A New Web Site Cometh

A specific Signs & Portents section that means we don't go clicking through several links just to download it.

A CLEARLY located S&P section.
 
Two closely-related things I can think of which would improve the site:

1) Listings of game supplements to include some sort of organisation into sourcebooks, adventures, equipment books etc. Maybe one or two-word descriptors per product, rather than seperate lists, since books regularly fall into 2+ categories.

2) Listings to include out-of-print books (maybe greyed out, or with an option to hide them - but they should be there!)
 
As I mentioned elsewhere, I'd like to see an upgrade of the forum software to phpbb3.0.4.

And yes, that does have an ignore option. (and a "report post" button too, as well as many things that will make your lives easier as admins and mods).

BP said:
These simple changes should result in reduced bandwidth and faster, smoother customer experience.
Click to expand...

Speaking as a forum admin, the forum changes you want to see aren't simple to make. And they really wouldn't streamline anything in any significant way.
 
Idea: How about a page for RuneQuest and for Traveller listing all your 3PP's that published products and has a link to their websites. :wink:
 
EDG said:
…
BP said:
These simple changes should result in reduced bandwidth and faster, smoother customer experience.
Click to expand...

Speaking as a forum admin, the forum changes you want to see aren't simple to make. And they really wouldn't streamline anything in any significant way.
Click to expand...

As a forum admin they would wouldn't be ;) - as a developer these are trivial changes (why I listed them). This assumes a source modifiable forum such as phpBB (but most are). Actually, you can do almost all of these mods by using phpBB styles. A web developer should be able to effect these changes and test them in less than one man-day for phpBB even if he/she is not famliar with phpBB (its mostly HTML).

The ‘streamlining’ is in mostly a reduction of wasted page space - so user has to scroll less (per post) and can be presented with more at one time. This is just a customer experience thing - but it can result in fewer pages served (web server 'traffic').

There is bandwidth savings in avoiding the overhead of page caching (even when individual page content is larger) – which is one of the largest contributing performance factors for web serving. Reducing bandwidth (both net and system) can thus affect the bottom line.
 
BP said:
Actually, you can do almost all of these mods by using phpBB styles. A web developer should be able to effect these changes and test them in less than one man-day for phpBB even if he/she is not famliar with phpBB (its mostly HTML).
Click to expand...

Again, not as easy as you think. Applying mods is fiddly business, especially if you're not familiar with coding. If Mongoose want to do that then great, but they'd be paying their webguy more to do the work.
 
please don't use the same software as they use on the new FFG forum - its horribly slow and clunky for some reason.....

this version seems ok to me :) but otherwise the ones they use on the one Katadder set up or the Dark Reign forum works nice and smoothly
 
EDG said:
BP said:
Actually, you can do almost all of these mods by using phpBB styles. A web developer should be able to effect these changes and test them in less than one man-day for phpBB even if he/she is not famliar with phpBB (its mostly HTML).
Click to expand...

Again, not as easy as you think. Applying mods is fiddly business, especially if you're not familiar with coding. If Mongoose want to do that then great, but they'd be paying their webguy more to do the work.
Click to expand...

You are most certainly correct in stating that Applying mods is fiddly business, especially if you're not familiar with coding - no argument there! :)

As I am a Developer - I know how easy (and more importantly, low risk) these changes are to make - for a developer. A developer (web included), by definition, is familiar with coding. And I sure hope Mongoose has a web developer setting up the new site!

My suggestions are mostly cosmetic and reflect my personal taste (and some would not require a developer at all - such as 'remove waste space at top of page'). As I'm editing this post almost 14% of my screen space is being wasted (over 1 3/4 inches of my 12 3/4" veritcal screen space (24" widescreen monitor)). When reading threads, its even worse. As pointed out, there are also potential RW benefits to be gained (implementation specific).

And yes, I hope they pay their 'webguy' for any additional work :) ! (If they don't want to, I 'occassionally' do 'charity' work...)
 
BP said:
My suggestions are mostly cosmetic and reflect my personal taste (and some would not require a developer at all - such as 'remove waste space at top of page').
Click to expand...

Well, you're the first guy I've ever seen who even cares about such things ;). I'm sure there are many things that they could do to make the forum pages more efficient, it's just a matter of whether they feel it's worth spending the time/money on it.

Not that I'm necessarily plugging our own forums here (well just a bit, hope that's OK ;) ), but if anyone wants to see a 3.0.4 forum in action - with a few tweaks, for example we have a gallery link at the top of each page - then take a look at the SFRPG boards at http://www.sfrpg.org.uk/phpBB3/index.php .
 
EDG said:
... take a look at the SFRPG boards at http://www.sfrpg.org.uk/phpBB3/index.php .
Click to expand...

Very Nice! Got sidetracked there for hours... (And would have missed the Gallery link if you hadn't mentioned it)

Also found your site quite interesting - particularly curious about The Practical Planetologist's Handbook. (Hope you don't mind the plug - it's only fair now that I'll be spending time that I don't really have on reading your Thesis and posters - gee thanks bunches :wink:)

EDG said:
Well, you're the first guy I've ever seen who even cares about such things :wink: ...
Click to expand...
Yeah - not surprised :(. The status quo in the software world is to waste screen space (and CPU Cycles, RAM, and HD). Till they see it for themselves, most users don’t realize how they are being cheated.

As for upgrading the forums to phpBB 3 – I definitely hope that is within the scope of the new website (even if my suggestions aren’t).
 
How imminent is this new website anyway? Are we talking "weeks away", or months?

Oh, and thanks BP. :)
 
In the new website product listings can we split the series classification of Flaming Cobra down further into the individual Flaming Cobra games. at the moment the Corp game and DW supplements are all listed as being in the Flaming Cobra series.

LBH
 
lastbesthope said:
In the new website product listings can we split the series classification of Flaming Cobra down further into the individual Flaming Cobra games. at the moment the Corp game and DW supplements are all listed as being in the Flaming Cobra series.

LBH
Click to expand...

Indeed - the FC section will be getting a lot of work.
 
Da Boss said:
please don't use the same software as they use on the new FFG forum - its horribly slow and clunky for some reason.....

this version seems ok to me :) but otherwise the ones they use on the one Katadder set up or the Dark Reign forum works nice and smoothly
Click to expand...

Seconded. This website beats FFG's new one hands down. I Can't even use my normal avatar on it. :( :wink:
 
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