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FRONTPAGE

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2019 12:12 am
by Subham
Another post a few months back said we should revamp the site.
While I say, atleast we could have a really great home page... i mean .. thats enough for a start.
Tell me what I should do to make it happen.

Re: FRONTPAGE

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2019 7:06 am
by Geoff the Medio
The trouble with making a fancy new homepage for freeorion.org is that someone needs to maintain it. Supposing you or someone else makes a nice page, will you keep it regularly updated? Who will fix it when some server updates the version of PHP or whatever content management software it uses and everything breaks? Will it have a security vulnerabilities and get hacked, and who will clean that up? Will the person who creates it also atick around for ~5 years and keep maintaining it as a volunteer?

So, to make it happen, what are the answers to those questions, or why don't they actually matter?

Re: FRONTPAGE

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2019 12:06 pm
by The Silent One
Also, people bringing up the front page have a habit of promising to build one and then disappear... no offense :wink:

Re: FRONTPAGE

Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2019 6:06 pm
by defaultuser
What would the proposed new page have for features? If it's just similar to the current one, with a nicer look, then no big deal. If it's going to be a lot, then the points raised above are important.

Re: FRONTPAGE

Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2019 10:17 am
by Oberlus
Subham wrote: Mon Sep 09, 2019 12:12 amTell me what I should do to make it happen.
Here are some reasonable considerations about points to improve of current website:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=11184&hilit=freeorion+page#p94620

xahodo never replied Vezzra's answers, 7-8 months ago, and putting that together with his "Someone with some pretty basic skills could whip up a site in no time" makes me think we will never see that prototype with better aesthetics but no backend fancy stuff he talked about. If you want to give it a try...

Re: FRONTPAGE

Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2019 11:00 pm
by Subham
As simple as this one:
https://www.seedofandromeda.com

It has alll basic things:
1. nice look comes with the game background, and the logo
2. summarise the game
3. some linked tabs, some of them linked to hot topics
4. a link to the github and the download page
5. any announcements and/or updates on the ongoing development
However, they had paused development of an awesome game. They put it on open source totally after that.

Anyways.. Lets start with points 1,2,3,4 atleast.. those are the things we dont need to MAINTAIN that much...
But the way Geoff talked of the main page getting hacked, and security stuff... I am afraid of making changes now. :(

Tell me where should I get the site code now? everyone can contribute by suggesting a layout of the page first.. or which of the backgrounds should fit.. or if it should keep changing.. stuff like that

Re: FRONTPAGE

Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2019 11:07 pm
by Subham
I read all that Xohodo had to offer or just promised about
I promise nothing too.
1. I am offering to sincerely go through whatever the host provides and try to understand it.. frameworks and all...
2. If that happens, I will try to use all my free time on the implementation
3. Finally I will try to become a hardcore who spends the next 5-6 years over an open-source game's frontpage
XD
The less responsibilities I take, the better. So right now I promise point 1

Re: FRONTPAGE

Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2019 11:14 pm
by alleryn
Subham wrote: Tue Sep 10, 2019 11:00 pm As simple as this one:
https://www.seedofandromeda.com
Personally, (though i'm not highly invested), i prefer the minimalist style of the current homepage over your example page.
1. nice look comes with the game background, and the logo
The Freeorion logo is on the current homepage. I like a plain background, but that of course is a matter of taste.
2. summarise the game
From the current homepage: "FreeOrion is a free, open source, turn-based space empire and galactic conquest (4X) computer game being designed and built by the FreeOrion project. FreeOrion is inspired by the tradition of the Master of Orion games, but is not a clone or remake of that series or any other game."
3. some linked tabs, some of them linked to hot topics
Why should there be tabs? Doesn't that just move the links further away (in terms of number of clicks)? All the links on the current homepage you can just click once and get there instead of being forced to navigate to a separate tab (for no reason?).
4. a link to the github and the download page
5. any announcements and/or updates on the ongoing development
Already there.
everyone can contribute by suggesting a layout of the page first
Again, not terribly invested but i like the current layout. I would like to see some screenshots on the home page, possibly in thumbnail form so it doesn't slow the loading of the page too much, maybe one nice big one just to show off.

Re: FRONTPAGE

Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2019 11:27 pm
by Subham
Oh goodness! :shock:
this is the most 'meh' reply ever

Dont discourage me like that before I even begin.. :lol:
We are not making a frontpage for people who found the page after playing the game.
We are making a frontpage for people who may download the game after visiting the page.

The forum front page will stay there just like it is now. But we need something that can be promoted, shared to others.

And ofcourse I agree that we dont want a too fancy site like the link I shared.. and existing members can just keep a bookmark to the current homepage instead of the homepage that will be made.

Re: FRONTPAGE

Posted: Wed Sep 11, 2019 9:09 am
by Geoff the Medio
Subham wrote: Tue Sep 10, 2019 11:00 pm As simple as this one:
https://www.seedofandromeda.com
How about substantially simpler than that? In plain html, with no database or script-generated content? So skip the links to hot topics. News upsates can be hand-written when updating, witjout much more work than the current wiki-based layout.
But the way Geoff talked of the main page getting hacked, and security stuff... I am afraid of making changes now. :(
If there are no scripts or things to log in to, there is nothing to hack except the web host itself.
Tell me where should I get the site code now? everyone can contribute by suggesting a layout of the page first.. or which of the backgrounds should fit.. or if it should keep changing.. stuff like that
What "code" do you mean? The current website is a wiki, for which you can view the source of most pages already...

Re: FRONTPAGE

Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2019 11:52 pm
by Subham
Geoff the Medio wrote: Wed Sep 11, 2019 9:09 am What "code" do you mean? The current website is a wiki, for which you can view the source of most pages already...
KK so I get it now. Its all MediaWiki. But I need the access right? Like allowing me to change the templates and css... Viewing the source doesnt lead to anything. Or should I first submit a sample html?
My problem is I havent worked with MediaWiki other than in a game called Godville, and that allows a very very very small subset of the original. So I dont know certain stuff that will work or not.
My proposal is: give me a page to work on in the wiki. And when its completed and all linked up, you admins try it out and make it the homepage.

Re: FRONTPAGE

Posted: Wed Sep 25, 2019 8:40 am
by Geoff the Medio
I thought what you wanted to do was to replace the wiki as the front page with something else coded in plain html. You don't need any wiki access to prepare something like that.

Re: FRONTPAGE

Posted: Mon Sep 30, 2019 11:37 am
by Subham
I will assume that means I need to submit an html page. kk will try to do it soon.