New Board Format?

[SunsetBengal]

Has the board adopted a new format? Seems rather different that what was working great. Nothing wrong with new, just seems clunkier to navigate. For example, I seem to miss the list of tabs at the top of the page, where I could select to see recent posts in all forums/topics.

[Belsnickel]

My guess is that this is a more mobile responsive template. I haven't fooled around with it much, but it has that look to it.

[StoneTheCrow]

The "View New Posts" and "View Today's Posts" are missed.

[StoneTheCrow]

I see that the new posts are at the bottom now. I like that.

[GMDino]

(05-30-2016, 09:37 AM)StoneTheCrow Wrote: I see that the new posts are at the bottom now. I like that.

They always were for me?

[SunsetBengal]

(05-30-2016, 09:37 AM)StoneTheCrow Wrote: I see that the new posts are at the bottom now. I like that.

Thanks, I must have missed them earlier.

[BFritz21]

(05-30-2016, 09:21 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Has the board adopted a new format?  Seems rather different that what was working great.  Nothing wrong with new, just seems clunkier to navigate.  For example, I seem to miss the list of tabs at the top of the page, where I could select to see recent posts in all forums/topics.

Was going to start a thread of my own about it.

Not a fan.

Seems too bunched together with too much free space, which also makes it feel like it's harder to navigate, which you think the opposite would be true.

[*rfaulk34*]

I didn't instantly hate it...except for the 'back to the top' button is missing at the bottom of the page. 

I liked the last style but this one feels a bit cleaner and "updated". 

Except for that one button...

EDIT: Scratch that. It's the triangle at the bottom right of the page. Pretty cool. Now i won't accidentally hit 'mobile version' anymore.

[Vas Deferens]

(05-30-2016, 09:29 AM)StoneTheCrow Wrote: The "View New Posts" and "View Today's Posts" are missed.

Ditto

Also the fonts are off on mobile.  Haven't looked, but assume it's a CSS issue. 

[Shake n Blake]

I can't find the usercp icon/button. That's pretty essential for me. I use it to check for replies to comments, reading rep comments, etc etc.

EDIT: Found it. You have to click the arrow next to your name and a little menu pops out. Man I hate change.

[Bengalholic]

(05-30-2016, 09:21 AM)SunsetBengal Wrote: Has the board adopted a new format?  Seems rather different that what was working great.  Nothing wrong with new, just seems clunkier to navigate.  For example, I seem to miss the list of tabs at the top of the page, where I could select to see recent posts in all forums/topics.

Yes, this is a brand new theme and format, and a much needed (and modernized) upgrade from the default based theme we were using.

This layout, although it is more feature rich, is actually pretty simple to navigate. 

I had meant to start a thread last night after the switch, but got sidetracked before heading to work.

To access your user control panel, there is now a dropdown box which is located on the right side (a green arrow beside your name after login), with quick links (CP, Mood, etc) and to logout.
The 'new posts' are now at the bottom, although that can be changed if needed.
The 'back to top' button is now a box at the bottom right hand side with the orange triangle.

I realize it will take every one a bit to get used to the new look and format. If there are any questions/suggestions about the new layout, everyone can post post them in this thread and I'll answer them. As always, I value feedback.

[Bengalholic]

(05-30-2016, 12:50 PM)Shake n Blake Wrote: I can't find the usercp icon/button. That's pretty essential for me. I use it to check for replies to comments, reading rep comments, etc etc.

EDIT: Found it. You have to click the arrow next to your name and a little menu pops out. Man I hate change.

Yeah, I'm still getting used to it myself.  This theme, while very different, should be better for a number of different reasons, and we can make tweaks (if needed) as we go along.

Also, if enough members simply don't like this theme, or find it problematic for whatever reason, we can simply revert back.

[Shake n Blake]

(05-30-2016, 01:21 PM)Bengalholic Wrote: Yeah, I'm still getting used to it myself.  This theme, while very different, should be better for a number of different reasons, and we can make tweaks (if needed) as we go along.

I haven't been on the site on my phone much lately, but I remember there being issues before. For example, I think there was a classic mode, but it would always revert back to "normal" whenever I changed pages. 

Will this new format be better for mobile?

[Tiger Teeth]

I like it. Once you get to figure out what's really different, it's better, IMO.

[Joelist]

I would just like a way for the board not to jump to mobile (phone) mode all the time when on a tablet.

[Bengalzona]

Overall, I like it. And it definitely looks cooler.

I do miss the "Today's Threads" though. I'm used to clicking on that first thing. But, I can live without it.

[Bengalholic]

(05-30-2016, 03:35 PM)Bengalzona Wrote: Overall, I like it. And it definitely looks cooler.

I do miss the "Today's Threads" though. I'm used to clicking on that first thing. But, I can live without it.

'New Posts' and 'Today's New Posts' are located in the footer now. I might eventually add them to the top as well.

[Thefinalcut813]

Not feeling it too much. Looks very bad on my PC.

[Bengalholic]

(05-30-2016, 04:39 PM)Thefinalcut813 Wrote: Not feeling it too much. Looks very bad on my PC.

What do you mean by 'bad'? You just don't like the look or it's not displaying correctly?

[bengal kitten uk]

Oh dear. I really liked the old theme - it was modern and clean.

This design seems very fussy and to be honest looks slightly unfinished.

- The black bands are distracting and pull attention away from the content to parts of the page that should be subtle.
- The seemingly random use of Times New Roman in the upper section of the page looks out of place (at best) and broken (at worst).
- Please fix the 5px of white padding above the poster details column - it looks like a mistake rather than part of the design
- While you are there, do something about the height of the poster details column. A one line reply from some posters is taking up 524px, which makes it very difficult to follow the flow of the conversation. As it stands, you can't even fit two posts from you on a standard 1080p screen! Take a look at the space above and below the avatar, as well as the size of the user rank indicators.
- The drop down you get by clicking on the green arrow by your name is exactly the same colour as the black section headers. This causes them to merge together oddly. Consider using a border/drop-shadow to separate the elements
- There's a huge gap between the thread icon and the title of the thread in the standard forum index view. .trow1.forumdisplay_sticky is probably not used in this forum layout, so the column needs deleting
- Check the line-height on the About us box in the footer - the lines are clipping over each other. 15px should be your absolute minimum.
- The gradients on the Post Reply and Preview Post buttons now look out of place against the flat blockiness of the rest of the site
- Definitely consider reducing the standard post text size of 16px to something smaller - 14px makes the lines about the right length for the size of the box whereas 16px means shorter lines that require more effort to read.

I hope that didn't come across as too negative. I don't hate it, I just wish it was a little bit closer to perfect!