Welcome to the NEW CPA!

[Mundungu]

I dont know what problem you are mentionning with the width of the posts.

On my PC ,the width adjusts automatically to the size of my window.
Maybe your browser needs and update ?
I run 800x600 on my office laptop and 1024 at home and have no pb whatsoever.
(BTW Im on AOL 5)

 

[arhar]

Same here Mundungu. No problem whatsoever on my 1024 x 768, everything looks perfect

 

[Ura]

I believe what people are reffering to with the post width being too squished is that the posts themselves only fill about half the window because of the big blue whale nav bar *points to the left of the screen* and then you have that grey colum where peoples names, nicks, post #'s ect.. are.
With all these things is only leaves about half the window for the actual post. On my 800 X 600 19" monitor its not so bad till I get ICQ and AIM going at the same time, then its starts to get a little narrow. Smaller monitors and lower resolution settings can cause it to look even more so squashed. I can't look at the site at home cause it looks like crap on the tiny monitor I have there, but at my shop its ok.

 

[Leshrac]

Honestly, I don't believe I've ever heard so much whining over nothing. Would you all like some cheese to go along with that? First off, anyone who talks about "casual principles" and leaving because of a layout change in the same post is a flaming hypocrite. If you're really that much of a "hard core" casual player, you shouldn't care what the layout of the site looks like! Now secondly, I'd like to say that the redesign is a welcome change. I find it amusing how people are comparing it to MTGnews.com like it's a bad thing. I've got news for you people, Ray Yu is one of the most talented web designers out there, IMO, and his site is probably the best known Magic site there is. You want more people here, don't you? Then you need a professional design for the masses, not some Halloween-esque home page. Within three months, most of you won't even remember what the old page looked like and you won't want any design other than this. So, I suggest you just get over it now and live with it, and discuss something more worthwhile.

If I seem a bit harsh, it's just that I hate it when fellow webmasters are shown no respect for the hard work they put into creating a site. If it wasn't for Ed, you guys wouldn't even have a board to bitch on.

 

[Sleepy]

bite me

 

[Spiderman]

About the scrolling: There's a tad of scrolling to the right when replying to a thread sometimes. It's not happening now and I don't know why it occurs on some threads but not others. It's no biggie but maybe that's also what some people are referring to Reading the threads and the main screen is fine.

Leshrac: <Hoo-whee> (that's meant to be more like an exhale-type sound) I can see what you're saying and I agree with most of it (and I've said it before also) but tell me, wouldn't the webmaster like some CONSTRUCTIVE feedback on his work? I mean, say everyone DOES leave, wouldn't he want to know why? I think people for the most part have not been flaming Ed about the change but offering their opinion. And truly, when it appears (to the user) that nothing is really wrong with the site (there weren't any chorus of complaints about the old colors before the change), it appears kind of odd to change it without an aesthic explanation of "It's the CPA's birthday". Really, that's all that's needed, but some people want more.

And I think people were mentioning the similar look to MTGNews in that now the two sites look the same. Is that a Bad Thing? I guess it depends on the person, but some people are saying the orange/black made this place more unique, rather than making it look cookie-cutter-ish.

I don't buy into the professionalism argument because really, this site has not lived up to the original mandates when it was first conceived (as in influencing WOTC). If the mission statement has been changed (haven't checked it) to exclude that, then the site is doing fine but I don't think professionalism (at least the way I think you're using it) needs to go hand-in-hand with it.

[Edit] Oh, I forgot, thank you VERY MUCH Ed for fixing that reply issue I had with There is No Blue. I was able to reply to the article today <thumbs up>

 

[Ihsans Shade]

Leshrac: As one of the senior members of the CPA I liked the old style better due to the fact that I could read the posts without scrolling over half the page. Still, I'll give you credit, If people leave because of this it is a bit hypocrytical, but we are the CASUAL players alliance, not the PROFESSIONAL players alliance. We are original. If it looks like we're copying other site we lose are originallity. I'm saying that if the format could you a few tweeks, and the colors are okay. But I don't think that the icon bar should go , but they shouldn't have three miles between them.

My opinions...
Ihsan's Shade

 

[Ed Sullivan]

Scrolling only happens on 640x480, which <5% of people use.
[Orgg's note: ARRRRGGGHHHH! I'm a minority! ]

If you're using 800x600+, tell me where (URLs) scrolling happens.

