New AGS Website

[Dualnames]

Mods, loosen up. First of all, I'm rating some of the posts too!

As for characters, I do agree. Is there anyone who hasn't even heard of Lary Vales? At least when I first joined (late 2006) people mentioned him, and I learned to respect his sideburns! It's like we pretend he never existed. What about RON too?

And what the hell does it have to do with professionalism? If you think AGS isn't the tool for professionals you're right, that's why on last years list of top 20 indie adventure games, 14-16 were from AGS. It's not professional for sure. I say you make logo of all AGS characters. Who the hell, doesn't know BJ? Trilby? Nelly? Larry? Fatman? The small guy from Knight Quest I can't recall righ now? I think we should have the logo stand out and then put famous AGS figures.

EDIT: Also on the blog, when I joined writting on it it had 18 followers. And I can name at least 5 articles done within a month with more than 5 votes. So FUCK OFF! THE BLOG IS TEH BEST!

[m0ds]

Excellent! You can't rate what you write yourself Jim!!! Anyway, let's* swear loads and make an AGS website!!!!!1!11

*Other people 11!

[Dualnames]

Excellent! You can't rate what you write yourself Jim!!! Anyway, let's* swear loads and make an AGS website!!!!!1!11

*Other people 11!

YEAH, that's the spirit!

PS: Keep Andail off me..he's bount to come..

[ddq]

I think it could go either way. Several ways, even. It could have Larry, another important AGS character, or nobody. I don't have a big, gold plaque on my wall certifying me for web design or marketing, so maybe I'm not even qualified to make this non-statement.

If all else fails, make it shinier.

[Ali]

I'm really sorry if my objection to Larry being in the title has upset some people. I think there should be a place on the site for loved characters, new and old. I agree with what m0ds has to say, except for this point:

I can't understand why people just don't want to be reminded of the good stuff. No matter how irrelevant or off putting it is - IT'S THE GOOD STUFF thats come out of all this. And IMO that should be reflected instantly to every new web viewer

If something is off-putting, I really don't think it should be on the front page or the logo.

I joined the forums in 2003 because I wanted to make a game and I needed help and feedback. It was years before I started actually playing AGS games. That's partly because a lot of my favourite AGS adventures came out after I joined, but it's also because it took my a long time to discover which of the older AGS games I was interested in.

To begin with I was very put off by the plurality of simplistic or ripped graphics, forum in-jokes and spoof games in the database. If I hadn't chanced upon Pleurghburg and loved the game in spite of its very basic graphics, I may not have stuck around to play Apprentice or Spooks when they were released.

If were a newcomer, I'd rather be met with appealing imagery that shows off AGS's potential. Then, once I've played some of the more polished games, I'll start to discover the old favourites.

The last thing I'd want to do is get on the wrong side of Steve McCrea, babar and m0ds. That would result in some kind of defacated mutated guano, and I think my arm might get set on fire.

[Snarky]

Are you drunk or something, Mods?

If I can decipher any part of the ranting... you... miss the banner images with game screenshots in the new design?

On a completely separate topic, this discussion made me think: Would it be a good idea to put a date on the games in the DB? That way players might be better able to appreciate a game's historic significance.

[LimpingFish]

One of the few times I have to disagree with Mods. :'(

If you come here and can't think of ONE AGS character, sorry, you're just a forum douche who just wants to be heard and doesn't give a shit about all the rest.

Shit, I can't understand why people just don't want to be reminded of the good stuff.

I don't really give a fiddler's about most of those characters. I wouldn't rate any of those early games anywhere close to my personal AGS favourites, and bestowing them with some sort of elite status simply because they were here first is rubbish. You're just clinging to nostalgia; those games remind you of the birth of the community, and of old comrades long gone. If people stopped mentioning Vales, etc, and just let new users discover the games in the database, they would probably have faded into the mists of AGS history. The same goes for Muchly and RLBAT, though those two are a whole different kind of rubbish nostalgia.

History is important, but it goes by another name..."the past". Document it, sure, but don't dwell on it. As this community changes, and those who joined post 2005 become the majority, they may have a few milestones of their own. Wouldn't it be better for them not to have to bow to old games (and fairly average old games, at that) made by people who are largely irrelevant to their time in the community?

"Phil who?"

EDIT: Actually, he may indeed be drunk. Hooray!

And I agree, "before Nov 2002" is a wee bit vague.

EDIT DEUX: I'm not saying "Erase these games from existence!", I'd just rather see a level of respect that's proportionate to their actual quality and relevance, rather than "wargleargleLARRYVALESwarglearglePHILREEDarglewargleRESPECTargle!"

[Takyon]

Chill, Mods. No one is saying characters aren't important (except JH, apparently).

Personally I can't really comment because I've been here for just over a year, but I really don't see the need for the characters being in the main design. It just looks kind of unprofessional imho. It doesn't mean they're not important but why not have them somewhere else?

