Lets go ahead and make the new site

Something busted with it? Give a shout.
User avatar
Lackadaisical
Shutout Match Winner
Posts: 823
Joined: Sun Dec 21, 2003 4:58 pm
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Contact:

Lets go ahead and make the new site

Post by Lackadaisical »

There. I said it.

So in this topic I will post progress of making the new site and ask for help. Mostly it will be just for me so I can remind myself what has to be done, but any input and help is much appreciated. Also to call out


Objective:
Create a new main site, more or less based on the topics referenced below.

Ideas:
  • Besides a general news section which shows all major events (read: new releases and stuff) an extra news/blog section for community and or development news
  • Creating videos of the different ways we enjoy Arma, like writing on the grid, roulette, CTF, bubbles, shooting, fortress, and racing and then publicizing these would generate interest.
  • General users FAQ
  • Give a general impression how flexible the game is (maps, moviepacks, camerasettings, cockpits), linking to the wiki for more in-depth information
  • Mention on the download page the difference between the experimental and stable versions, with most noticable differences (camera, sound, cockpits, minimaps)
  • Make the download page more userfriendly in general
  • IRC right on the site
  • Donate button
  • Armathentication?
To do:
  • Ask tank for site permissions
  • Compile a list of ideas from the previous topics
  • Compile a list of stuff that needs volunteers
  • Decide what kind of CMS should be used
  • Figure out the relation between the wiki and the main page
Help needed:
  • Copywriters for:
    • FAQ
    • Front page
  • Newswriters (for general/community/development news)
  • Videos


References:
A friendly main page proposal by Destiny
A modest proposal by Kamp
Armagetron revitalization by apparition
New site theme by sine.wav
Armagetronad; progression by dubStep

Mockup frontpage by Lack
Last edited by Lackadaisical on Sun Mar 28, 2010 2:47 pm, edited 8 times in total.
Concord
Reverse Outside Corner Grinder
Posts: 1661
Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2007 5:24 pm

Re: Lets go ahead and make the new site

Post by Concord »

I'll go get a hammer. Let's get to work.
User avatar
Lackadaisical
Shutout Match Winner
Posts: 823
Joined: Sun Dec 21, 2003 4:58 pm
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Contact:

Re: Lets go ahead and make the new site

Post by Lackadaisical »

Ok so I went ahead and installed wordpress on my own space and looked if i can change it around a bit. It doesn't seem as it would be too hard to adjust it to our needs.

Intermediate results are at: http://kingsofthegrid.net/armanet/

Comments and suggestions appreciated as always

@Concs not sure if a hammer is the right thing for the job :)
User avatar
sinewav
Graphic Artist
Posts: 6413
Joined: Wed Jan 23, 2008 3:37 am
Contact:

Re: Lets go ahead and make the new site

Post by sinewav »

Wow, I don't want to clutter the thread with too much praise, but that looks great. I forgot how cool this was going to look.
User avatar
Van-hayes
Round Winner
Posts: 398
Joined: Sat Mar 04, 2006 1:15 am
Location: The Maritimes

Re: Lets go ahead and make the new site

Post by Van-hayes »

Seeing the wiki and main page design made me finally "get" the name armaunified.
You've gone too far, turn back!
User avatar
Lucifer
Project Developer
Posts: 8640
Joined: Sun Aug 15, 2004 3:32 pm
Location: Republic of Texas
Contact:

Re: Lets go ahead and make the new site

Post by Lucifer »

Lackadaisical wrote:
  • Besides a general news section which shows all major events (read: new releases and stuff) an extra news/blog section for community and or development news
  • Creating videos of the different ways we enjoy Arma, like writing on the grid, roulette, CTF, bubbles, shooting, fortress, and racing and then publicizing these would generate interest.
  • General users FAQ
  • Give a general impression how flexible the game is (maps, moviepacks, camerasettings, cockpits), linking to the wiki for more in-depth information
  • IRC right on the site
If you have it do all of this, and allow comments on each sort of posting, it seems to me that you'll divert a lot of non-development non-support traffic from here to there.
Image

