UBB.Developers Forums Community Development Promoting Your Community Forum Showcase UBB 6.04b

Ok I posted elsewhere but wanted to try this again. I took suggestions from others. I believe my color schem matches now. Also if you think it doesnt look right well, try 1024x768 resolution. I do not make sites for 800x600 anymore. Just as I remember going from 640x480 to 800x600 there were many complaints and now everyone conformed. Well its time for 1024 now and just like 640x800 those that do not use the higher res will miss out, as this is occuring all over the web.

My site is for gamers and the games we support require at least a 300mhz processor, so I would expect that requirement to view my site. Those that have less well you wouldnt be at my site anyway.

Any new Suggestions are welcome!
http://www.wakkoworld.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi

Now if you really want the full effect of the site, I suggest http://www.wecometoplay.com

Looks good! One thing I would like is the ability to turn the music off. Your color scheme is much more complete. Again, good job.

the power button on the top turns the music on and off

Dude, that color scheme is exponentially better!!! Very good job!

My complaint about the speed of the site still stands though. I'm using an 800mhz processor and 256mb ram, and it's still slow to scroll and render. What I might suggest on your flash, is to remove the constant animation, and maybe just have some really cool animation on rollovers or something. I don't know flash, but logic says that should help the speed at least a little bit.

---Skorpion

Hey Skorpion,

you have a point. I stopped the spinning of the buttons unless you hover over

I must be blind. I can't see a power button on the top of your forum.

The power button is only there if you enter the entire site www.wecometoplay.com
That is what he is talking about. The main site has music underlining it. If you just goto the forum link there is no music and there is no power button. Its in a frame

so... if I go to your main site then head to the forum and by the time I'm at the forum I'm tired of the music.. I have to go back to the main site to turn it off. So my opinion and suggestion still stands. "One thing I would like is the ability to turn the music off."

Just my .02

I still think your missing it here. The power button is there anywhere you go, the forum other links anywhere in the site. It doesnt matter the top little frame has the power button and that never disapears. So no you would have no reason to go back to the main page, You can turn it on and off anywhere. Besides I dont think you have tried it as its a 7 minute long song. Its a streaming mp3 so I dont see how you would be tired of it by the time you got to the forum. And I change the song about every 2weeks.

[ April 25, 2001 06:27 PM: Message edited by: wnxwakko ]

Oh... sure. Have a logical reason.

I see what you're saying.

Aside from the fact that you stole icons from vBulletin, it doesn't look too bad this time around. Note that I said it doesn't look too bad, meaning I still feel it's bad in more than one way. Let me elaborate...

Your menu is bulky and is not intuitive nor does it help navigate more quickly. Where is Jakob Nielson when you need him? By using a menu that takes 4.8 days to load over my 56k modem, it really doesn't make me want to stay around and check out the rest of the site. Also about the menu; it's not the same width as your main table. Pick a width and stick with it.

As for your resolution and CPU logic, if you want to shoot yourself in the foot, it's your foot that will bleed, not mine. Keep that in mind, because not everyone uses the highest-powered system on the market. Designing for the broadest range of systems and users is what makes a good site, not throwing in some poorly-done flash because it's the "latest technology" and "all good sites use it".

Not allowing me to right-click is one of the most annoying things you could do. It's a waste of code space, and it resembles some warez sites I've been to before... I think someone might've said this before, but huge animated posting icons are not the in-thing these days, despite what you may feel.

One last thing before I quit; gaming sites don't have to be dark and bulky, in fact I've been to nary a few that are simple and well-designed, quite unlike yours. That's all I have to say about your site, so you might want to consider rethinking some things before you double-post again and beg us to check out your rad forums.

[ April 25, 2001 10:23 PM: Message edited by: Matt Jacob ]

Matt, Look my forum is for a gaming clan site. It is there for the people who play our games. Its not a public forum, It is semi private as in you must be admited as a member officially and if rejected we delete thier account, therefore those that use it play our games and all have 300mhz or greater computers. Those that don't have that power dont play our games and therefore dont come to our site anyway. Plus 85% of my members are on DSL, Cable or Lan, so loading is not an issue with most. Generally we kick members out that are on modems because they lag our games. So I dont need any opinions on how long it takes to load, I am looking for style, coding problems, bugs and tasteful suggestions. I cater fast internet connections and I dont care because this is a private clan. PRIVATE not PUBLIC, Im not advertising to bring members, I dont need 50000 posts, thats not my interest. I myself am on a T1 Lan and the site loads in 2 seconds for me, also what I dont think you realize is that flash loads faster than images.

I compared them. I put a 50k image next to a 100k flash movie and the flash was already there long before the image, Flash streams, you dont have to wait for underlying pieces to load, It will be there by the time you need it.

And if you tried 1024x768 res you will find it is not bulky but fits quite nicely.

And another thing, I make my images from scatch and any that you see from elsewhere are only temporary until I create them. Aside from avatars and smilys. I am also slowly fixing all the smileys, as any graphic that came with the UBB standard was dule. Eventaully I will replace every single one of the smileys with ones that are of better quality.

Sorry man but I believe in taste. I drive a ferrari and will never settle for anything dule. You will never get anywhere in this world unless you take chances and try new things.

[ April 26, 2001 01:26 AM: Message edited by: wnxwakko ]

Here the rightclicks work, it doesn't take so much time to load and all I have is a 350MHz CPU and without "even" a T1 connection.

I kinda like this forum except the big images

LK.

Oh, and can I drive your Ferrari?

[ April 26, 2001 05:51 AM: Message edited by: LK ]

http://www.wakkoworld.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=14&t=000056

Looks like it was just changed.

hey, im likin it!

2 things i would change.

1) make the height of the top menu 50-65% of what it is (y'dont havta make the movie over, just change the height properties.). its just too tall.

2) lose the posting icons (at least the larger, animated ones, like the smiley faces shooting at one another). it'll clean up your main forum page, and allow it to load up quicker.

If you click some of the other links on the flash menu you will see that that center window has a purpose, The royal members, links and archive links in the flash will open up some menues in the center of the flash, That is whey the center is the size it is. Click one of them and you will see what I mean.

Also I am trying to shrink those larger icons and the problem I am having is when I do there ends up being this white edge on all of them. Does anyone know of a way I can shrink those large icons in a better way. I tried adobe photoshop 6 and imageready 3 and with transparency it seems to be all messed up.

[ April 26, 2001 10:32 AM: Message edited by: wnxwakko ]