Website ideas and suggestions

[M-Rex]

Not "A Game," but "The Game of Armored Combat."

I'm going to throw my vote in for 'NO' on The Board Game.  That particular tag line is like a broken garden gnome in the middle of a golf green.

[Paul]

Errata Link: Again, a link to the relevant forum would be awesome.

I think I'm misunderstanding you. I linked to the overall Errata forum, as someone might have issues with any given product. It seems that listing all active threads would be a bit much?
[Edit: I get it now. Looks like I failed to actually include the link at some point. I had it there at one point, honest. ;) Fixed.]

Some of the text on the page is kind of awkward. For example:Just my 2 cents, but it would sound better as:
Here is all the errata issued for our products.

Also, you change voice in the last paragraph. It goes from "we" and "our" to "they".Catalyst rolls in any approved errata every time a product is reprinted.

Now you know one of many reasons editors have cause to hate me. ;)


Paul

[VF1LAM]

I vote for "BattleTech:  A Game Of Armored Combat" also.

BattleTech isn't really a board game, it's a tabletop strategy game.

But it was always called "A Game Of Armored Combat" in the past, so that's what the website should say.

However, I do like the fact that you kept everyone's total number of posts from the previous iteration of the website. :)

[Goose]

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

If they felt empowered enough to change it atoll …  ;)

[Sunder Prime]

You asked for it, so I'll give it to you straight, no chaser.  Assuming that the site will be used to draw interested gamers into the BT universe, I make the following suggestions.  The links need some kind of description.  Also, listing them in alphabetical order hides the more useful links among more fluffy links.  Moar pictures.  You guys have some fantastic artwork.  That Thug on the cover of The Reunification Wars is awesome.  Stuff like that will pull people in.  Sprinkle it around the pages, not too much, but have it available. Maybe use and expandable thumb to keep things from looking cluttered.  Featuring an awesome Camo Specs mini here and there would be great too.  I would like to see a brief intro piece on some of the more compelling characters and units from the fiction.  Let the newbies read a brief overview of the Dragoons or the 10th Lyran Guards.  Anastasius Focht and Adian Pryde are compelling characters that will draw people into the game.  The same thing could be done with some of the more popular mechs. 

I also agree with the general consensus on the olive branch and "the board game" stuff.

My 2¢.  Keep up the good work. Crap, that is a chaser.

[Lanceman]

I got on this morning and was initially surprised by the new look, but I really do like it.  It's much more modern and cleaner than the one that the site had been using for the last several years.  It doesn't feel like there is a ton of crap stuffed into it like the old one did.  I disagree with some of the posters above that want some huge dynamic image on the front page, I think it would be too busy, I like nice calm websites, even when they are about a war game.

I'll echo statements about updating some of the underlying pages such as the links page.

One complaint, I'm browsing now on my Chromebook, which comes in around 12 inches, and the site looks great.  On my desktop monitor though, which IIRC is around 19 inches, the deadspace on the page extended out a little far and made it look a little awkward.

[txMaddog]

Don't like 'The Board Game' subtitle would prefer 'A Game of Armored Combat'.

Would like to see the stuff at the bottom (the IWM and other links) moved farther up the page as people have a tendency to not scroll down.

Background is a bit stark and boring.  Maybe put bits of artwork from newly released products or some of the miniatures in combat like in the Total War rule book.

[Stormlion1]

Fix the password feature, I don't know about the rest of you, but I have to constantly reinput my password anytime I leave the site. Its annoying.

[Sunder Prime]

Would like to see the stuff at the bottom (the IWM and other links) moved farther up the page as people have a tendency to not scroll down.

I agree with this also, I never even saw the stuff at the bottom and I thought I checked out the site pretty thoroughly.  Might have something to do with a lack of coffee...

[Paul]

Fix the password feature, I don't know about the rest of you, but I have to constantly reinput my password anytime I leave the site. Its annoying.

Make sure you clear out your cache. A few things were pointed wrong behind the scenes, but once that got adjusted after launch, you shouldn't be having that problem anymore.
Happened to us to, but we're all fine now.

Paul

[Paul]

OK, Links page has been spruced up a fair bit. Still don't consider it done, and there's some things to fix.
But meanwhile, if anyone has some sites they think would be good for us to have on there, list the link here. If we agree, they'll go up.

Paul

[HikageMaru]

But meanwhile, if anyone has some sites they think would be good for us to have on there, list the link here. If we agree, they'll go up.

Scrap Yard Armory?

[ColBosch]

Honestly, I think kill the links section except for business partners. It's a really outdated concept, and around here fan pages come and go very quickly.

[Bedwyr]

Scrap Yard Armory?

Dude, link it.