Be the devil's own, Lucifer's my name.
- Iron Maiden
Concord
Reverse Outside Corner Grinder
Posts: 1661
Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2007 5:24 pm

Re: Lets go ahead and make the new site

Post by Concord »

yeah, comments will/should be disabled.
User avatar
Lackadaisical
Shutout Match Winner
Posts: 823
Joined: Sun Dec 21, 2003 4:58 pm
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Contact:

Re: Lets go ahead and make the new site

Post by Lackadaisical »

Well those are the ideas i got from the topics, don't know if everything will be actually done.

But yeah, except for the news section i doubt there will be any ability to comment. Even there it's probably best to just refer to a forum topic.
User avatar
Phytotron
Formerly Oscilloscope
Posts: 5041
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2005 10:06 pm
Location: A site or situation, especially considered in regard to its surroundings.
Contact:

Re: Lets go ahead and make the new site

Post by Phytotron »

New, separate from and in addition to this one; or new, in place of this one?
User avatar
Lucifer
Project Developer
Posts: 8640
Joined: Sun Aug 15, 2004 3:32 pm
Location: Republic of Texas
Contact:

Re: Lets go ahead and make the new site

Post by Lucifer »

Lackadaisical wrote:Well those are the ideas i got from the topics, don't know if everything will be actually done.

But yeah, except for the news section i doubt there will be any ability to comment. Even there it's probably best to just refer to a forum topic.
I'm not sure disabling comments is in our best interests. Stronger moderation might be needed to keep spam and stuff off, and considering that it's our first impression to new players....

But consider the idea in light of the oft-made request that we make some separation between non-technical and technical subjects here on the forums.
Image

Be the devil's own, Lucifer's my name.
- Iron Maiden
Concord
Reverse Outside Corner Grinder
Posts: 1661
Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2007 5:24 pm

Re: Lets go ahead and make the new site

Post by Concord »

ok, then we'll just disable comments on non-technical posts. The wordpress spam filter is quite good.
User avatar
Lackadaisical
Shutout Match Winner
Posts: 823
Joined: Sun Dec 21, 2003 4:58 pm
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Contact:

Re: Lets go ahead and make the new site

Post by Lackadaisical »

Phytotron wrote:New, separate from and in addition to this one; or new, in place of this one?
In place of the old main site (http://armagetronad.net), the forums will stay the same (although they will at one point switch to the armaunified theme as well).
User avatar
apparition
Match Winner
Posts: 628
Joined: Sun Dec 03, 2006 9:59 am
Location: The Mitten, USA

Re: Lets go ahead and make the new site

Post by apparition »

I am definitely interested in getting involved with the copywriting and offering my opinion on organization. I have some ideas, too!
User avatar
madmax
Round Winner
Posts: 306
Joined: Thu Mar 02, 2006 11:14 pm

Re: Lets go ahead and make the new site

Post by madmax »

Lackadaisical wrote:
Phytotron wrote:New, separate from and in addition to this one; or new, in place of this one?
In place of the old main site (http://armagetronad.net), the forums will stay the same (although they will at one point switch to the armaunified theme as well).
I think the switch to armaunified should be done at the same time in the main site, wiki and the forums... Also, aren't there a lot of improvements on the forum theme pending? Where did Tank go?

About the current mockup:
- maybe keep the Main Site + Wiki + Forums bar at the top? I see that here it's that way already.
- the pixelated YouTube video looks bad alongside the shiny lightcycles :(
Winner of the How Many Pages Before The Lock® competition and a grand total of 18,93 euros in Euromillions.
User avatar
pike
Round Winner
Posts: 397
Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2008 6:53 pm
Location: where polar bears walk the streets

Re: Lets go ahead and make the new site

Post by pike »

madmax wrote:- the pixelated YouTube video looks bad alongside the shiny lightcycles :(
Vimeo+HD would look perfect ;)
Post Reply