Halflife2.net Site Layout Update

[alchemistlord]

I hate change. I don't like it when a site I have visited for a long time alienates their base due to a graphic designer's boredom.

However I really do love the new look! Was it intentional to match the Steam design? The greys and hues of blue are very soothing.

Yeah, good job.

 

[Quixoticism]

I like the front page a lot, thought it feels like the left side of the page is really empty and missing something. Not too crazy about the forums. It's a little too dark and it seems to draw more attention from others now...

 

[kineaesth]

nobody gives a shit that we have a new front page. NOBODY EVER SEES IT. Everyone just links straight to the forum.

Everyone on the forum might just link straight to the forum. Our website has quite good news, though.

 

[xdrive]

Everyone on the forum might just link straight to the forum. Our website has quite good news, though.

I visit the site first and then come to the forums. I get all my news from halflife2.net and i am sure there is heaps of other people that do.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

I get my news from the forum too

 

[Darkside55]

Our website has quite good news, though.

That's why we have a News, Announcements, & Features section. Front page is useless except to attract new forum members. And how often does that happen anymore since the New Members section got axed?

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

We get thousands of visitors to the front page every week. That's why we have one, you know. Just because these people don't come to the forums doesn't mean that they don't exist.

 

[Ennui]

nobody gives a shit that we have a new front page. NOBODY EVER SEES IT. Everyone just links straight to the forum.

Yeah, because you have access to our webstats. Most of the forumites come straight to the forum, but regulars here are a small percentage of our actual pageviews... we're one of the most popular Valve-related news sites on the internet. Most never even see the forums. News is our primary function, even if we're a bunch of lazy shitbags most of the time.

 

[Darkside55]

We get thousands of visitors to the front page every week.

Most never even see the forums.

Well who gives a shit about those people? Are they too lazy to register? Maybe they're too good for our forums, acting all high-and-mighty and just viewing the news. Don't want to say "Howdy" like decent folk, too fancy or too busy for us. Well I say to hell with them. You should have to register to get your news; this ain't no place where you can pee without buying something.

 

[MuToiD_MaN]

Darkside, are you ever positive? Just asking. I've always felt like your avatar matches your posts a little TOO well. Commendable semicolon use though.

 

[Darkside55]

I'm positive I don't like the fact that there are thousands of highbrow, high-nosed a-holes comin' 'round here and taking our news for free without having the godDAMN courtesy to pop in and say, "How do you do?"

 

[DEATHMASTER]

Yeah, because you have access to our webstats. Most of the forumites come straight to the forum, but regulars here are a small percentage of our actual pageviews... we're one of the most popular Valve-related news sites on the internet. Most never even see the forums. News is our primary function, even if we're a bunch of lazy shitbags most of the time.

Pretty much explains why Gabe himself comes here. Though his last visit was a year ago.

 

[Darkside55]

Gabe comes here because he isn't doing anything else. I suspect he's on the forums all the time, just not logged in. He's probably sitting behind his desk right now eating a bucket of wings and hitting F5.

 

[MuToiD_MaN]

I'm positive I don't like the fact that there are thousands of highbrow, high-nosed a-holes comin' 'round here and taking our news for free without having the godDAMN courtesy to pop in and say, "How do you do?"

And go on to write the next "Gman is teh GOrdan from teh future!" thread? I'll take the first option.

 

[Darkside55]

You raise a good point.

 

[xdrive]

Well who gives a shit about those people? Are they too lazy to register? Maybe they're too good for our forums, acting all high-and-mighty and just viewing the news. Don't want to say "Howdy" like decent folk, too fancy or too busy for us. Well I say to hell with them. You should have to register to get your news; this ain't no place where you can pee without buying something.

Maybe they just want news and don't want to talk to people?

Maybe they see your posts and get turned off?

 

[Falcon(Nate)]

So, Yorick, some constructive criticism:

The new design looks great. Very clean, the colors go well together. Very nice job!

However, it's 2009 and the table-based layout is going to be a pain in the butt the next time (if) you guys do a redesign. Any particular reasons you guys didn't do the layout via CSS, or is that just because the WordPress theme you're using produces a table-based layout?

Anyway, good work. =)

And Munro: I'd say Webkit does a pretty good job at rendering, so don't be hating on Chrome (or Safari for that matter). =P I'm partial to Firefox myself, but as long as it's not IE6 (well, really, IE should just go die in a fire) I'm pretty happy.

 

[Yorick]

So, Yorick, some constructive criticism:

The new design looks great. Very clean, the colors go well together. Very nice job!

However, it's 2009 and the table-based layout is going to be a pain in the butt the next time (if) you guys do a redesign. Any particular reasons you guys didn't do the layout via CSS, or is that just because the WordPress theme you're using produces a table-based layout?

Anyway, good work. =)

Thank you sir.

The reason it's in tables is that currently the website runs through wordpress and is intergrated with the forums (which are vbulletin). Sometime soon, the entire website will be run completely by way of vbulletin, which uses tables rather than divs.

 

[kineaesth]

Pretty much explains why Gabe himself comes here. Though his last visit was a year ago.

And credit where credit is due, that was all my doing [prouds]

 

[FoxFire]

Thank you sir.

The reason it's in tables is that currently the website runs through wordpress and is intergrated with the forums (which are vbulletin). Sometime soon, the entire website will be run completely by way of vbulletin, which uses tables rather than divs.

You could write your own API in a matter of minutes (or download one of many on the vast interwebs). Interfacing with the vBulletin backend is child's play.

There really is no excuse for using tables.

 

[Hectic Glenn]

The real reason is that Munro coded the design (and he's an internet ancient). The design is Yorick's but we are saving a proper CSS version for when we move to vb4.0. Since we use a wordpress / vbulletin bridge right now...it would have been a bit of a waste of time after we move to the vb cms.

So yeah, it's valid criticism indeed! But fear not!