The New Shiny Escapist

[Arcanz]

Your menu bugs out, it shows webcomics drop down when I take my mouse over the forum section. That's the only bug I've encountered.

One of the major issues I have with the site is how everything take so much space. SO MUCH SPACE! Sitting on a wide-screen laptop I have to scroll for ages to get down to where I can see more than top 3 news articles (4 with the featured article). The whole design is very blocky too, no gradient makes it rather uncomfortable to look at the menus and articles. No lines make the design a little chaotic. You can't really tell one column and articles content (news and comment tag) from the other unless you memorize it, because there are no clear line between the two.

But as I said, the space. It's horrible, you are making everything take so much space. I know webdesign 101 says that you shall have some space or "air" in your design, but you got to stop listening to the space personality core. Too much of something is never good. "then what about candy?" you say, no, too much candy makes you sick.

The large space between objects is also making it very white, almost hospital sterile we're all going to die very soon white. I can do the "ctrl -" trick to make the site smaller to clear the huge space consumption of your objects. I have done that now, but the overwhelming white is just too much then.

I have to admit that the new features are great. I like the newsfeed, the new menu is also great with the dropdown. But as mentioned earlier, you need some gradient or textures. The clear colors are so sterile. The ps3, xbox and so forth in the top menu is a little overkill though as most your articles is of general interest to everyone and after the mid week article rush.. you don't really update the site THAT often that you need separate sub sections for every console.

"Hmmm. Hmmmmmm. Hmm. Hmmmmm. Space!

Ohmygodohmygodohmygod! I?m in space!

Space? SPACE! I?m in space.

Where am I? Guess. Guess guess guess. I?m in space.

There?s a star. There?s another one. Star. Star star star. Star.

Getting bored of space.

Bam! Bam bam bam! Take that, space."

Indeed space personality core, bam bam! Take that, space!

 

[IndianaJonny]

I'm not sure if that's praise or scorn for the PubClubbers but either way I should point out that the PubClub should not accept praise or scorn for any changes made. And even then they were only a few annoyances. Like the message alert thing and Active User Group and Active Friends drop downs were added/altered based on our advice. I just want to make it clear that the PubClub did not design the update. That was all down to the hard work of the artists and Tech Team and hamsters. We only came in at the end and tore holes in their work which they graciously altered for us!

Basically my point was that fellow users helped with little bits of the site. Regardless of PubClub membership or not and my god I really sound like I'm trying to dig a hole for myself here but it's really hard to put across what I'm trying to say without sounding like a complete git!

Maybe it would be better to forget I wrote this? xD

Relax chum, I just wished to emphasise that the changes were not done in such a way that completely alienated the user base. That, to whatever degree, the most pro-active and (financially) supportive users, i.e. PubClub, were at least involved in the process.

You're right in that the changes were not the 'brainchild' of PubClub, and that design credit rests with the Escapist team. There just seems to be something of a vibe going around about the idea that the Escapist thrust this upon us without any forewarning or consultation - which is just plain wrong. Hence, why I bumped your comment

 

[TimeLord]

I'm not sure if that's praise or scorn for the PubClubbers but either way I should point out that the PubClub should not accept praise or scorn for any changes made. And even then they were only a few annoyances. Like the message alert thing and Active User Group and Active Friends drop downs were added/altered based on our advice. I just want to make it clear that the PubClub did not design the update. That was all down to the hard work of the artists and Tech Team and hamsters. We only came in at the end and tore holes in their work which they graciously altered for us!

Basically my point was that fellow users helped with little bits of the site. Regardless of PubClub membership or not and my god I really sound like I'm trying to dig a hole for myself here but it's really hard to put across what I'm trying to say without sounding like a complete git!

Maybe it would be better to forget I wrote this? xD

Relax chum, I just wished to emphasise that the changes were not done in such a way that completely alienated the user base. That, to whatever degree, the most pro-active and (financially) supportive users, i.e. PubClub, were at least involved in the process.