Sometime this weekend though, I'm ditching the sidebar on the forums, so 100% width is used.

Full explanation/rebuttals are forthcoming.

 

[Ura]

Yeesh, Leshrac, calm down.
No one has been disresspecting Ed or his hard work, we are all very thankful that he does put his time and effort into this place. But we are giving what is supposed to be constructive critisism, observe the word constructive, as in we are trying to give our points of view on it for the betterment of the site as a whole and to also maybe aid Ed in his design by seeing what people like and dislike for the future. I personally said that the site rebuild is a great piece of work and I still believe that, but I, just like every single other person here is entitled to give an opinion on things that they find agreeable or the opposite. Granted some people have gotten a bit out of control and been border line flaming, but thats what happens with diverse groups of people such as us.
About Ray Yu, yes he's very talented and mtgnews.com shows his skill, but thats HIS site, not ours. When people are comparing the new look here to mtgnews I think its because some may feel we're just trying to follow in the popular wake, like a sheep in the herd, and that deflects badly with some peoples ideals of being casual. Its not about getting more people to some, its about showing who we are, and if its a halloween'esque color scheme, then so be it.
I personally don't like the new colors because they feel sterile and plain, like theres no personality to them. I won't leave because of it, but I'm under no obligation to like it either. I gave my opinion for what its worth and leave it at that.
I think Ed is a superb web master, but I'm not going to sit and say nothing if I have an opinion on how the site looks, and I don't think anyone should either, as long as they can keep it under control.

Though I would like to know what kind of complaints were made about the previous design as I don't remember seeing or hearing any. I don't want names, just general comments.

 

[Leshrac]

Originally posted by Sleepy:
bite me

Very constructive.

What some people fail to understand is that there's a difference between "following the herd," so to speak, and using good design principles. Following the herd is taking a site like MTGnews.com, making a template out of it, and reusing it on your site. Using good design principles are things like clear and accessable navigation controls, well formatted graphics and text, and a clean, legible appearance. I'll respect constructive criticism, but whining about how the white "hurts your eyes" is just rediculous. Turn the contrast down on your monitor, for crying out loud. How do you manage to surf the 'Net and only visit sites with dark backgrouds? That type of site design went out of style years ago. Take some time to explore the site using the new navigation and find something specific you don't like and actually explain why. "I just don't like it" isn't a very good reason.

 

[Sleepy]

that was a comment on your attitude pal. not on the sight.Ed asked our opinions and we were giving them. deal with it!

 

[Istanbul]

Istanbul not like new color scheme.

Old color scheme dark. Comforting. Like old friend.

New color scheme bright. Remind Istanbul of daystar. Daystar BAD!

Other than that, kewl.

 

[Duel]

The put on shades, man!

 

[Ed Sullivan]

Originally posted by Sleepy
that was a comment on your attitude pal. not on the sight.Ed asked our opinions and we were giving them. deal with it!

Sleepy - that was his opinion. So why don't you just F' OFF! Little hypocritical aren't we?

 

[theorgg]

It's better now. The really bad thing was, besides scrolling over that I now have to do, was the text was like this:

It's better
now. The
really bad
thing was,
besides
scrolling
over that I
now have to
do, was the
text was
like this:


Get my picture?

I'll never forget the B&O colour scheme...
but mabe this is for the better.

Ed- Is it possible to design two button fronts? One with the old scheme and one with the new? a two-button set is the common way to sell buttons, so that idea might have merrit...

 

[Ransac]

Slip biscuit?

Ransac, the thing

 

[Ransac]

AMEN!!!!!!!!!

Ransac, HALELU....whatever

 

[Duel]

The only thing that worries me is that we don't really have a sig graphic now, like we did before. Any suggestions?

 

[Spiderman]

But "white is too bright" is a semi-valid complaint. Granted, I don't know if the people of that opinion visit only "dark" websites (and come to think of it, I don't know if I do off-hand but there's gotta be some white somewhere where I go! ) but just as people can say a web's design can be too "dark" they can say it's too "white". I think it's rather more the contrast in that now we just have blue, gray, and white which is not that "colorful" compared to the red, orange, and black; it just seems brighter because of the different colors, but the point is, I think color scheme is an important part of web design and so it can be brought up without being "stupid" (perhaps the complaints can be better WORDED though... )

 

[Sleepy]

and I'm sorry Ed. I didn't mean to snap, but Leshracs attitude was wrong and I couldnt help myself.