Site Suggestions Thread...

[Kingster]

Please post any suggestions you have about the site and how it's working. I'll add them to the to-do section if I feel it's something that can or should be done. If it's not, I'll tell you my reasons and we can debate. Once it's completed, I'll move it to the completed section.

I'm doing this as I've lost my sheet of things to do over the last week and a half, so I'm going to keep it here. If you've suggested something in the past, post it up.

[Kingster]

To-Do List

From http://www.unrealplayground.com/foru...95&postcount=4 :
* Calendar on front page has "404" links (I'm sure these are actual event days, but it's not clear what they are until these links go somewhere)
* Hovering over one of the linked days in January, I saw this...

From http://www.unrealplayground.com/foru...21&postcount=5
* Super Search - By Author, Map Name, Type, by date, By Most Downloaded, etc...
* A Random Map Picker
* Still unable to Download any map, due to VBulletin timing error (http://www.unrealplayground.com/foru...ad.php?t=48437)

From http://www.unrealplayground.com/foru...37&postcount=9
* Broken image links for nearly everything on the main page in IE
* Clutter: comment out the collapse_tcat.gif button, people don't use it or might just hide the ads remove the » bullets or make a graphic bullet
* Replace the navbits_start.gif navbits_finallink_ltr.gif folder icons with the favicon or a smaller version of the U category icon

[Kingster]

Completed
* Birthday Announcements aren't working as of Homeslice's birthday. (Discovered on outpt.co.uk's Birthday)
* Added PS3 category to UT3 Downloads

[SuperApe]

Nice thread. Please filter these appropriately as they come in. (I'm not sure if this third problem is really a problem or what)

1) Birthday Announcements aren't working as of Homeslice's birthday. (Discovered on outpt.co.uk's Birthday)

2) Calendar on front page has "404" links (I'm sure these are actual event days, but it's not clear what they are until these links go somewhere)

3) Hovering over one of the linked days in January, I saw this... (see pic)

[TheSavant]

Suggestions:

1. A Home or Start page that is Plain and Simple. Featuring screenshots of current or featured maps.

Want Forums - Go Here
Just Search & Download Maps - Go Here

Just a note. A friend of mine who used to access UP said it seemed too "Forumie" for him now. He just wanted to see maps and maybe download them. News on the latest patch type of stuff. It don't matter to me, but I kind of see his point.

Super Search - By Author, Map Name, Type, by date, By Most Downloaded, etc...

A Random Map Picker.

Show a map screenshot whenever possible. ( ie... Authors maps just show name. If a map name is DM-BearMountain without a photo you don't know if that's a mountain with bears or a bear shaped mountain maybe? The Pic can sometimes help. )


*Problem: Still unable to Download any map, due to VBulletin timing error. ( maybe add this back to the lost list ) Details here.

[outpt.co.uk]

As Savant said, I think the front page needs to look a lot less like a vb installation - maybe create your own front page and include the blocks in there, if thats possible.

[Kingster]

The "custom" homepage isn't that easy. I intentionally did it the way I did, as it seems that PHP coders with time are hard to come by. I can muddle through it... But I don't really want to be the only one doing stuff here. If I build a custom homepage, then it becomes harder to support, which is why I moved UP off the old entirely custom site.

[HortonsWho]

Remember gang, or for those more recent to UP- Mikey and Stealth, Slain and a handful of others spent many hundreds of hours or more to maintain all the custom code on this site.

LOL Kingster- remember the old discussions about east coast vs west coast PHP style?

At any rate- if there are one or two regulars here that are -very- good at custom code AND can commit to an extended period to support and maintenance, then more might be possible.

[WW_Nihil]

Main Page:

• Broken image links for icons on main page /images/smilies/rockon.gif /images/icons/icon4.gif (visible red-x in IE)
• Clutter: comment out the collapse_tcat.gif button, people don't use it or might just hide the ads remove the » bullets or make a graphic bullet
• Replace the navbits_start.gif navbits_finallink_ltr.gif folder icons with the favicon or a smaller version of the U category icon
• No Forum Link in the Nav Bar
• For a less forums like main page, promote the downloads block up 1, remove the recent threads (maybe put one of the ad blocks in it's place). More 'official news' or other news RSS aka content

[SuperApe]

Personally,...

I happen to like the new recent posts list. And I really don't care how vanilla the front page looks, it's the content and people on the forums that keep me coming back.

[DeadMeatGF]

Originally Posted by TheSavant

Just a note. A friend of mine who used to access UP said it seemed too "Forumie" for him now. He just wanted to see maps and maybe download them.

That is a fair comment - but the site isn't about simply leeching maps. The forums are the heart and in my opinion deserve to be the focus of the site - that's why my old favourite/bookmarks used to go direct to the forums!
With the new layout, you get the info from all areas directly, and with minimum fuss.
The only thing I don't like is the "These posts aren't new, but we're putting them on the New Posts search anyway" function - but that's pretty easy to deal with :P

[HortonsWho]

Your friend is like the vast majority of the 70000 peeps who have registered. they did so just to get the maps, not participate in the forums.

[perfect_dark]

Just curious if UP have any plans for supporting the PS3.Within the download section or it the forums.

[Kingster]

Great question. Wanna post a poll, P_D?

[SuperApe]

Yay, Birthday Announcements working!