[ApokalypseTest]

So,

my two cents (and somewhat regardless if it has been mentioned before) sorted by header on the page:

• The Boardgame ... well - the point was made
• The Game intro doesn't say anything about the actual game - the text could refer to MechCommander or MechWarrior computer games just as well. A little bit more would go a long way.
• The forum should have a link back to the page somewhere
• The blog should be linked directly in the headline menu as a category instead of a subsection of news (that would make it easier to find and since it regularly pertains to development etc. that would be more fitting than news
• I really like the books and releases
• The universe section: It would be nice to have some page breaks or at least some images in that huge text. TLDR... Also: I would remove the links to all the unfilled sections (unpublish these nodes or such) because its weird to have headlines to 90% missing content), someone who checks these empty sections will likely not come back at a later time. However if you add content later and add sections, there is new things to be seen.
• Downloads should contain ALL downloads currently available anywhere on the site  (including errata etc.) the current setup is somewhat confusing
• Community play (Isnt that usually called organized play?): If you list upcoming events, make shure they are actually UPCOMING. If not, better don't list specific events. Nothing looks worse than a site listing an event thats several months in the past as upcoming, this screams: "We don't really care about this part of our page...".
• Errata: It would be nice to have those available for download in the download section and maybe a direct read option right here.
• Links: The link to the German version of the page directly links into a somewhat naked forum, while all others link to nice portals - is that deliberate?
  Is the Mechforce Germany a Vendor? You list them as fan club.
  None of the links after IWM actually links to Vendors.
  The Virtual World link you have has nothing to do with the Battletech Pods: The places running pods currently that have Websites (mentioning Battletech) are these:
  http://www.mechjock.com/
  http://www.vgcorps.com/
  http://www.skynet-gaming.com/
  http://www.mechcorps.com/html/index.php
  http://the-airlock.com/
  http://www.facebook.com/FalloutShelterArcade/
  (I think there are some in Japan, but I am not sure)
  What about other fan-sites?

[YingJanshi]

Looks awesome. Would just like to see the Gallery back with all the amazing past and present covers as wallpapers.

[Paul]

FYI: George just fixed it so the Home button at top links to the front page.

Paul

[Paul]

Some other selected reactions:
(if I didn't quote prior posts, it's not because I'm ignoring them, the below one just had a bunch I can react to right now)

• The Game intro doesn't say anything about the actual game - the text could refer to MechCommander or MechWarrior computer games just as well. A little bit more would go a long way.

I may be misunderstanding you, but what about the second paragraph on that page?
"The BattleTech board game simulates combat between various military vehicles in the thirty-first century. The kings of the battlefield are the 30-foot-tall humanoid titans known as BattleMechs. However, a myriad of other military units bring additional fun to any game, from combat vehicles to infantry to aerospace units and more."

• Downloads should contain ALL downloads currently available anywhere on the site  (including errata etc.) the current setup is somewhat confusing

We're still optimizing the setup some, but I do not concur that the best way to handle errata is to duplicate them on the Errata page. One problem of the old Downloads page was that it *did* duplicate just about everything we served, including preview material. That made it effectively unusable. The specific intent is to offer tools and material on the Downloads page that has no real good 'home' elsewhere (IE< Chaos Campaign) or that's tool that helps play (IE, the BForce counters). There's been discussion about yanking the QSR stuff, as it's served elsewhere.
Bringing that up to start discussion on that notion, not to silence it. ;)

Oh, and there's still a ton of stuff scheduled for inclusion, but we're also using the opportunity to 'refresh' some old PDFs so they have current BT and CGL logos on them.

• Links: The link to the German version of the page directly links into a somewhat naked forum, while all others link to nice portals - is that deliberate?
  

There's a plot to spruce up the various language sites some. As soon as there's time.
(If you run a language site, feel free to be pro-active, and feel free to reach out to me. I'll get around to send something round to you, but it may be a while)

Is the Mechforce Germany a Vendor? You list them as fan club.
None of the links after IWM actually links to Vendors.

Yeah, we need a better 'category' for that. WIP.

The Virtual World link you have has nothing to do with the Battletech Pods: The places running pods currently that have Websites (mentioning Battletech) are these:
http://www.mechjock.com/

DOH! Fixed.

What about other fan-sites?[/li][/list]

List some with links, we might add em. Right now all that's just the still living remnants of really ancient links, we're well behind any efforts to keep the Links section relevant and up to date with useful/cool sites, so let's grab this opportunity to fix that.

