New Site Design and Layout Comments / Suggestions Thread

Dullahan

Most important thing imo is main columns/articles and trending forum topics.  Now the trending forum topics are being squeezed into an area that they don't fit, making them hard to read.  Also, having to scroll down 10x to see trending game seems wrong.  In general feels like there is just too much on the main page.  Basically if I have to wheel down more than twice on a page, I give up.

Ikeda

Here are my bullet points:

• Forum threads (arguably the thing everyone comes here for) is squeezed in on the top right in a too small of space.  I only see the top 4 threads.... lame.
• You're articles are clogging up the page.  I don't want every single YouTube video (which I don't give a rats ass about) clogging up the main page.
• Seriously, the articles... again.  Why are you putting 10 paragraphs on the main page for an article.  MMORPG had it right with the old style.  Paragraph blurb, wanna read more click here?  That's how it should work.
• 7 different banner adds before I get past the first article on the main page.
• Now in order to get to recent forums, you can't click the button.  You have to click "Current Forum Activity" then you have to click Recent.

How is this an update?

 

It's like a downgrade.

Vrika

Is the website bugged, or is the change on front page intentional?

Warlyx

Originally posted by Ikeda

Here are my bullet points:

• Forum threads (arguably the thing everyone comes here for) is squeezed in on the top right in a too small of space.  I only see the top 4 threads.... lame.
• You're articles are clogging up the page.  I don't want every single YouTube video (which I don't give a rats ass about) clogging up the main page.
• Seriously, the articles... again.  Why are you putting 10 paragraphs on the main page for an article.  MMORPG had it right with the old style.  Paragraph blurb, wanna read more click here?  That's how it should work.
• 7 different banner adds before I get past the first article on the main page.
• Now in order to get to recent forums, you can't click the button.  You have to click "Current Forum Activity" then you have to click Recent.

How is this an update?

 

It's like a downgrade.

+1

couldnt said it better myself

 

 

damond5031

I wish you guys would put the recent forum activity back in its old spot. I dont like change! *Shakes cane menacingly*

udon

I prefer the main page to be more of a summary page rather than showing significant amounts of detail on each article.  Also the forum part of the main page is really to small.

Sovrath

Originally posted by stayontarget

Not really feeling it. bad colors and the layout change is not as good as the old one IMO.

I'm not sure what people are referring to. It still seems mostly black with some Gray on the border Some dark blue here and there.

Other than layout I don't see any difference at all? Or at least anything so major as far as changes.

 

Though I can say that I'm still happy for the white text on the dark as it's easier on my eyes.

gaeanprayer

"The theme is now easier on the eyes and more functional."

 

In what world? The front page looks like a mess. There is zero flow, an absolute lack of symmetry, far too much visual information communicated all at once, and worst of all, you have "current forum activity" as one of the first things people see. Have you people never visited your own forums? Do you not know what filth is contained, here?

 

Amateurs.

Herase

The front page is way to long, have to scroll for a while. compress the images and text a bit because what ever is at the bottom won't be looked at or read.

Also clear the top banner and use the sides to advertise, just too much going on. Makes the MMORPG logo look a bit slap dash and amatuer looking, The text underneath it can sometimes be unreadable due to this.

Volgore

For my taste there is way too much scrolling required to get an overview of the latest articles.

If i want to skim over say the last 5, i have to scroll down and down and further down like crazy.

 

Also, bring back the "view more" button underneath the "current forum activity" block (!!!!!!!!) or try to fit in more topics. As it is now, it's such a huge block on the mainpage, yet it only contains so little information (like 4 topics).

GolbezTheLion

It looks really, really bad.

Change it back, please, lol. It's a jumbled mess.

MikeB

Hey guys. These are just some tweaks to the site layout in between now and the new site. This isn't actually the new site design or anything. Also, the realtime forum feed is right beside the featurette scroller now. I actually didn't see this myself when I first looked at the page, so don't feel bad if you missed it!

Xav_MMO

The biggest "criticism" I have right now is that the center section, right-hand column seems to be half-unused.

As I've typed this a few different ways, I think the crux of the issue is that your site main page as a lot of "overhead." You have a very large percentage of real estate devoted to "fixed" entities such as Columnists, Blogs, etc - in addition to the far-right hand side of lists of games. 

What this does is force all your "current" (timely) content into one single column on the left side, that scrolls forever.

My initial reaction would be to suggest filling out the space under the staff-blogs-esc with story content. However, I think the layout would be far better served by somehow (lol, the hard part!) eliminating as much of that fixed overhead as possible and therefore freeing up the space for actual timely content. Due to the fact that your eye just gets used to those sections always being there anyway, I for one (and I doubt many) actually notice when something changes. I would therefore hazard a guess that they may not be serving their intended purpose as well as desired - further reason to just remove them (from the main page).

