Spring RTS Engine

I really need the high quality source images. If that isn't possible, I can just put off my work until I have the time to take some of my own.

I like you. I like you a lot. Thank you.

http://springnetwork.info/games/kp/media.php

The variance of the screenshots were a little limited due to the very few maps there is for KP specifically but I tried to distribute them well so it's not so repetitive.

Also updated the homepage content: http://springnetwork.info/games/kp/index.php

Let me know if you don't agree with some of the text and what I should put instead.

The bread and butter of it was just based upon the stuff you gave me, just rephrased a little in places.

Oh and I'm still needing text for CA.

Nice!

Just update the download tab and it'll be perfect!

zwzsg wrote:Nice!

Just update the download tab and it'll be perfect!

Will do. I don't want it to be a single link to the installer though, I wanna fill it up with something. Maybe some small simple tutorial about how to get it setup and running maybe? Maybe some screenies of the installer or something, I'm not sure.

Jazcash wrote:Oh and I'm still needing text for CA.

CA is now ZK

CarRepairer wrote:

Jazcash wrote:Oh and I'm still needing text for CA.

CA is now ZK

What? You guys actually went for that as a name replacement for Complete Annihilation? Jesus Christ... I thought that name was just a replacement for Spring Downloader...

Who came up with the name in the first place? I've never really liked the name but couldn't really care if it was just used for minor Spring projects, but a replacement for CA?

So what about the old CA site, are you guys gonna redo it or create a new one or just use this Google page or what? And what about all Machio's awesome images, gonna ditch those too? /sadface.

There is another site in development. It looks alright. Probably ditching Machio's pictures, don't ask me though.

Ecce Machina is still a better name.

Jazcash wrote:I don't want it to be a single link to the installer though, I wanna fill it up with something. Maybe some small simple tutorial about how to get it setup and running maybe?

Say that new people should follow the single player shorcut, then play skirmish, easy duel for the first game. That mission are hard, and not that helpful, that easy duel in the skirmish menu of single player is the best way to learn for newbies.

Jazcash wrote:

CarRepairer wrote:

Jazcash wrote:Oh and I'm still needing text for CA.

CA is now ZK

What? You guys actually went for that as a name replacement for Complete Annihilation? Jesus Christ... I thought that name was just a replacement for Spring Downloader...

Who came up with the name in the first place? I've never really liked the name but couldn't really care if it was just used for minor Spring projects, but a replacement for CA?

So what about the old CA site, are you guys gonna redo it or create a new one or just use this Google page or what? And what about all Machio's awesome images, gonna ditch those too? /sadface.

Not that it is that important, but here is a brief summery of the reasoning behind the name.

There are three sites currently. The caspring site will remain up as a reference and repository of old content, the google site is for developers and bug testers, and there is a player site wip.

http://springnetwork.info/games/kp/download.php

Again, let me know if you want something changed @ Zwzsg.

Ok, I'm about to begin work on the S44 site once I've spoken to a S44 dev or two. Any S44 devs out there? Give me a shout on the lobby if possible, ([Fx]Droid).

Edit: Got the thumbs up from FLOZi so gonna start snapping some screenies. Tourney topic will be up later today, prepare your battleships

Edit2: Apprently the current 1.52 RC for S44 is vastly "different" from the stable, 1.5. Therefore, I'll be waiting till 1.52 is stable and ready for use until I start prepping for the tourney. Also, apparently you don't have battleships so instead I'll ask you to clean out your barrels or something.

Except we don't really have battleships. Anyway, you can always ask us on this or our forum.

Jazcash wrote:http://springnetwork.info/games/kp/download.php

Again, let me know if you want something changed @ Zwzsg.

Well, this time there's a link to a download page, which is the most important thing. Thought the link looks too much like a title and not enough like a link to me. Maybe write down in small letter http://springfiles.com/1683 so there's no mistaking it's a link.

You wrote a wall of text of useless explanation. Well why not. Except your forgot to mention one important piece of info that isn't written anywhere else: To learn the game, play skirmish easy duel, not missions.