Paul

[Diablo48]

We're still optimizing the setup some, but I do not concur that the best way to handle errata is to duplicate them on the Errata page. One problem of the old Downloads page was that it *did* duplicate just about everything we served, including preview material. That made it effectively unusable. The specific intent is to offer tools and material on the Downloads page that has no real good 'home' elsewhere (IE< Chaos Campaign) or that's tool that helps play (IE, the BForce counters). There's been discussion about yanking the QSR stuff, as it's served elsewhere.
Bringing that up to start discussion on that notion, not to silence it. ;)

I for one think you should leave the quick start rules visible in as many places as you can so new people do not get frustrated trying to find them.  There is obviously a limit, but I would try to make sure they are posted everywhere someone might reasonably go to look for them.

Beyond that I would appreciate a more BT themed skin for the forums in something other than white because that gets tiring to read after a while, and I would add the following sites to the links page as they are incredibly useful resources.

The BT wiki:
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Main_Page

Solaris Skunk Werks:
http://www.solarisskunkwerks.com/

MegaMek:
http://megamek.info/

[greatsarcasmo]

Most points have been made.
I agree that links should only be business partners. Also, make sure the 'Community Play" only shows upcoming and current evenst as said above. Anything outdated gives a bad vibe to readers.
That's all from my end, boss.

[Paul]

I for one think you should leave the quick start rules visible in as many places as you can so new people do not get frustrated trying to find them.  There is obviously a limit, but I would try to make sure they are posted everywhere someone might reasonably go to look for them.

Yeah, that's our current thinking as well, hence why they're in 2 spots right now.

Beyond that I would appreciate a more BT themed skin for the forums

Yep, as indicated, it's on the list.


Paul

[DarkISI]

The German link doesn't only link to a somewhat empty forum, it actually links to the wrong page. Battletech.info hasn't been the official website for years. The correct link would be http://www.battletech.de/

[Paul]

The German link doesn't only link to a somewhat empty forum, it actually links to the wrong page. Battletech.info hasn't been the official website for years. The correct link would be http://www.battletech.de/

Fixed!
(Boy, I coulda known better)

Paul

[Precentor Martial]

Hey all,

Thanks for the great set of comments...checking many of them off as quickly as we can.

There was a fair bit of feedback that the front page didn't have enough eye candy to instantly grab someone. While I want to be careful not to overload the page, I've given it a shot and added an image to the front page. A few questions I'd like answered, if any of you are up for it.

1. Does it clutter the page up too much?
2. Does it work just fine?
3. Does it work but it's actually not enough of the image; i.e. it should be a little bigger to provide more of what's going on?
4. What if that was turned into a slider gallery that cycled through a half a dozen to a dozen images every 5 to 7 seconds...would you like that better?

If there's anything else pertaining to this one important change, by all means, let me know.

Thanks!


Randall

[TS_Hawk]

I think the front page looks great! however the name Battletech: The board game... hmm I know you can call it what you want but it really doesn't have a good ring too it though.  The 1st box sets way back when Battletech A Game of Armored Combat was cool and eyecatching! Haven't played around with the other links to the stuff yet but will do that later.

Also Randall just got your book Paths to Glory will read it when I can got the other novels to read 1st :)

[Euphonium]

I'll add myself to the list of people who don't like "BattleTech: The Board Game" or the olive branch

Rather than a logo, I see text that reads "Catalyst Game Labs Logo" at the top right corner.

The "Leap into Action" link is small enough that I missed it the first few times I looked at the page.

Why are all the links across the bottom of the page there twice, in different sizes?

The big blank space at the top between the BattleTech logo and the text for the CLG Logo feels like a gaping hole.   Will there be something to fill it, or just an image of some sort?

The BattleTech logo with it's steel plank background looks weird surrounded by a sea of white.   I'd suggest getting rid of the white background for the whole section above the yellow menu bar, and having the same background all the way across.

Glad to see the end of the pop-out boxes on the new announcemnets.

[edit]
And since Randall posted while I was typing, yes, I like the slider gallery idea.

[Sunder Prime]

What if that was turned into a slider gallery that cycled through a half a dozen to a dozen images every 5 to 7 seconds...would you like that better?

Yes, I would.  Also I would move it up into the dead space next to the BattleTech Header.  A gallery of the full sized images would also be great. 

Not a huge deal, but why did BattleTech become Battletech?

[Xtrahmxwohld]

1. Does it clutter the page up too much?
2. Does it work just fine?
3. Does it work but it's actually not enough of the image; i.e. it should be a little bigger to provide more of what's going on?
4. What if that was turned into a slider gallery that cycled through a half a dozen to a dozen images every 5 to 7 seconds...would you like that better?

1) No,  It adds to the page quite nicely
2) Yep
3) Yes, make it about 30% bigger so you can show more of the scene
4) That would be sweet, maybe not ever 5 to 7 seconds, that'd be nausea inducing. Maybe every couple of minutes.

[ApokalypseTest]

4) Maybe every 10-15 secs - every couple minutes might be too few to ever be noticed.

[Paul]

10 seconds would be amusing. ;)

Paul