Updated site layout ready?

[Satirik]

argh im sorry to say that but if you're pretty good for 3D ... you're not for webdesign i don't like your banners, they don't fit the design at all, even if the screenshots are nice

[Forboding Angel]

The answer is simple, each modmaker makes an equal amount of banners and viola, problem solved (nice banners btw).

The only thing I don't care for with argh's banners are the place where the spring website text is displayed. It seems a bit hokey to me, however, that said, it's his banner, so I don't see why that is an issue.

That is to say that each modmake should do his own flavor. I think that would be pretty darn neat myself.

Argh, how many did you make?

Once I know the number I'll make some evo ones.

[Roflcopter]

Eh... Just a few suggestions to those interested in doing banners and welcome images:

• Don't duplicate the logo. The website already has a logo and putting it again inside the main banner's image is not coherent.
  
  The blue color of the main banner is part of the design and if it's replaced completely with an screenshot, then it feels out of place.
  
  Don't put a HUGE game logo in the welcome images. The best thing to do here is to put some SMALL text in HTML saying something like "Featured game: Name" later, and in a corner. Don't make the logo part of the welcome images.
  
  The make the text clear, don't use a rectangle with a texture that has nothing to do with the rest of the website. I'd suggest to just darken a little the image where it's needed, which is more subtle and less annoying, plus it doesn't break the design.

Instead of putting every uploaded image into the new site automatically, I think they need to be approved by someone first.

[Hoi]

quite some of the images are just focussed on one unit, almost shouting ZOMG THE MODDER THAT MADE THIS MOD HAS MADE AN UBER MODEL AND TEXTURE thats not really bad but we have too much of those images i will call "ZOMG images" so, some less ZOMG images and more full scale battle images

[Fnordia]

I can try to apply a dark (but transparent) background to the displayed text, then it would be compatible with more images.

And I guess the plan is for the live site to have moderation for the site content forum, so that for any image or video, they would have to be moved to the correct subforum to become part of the rotation. Then you also have the opportunity to discuss new banners / images before they go live.

And I don't really think it hurts to have a lot of different images.. To make it "fair" I guess we could have some limit like max 10-20 for any given mod. Then if you have less than that, and don't think your mod is featured often enough in the rotation, you'll simply have to make more nice images. :)

[Machiosabre]

or it could randomly select a mod's folder and then a random image.
so every mod is always featured as often.

[Argh]

1. I'll cut the one that re-creates the logo tonight. That was the very first one, and you're right, it doesn't work.

2. I don't think the colors of the others are jarring or destroy the look, and they're staying the way they are. Making them all blue tones is boring and ultimately they'll all just feel the same. No way.

3. The game logos are staying huge. This is marketing, after all.

4. Fnordia's making a fix for the text issue, and I'll remove the blue bars when it's in place.

And I guess the plan is for the live site to have moderation for the site content forum, so that for any image or video, they would have to be moved to the correct subforum to become part of the rotation. Then you also have the opportunity to discuss new banners / images before they go live.

And I don't really think it hurts to have a lot of different images.. To make it "fair" I guess we could have some limit like max 10-20 for any given mod. Then if you have less than that, and don't think your mod is featured often enough in the rotation, you'll simply have to make more nice images. :)

I am in favor of an approval process that checks for offensive content.

Anything that requires "consensus" or "aesthetic standards" is censorship, will create cronyism, and will just lead to endless yelling and screaming. Or nobody will ever get stuff approved, and the 'site will be as un-dynamic as the current one- screenshots added only once every six months

I will not support the website if that's put into place. We already have a forced logo and text for branding purposes, which is a limitation on our layouts and design, and we'll have a forced sector that's darkened so that the text can be seen.

There shouldn't be any other limits. Doing so will just reduce diversity and favor people who kiss ass.

And, I should note, I was planning on making some CA stuff, but I will refrain now, since I don't meet their art director's personal tastes. Any other projects who'd like my help in making promotional materials, contact me in private

[Hoi]

To make it "fair" I guess we could have some limit like max 10-20 for any given mod. Then if you have less than that, and don't think your mod is featured often enough in the rotation, you'll simply have to make more nice images. :)

i still think we should rotate the image based on mods, much more effective because if we dont people(like me) will just make 1 image and post it 20x just to fill up the other images they dont have yet, which should be unnecacary

[Argh]

i still think we should rotate the image based on mods, much more effective because if we dont people(like me) will just make 1 image and post it 20x just to fill up the other images they dont have yet, which should be unnecacary

I don't personally see any problem with you just posting the same image 20X, or whatever limit we decide on, if that's all you have. It may even be more effective marketing, frankly, if the image is really well-executed and sells your game.