I mean you do have a Blogs tab, so you could possibly remove that entire blog-box. A "timely" update could notify people of a blog update and direct them to check it out. Columnists / Staff could get their own (shared) tab. Stuff like that.

In a nutshell, make the main page focus on Current activity. Stories, Discussions, etc.

Sorry for the Wall-o-Text.

 

BillMurphy

To piggyback on Mike, we're still tweaking. Our news is often completely missed by folks, so we wanted to bring it more up front and center.  The Forum Feed is a sacred cow, so we kept it and gave it an arguably better placement next to the featurette scroller.

This is NOT the new site. Just homepage tweaks to increase visibility of the news feed.  If we cut down the articles posted to 5 or 7 rather than 9, I think the scrolling wouldn't be so bad.

I've also asked Evan to look into "shortening" the news so that it displays a blurb and a "clickthrough" for more. As opposed to putting everything out there.  Right now this is literally the newsroom.cfm page fed to the homepage.  

We just wanted you guys to help us test/feedback it.

Brenics

Well I must be a small majority of really liking the new site. I would only like a little bigger space for more recent threads to show. Any way good job.

BillMurphy

Originally posted by Xav_MMO

The biggest "criticism" I have right now is that the center section, right-hand column seems to be half-unused.

As I've typed this a few different ways, I think the crux of the issue is that your site main page as a lot of "overhead." You have a very large percentage of real estate devoted to "fixed" entities such as Columnists, Blogs, etc - in addition to the far-right hand side of lists of games. 

What this does is force all your "current" (timely) content into one single column on the left side, that scrolls forever.

My initial reaction would be to suggest filling out the space under the staff-blogs-esc with story content. However, I think the layout would be far better served by somehow (lol, the hard part!) eliminating as much of that fixed overhead as possible and therefore freeing up the space for actual timely content. Due to the fact that your eye just gets used to those sections always being there anyway, I for one (and I doubt many) actually notice when something changes. I would therefore hazard a guess that they may not be serving their intended purpose as well as desired - further reason to just remove them (from the main page).

I mean you do have a Blogs tab, so you could possibly remove that entire blog-box. A "timely" update could notify people of a blog update and direct them to check it out. Columnists / Staff could get their own (shared) tab. Stuff like that.

In a nutshell, make the main page focus on Current activity. Stories, Discussions, etc.

Sorry for the Wall-o-Text.

You're 1000% on target. That's what we're trying to do. More changes are coming over the next few days, and we'll basically be prioritizing new content and new discussions.

junglebeast

My cup of tea would be to remove the 3rd column with Upcoming/New Games etc.

Also a fixed color clean background. Above the menu and next to the logo room for advertisement that rotates.

Clean up the menu above. Consolidate some of the topics.

thepatriot

Hate the new layout.  I loved have a short list of top news stories that was updated unlike the scrolling window of top stories which was always out of synch with the latest.  Now I have to scroll and scroll and scroll ...  It makes my eyes hurt.

First Massively.com dies and now this.  Guess I'll find my MMO news somewhere else now.

Nitth

Unless you are receiving add revenue from the 3rd column, Remove it it will free up a ton of space.

Then see where you are at.

dalewj

as I said that started this whole discussion. Make a readmore link no more then a paragraph into the article and keep all videos and graphics below that line.

Your using joomla I think so easy to do.

BillMurphy

Originally posted by junglebeast

My cup of tea would be to remove the 3rd column with Upcoming/New Games etc.

Also a fixed color clean background. Above the menu and next to the logo room for advertisement that rotates.

Clean up the menu above. Consolidate some of the topics.

I think if anything, we'd strip out the 2nd column with the Columns, Blogs, etc.  The new and upcoming stuff does great clicks.  This way we could focus more real estate on news/forums content.  But we need to see what's possible.

Bear in mind we're also mid-work on a completely new site, whole new back end and everything, so tweaks here are sort of "test bed" tweaks which we'll use to help the final look of the new site. I wish I could show you THAT, but I've been asked not to.

Jaedor

I don't care for the new layout. I'd like to see a larger space for forum posts and the links to videos set below that.

I should also say I'm biased because I have to use IE at work and don't watch the videos.

eddieg50

No, No, No, to jammed up, to much scrolling, to hard to read, it is like you tried to put news of the entire gaming world on one page and it does not work, Let me just see the headlines if I want to see the rest of the article I will click on it, go back to the old please. As a great statesman once said (I think it was Churchill) "throw out the new and bring back the old"

grimal

I didn't go through the 22 pages of replies.  But I cannot seem to find the link below the "Current Forum Activity" for the real-time forum overview.  Has it been relocated or is it missing?

BillMurphy

Originally posted by grimal
I didn't go through the 22 pages of replies.  But I cannot seem to find the link below the "Current Forum Activity" for the real-time forum overview.  Has it been relocated or is it missing?

Relocated. It's now right next o the feature image slider.