You're right in that the changes were not the 'brainchild' of PubClub, and that design credit rests with the Escapist team. There just seems to be something of a vibe going around about the idea that the Escapist thrust this upon us without any forewarning or consultation - which is just plain wrong. Hence, why I bumped your comment

Ah cool, that's fine then

I was worried that I was coming across as trying to sound superior over non-PubClub users. Which I obviously wasn't, because all PubClub users have been warned that using the PubClub as any kind of leverage or argument point is a no no, and oh god I'm doing it again xD
I'm just going to stop now, but thanks for understanding

 

[deeman010]

I just find the website too shiny now

 

[Evil Smurf]

I just want you to know that I'm wearing sunglasses. it's 10 PM and i'm on the northen hemisphere, and I have to wear sunglasses. just thought you might want to know.
otherwise the layout is... well it worse than before, but could be a lot worse (as youtube demonstrated). If you change the colors back to the previous version I think I could live with this.
Otherwise, I'll either get used to it, or decide I'm fed up with internet companies fucking over their customers and see if I can find a better website somewhere. (fat chance)

Man, I love you for the sunglasses suggestion

 

[Epic Fail 1977]

After an initial WTF I'm surprised at how quickly the new layout has grown on me. It's very clean and less cluttered than the old layout (though it does seem to require more scrolling) and the new menus are nice.

 

[Sud0_x]

The New Shiny Escapist


Greg Lincoln


Permalink

For the sake of constructive criticism:

While I will say that the footer in particular looks very polished, the choice in text colour vs the background colour is quite poor.
Although you could simply add a lighter text colour on mouseover I think the base text colour needs to be a little lighter as well.

Similarly, while quite pretty, that lighter shade of blue used against white throughout most of the site gets harder to deal with over time.
Edit: It's the same for the green/red/grey/purple okay all of the text colour choices (via platform buttons) are just too darn bright.
They are not suitable for prolonged reading, eyestrain is a serious issue at present.


Let me see..
The subsection buttons at the top of the page are the wrong size and need a thicker/bolder font.

The platform colour schemes let the user know which news feed they have selected but I think it should stay consistent throughout the rest of the site instead of reverting immediately upon navigating away from the home page. It just seems inconsistent and out of place this way. Furthermore, at present, clicking these will only give you old content.

Example: Skyrim Patch 1.3 Blows into Xbox Live is today's news and "Xbox 360" is in the tags but the entire news feed for that platform is clearly old content. It's the same with the other platforms.

New content such as videos and news articles are a bit of a mess to sort through at the moment.
When perusing the news section I have to click to rollover to the "next page" of results, this is pointless, time consuming and cluttered with random trailers. When I visit any of the other sub-sections (Features/Videos/Reviews) I am treated to old content.
Why are the latest videos not occupying this space?

Old content is either missing or very well hidden.
-Doomsday Arcade
-I Hit It With My Axe
-Apocalypse Lane
-Doraleous
-Game Dogs
-Top 5
-Muses
-Extra Credits
etc. etc.
Half your freakin' archived content is gone! That's not an improvement.

Home page.
I can't find any rhyme or reason to the way content is organised on the home page; the whole thing looks like a disorganised mess.
It looks like somebody closed their eyes when deciding which featured content should go where.

More Open Design - We have added a lot of "air" to the site overall, whether on the front page or individual content pages.

Clearly defined borders would be nice as there is far, far too much empty space on the homepage. This is bad design.

Three ugly rectangles down the right hand side, another one below and slightly to the left..
Again, I don't understand the thought process behind the design. There are too many of these ugly boxes and they don't need to be there.
At the very least I, myself, would remove the latest updates box and combine this featured content with forum content into a single most viewed/most comments/most recent. A box containing the latest featured content is redundant as this stuff should be clearly visible front and centre on the homepage.

Also, the profile section at the top right; I quite like it, however, it either needs to be expanded or it needs to be gone.
Two recent posts and the last badge awarded is just not enough to justify it being there.





Aside from that, not knowing much about web design, I can't offer much more than the hysterical screams of
"OW! OW! OW! IT HURTS BEHIND MY FACE!!!!!!"


The drive-by fix of spraying splotchy blobs on top of the white down the big, empty sides has done nothing to change this for me (I didn't even notice it until somebody else pointed it out). My eyes tend to focus on the middle of the screen where the actual content is and having glaring white just outside of where my eyes are trying to focus is absolutely detrimental to my head.
I turned down the brightness on my monitor considerably on day one and it's still a problem.


