Spring RTS Engine

Hi again.

The downloads page has the largest number of hits for any wiki page. Its probably the first page that people try to get to.
Because of this, I decided I would provide a mockup of the changes I think would make the page more aesthetically pleasing.

http://springrts.com/wiki/User:Enetheru

I wanted to put the source code section at the top to highlight the fact its not a game download page, but didn't.

Let me know what you think good or bad.

MT should be "unstable" instead of "unofficial"

for the DL links, it would be nice to have icons, eg an MS/windows logo for the installer, and an archive resembling one for the portable archive.
Same for source archives.

The very first part should not be red text, but instead in some outstanding box, in with appealing layout. Something that says:
"come here, click the link inside of me!"
now it sais:
"You are on the wrong page! go back!"

Satirik wrote:MT should be "unstable" instead of "unofficial"

duly noted

hoijui wrote:for the DL links, it would be nice to have icons, eg an MS/windows logo for the installer, and an archive resembling one for the portable archive.
Same for source archives.

The very first part should not be red text, but instead in some outstanding box, in with appealing layout. Something that says:
"come here, click the link inside of me!"
now it sais:
"You are on the wrong page! go back!"

Totally right on the colour front :)

I had a really quick look at the legality of using Microsoft and Apple trademarks and logos. it would seem that Microsoft wont let you use anything without permission, and Apple allows only the use of their name as referring to a product that's compatible but not the use of their logo in such context.
http://www.apple.com/legal/trademark/gu ... rties.html
http://www.microsoft.com/about/legal/en ... fault.aspx

There is no such restrictions on the linux logo.
http://www.isc.tamu.edu/~lewing/linux/

Updated page to reflect requests. minus the icons.

for fetching source, when using git you need to add a note that you need to checkout the release tag afterwards, or the version you'll fetch that way won't work online

for the text agina (the one that is in green now), i though more on something like the lorem ipsum box here:
http://springrts.com/wiki/Sandbox
.. using different colors of course.

for the icons:
i am sure there are tons of icons that do not come from MS or apple directly, but that remind us just as well on the two. most download pages have such icons, and i bet not more then 1% of them use some official logos they got from MS or Apple.. so it can't be a problem.
i mean.. use an icon of any windows, and an other of an X.

Brain Damage wrote:for fetching source, when using git you need to add a note that you need to checkout the release tag afterwards, or the version you'll fetch that way won't work online

let me know what u think.

hoijui wrote:for the text agina (the one that is in green now), i though more on something like the lorem ipsum box here:
http://springrts.com/wiki/Sandbox
.. using different colors of course.

for the icons:
i am sure there are tons of icons that do not come from MS or apple directly, but that remind us just as well on the two. most download pages have such icons, and i bet not more then 1% of them use some official logos they got from MS or Apple.. so it can't be a problem.
i mean.. use an icon of any windows, and an other of an X.

those boxes are annoying to manipulate at tho top of an article because of the side menu(pushes it underneath), I would have to learn how to turn it off. or get around it. and its value is minimal.

enetheru wrote:

Brain Damage wrote:for fetching source, when using git you need to add a note that you need to checkout the release tag afterwards, or the version you'll fetch that way won't work online

let me know what u think.

much better, I hope only the tag string will be kept up to date with the releases

I still say the Games Download page should be a section of the Download page, and not cast away in a separate page.

zwzsg wrote:I still say the Games Download page should be a section of the Download page, and not cast away in a separate page.

Its only a mockup so we can play a bit.
How do you want to organise that?
With links to the respective games download pages?
Is there any criteria that has to be met before the game can be included on the page? otherwise we have to let it be a ffa for all mods and that doesn't sound appealing.

Hmm, it seems you didn't understand: That game downloads is not about listing every game and mod. It's about listing games that have installers.

I hope that you see the difference between downloading a sdz, and downloading an exe that installs the whole Spring engine plus a mod and some maps.

First time users would naturally go the download page:
- When a first time user download a .sdz, he's lost.
- When a first time user download a spring engine without game, he's confused.
- When a first time user download KP installer or S.D., he can play right away.

So which belongs there?

Have some more tips...
(sorry if it sounds rude, its too hot to be nice today )

MT (executable) should be in the windows section. (there will/could be a headless client and dedicated server too)

when going to the download page, i want to see what i need as fast as possible, with important stuff color coded maybe (win-only, <version>, unstable, ...). I do not want to read sentences or paragraphs like:

SelectionEditor
Click here to download all required binaries to run the latest SelectionEditor. Sources are in git.

rather:

SelectionEditor (cross-platform): windows binary source archive source repository

Latest Stable Snapshot
... does not make sense to me. it is either stable or a snapshot. -> confusing

Unstable Test Builds
remove the Test

Click here to download the installer -> download installer

Backup download link -> mirror

Do not have full sentences just for the sake of it:

Linux
The Linux set up guide provides set up information for various Linux distributions.

When the user comes to the page, he does not want to read, just to see and click. only make him read if it REALLY needs to be, like the very first sentence (now green).

SelectionEditor (cross-platform): windows binary source archive source repository

selection editor is no way cross platform using windows only gui components and having selectkeys.txt location hardcoded

Imho, the CA guys need to get a Spring + SD installer. SD makes fetching mods and maps and joining games so seamless that a Spring+SD installer might be the easiest way to get to the major use-case of Spring (that is, download, install, find the first BA+DSD game you can).

Hmmm oh you're right. I wrongly assumed SD would autodownload Spring. It seems it does not.

But next Spring will download SD I believe.

Dependent, of course, on selected settings.

"Spring Downloader", downloading Spring? Don't be ridiculous.

>.<

Make the windows download a big windows icon with the filename underneath and size, then put a big OS X apple logo next to it, and a linux logo next to that, and have them link to the relevant parts.

Dont present me with a wall of text.