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Darkspace Home Screen / Forums |
Abbot
Chief Marshal
*Renegade Space Marines*
Joined: December 23, 2007
Posts: 141
|  Posted: 2013-10-19 15:09
Now that the update is out i was wondering if any work will be done to the look of the homescreen and forums.
Its not very apealing at all with it being black everywhere. I do understand its a space game and all that but im sure something more appealing and up to date could be made.
I cant even make out what the some of the picture are on the home screen where it says 'infinity has just begun'
[ This Message was edited by: Abbot on 2013-10-19 15:10 ]
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Cold Death
Admiral
Joined: July 24, 2011
Posts: 106
From: Right behind you...
| Posted: 2013-10-19 15:22
They did have plans for a new web design at some point.. at the beginning of 2013. Yeah, not exactly sure what happened to that, but you're not the first one to suggest a new design. I think that's one of the many things the game overall needs.
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Altodar
2nd Rear Admiral
Joined: September 29, 2013
Posts: 25
| Posted: 2013-10-19 16:38
They may want to fix the issue of legitimate and truthful forum posts inexplicably vanishing from sight without any trace or reason.
It's probably a bug or oversight in the forum software, and not a secret undercover taskforce on a mission of censorship.
Besides that, yes, the website is a bit bland, but it's easy on the eyes and not overly complicated with a bunch of animated links and flashy effects.
It serves its purpose, but it doesn't really encourage people just passing by to install the game.
One person even thought I was linking them to a website with a virus because it didn't look legit enough 
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Pantheon
Marshal
Palestar
Joined: May 29, 2001
Posts: 1789
| Posted: 2013-10-19 16:44
No, it's just me deleting your post because it's been mention before and has nothing to do with the topic in hand  .
On topic however, the website is very complicated, and would take myself and Faustus significant time to re-write all of it, and neither of us are design guru's, so there's that too.
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Altodar
2nd Rear Admiral
Joined: September 29, 2013
Posts: 25
| Posted: 2013-10-19 16:57
Well, what if we kept this layout for the GCQL home and general "community" area but had a seperate and simplified "quickstart" page that's displayed on darkspace.net?
So you'd have a big nice looking home page that has registration and download links right there in big buttons, as well as some screenshots in plain sight.
Maybe a fitting background, some stars or nebula or something.
Having some quickstart guides and solutions to common problems would help too.
Then, you'd have the community page, which is basically what our current home page is, and has the larger selection of links to things that a new player likely would not care about.
If you don't know how to design websites, perhaps there's someone here in the community who would volunteer to do it.
[ This Message was edited by: Altodar on 2013-10-19 16:59 ]
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Pantheon
Marshal
Palestar
Joined: May 29, 2001
Posts: 1789
| Posted: 2013-10-19 17:07
It's less know about how to create, and more about general design asthetics.
The worst part, honestly, is that this website is a mishmash of pre-Web 1.0 and everything up until and including whatever it is we're on now. There's HMTL with PHP, no proper way to theme the damned thing. It's a mess, and would need a complete and utter re-write from the ground up. Not to mention that PHPBB 1.0 is ridiculously embeded.
Myself and Faustus have often thought about completely resetting the forums, saving the data out, and creating a brand new forum based off of, in all likelihood, PHPBB3. But that's still an INCREDIBLE amount of work, and that's just the forum!
It's a monumental task, and one that people like Shigernafy, myself, and Faustus have attempted in the past, and you get to a stage where you just think "my time is better spent doing things in-game, than on the website...".
If we had someone who just did web design and programming, and who had great experience with it all, we'd probably take them on. But we've had people say they'd do that in the past, and then do absolutely jack snap.
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Sheraton*XO*
Chief Marshal
Faster than Light
Joined: January 18, 2013
Posts: 482
From: Keel Mountains
| Posted: 2013-10-19 17:31
Quote:
On 2013-10-19 17:07, Pantheon wrote:
It's less know about how to create, and more about general design asthetics.
