New website design

[SupSuper]

Website is a website, not a game. It should not looks like a game. Especially while game is not so elegant and beautiful.

Sorry, but this design reminds me of ugly sites from 90's.
Ingame ui controls are not designed to be part of website. So don't use them please.

Well what do you suggest then? Just saying it's ugly doesn't tell me much.

The goal was for new visitors be able to look at the website and tell "oh it's like the original X-Com", as it's hard to tell OpenXcom apart from every other remake at a glance.
Plus I do have a thing for game-based websites like FreeSynd and TT Forums.

Agreed, it looks more like funny picture, than user-friendly site design.

Ok you can say it's ugly but how is it not user-friendly? The content is crisp and clean, the color scheme is easily-readable and consistent, the menu is all in one side and clearly labelled. If anything it's easier to look at than the current site.

I like the design. it's a retro game, why not have a retro website? it's completely recognizable, although I would actually go one step further and use blocky pixel graphics for the buttons on the right-hand side.

maybe even add a geoscape globe as background picture in the left part?

isn't there even a technical possibility to add custom mouse pointers for websites?

I considered going "full retro", but I didn't wanna harm the readability with blocky pixel graphics. It is a website, so I made it more like a "HD" version of the Geoscape interface, plus it's easier to work with regular fonts and graphics than custom pixely stuff (the sidebar is all CSS for example). Background globe would make a nice addition...

[moriarty]

I can see why blocky fonts are not such a good idea   (I don't really like the "clean" look of the buttons, though, either...)


maybe you can replace the "time" buttons on the lower right by something else? if they are still six small buttons, everybody will recognize the pattern, but they could have actual functions with corresponding labels. maybe six thumbnails for recent screenshots?

[Kyzrati]

Good call about switching the time buttons to something with a more obvious/specific function but keeping their size and position. I had a similar first reaction on seeing the mockup. This is a website, after all, so user-friendliness should take precedence over appearance--we need to know at a glance what the time buttons actually do.

I also think if you're going to go retro you shouldn't stop half-way in boring css text land--go all the way and use the X-COM font and pixel graphics. It may be a little more trouble, but it's certainly not hard. (Looks nice on FreeSynd! Is that enough impetus?)

[Volutar]

TT and FreeSynd are not good examples. Dense background al over the place make it feel like it's one of first graphics web sites ever (I remember feeling of how I used netscape 2.0). In functionality sence, those FAKE time buttons makes quite a disturbance. I think it will be better without them.

[michal]

What about that site as example?

https://openmw.org/en/

It's clean and simple. Uses banner with game inspired graphics, colors and background texture fits rpg game.

So maybe we should stick with simple design (as we have now) but inspire by colors and graphics from original game?

SupSuper, maybe instead of creating new theme, try to modify our current style with some colors, background texture, etc?

[Volutar]

michal, this is indeed quite clean and friendly design, though it lacks of what I suppose SupSuper wants to invent here: maximum ingame effect. The thing is not to fall too deep into it, with cost of usability.

[moriarty]

I suppose you're working on it right now, because the right-side-menu layout has changed... funny, I didn't know we had a facebook page but the link to the forum is missing! or at least it's hidden somewhere. and I kind of liked the direct link to the "newest git build", my usual routine is "main page" -> checking for new git builds -> going to the forum. this is kind of disrupted right now


EDIT: also, while it's certainly nice to support X@Com, someone should update the news so that the front page is showing something of openxcom instead... because seeing the roguelike like that, people can't really see what openxcom looks like. imagine somebody new opening the page for the first time, and all he sees is the roguelike screenshots - he'll just go "what the h***?" and leave again. (unless he's into roguelike games).

[luke83]

I don't mind the new design, it doesn't seem that different to the old one to me....

As for the TIme buttons, they could work as one big button that links to a timeline (same as on the Facebook page but with people other than me outline the highlights - First Terror mission, first alien base , First snakeman etc).

Just my 2 cents

[Yankes]

but the link to the forum is missing! or at least it's hidden somewhere.

this, or maybe SupSuper want remove forum?

[SupSuper]

I suppose you're working on it right now, because the right-side-menu layout has changed... funny, I didn't know we had a facebook page but the link to the forum is missing! or at least it's hidden somewhere. and I kind of liked the direct link to the "newest git build", my usual routine is "main page" -> checking for new git builds -> going to the forum. this is kind of disrupted right now


EDIT: also, while it's certainly nice to support X@Com, someone should update the news so that the front page is showing something of openxcom instead... because seeing the roguelike like that, people can't really see what openxcom looks like. imagine somebody new opening the page for the first time, and all he sees is the roguelike screenshots - he'll just go "what the h***?" and leave again. (unless he's into roguelike games).

I'm just updating it a bit since it'll probably still stick around for a while. I'm trying to merge all the menu stuff into one, since having it arbitrarily split in two makes it look like the Links aren't part of OpenXcom, and I imagine that's why a lot of people miss the Wiki and stuff.

But having every single page in the menu would overwhelm it, so I tried to compact it, but I figured I'd get this response. The Git Builds can be accessed from the Downloads page, and the Forum link is in the new Contact page. I guess that might not be very intuitive, got better suggestions? I figured people would just have this bookmarked by now.

[michal]

Definitely we need forum link somewhere visible. It's probably most important part of project and community. Far more important than facebook.

[Daiky]

There are only two buttons on the frontpage I ever use: forum and git builds. Both are gone ... help

And I agree with moriarty that there shouldn't be other stuff on the openxcom blog. Because when you start doing that you should give other projects out there a blogpost too: xenonauts, xenowar, ... so it's best to stick to openxcom stuff only. (also, roguelike screenshots just look plain horrible if you are not aware of the idea behind it)

[michal]

It's me, who've written about x@com. I thought we could write about releases of other x-com fan projects. Like Ufo: Ai guys have done some time ago with Openxcom release.

[moriarty]

Don't get me wrong, I think that posting about other projects is a good thing. I just meant that it should not stay up top for too long.

I believe that the website's primary target should be "new people". If somebody visits "by chance", he should not be confused. He/she should see openxcom.

BTW, is there a link to the webpage on the facebook page? I couldn't see one.

[michal]

Yeah, we just need more frequent posts about openxcom