seem to mistake homegrown with provincial. And, to be blunt, it does NOT make the adventure game as a genre look very attractive to potential interests.

Trep, you're awesome, but that post exploded my Pretense-O-Meter into tiny pieces.

Not commenting on your opinions, just the way you phrased them.

Originally Posted by Melanie68

They may be more traditional in what they want in adventure games (I like the more traditional as well as some experimental) but if it doesn't appeal to you, don't visit, simple as that!

I don't get why people sometimes say that, given that JA+ covers adventure games and a whole bunch of other genres. Maybe the forum populace there is skewed differently (I don't go to their forums), but editorially JA+ is the opposite of traditional. Just sayin'.

[Melanie68]

Originally Posted by Marek

I don't get why people sometimes say that, given that JA+ covers adventure games and a whole bunch of other genres. Maybe the forum populace there is skewed differently (I don't go to their forums), but editorially JA+ is the opposite of traditional. Just sayin'.

I'm not qualified to make that assessment (but I did it anyway). I guess I was referring to what I've seen in the forum (where they seem more traditional) but you're right in that they do cover many more games/genres.

The forums and the opinions there tend to come to my mind when I talk of AG and JA instead of the main page.