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Less than daily ramblings from a Gaia developer

carbonphyber
Community Member

Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2009 @ 01:33am

17 comments

Site Visual Upgrades

I'm working on many small visual upgrades for the site and I have a couple of ideas queued up.

Fix the ugly footer links. Why aren't they easy to read and pretty?
I want to see columns or related content (like "My Stuff", "Community/Social", "Creative", "Games", and "Info/Legal" wink
PMs, Journals, Profile Comments, Wishlist, Watchlist should all share the same look. Right now they all look very different and that's not easy-to-use.
Account Settings forms could use some more standardization and some better organization.
Fix every form to use the current Gaia style and fix the CSS so it's easier to update styles.
I'd love it if events could change the look of every form and button for a few days then change back after the event is over.
Upgrade all parts of the site to use the same inventory frame.
It makes no sense to me that the Trade and Marketplace inventory pages don't use the same inventory as the current Dress Up and Inventory apps.
We could definitely use some speed improvements. Most of our pages are not optimized to request fewer files (which would speed up page loads especially for slow internet connections).

Most of these changes/fixes will involve making it easier for Devs at Gaia to make forms with less effort... meaning they will be able to spend time on making the feature fun and less time massaging with HTML.

Any feedback?
Preferences for what graphics you'd like to see on the footer links?
Unhappy with some of the ideas?

[center:b7fee9207a][img:b7fee9207a]http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq256/carbonphyber/searchbar.png[/img:b7fee9207a][/center:b7fee9207a]

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[center:b7fee9207a][img:b7fee9207a]http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq256/carbonphyber/searchbar.png[/img:b7fee9207a][/center:b7fee9207a]

User Comments: [17]

ephemerally
Community Member

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Sun Nov 22, 2009 @ 02:03am

I would love to see number 2, 4 and 5.
About no.4: It would be really fun to explore the whole page and find out what's new/edited during the events!

I don't quite get the ugly footer links..
Do you mean the links above the "© Copyright 2003 - 2009 Gaia Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved."??

If so, they do look messy..

Gabriel Faust
Community Member

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Sun Nov 22, 2009 @ 04:28am

It'd be nice if we could make the profile comments pages ( /addcomment/, /comments/ ) look like they aren't barebones entry forms. Its pretty paltry looking compared to how fleshed out most of the rest of the site is. sweatdrop

Midnight Trickster
Community Member

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Sun Nov 22, 2009 @ 04:28am

YES, I would love to see EVERYTHING in the current format.
Including that inventory arranger. Because I actually use that.
I also think it would be useful to add a chest for zOMG stuff in the inventory arranger, just saying.

As for other suggestions, I use BetterGaia, so I don't really have any.
Though I'd love to see gaia more customizable, like BetterGaia.
Like, post format, or different colors for the task bar [red and black? <3].

Just throwing ideas around. xp

love luna
Community Member

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Sun Nov 22, 2009 @ 04:49am

number 4 is a great idea >w<
i'd love it too if the layout/colours change for events

Lissianthus
Community Member

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Sun Nov 22, 2009 @ 07:08am

Well, considering we have the floating footer, I'd hate for the footer to become too conspicuous. It'd be nice for it not to be just a wall of blue text, but...don't go overboard?

Will the standardization of the inventory frame mean that all of a person's inventory is available for trade, rather than the top 800 items? That would be nice to have...

Kai-Shan Valandria
Community Member

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Sun Nov 22, 2009 @ 09:24am

Quote:

Upgrade all parts of the site to use the same inventory frame.
It makes no sense to me that the Trade and Marketplace inventory pages don't use the same inventory as the current Dress Up and Inventory apps.

Does this mean an aquarium tab in the MP? And more than 800 items showing in trades?! *gets all hot and bothered at the thought* twisted

Kamika Sugi
Community Member

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Sun Nov 22, 2009 @ 10:46am

It's about time we get an upgrade on the Marketplace and Trade inventory layout. But while you're at it, you should do a BIG upgrade on the trade system. The 800 item limit is very annoying.