There is a reason I did not use "C:\Program Files\Spring" as the default folder. Something to do with Vista and UAC, I'm fuzzy on the details. It may not even be anymore relevant, IDK.

If Spring is already installed and up-to-date in the folder you've chosen, the checkbox will already be unticked. If the checkbox is ticked, it's because the installer think it should.

My suggestions are thus;

Info
Image Tagline
ÔÇ£Kernel Panic is an unconventional, simplified RTS that incorporates a classic visual style reminiscent of the arcade, built around wry computer humour.ÔÇØ

Body
Kernel Panic offers a fast paced yet simple RTS experience. Whether you are new to the genre or an old hand looking for a fresh experience, Kernel Panic is easy to get into and can provide lasting entertainment. Unlike other strategy titles, Kernel Panic has no resource management or research elements; instead, the primary focus is upon unit control and expansion.

There are three factions, each with ten units; System, Hacker and Network. Each faction is distinct from the others, both visually and in terms of play. System is the recommended starting point for the new player, but all three are carefully balanced against one another for competitive use.

Kernel Panic is easy to play, but hard to master.

Other Suggestions: Change this section to ÔÇ£AboutÔÇØ - Info is an abbreviation, About is more of a standard. The screenshot is a little low quality, as jpegs tend to be. I would replace it with a better scaled PNG from the source image.

Media
General Suggestions: The screenshots would be better as PNG, but most people are just going to glance at the thumbnails and make a decision. New screenshots should be rotated in every three or four weeks ÔÇô if you can track the number of times the images are accessed, we can see which generate the most interest and make sure they stay on the page.