And I'm ok with a limit to the number of images, to prevent rampant flooding, which was not my intention (my intention was to get you other people to start making stuff, right now, heh). I'd favor 15, max- enough for a diversity of images. If people want that limit to be lower or higher, let's talk about that. I don't think an unlimited amount is reasonable, it'd just give an incentive to spam, and I don't want that any more than other people do.

[Hoi]

I don't personally see any problem with you just posting the same image 20X, or whatever limit we decide on, if that's all you have. It may even be more effective marketing, frankly, if the image is really well-executed and sells your game.

becaus rotating based on mods gives the same effect and makes things fair(1 pic or 20 that mod will be showed the same amount of time) i just want to get things right the first time

[Argh]

becaus rotating based on mods gives the same effect and makes things fair(1 pic or 20 that mod will be showed the same amount of time)

No, doing it your way would put more power into the hands of various parties who would use the "fairness" ideas to effectively censor people.

Just put up 15 images that are all the same, and then you're represented equally with everybody else. Letting some other person make that decision, and decide whether you're "an official game" that merits representation would be a huge mistake, imo.

[Hoi]

becaus rotating based on mods gives the same effect and makes things fair(1 pic or 20 that mod will be showed the same amount of time)

No, doing it your way would put more power into the hands of various parties who would use the "fairness" ideas to effectively censor people.

Just put up 15 images that are all the same, and then you're represented equally with everybody else. Letting some other person make that decision, and decide whether you're "an official game" that merits representation would be a huge mistake, imo.

true, but then i want a 'this image counts for 20 images" button to prevent spamming

[Argh]

true, but then i want a 'this image counts for 20 images" button to prevent spamming

I don't think it's designed to work that way right now.

Maybe a line in the body text could be read by the PHP, Fnordia? I understand where you're coming from on that, and it should be doable.

[Hoi]

true, but then i want a 'this image counts for 20 images" button to prevent spamming

I don't think it's designed to work that way right now.

Maybe a line in the body text could be read by the PHP, Fnordia? I understand where you're coming from on that, and it should be doable.

i would actually prefer a divide my uploaded images evenly over 20 spots like thing:) btw i want a chatbox in the new site

[AF]

This is the spring site, its all about the engine and what the engine can do. There's a games page dedicated to the agmes under the spring engine, I think logos should go there.

Also, Argh how would you like it if on every mech in P.U.R.E you put a large empty banner and the user put whatever they wanted there, and it just happened the the users wanted to put the most garish looking iamges with the most horrific colour schemes in there, and then the rest of the players complained it looked horrendous?

At the moment your PURE banners get rid of the extra styling roflcopter added, and it makes the whole thing inconsistent. And because they do not have all the borders they stand out like mad and not in a good way. They have sharp edges where the banner ends and the rest of the site begins and it does not look right, it looks unproffesional, and from both a web design perspective a psychological perspective, and that of a fine art perspective, this is only bad, and its the sort of tactics used for advert banners.


In the meantime I would hurry up and deploy what we have and then continue working on nyspring.clan-sy.com. I see no reason why we cannot apply what has been done already.

Also if cabbage will not use an official logo in his videos why are we showing that unofficial logo as the thumbnail on the front page at almost 2x the size of the actual logo? Change the thumbnail or the video please. There's no point arguing over consistency if the rest of the site sidesteps the whole thing.

[NOiZE]

Hmmm i just uploaded some BA banners... Hmm perhaps i should get rid of the Balanced Annihilation text.

EDIT:
Hmm on a sidenote, does it really have to be Spring Engine instead of just Spring? almost no room left for a banner anyways now

[Roflcopter]

Argh, of course there need to be some "aesthetic standards" to make the website coherent and not inconsistent as it is with the new banners and images. Also...

Well, pretty much what AF said.

[Machiosabre]

someone just make a template with notes on it.

[Forboding Angel]

@noize, no I don't think that the BA name should be removed from the banners, that is a screenie of your mod and should be labeled as such.

The engine part needs to be emphasized cause when you play spring you are playing a mod or game or whatever made to work with spring. Spring cannot be installed by an engine and automatically have a game to play. Therefore I am playing BA or Evo or Gundam or PURE or etc etc.

[Machiosabre]

wouldn't it make more sense for the welcome screen to have the mod name on it? banners a bit small to entice players with.