Lyssan
Community Member

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Sun Nov 22, 2009 @ 04:38pm

I liked all the changes and fixes you proposed. Anything that would simplify the site would make it easier to use for all of us, not just the developers. But I have one tiny thought to add. While the quick links at the bottom of the page is all well and good... many times I find myself typing in the "dark" I like keeping tabs of who's on without having to constantly switching pages to find out, but with the links open to see this, it blacks out the last row or two if you are not on top of things and constantly scrolling down.

Sand Dancer Shaka
Community Member

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Sun Nov 22, 2009 @ 05:36pm

I LOVE the sound of the idea of being able to have themed buttons (etc) during events!!! I already like the occasional banner changes in link with events so the whole site feels like it's a part of the event!!!

Feines
Community Member

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Sun Nov 22, 2009 @ 08:20pm

I love the whole "making things more uniformed" idea, it can only do good that's for sure..
Plus- changing event themes!!
yay! 4laugh

As for suggestions.. maybe add an option to choose themes?
for the header and footer, it'd be nice to be able to choose 1 theme and have several styles to choose from.. biggrin

Angelic theme, demonic theme, fire, water, earth and wind~
You know the drill ;D

Breakability
Community Member

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Sun Nov 22, 2009 @ 09:31pm

I like it! I've been wondering about the same things for awhile, really 3nodding Can't wait to see the changes if/when they come!

Chocobo Princess
Global Moderator

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Sun Nov 22, 2009 @ 10:14pm

Related to 4: Preference not to view others' signatures does not carry over into Guilds. I'd love it if it did. whee

You sure have a long project list. Best of luck~! User Image

Hybrid
Community Member

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Mon Nov 23, 2009 @ 12:09am

I would love #1 so much. I've never understood why that part of every page was so poor looking for so long. With the blank white that it is now, it looks like the page just stopped loading all the way.

Nobara
Community Member

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Mon Nov 23, 2009 @ 01:11am

The one I would prioritize is upgrading everything to use the same inventory frame. It's very annoying to go start a trade with someone and then realize the item I want to trade is at the end of my inventory so I gotta load up another tab and reorganize my inventory.

As for the "ugly" footer links, I like them as they are! I use each of the "M" links on a daily basis. Also they're one of the few things that doesn't change with each site navigation update, so I don't have to keep relearning how to get to the marketplace. :/

PinkFae15
Community Member

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Mon Nov 23, 2009 @ 04:30pm

#1- Making the static links more noticeable and easier to read would be wonderful. For the graphics, I'd love to see a nod towards gaia's past..perhaps the wings?

While I agree that the site should be uniform in regards to #2 and #5, it saddens me that the last few pages of the "old gaia" will finally leave the site. Taking with it, imo, gaia's original uniqueness. I much preferred the colorful tabs and feel that the current UI is cold, boring and too corporate. Given the recent events on the site, gaia just isn't what it use to be.

#4-The idea of events changing the look of the site is very exciting. It'd be that little extra that would make events amazing. I'd like to see if for more than just events too, perhaps for holidays or certain times of the year you could do a little something. I feel that it'd make the time in between events still feel like you guys are doing really cool things for the site. (which you totally do, we just don't see it all the time.)

#6-YAY!

Anything that will make is easier for the devs to update the site is exciting because it means more time can then be spend on other aspects once these updates don't take as long.

rosaleendhu
Community Member

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Sun Nov 29, 2009 @ 03:25am

Oh! pretty please set up the trades to show more than 800 items! I hate having to rearrange my inventory just to send a friend a present!

Insanity_Is_Freedom
Community Member

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Sun Dec 13, 2009 @ 01:22am

Hey Carbonphyber, look into a Firefox extension called "BetterGaia".

^_^

QUESTING Checkered Nightmare 100k/600k

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User Comments: [17]

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