Author Topic: Website ideas and suggestions (Read 168331 times)

Paul · « **on:** 27 October 2011, 17:44:01 »

Randall mentioned in his blog that we'd like to get your input on the kinds of things the website needs in your eyes. Be it brand new things, or something you remember from before you want back, fire away!

Paul

MadCapellan · « **Reply #1 on:** 27 October 2011, 21:58:40 »

Initial thoughts -

New Clean Layout, no more "classic" - Very Cool.

Large dorky text declaring "THE BOARD GAME" - Very uncool.

mechgregor · « **Reply #2 on:** 27 October 2011, 22:09:20 »

Not feeling "The Board Game" either, I would rather see "Battletech: A Game of Armored Combat" instead.

Jal Phoenix · « **Reply #3 on:** 27 October 2011, 22:10:31 »

I like the general look of the new main page, but I'm seconding the cheesiness of "THE BOARD GAME". Bad, bad!

Also, this is probably a display setting on my end, but for me the forums are teensy-weensy. Tiny, tiny text. When I + the screen 3 times it becomes readable, but then when I go back to the main page the screen is 3x larger.

Stormlion1 · « **Reply #4 on:** 27 October 2011, 22:11:54 »

Looks essentialy the same except a new URL and a slightly diffrent font? Beyond that it doesn't look like much really changed.

Fallen_Raven · « **Reply #5 on:** 27 October 2011, 22:12:27 »

The pull down menus are hard to read if they overlay text. The opacity needs to be raised.

joechummer · « **Reply #6 on:** 27 October 2011, 22:14:01 »

To be honest, I miss the forum having a skin that screams BattleTech. Back when the forum got hacked in January and had to be nuked from orbit and rebuilt, one of the forum guys said the plain-vanilla skin would be temporary, and it's still around, 9+ months later. Conversely, the Shadowrun forum started out rather plain and now has the whole SR and JackPoint logos and looks more Shadowrun-y than it ever did before. This forum doesn't have to be anything fancy, though. Heck, I'd be okay with even the BT logo. But I do miss the old, unmistakably BT look of the pre-nuking forums.

Also, I agree about the whole "The Board Game" bit, which I noticed shows at the top of the forum. BT did start out as a board game, but it's become so much more beyond that, and I'd hate for new people who get directed here based on a different avenue—such as ClickyTech or the MW games—and feel like they're in the wrong place.

The new main site design looks good, though. And I've been wondering for a good while when "Classic" was going to disappear from the site, considering how long it's been since it vanished from the books.

Also, any particular reason the URL is "bg.battlecorps.com"? I noticed battletech.com still redirects to battletech.catalystgamelabs.com.

Atlas3060 · « **Reply #7 on:** 27 October 2011, 22:17:06 »

Yeah I'm not feeling "The Board Game" too much.
Yes the opacity of the menu items is a bit too light, I could see the HTML line from a chapter right on a selection.
Also the Game Intro page linking to the Getting Started page, I think the first image is broke but more importantly the link that provides ideas for getting started is way down in the page. Maybe if we brought it up a bit that would help. Still getting over the new oil smell, ah I love it!

joechummer · « **Reply #8 on:** 27 October 2011, 22:20:28 »

Also, I feel that New/Upcoming Releases should have a thumbnail of the product in question.

And is the favicon an olive branch? *gasp*

Marwynn · « **Reply #9 on:** 27 October 2011, 22:36:46 »

BattleTech "The Board Game" as opposed to what? BattleTech "Knitting Challenge"?

I second "BattleTech: A Game of Armored Combat".

Also, if you're going to rebuild the Universe section you may want to incorporate Camospecs and the MUL into it. See what 'Mechs they use, how pretty they can be, and might as well link books from the store.

I think also that you're going to have some confusion with people going to battletech.com and ending up here: http://battletech.catalystgamelabs.com/ instead of bg.battletech.com

I actually like http://battletech.catalystgamelabs.com/ for its look. Just needs more of this site's content.

Also, I don't know if you guys are involved at any level with sarna.net but those guys have got a great wiki up. Might be time to incorporate that, let the fans run it to save you the headache.

Southern Coyote · « **Reply #10 on:** 27 October 2011, 22:40:32 »

+1 on the cheese with "THE BOARD GAME" on the homepage...

+1 on the old forum skins making a return. They had a cool look to them. The forum background now is too...stark...