The worst part, honestly, is that this website is a mishmash of pre-Web 1.0 and everything up until and including whatever it is we're on now. There's HMTL with PHP, no proper way to theme the damned thing. It's a mess, and would need a complete and utter re-write from the ground up. Not to mention that PHPBB 1.0 is ridiculously embeded.
Myself and Faustus have often thought about completely resetting the forums, saving the data out, and creating a brand new forum based off of, in all likelihood, PHPBB3. But that's still an INCREDIBLE amount of work, and that's just the forum!
It's a monumental task, and one that people like Shigernafy, myself, and Faustus have attempted in the past, and you get to a stage where you just think "my time is better spent doing things in-game, than on the website...".
If we had someone who just did web design and programming, and who had great experience with it all, we'd probably take them on. But we've had people say they'd do that in the past, and then do absolutely jack snap.
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So if I am understanding you correctly. The problem is that there is too much work to do on teh website and recreating it would require the sacrifice of time and effort to change what aesthetically is working fine for the moment. So it's just on the back burner until someone is able to devote themselves solely to that.
That sounds like a reasonable rationale for putting this on the backburner.
-Sheraton
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Scorched Soul[+R]
Marshal
Pitch Black
Joined: November 14, 2005
Posts: 378
From: USA, NJ, Princeton
| Posted: 2013-10-19 20:39
well if the big issue is that the website isn't pulling in new consumers, then I imagine that it wouldn't be too difficult to make a spiffy looking "advertisement/ quick start" page that is simple and inviting enough to make someone want to download the game. maybe just a registration link and download link, along with some bumper stickery bullet points with corresponding screenshots and gameplay video. Just something nice enough that we can throw it at friends and say "I play this awesome game, here is the website link".
[ This Message was edited by: Scorched Soul[+R] on 2013-10-19 20:39 ]
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Walrus of Apathy
Admiral
Templar Knights
Joined: August 07, 2005
Posts: 466
From: Dorans Basement
| Posted: 2013-10-19 21:25
Behold! The DarkSpace Homepage 2.0!
A revolution in homepage design.
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Kenny_Naboo
Marshal
Pitch Black
Joined: January 11, 2010
Posts: 3823
From: LobsterTown
| Posted: 2013-10-19 21:31
What we need is a web designer on the team who is ready to commit literally thousands of man hours to the job. It's not an easy thing, but that's basically what the rest of the team have been putting in.
Are you that person? Are you ready to leave your mark on the game?
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Altodar
2nd Rear Admiral
Joined: September 29, 2013
Posts: 25
| Posted: 2013-10-19 22:35
Would it really be so hard to have a page which is totally seperate from the current layout for the purpose of getting right to the point?
It would be REALLY helpful if we had, as was stated in a few earlier posts, something that we can just link to our friends, and which effectively states what this game is, what it looks like, what you can do, and how to begin.
Not saying the current website needs to be redesigned, just ... do what Allegiance did. Look at it, see how they set it up? http://www.freeallegiance.org/
If we did the same thing, clicking "community" would go to what is currently our home page.
Seriously, look at that web page, in all of its nicely laid out to-the-pointness
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AdmiralChaos
Chief Marshal
Joined: October 08, 2008
Posts: 274
| Posted: 2013-10-19 23:25
I think the website is the one thing that I've always been content with... >> I think the easiest thing you could do for people would be different color schemes.. but yeah.. I do a lot of php/css work, I could very easily see all of this being a huge pain in the ass. (lets see what that gets censored to!)
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Admiral Valeor Tackle
Admiral
Joined: February 26, 2012
Posts: 106
| Posted: 2013-10-20 06:26
Panth, why not confer with a web dev in this game? Take for example VideoScape. He is a web dev in this game. Ask him!
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Iwancoppa
Fleet Admiral
Joined: November 15, 2008
Posts: 709
| Posted: 2013-10-20 06:28
if we do upgrade the website, my first request is post ratings
I want to rate everyone dumb boxes, facepunch style.
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DiepLuc
Chief Marshal
Joined: March 23, 2010
Posts: 1187
| Posted: 2013-10-20 07:07
I hope FUDforum or MyBB will replace phpBB as forum's software.
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