The Shrine

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '>So... how long has this been up? Sine, the link you put up was not informative, not to mention it was a bit late. And now I have to go change my preferences so I don't have a black background when viewing messages...</div>

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '>Not a fan of the pastels...</div>

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '>Sorry, Sine, I hadn't seen the message about the colors.</div>

<div style='font: 12pt Arial; text-align: left; '>Heh, you weren't alone there buddy... I guess resonatorsoft's slogan is "put the customer last". :)</div>

<div style='font: 11pt "Fine Hand"; text-align: left; '>HA! I knew it! See Eric? I TOLD you someone would think the site was down! 8^D</div>

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '>I use a bookmark straight to dailystuph. I tried going to resonatorsoft.org/tows, but I clicked on the "Read This First" and the links at the bottom of that were broken, so I figured the site was down.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt "Fine Hand"; text-align: left; '>Me too and I told Sine that that may happen and expressed that he should have let us know before hand about the change. He ignored it. Figures, he does this a lot.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light"; text-align: left; '>Yes, and this is why I'm making the changes? To put the customer last?</div>

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '>I'm sure that's a motivation, but I suspect a stronger motivation is that you enjoy implementing new things.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light"; text-align: left; '>Yes, which you people, you "customers", benefit from.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '>Well, I don't think all of your changes are improvements.</div>

<div style='font: 12pt ; text-align: left; '>So what?</div>

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '>I have a point, but I don't care if you know it or not. If Sine wants to know it, I'll be glad to explain it. Otherwise, piss off.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light"; text-align: left; '>Go ahead.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt verdana; text-align: left; padding: 0% 10% 0% 10%; '>...that your desire to implement new things - which is fun, I know - might be getting in the way of actual use.

The javascript navigation at the bottom is not necessary. It takes less time and less mouse movement to select a link (especially when that link is in the same place time after time) than it does to select something from a menu. Also, javascript should only be used when necessary. At least, that's a rule I like to adhere to. If it can be done just as easily using normal HTML, javascript shouldn't be used.

All of the other additions, while kinda nifty, aren't necessary. I realize that many are features that other MBs have, so you too must have them, but other boards don't look as cluttered. The text message posts, I mean. I think that the main page sections (such as Daily Stuph, M&M, etc.) look good. One feature I think you should build in - you may already have this - is the ability to turn stuff off. Either for the user, the administrator, or both. But, for instance, I don't need to see someone's stats posted with their message.

I don't know what design process you go through for new features. But I reccomend you avoid adding features "because I can." Add features because you think they're useful. Maybe you're already doing this, and we just disagree on what's useful.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light"; text-align: left; '>

The javascript navigation at the bottom is not necessary. It takes less time and less mouse movement to select a link (especially when that link is in the same place time after time) than it does to select something from a menu. Also, javascript should only be used when necessary. At least, that's a rule I like to adhere to. If it can be done just as easily using normal HTML, javascript shouldn't be used.

It's the lesser of two evils. I've had way too many people request the ability to navigate between forums, instead of having to put up a footer by hand. Since there is the potential for an infinite number of forums, the best choice for navigation is a SELECT box, instead of different links.</p>

All of the other additions, while kinda nifty, aren't necessary. I realize that many are features that other MBs have, so you too must have them, but other boards don't look as cluttered. The text message posts, I mean. I think that the main page sections (such as Daily Stuph, M&M, etc.) look good. One feature I think you should build in - you may already have this - is the ability to turn stuff off. Either for the user, the administrator, or both. But, for instance, I don't need to see someone's stats posted with their message.

The stats are only posted if the avatar column has space to put them in. Believe me, as I'm annoyed at how one-sentence messages can take up half-a-page because of useless information. (I post on another board, which is in "semi-threaded" mode like most of them out there.) For example:</p> <PRE><TT> ---------------------------------------------------------------- | [Useless | Hi! | | shit] | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------- | | | [10-page signature] | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------</TT></PRE>

I just had some blank space that needed filling up, so I decided to add some stats there. As far as the icons, they actually save space for former items I had before, and if you really need to see the full details, they have TITLEs that you can hover over, as well as hit the "Toggle message headers" switch.</p>

I don't know what design process you go through for new features. But I reccomend you avoid adding features "because I can." Add features because you think they're useful. Maybe you're already doing this, and we just disagree on what's useful.

Actually, I've been trying to stray away from that mentality as of late. This design overhaul has been badly needed. I don't want RPGBoard to be another copycat MB script like everybody else, but I do want something a little bit more appealing. My fans have been turning into a small niche, and I'd hate to have all of these useful features go to waste just because I can't design the externals right.</p></div>

<div style='font: 11pt "Fine Hand"; text-align: left; '>I agree about the previous menu. Just point and click. None of this Click, scroll, click...oops, wrong forum, click, scroll, click.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light"; text-align: left; '>If you have a better way of doing it, let me know.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt "Fine Hand"; text-align: left; '>Yeah, go back to the old menu.</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light"; text-align: left; '>Again, with a potentially infinate number of forums, that wouldn't be possible.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt "Fine Hand"; text-align: left; '>We have 7 forums. At this rate, you don't have to worry about inifinite forums. 8^)</div>

<div style='font: 10pt "EngraversGothic BT", "Copperplate Gothic Light"; text-align: left; '>No, but this code applies to everybody, not just this forum.</div>

<div style='font: 11pt "Fine Hand"; text-align: left; '>I figured as much. Anyway, it fine for those with tons of pages but for a small community like this - less is more, simple is better.</div>