Don't understand where you got that from to be honest?

[Darth Mandarb]

I'm not sure if any of the hostility was directed at me (and if so then ) but I just felt the need to clarify that I am not opposed to showcasing AGS game characters (new, old, legendary, whatever).  I just don't feel they should be around the logo.

As for the new blue cup logo ... I really thought it was a nice thing!  It felt very fresh while still showing that it was a blue cup.  I felt that for new users it could be "this is modern software and is awesome and smooth" and for those of us that remember the past of the program would still make the connection.

** shrugs **

I certainly wasn't trying to cause problems!

[Snarky]

Don't understand where you got that from to be honest?

It was the "I really don't see the need for the characters being in the main design" bit. I thought you meant they shouldn't go on the page (at least not the main page). Guess I didn't read too carefully. Sorry!

[m0ds]

No hostility, just a lot of Sambuca Sorry. I was getting overly defensive about the characters in the logo thing - but that's all! Whatever happens will be fine. Until someone buys me some jaegerbombs..... I totally get your points why it's not such a significant part of the design to some people, I'm not mad at you or anything for that I just like quirky web-design over corporate looking stuff which I thought the mini-character logo had. You know I think you've done a great job with the website! The sooner it goes up the better

[Takyon]

Don't understand where you got that from to be honest?

It was the "I really don't see the need for the characters being in the main design" bit. I thought you meant they shouldn't go on the page (at least not the main page). Guess I didn't read too carefully. Sorry!

Okay, I was a little teary eyed but I think we can move on lol. No problem I could've worded it better tbh.

[SSH]

No hostility, just a lot of Sambuca Sorry. I was getting overly defensive about the characters in the logo thing - but that's all! Whatever happens will be fine. Until someone buys me some jaegerbombs..... I totally get your points why it's not such a significant part of the design to some people, I'm not mad at you or anything for that I just like quirky web-design over corporate looking stuff which I thought the mini-character logo had. You know I think you've done a great job with the website! The sooner it goes up the better

Your forum rage level does seem to be directly proportional to the quantity of alchohol in your bloodstream.... 

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

Chill, Mods. No one is saying characters aren't important (except JH, apparently). I think everyone's been supportive of having a few of them standing around in the masthead area, like in ProgZ's version.

Actually, I think (at least initially), the prevailing opinion at that time was against displaying the characters as I had done, though if that mentality is changed then by all means use my logo as one of many that cycle in all the beloved AGS characters.  

I've said this from the beginning and I'll say it again:  I see absolutely no harm whatsoever in having a dynamic site logo that features different characters and styles.  I've seen several sites do it and I find it quite refreshing to visit and be greeted with a cute or fancy different logo on occasion and it doesn't 'harm' the site any; if anything it will allow more people to contribute rather than a few people determining the look and style for everything.  


I think about the only thing you'd need to do would be set up a set of dimensions and let people get creative.  It wouldn't matter if one or two of the characters reappear in someone else's logo or if the logo didn't have any characters at all since it would rotate like the games banner does.  I'm more about the fun aspect of ags than making the site look like another commercial industry drone, so anything that can lighten up the design is a step in the right direction as far as I'm concerned.

Edit:  Looking back, my logo would need to be edited to remove the version number of ags unless there was a way via css to display a version number in that section of the logo (but then it would have to be in the same place for them all).  Probably easier just to erase it ;>. 

[Calin Leafshade]

Who's Larry Vales?

[/replybait]

[m0ds]

Who's Larry Vales?

[/replybait]

Get out, or forever be damned to 2-cup hell!!

[magintz]

I, too, prefer the cup on the right side ... for some reason it just fits for me. 

Agreed... it looks more complete and wholesome. As for the new designs I'm partial to the third and fourth. I think it will be a case of you making a judgement call on which you prefer and whether or not the shadow works.

[Goldfish]

Who's Larry Vales?

[/replybait]

I'd like to ask that quite seriously.

[Chicky]

A quick search would have saved you from the 2 cup damnation.

http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?action=search&sterm=larry+vales&submit=Search%21

[Darius Poyer]

Id like to just bring up an idea regarding this endeavor.

I can understand wanting the site to be more accessible and perhaps cleaner in its design. It makes AGS easier for people to understand and pick up. It will bring many new developers and most likely the active mass of forum members will increase.

There is a problem in that, bear with me on this.

Now, the current site is not very user-friendly. Meaning that in most chases it takes a bit of determination to get the software and understand how it works. Mostly the site feels dated and the forums are not very highlighted. I read many tutorials before i even knew about the forums and when i found them i didn't really get involved for along time.

I know that all of that sounds like its a problem that has to be fixed, but really, it weeds out the people who might not be serious about it, people looking for a quick way to make a game for instance. As the forums are also slightly difficult to get into it tends to draw the more serious people.

Id like to suggest that the poor design of the site has made the community what it is now, and opening the floodgates might ultimately lower the quality for these forums and the games created.