1) Simple good 2) Quick good 3) Kinda lame but understandable and worth while (at least there are 0 questions to answer which is a plus) 4) Do their job
I don't like that it defaults to the Discussions Tab. It works now, but when more people come its going to seem hectic. It should default to the Categories tab IMO.
I don't like the color scheme, the light gray is hard to read, and I don't recommend using a white background for anything. Light text on dark background is a lot easier on the eyes and draws more attention to the words. The human eye is attracted to brightness, and having a light background is pretty distracting.
The tabs on top are good, but I don't like having 25% of the screen being essentially blank and without purpose
I second that idea about light text on a dark background. But other than that i love it. Hopefully we can get some good discussions down on these forums. My eyes are heavy. Im tires. Night all.
Heh.... for every opinion, seems you'll find 50% on one side of the fence, 50% on the other.
Light text on a dark background it pretty much considered a no-no in the design world. They have actually done eye fatigue studies. Now, with that being said, my eyes do get tired when looking at black text on a bright white screen, especially on a laptop.
I did find an add-on to the forum software that allows users to choose between styles, so it can be personal preference. I will try to get that installed this weekend.
Just about all the other forums I know of use dark, or moderately dark backgrounds. As do most of the webistes I visit. It's kind of jarring with the sudden change in brightness. I'm not saying it has to be as black as the heart of a THQ executive, but something in a nice shade of navy or maroon would work wonders.
Layout seems a little awkward at first since it's different from virtually all other boards I've been to, but I got used to it quickly. The rest is pretty good, in my opinion.
- The forum design is very bland.. at least have the PWX log on the banner. If it didn't say "Pro Wrestling X" I'd be wondering where the hell am I. You guys need to redesign the layout so that it practically screams out PWX.
- Can you even quote in this forum? Or post emoticons? Definitely adds to discussions... which is what a forum is for.l
- Have an option where it allows users to choose which tab is their default page. I would without a shadow of a doubt use "Categories" as my default page... the Discussions page as a default page is way to cluttered and unorganized.. difficult to navigate imo, even when the forum is in a low traffic state as it is.
- Any chance you guys will revert to phpBB style? Basically a forum that's similar to lilcube's. That was an awesome forum layout.
- Any way to post images or image links at least? Anyway to post URL's either?
EDIT: You guys need a "Preview Post" feature as well.
First, off... thanks everyone for their feedback. Just to address some of the questions concerns so far:
— In terms of the look and feel, I went with a base template due to time constraints (PWX is a side gig for me, gotta take care of my other clients too). I definitely want to jazz up the header, maybe go fixed width, and offer up alternate color schemes for those that prefer darker colored backgrounds.
In terms of functionality, here's where I'm coming from:
— The PWX forums were built to be as maintenance-free as humanly possible. We're really busy trying to, you know, build an awesome game. :) We don't have time to clean out spambots that show up phpBB. That's a big reason why I went with Vanilla to power the forum. I've used them all, and the spambots just get to be overwhelming after a while, even on low-traffic forums. Security/VIP codes do help, but how long until spammers figure those out?
— Categories: Yep, this forum is definitely different than Cube's most excellent board (which we love). But our goals are different... he's covering a much greater range of topics than we are. He needs all that organization... we're a little more single-minded with our topics. It's pretty much the game itself and general discussion.
Admittedly, when I first played around with Vanilla, I hated how it handled categories. I still do, in many ways (I've even considered dumping the Categories Tab altogether). But here's the thing... I have grown to love NOT having to navigate categories. No more clicking on a category, clicking on each thread, then clicking back to another category to repeat the process. This way, I come to one page, and I see all the active threads.... no more clicking around.
Do we still need to make improvements with organization? You bet! But I think a few stickies for some of the more popular topics, and an FAQ thread would help things immensely. But as of right now, I can't see going to full fledged categories like Cube's. But hang with us, you might even grow to like the way it works ;)
— Forums "extras": Vanilla starts off with a clean slate. Just extremely basic functionality, and then you add extras as needed. There are add-ons for BB Code, quotes, URLs, preview posts etc., and I definitely plan on rolling that out in the future. Some features are still in development, so I won't be adding them until they are stable... but I agree 100% with you guys, and I am looking at them.
However, I have the opposite approach when it comes to images, especially graphic sigs. I know, this makes me a very old man (shakes fist, screams "get off my lawn!"), but I can't deal with seeing the same image over and over in a thread. I like my sites to load quick as hell, and be able to read the actual text. I'll keep an eye out for other ways that people can express themselves, but graphic sigs probably aren't gonna be implemented anytime soon.
To summarize, hang with us, and PLEASE keep the feedback coming, we really do value everyone's input. Well, everyone's input except for that PWX_Dave guy, we always ignore what he writes in here ;)
I like this syle man. its crusp clean and dark wah? sweet. but then again im am drunk hahaha been working tonite. sozzer if this maked no sence tomozmorning. Love you alllllllllllllxxxxxxxx