Lord Cameron · « **Reply #11 on:** 27 October 2011, 22:47:53 »

Quote from: Marwynn on 27 October 2011, 22:36:46

BattleTech "The Board Game" as opposed to what? BattleTech "Knitting Challenge"?

I guess as opposed to "Clicky-tech Battletech" or "Battletech the video game". :-\

Although most other forums put BT as a miniatures game, not a board game....

And for some reason my avatar was deleted. ???
The little "CBT" icon on the windows tab is gone too.

joechummer · « **Reply #12 on:** 27 October 2011, 22:56:05 »

Quote from: Lord Cameron on 27 October 2011, 22:47:53

Although most other forums put BT as a miniatures game, not a board game....

In BT, you can play with quarters if you wanted to, just like you could with Candyland or Monopoly if you were so inclined. But if you plunked down some quarters at, say, a WH40K tournament and declared those to be your space marine proxies, there would be so much havoc cried about that. That's the real difference. Board games, you can proxy just about anything. Miniatures games, you have to proxy with an ACTUAL MINIATURE—or at the very least, an empty miniature base—or people tend to get upset.

Lord Cameron · « **Reply #13 on:** 27 October 2011, 23:00:57 »

Quote from: joechummer on 27 October 2011, 22:56:05

In BT, you can play with quarters if you wanted to, just like you could with Candyland or Monopoly if you were so inclined.

Mmm, indeed.

I'm just pondering the question when I go to another forum and look for "Battletech", and they have both "Miniature Games" and "Board Games" categories, it's usually considered a miniatures game.

Board Games for me would be something like Monopoly or Risk or A & A.

joechummer · « **Reply #14 on:** 27 October 2011, 23:06:17 »

Eh, I only consider it a "miniatures game" if you're playing hexless. Otherwise I think of it as a board game.

But I see your point. It's all just semantics, really.

Anyway, I also vote for "A Game of Armored Combat." That tagline is what BattleTech has always been about, regardless of whether you're playing on a hex map, miniature terrain, a computer, a gaming console, or with Clix 'Mechs.

McSlayer · « **Reply #15 on:** 27 October 2011, 23:15:42 »

Maybe just needs something more like Battletech: Heavy Metal Mayhem... [drool] :-* :D

Fletch · « **Reply #16 on:** 27 October 2011, 23:20:07 »

Quote from: McSlayer on 27 October 2011, 23:15:42

Maybe just needs something more like Battletech: Heavy Metal Mayhem... [drool] :-* :D

Battletech: Big Stompy Robots of Doom!

Stormcrow · « **Reply #17 on:** 27 October 2011, 23:30:09 »

Quote from: joechummer on 27 October 2011, 22:14:01

To be honest, I miss the forum having a skin that screams BattleTech. Back when the forum got hacked in January and had to be nuked from orbit and rebuilt, one of the forum guys said the plain-vanilla skin would be temporary, and it's still around, 9+ months later. Conversely, the Shadowrun forum started out rather plain and now has the whole SR and JackPoint logos and looks more Shadowrun-y than it ever did before. This forum doesn't have to be anything fancy, though. Heck, I'd be okay with even the BT logo. But I do miss the old, unmistakably BT look of the pre-nuking forums.

Also, I agree about the whole "The Board Game" bit, which I noticed shows at the top of the forum. BT did start out as a board game, but it's become so much more beyond that, and I'd hate for new people who get directed here based on a different avenue—such as ClickyTech or the MW games—and feel like they're in the wrong place.

<snip>

I agree with Mr. Lee wholeheartedly on these points

Paul · « **Reply #18 on:** 27 October 2011, 23:36:45 »

Cool, lots of feedback on the site name. Perhaps other elements could be looked at next? Consider the point to have been made.

Paul

joechummer · « **Reply #19 on:** 27 October 2011, 23:52:43 »

Whoa. When did the url change to bg.battletech.com? Could've sworn it was bg.battlecorps.com not half an hour ago...

[applause]

Dread Moores · « **Reply #20 on:** 27 October 2011, 23:59:25 »

The white (or light grey I'm told by others) central frame (I guess that's the right term?)...that's a bit rough on the eyes, contrasted against the darker background image. It seems to clash a bit. Is there any chance to make the two match a bit more?

GRUD · « **Reply #21 on:** 28 October 2011, 00:02:06 »

Quote from: mechgregor on 27 October 2011, 22:09:20

Not feeling "The Board Game" either, I would rather see "Battletech: A Game of Armored Combat" instead.