Download
General Suggestions: Download link not striking enough, should be a large image or CSS themed button with some sort of KP and Spring theme ÔÇô maybe similar to the game buttons at the top of the main springnetwork page. I know, it is large and matches the rest of the text, but it doesn't pop out. People need immediate access to the download. There should also be some sort of separator between the download link/button and the instructions for installation, probably a subtitle as well.

~~~

I don't think the alternative text I provided is ideal either, but it might be an improvement in places. Anyway, good to see this shaping up.

I forgot to mention you made a lulzy with "open her up" (in english, innanimate objects are genderless).

Neddie wrote:The screenshots would be better as PNG

Not sure. PNG are usually bigger than JPEG, and loading fast is more important than being picture perfect: These are screenshot to help people quickly see what's the game worth, these are not wallpapers.

Neddie wrote:Download link not striking enough

Indeed. Easy access to download is the most crucial point, if there's one thing you need to get right, it's that.

Lastely, beware, forumers (like me) could argue for years about what's the best wording and layout down to every comma and pixel. Know when will be the time to stop polishing and move on forward.

zwzsg wrote: Well, this time there's a link to a download page, which is the most important thing. Thought the link looks too much like a title and not enough like a link to me. Maybe write down in small letter http://springfiles.com/1683 so there's no mistaking it's a link.

I chucked a ">>" symbol in there, should do the trick. Regardless, whenever I'm looking for a download location and I can't find bright red box to click or w/e, I usually find myself quickly hovering over large text which says "Download" in it The text is also a darker colour than the normal text which suggests it could be a link which needs hovering over

zwzsg wrote: You wrote a wall of text of useless explanation. Well why not. Except your forgot to mention one important piece of info that isn't written anywhere else: To learn the game, play skirmish easy duel, not missions.

Yeah, I kind of agree and regret it now. I just knew something needed to fill the space. If I could have some direction about what to put there, it would be appreciated. I'm thinking maybe something to do with getting onto a lobby and filtering the battle list and what not but want to know what you think before I waste more time ^_^

zwzsg wrote: There is a reason I did not use "C:\Program Files\Spring" as the default folder. Something to do with Vista and UAC, I'm fuzzy on the details. It may not even be anymore relevant, IDK.

Is this related to the virtual file space or w/e. I remember I used to get this on Vista but it suddenly disappeared one day. Regardless, I think the majority of people have moved on from Vista now. I realise the portion of people still left using Vista can't just be disregarded in this aspect, but I don't think you should set the default directory to the C drive, even if there is a small bug with an old version of Vista.

zwzsg wrote: If Spring is already installed and up-to-date in the folder you've chosen, the checkbox will already be unticked. If the checkbox is ticked, it's because the installer think it should.

Gotcha.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Neddie wrote: Image Tagline
ÔÇ£Kernel Panic is an unconventional, simplified RTS that incorporates a classic visual style reminiscent of the arcade, built around wry computer humour.ÔÇØ

I do think the tagline needs to be thought through, but I want to get a few suggestions before finalising.

Neddie wrote: Body
Kernel Panic offers a fast paced yet simple RTS experience. Whether you are new to the genre or an old hand looking for a fresh experience, Kernel Panic is easy to get into and can provide lasting entertainment. Unlike other strategy titles, Kernel Panic has no resource management or research elements; instead, the primary focus is upon unit control and expansion.

There are three factions, each with ten units; System, Hacker and Network. Each faction is distinct from the others, both visually and in terms of play. System is the recommended starting point for the new player, but all three are carefully balanced against one another for competitive use.

Kernel Panic is easy to play, but hard to master.

I like aspects of this and of others, I'll rethink this with your suggestions.

Neddie wrote: Other Suggestions: Change this section to ÔÇ£AboutÔÇØ - Info is an abbreviation, About is more of a standard. The screenshot is a little low quality, as jpegs tend to be. I would replace it with a better scaled PNG from the source image.

I considered changing it to "About", but then, whenever I think of "About" on a webpage, I think copyright, credits, donation links among other boring things. Would like a second opinion on this.
And yes, the screenshot is low quality, not as low as I intended it to be, I'll tone it up a bit, but not PNG.

I take all my screenshots in PNG format, this is because PNG is indeed, the best quality for most things. However, it's fairly inefficient and a JPG of very similar quality can be a great amount more sizeable. I want the site to be quick to load and fast to browse through without any large delays. Now, as I'm testing this here in the UK with a download speed that rarely tops 0.5mb/s, it's hard to know exactly how fast things load for the average download speed. For most Americans, I'm sure the difference between a PNG and a JPG in terms of downloading a file is insignificant, but for me, it's a huge difference. I apologise for those of you out there with premium interwebz.

Neddie wrote: Media
General Suggestions: The screenshots would be better as PNG, but most people are just going to glance at the thumbnails and make a decision. New screenshots should be rotated in every three or four weeks ÔÇô if you can track the number of times the images are accessed, we can see which generate the most interest and make sure they stay on the page.

Again, all screenshots on the site will be in JPG format. If I want them to be high quality, I'll just buff up the JPG quality. I love PNGs, but loading times must be taken into consideration. As Zwzsg stated below, when a potential player is visiting the site of a game, they want to quickly see what the game is about and make a decision of whether to download the game or not based on the few images they've seen in the last 10-20 seconds. The more images, the better. I know I wouldn't want to sit waiting for one image to load for more than 5 seconds without clicking off.

Also, I'm all for changing the images every now and then based on any big changes in the game, but for starters, KP doesn't have large changes very often and for the most part, I'm sure it will keep the same style with the same models. If they change, I'll be happy to change the screenshots, but I'm not changing them every 3-4 weeks just for the sake of it. I really don't have the time to make new screenshots all the time for no reason. I think the random unit rotations in the top right is enough randomness for one site

Neddie wrote: Download
General Suggestions: Download link not striking enough, should be a large image or CSS themed button with some sort of KP and Spring theme ÔÇô maybe similar to the game buttons at the top of the main springnetwork page. I know, it is large and matches the rest of the text, but it doesn't pop out. People need immediate access to the download. There should also be some sort of separator between the download link/button and the instructions for installation, probably a subtitle as well.

I've already spoken about the download link in the first part of this post, but now that you mention it, an image like the buttons on the central SN site seem a viable idea. I'll try some stuff out.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks again for you feedback guys, expect an update soon!

the kernel panic site seems really nice! good job!
only thing i would include is that the game can also be played multiplayer. its obvious to us but not for people who just found the site.

i read only a few posts here... did you speak to jj about that?

AFAIK jj currently does an rewrite of springfiles.com that looks similar to springnetwork...