Website

[Recoba]

Is the new website definite, or is it still subject to updates?

Some opinions, very briefly:

+ I like the layout and structure.
+ I like the guild descriptions.
+ The copyright, software, team etc. texts are good, professional.
- The domain descriptions are too brief and nondescript and mostly very boring.
- The banner is not good, doesn't work in my opinion.
- The map window with the scroll bars is not a good solution.
- The monochrome design is a turn-off. It doesn't look bad but it doesn't look enticing or interesting either. And it doesn't bring across what we have to offer, if you see what I mean.

Conclusion: I really don't like it. It has some good details and a lot of good intentions but surely we could put together something better. I don't see this website "selling" the game at all.

I'm truly sorry if some of this sounds quite harsh, but they're my honest opinions. And I have a lot of experience with game design, graphics and web design so I'm not just mumbling out of my senile beard here.

EDIT: Changed the phrasing to sound a little nicer. Sorry

[Greneth]

I like the banner but a little tinkering with photoshop could make it really look good, shrink it a bit and turn it into a sign. I on the other hand don't like the layout it could mesh with the banner a bit better and I use my phone to play and cannot view or use anything, everything cuts off with the exception of using firefox.

It has A LOT of potential just a few more tweaks, good job guys!

*edit

[gorboth]

Thanks for the opinions! The overall look and design are what we are going with - no major revisions are going to happen there. Small tweaks to improve content and the sitemap design are certainly possible, and will be happening frequently.

Opinions are going to vary a lot, naturally. For example, what Recoba feels looks amateurish is my favorite fantasy illustrator doing what he does best.

All opinions welcome, and thanks for keeping it constructive.
G.

[Recoba]

All right, let me expand a bit. And I'd also like to apologize for sounding a little negative in my first post


Let me again stress that the structure of the site is great. Easy to navigate and mostly easy to read.

The text fonts could be a little bigger.

The map is quite hard to read, it's quite cumbersome with the scrollbars - have you considered using flash or some similar solution for it?
The map itself could maybe receive a little more hand-drawn love as well - does Loubet do maps? I realize it's probably meant to look retro, but personally I also don't like these unattractive world maps that you often see in novels for example. A little sparkle and beauty doesn't hurt.

Personally I think the monochrome looks very cool, from an artistic point of view, but a bit of color would have a more broad appeal. I'm not sure it's got the right "sexiness". We're selling a colorful game.

Ok, the banner... Well, it's a matter of taste of course. I realize that my choice of words was a bit harsh, and I realize it is intended to look retro and evoke feelings of old D&D nights in the 80's... but well... yeah I guess it's a matter of opinion. I don't have anything against the artist - I just think the tone doesn't work, it feels a bit "funny". My main gripe is that it could have been a bit more lively, with a bit more detail and yes, again, the color. I'd love to have a banner depicting various famous NPC:s in Genesis. Something to evoke excitement. Maybe some dragons too...

All in all you've obviously done a great job. Though I think there are a few things that could be developed and improved. Trying slightly bigger fonts and doing the map in a flash window would be great.

[Makfly]

I know I voiced my dislike of the banner before, but now I see that there are actually more graphics available, like that backdrop to the java client.
Would it not be possible to crop something out of that piece of graphics to use as a banner instead?

Also I am wondering if all the graphics are available in layered .psd's, so that the colours of the website could be changed easily?
I think a reddish-brown colour for the text and a faded yellowish parchment colour for the background would do wonders. It would create an image of ancient manuscripts and not the too-dark site that is currently in place.
Ofcourse this would probably also require a new tileable background pic, but such shouldn't be impossible to make or find.

At any rate, it's tons better than the previous site!

[gorboth]

Thanks for the continued discussion, guys! Recoba, I appreciate the clarification regarding your positive vs. negative energy.

I agree that the way the map viewing works is not ideal. Having a pop up that functions in some way, perhaps via flash, would be an improvement. Another option is to have a reduced version of the overall map that you can click on to pull up a correctly sized version of that map in the window. I'll work on this, but it is not essential for immediate fix.

Our goal with this website is to do a few things:

1. Make our site attractive and distinctive. So many sites use full-color 3-D looking artwork. Do we simply want to be one more of the army of stock-fantasy offerings on the web? Or, perhaps, do we instead want to offer something completely different - something very much unlike the other websites out there. Adding color would diminish our distinctive look. I also feel that the black and white 2d D&D manual art accurately sells Genesis for what it truly is. Someone looking for a WoW clone isn't going to stick around and play Genesis any longer just because we have different graphics on the website. We are branding ourselves for what we truly are - retro, old-school, roleplay.

2. Have the first-time viewer easily guided to log in and play the game in a way that works with the fewest clicks possible.

3. Have the website function as a useful tool for established players, and offer them a reasons to use the site (rankings, etc.)

Thanks for the great feedback. Keep it coming!
G.

[Makfly]

Adding color would diminish our distinctive look

I can agree to the rest of what you wrote, but I feel the above is a bit misguided.
The current site is too black, and it doesn't lead the imagination of the viewer to think of old school D&D, retro, oldschool or roleplay, I think.
So if you wanted to emulate the look of old D&D manuals, shouldn't it be black-on-white and not white-on-black?
Anyways I think "monochrome" with (2 carefully chosen) colours would work towards tickling the imagination of the viewer.
I've linked a picture that shows what I mean.


Also if you want to get viewers to click the "Play Now" button, I think it might be a good idea to move it out of the bottom corner. To me, the "vote" button gets more attention at it's location than the "Play Now" button for instance.

[Kitriana]

I definately feel the website is an improvement over previous.. But I'll have to admit I wasn't "wowed"
One of the things I was hoping for .. was more images.. and also more text content. It just feels... a little empty on Genesis content.. which is strange for a text based game...

[Tive]

I was hoping for some screenshots from boss and pvp fights ;((((
and of course some videos

disappointed!

[gorboth]

Thanks for the continued feedback, everyone!

I very much understand that the reaction at first-glance is going to be utterly different for each person. That fact alone is enough to guarantee huge variation in how people like the look of the site. I appreciate the image above, Makfly, and agree that the sepia tones and hand-drawn image looks great.

Part of what might be useful is to understand what has gone into arriving on where we are with the website. Getting the look and feel of the site where we have it now has been a process lasting well over a year with many back-and-forth between myself, and the artist. I did extensive opinion-polling on various draft options, font-choices, and such to arrive on the choices that worked the best for the most number of people. Research has shown, and our own testing confirmed that white text against a dark contrast backdrop pops more and is easier on the eyes than the opposite.

So ... yes! I have considered many of the things that have been suggested above. With the time and work that has gone into getting us where we are, the idea of reworking the "look" of the site is simply off the table. That can't happen. So, if you hate the way it looks, I suppose you'll have to get used to it.

The thing that we really can work on is the content itself, the arrangement of the information, and the features the site offers. These things we most certainly will be very much working to improve, streamline, and get just perfect.

Onward and upward!
G.