If we're voting, that gets my vote also! O0 I don't care much for "The Board Game" either, to tell the truth. :P

Hawktel · « **Reply #22 on:** 28 October 2011, 00:02:52 »

I liked the old site entry better. I enjoyed having the Links/Timeline/Galley/et all down the right side.

Goose · « **Reply #23 on:** 28 October 2011, 00:05:33 »

Main page doesn't really work at 1080x1920, nor at 1800x1440. :P

The Hammerhands looks just pants with it's legs cut off, and not being vertically centered. :(

You've lost the little Atlas in the url; Now, it's like an olive branch or something: Not Cool. #P

I'm thinkin' the IWM "logo" needs to be their logo. :D

Oh: Forget the "armored combat" noise. It's "Mobile Warfare", for crying out loud. >:(

St.George · « **Reply #24 on:** 28 October 2011, 00:11:49 »

Fix the "out-of-date" Links section,,,,,God,anuff allready. >:(

Other than S7 website,,,,theres nothing else to "see" #P

joechummer · « **Reply #25 on:** 28 October 2011, 00:28:53 »

Quote from: Goose on 28 October 2011, 00:05:33

You've lost the little Atlas in the url; Now, it's like an olive branch or something: Not Cool. #P

Exactly! There are no (real) olive branches in BattleTech!

ColBosch · « **Reply #26 on:** 28 October 2011, 00:29:05 »

Quote from: Goose on 28 October 2011, 00:05:33

Oh: Forget the "armored combat" noise. It's "Mobile Warfare", for crying out loud.

Sure, if that had ever been a tagline for anything BattleTech-related.

Okay, on the main page: The thumbnails for "Latest Releases" and "Coming Soon" (currently J:FR and TR3055U. respectively) link directly to the thumbnail jpgs. It's more usual for such to link to either the specific product page or to the general section in question. The latter would probably require less back-end work and would easily allow for rotating products again.

The row of links on the bottom feels a bit clunky. Find A Game, Master Unit List, and Camo Specs Online are fine, but the text for Iron Wind Metals Miniatures takes up two lines where all the rest fit on one, and the text "BattleCorps Fiction Site" is a bit off-putting. I suggest changing them to "Iron Wind Metals" and "BattleCorps Fiction," respectively.

Randall (and other BT luminaries) do a lot of posting via Facebook and Twitter. A feed of these posts would be nice, at least for the Classic BattleTech Facebook/Twitter account.

The icons for the various networking sites are probably too subdued. Given that they're nowhere as intrusive as on other sites, the icons in the top bar could stand to be made more prominent.

For new players and visitors, the "Game Intro" section is severely lacking. Don't just throw PDFs at people; explain what BattleTech is! Short and sweet would be ideal: "BattleTech is a board game that simulates combat a thousand years in the future. The principal weapons of war in this far-flung time are the BattleMechs: gigantic, walking tanks controlled by a single pilot. Unlike traditional board games, in BattleTech there are no set playing pieces. Instead, players are free to choose from any of the thousands of different units - 'Mechs, vehicles, infantry, aircraft, and more - published over the past thirty years and can play out whatever scenarios they want." Etc., etc. Walk them through the game step by step, showing how each new product can add to the BT experience. That section should be a combination of mentor and honest salesman, something new players will turn to again and again until they're comfortable with the game and universe.

Martius · « **Reply #27 on:** 28 October 2011, 00:45:21 »

Right now the pictures from Latest Releases and Upcoming releases link to a tiny picture only instead of the according product.

I like the overall layout of the site but perhaps the pictures leading to BC and the MUL can be changed? The others are intuitive- showing gameplay for the 'Find a Game near you', a well painted Mini for Camospecs and a Minibox for Ironwind Metals.

I suggest some Logo for the MUL (or some BT art with someone pondering over a list or hologram?) and for BC- well, why not go with the logo?

BTW-what is Community play?

joechummer · « **Reply #28 on:** 28 October 2011, 01:02:09 »

Quote from: Martius on 28 October 2011, 00:45:21

BTW-what is Community play?

I'm guessing this is a "Find BT players in your area!" kind of deal.

Martius · « **Reply #29 on:** 28 October 2011, 01:11:21 »

Quote from: joechummer on 28 October 2011, 01:02:09

I'm guessing this is a "Find BT players in your area!" kind of deal.

Makes sense.

Goose
The Ancient Egyptian God of Frustration	Animare Tai-sa Shikishima
_{I'm always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught.}