new site layout/design

[HolyKnight]

i'm not sure if theres another topic on this or not, i tried looking for a little while and didn't see it.  usually i don't comment about things like this but i have got to say simply.....i don't like it.  now don't get me wrong or nothing i won't quit coming to the site but i liked rpgfan because of the fact that it was one of the few sites online that still had that old feel to it instead of the new flashy whatever thats floating everywhere.  i guess i'll have to get use to it or something...

[Eusis]

I don't think it's fully converted over or there's still some touches that need to be applied, the forums look much better than that and there's even at least one extra ad (the Animenation one) that shouldn't be there.

[Akanbe-]

I like the change, but srsly...  WTB RSS Feed. 

[macirex]

I also don´t like it, it seems to have more space for the ads than for the actual content...

[Mike]

Well, as we stated on the front page, ads pay the bills. Trust me, as a designer, if I had a choice, we'd go back to having no ads at all, but this stuff doesn't come free, you know. Most sites have ads, and I like to think - even with more - we're still not shoving them at you like many sites. There's no pop-ups, none of those full-page ads with a "click to continue" link that you're forced to click past to get to your content, etc. Trust me, it could be WAY more ad-heavy than it is.

As for the ratio of ads vs. content, we actually have slightly more content area than the last one, since we added so much space horizontally.

Oh, and I agree on the RSS feed, but that's better handled by someone smarter than I when it comes to those things.

(The AnimeNation ad shouldn't be there? Huh?)

[Eusis]

(The AnimeNation ad shouldn't be there? Huh?)

The Cocoebiz and GameMusic ones too. All or near-all the links have been broken for ages and the ads had been ditched in favor of the newer flash/google ads until now.

[HolyKnight]

i have no problems with the ads or the amount of ads.  its just i'm hoping that you guys aren't finished putting the site up or something because the old layout by far beats this one.  it just looks so.....i dont wanna say childish i can't seem to find the right word but is there anyway we'll ever see the old layout again?  or can you implement an option to choose which layout you want to look at?  its possible as long as the content is the same exact.  i'm half asleep writing this or i'd be more technical linguist here, but hopefully you know what i'm talking about cuz i'm not sure i do lol

[Jimmy]

I think I'd like it a whole lot more if the top banner of the main page was the same as the forum banner.

[Mike]

it just looks so.....i dont wanna say childish

Really? Can you explain? I'd think the design with all the funky shapes and glossy plastic shines on everything has a more childish - or toy-like - feel than one made of straight lines and subdued colors.

is there anyway we'll ever see the old layout again?  or can you implement an option to choose which layout you want to look at?

Nope, nope, sorry. The new setup is made to be able to fit all this new stuff, since there simply was no space in the old one. Besides, six years is a LONG time for a website to maintain the same look; we had to progress eventually.

As for the soundtrack banners, I see what you mean now; we know of the issue, and with the design done now, that'll be one of the next things to tackle. They sadly fell by the wayside before they got replaced, so that'll be fixed hopefully sooner rather than later.

[Azrael]

I like it.  It is a lot simpler than the last look.  The only thing that feels weird is how the ads kind of blend into the site, maybe that was intentional just at times feels kind of odd.  On the whole though I think it is a rather pleasant update and still as easy to navigate.  My only question is since you got rid of the preview sub section is there anyway to find the old previews in the menu or will we just have to search for it?  I guess it doesn't matter since by the time the preview has gone of the main page the game has likely released.

[Blace]

I find it alot more visually pleasing than the last set-up. I like it lots.

[Geop]

Is there any way you can make the Featured Content stand out more though? 
It takes few seconds for me to realize that they aren't ads and are pretty easy for me to ignore.  Maybe it's just me though. :P

[Mike]

I like it.  It is a lot simpler than the last look.  The only thing that feels weird is how the ads kind of blend into the site, maybe that was intentional just at times feels kind of odd.  On the whole though I think it is a rather pleasant update and still as easy to navigate.  My only question is since you got rid of the preview sub section is there anyway to find the old previews in the menu or will we just have to search for it?  I guess it doesn't matter since by the time the preview has gone of the main page the game has likely released.

My goal was to blend them in a bit, yeah; or at least keep them as inoffensive as possible. As for previews, you can still access the page here for the time being. As you can see, at least as far as quantity goes, previews aren't really our strong suit compared to our awesome review staff, so it's not the greatest of losses (compared to the loss of the Contact Us page, naturally).

And yeah, I know the featured stuff might get a LITTLE lost over there, but since those ads had to be those sizes, it's a little limiting; maybe if there was more space around them they'd pop a bit, but then they'd be smaller. Ideally, I'm hoping that them being site-wide makes up for them not being quite as obvious as before.

[Prime Mover]

Mike, as one designer to another, I've gotta admit, I've got a lot of problems with it, man. It feels very unbalanced, formally, and doesn't breathe enough. The gutters are small, and the fact that your content has no separators with the ad bar, you've created a lot of weird blank space in the center that just doesn't sit right with the eye. The old page had a much better sense of separating content from navigation and ad bars. The eye was drawn vertically down the page, but was able to pick out the commercials in periphery. Currently, I find my eye wondering kinda aimlessly to find what I'm looking for. Finally, this "padding: 0" thing just isn't working for me, it feels like my browser isn't displaying the page correctly, adding a good 15px of padding between the sides of the page and the content. It works great for the navigation and images at the top, but not for the news links list. It almost feels like the page was formatted with tables, like we all used to do back in the 90s, instead of using CSS.

[Hidoshi]

I think the new design looks like dooty and Mike should kiss gorilla tits for making it! >:(