I apologise if my thoughts weren't communicated effectively enough throughout this post but, as I said, I'm no expert.

I'm trying to make this post as comprehensive and constructive as I can, thank you for your time.

 

[MdmGnr]

It is cleaner and easier to navigate but i miss the warm tones. The blue and yellow was a distinctly Escapist color, now it just reminds me of an unimaginative business site.

 

[Deathninja19]

OH NOES. A FREE SERVICE I AM NOT REQUIRED TO PAY FOR HAS CHANGED WITHOUT TELLING ME AGAIN.

I like it. =3 Boxes are nice.

EDIT: Though now I've had a couple of minutes, the white has started to stab the back of my eyes a bit. A slightly more off-white background (slightly grey) would definitely be much more readable.

OH NOES SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THAT THIS FREE SERVICE IS FUNDING ITSELF BY ADVERTISING THAT IS PROVIDED FROM ADVERTISING COMPANIES WHO JUDGED THE SITE WORTHY OF THEIR MONEY BY THE AMOUNT OF PAGE HITS WHICH COME FROM US, THE COMMUNITY.

We as readers should be alowed to voice our opinions no matter how justified or petty they are especially since if they scare away readers it could be detrimental to the site and the content providers.

 

[Folio]

Okay, new layout, new look. I need to get used to this.

At first glance it seems colder and less inviting than the 'old' Escapist. I think there's something wrong with the fonts of the badges, but everything works fine.

I love the new menubar, everything WITH pictures right at your fingertips. It's great!

 

[Miles000]

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

It's still a good idea. It will just take some tweaking and getting used to.
I think the whole layout looks neater/more professional. However the excess of white still hurts my eyes.

[sub]Bring back the blue sides![/sub]

 

[purifico]

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

It's still a good idea. It will just take some tweaking and getting used to.
I think the whole layout looks neater/more professional. However the excess of white still hurts my eyes.

[sub]Bring back the blue sides![/sub]

But I don't care whether it loks more professional. All I want is for it to be usable and readable =( Which it's not atm.
I really hope you guys didn't pay a lot for this, because that was money not well spent. More like wasted.

 

[Coldster]

since the site was released to the Publishers Club a few days ago based on our own feedback. So keep in mind that some changes were made based on the comments made by members of this community.

(Ah, this little gem needs to be spread round. In the end it's the PubClub chaps who deserve to wield the megaphone.)

I'm not sure if that's praise or scorn for the PubClubbers but either way I should point out that the PubClub should not accept praise or scorn for any changes made. And even then they were only a few annoyances. Like the message alert thing and Active User Group and Active Friends drop downs were added/altered based on our advice. I just want to make it clear that the PubClub did not design the update. That was all down to the hard work of the artists and Tech Team and hamsters. We only came in at the end and tore holes in their work which they graciously altered for us!

Basically my point was that fellow users helped with little bits of the site. Regardless of PubClub membership or not and my god I really sound like I'm trying to dig a hole for myself here but it's really hard to put across what I'm trying to say without sounding like a complete git!

Maybe it would be better to forget I wrote this? xD

I have to admit, if the Publisher's Club members approved this, then I don't think they really care. No one is naive enough to not notice an aspect 98% of the people here are complaining about (the brightness). Sorry, but the facts are there to back me up.

 

[lokun489]

I much prefered the old one. The white is a serious eyesore. It's hard to look at, and you changed layout. Sure now I can reach videos'easier' but what about when they were boxes on the side? Those were useful, being able to glance at them and see if I can remember watching it, rather then having to click on its specific page and see what I've already seen.

 

[Mullahgrrl]

Change is always bad, mr. Lincoln, it has that in common with user customization.

At least give us a luddite-version of the site.

 

[Estarc]

I'm absolutely positive that anything I could say regarding the new layout has already been said, and more clearly and concisely than I could manage. Still, I'll try to leave my initial impressions in a few bullet point for readability.

- I really like the new drop down menus. I can already tell they are going to make it a lot easier for me to find the type of content I want to find when I want it. Great job with that.
- I don't like the new color scheme. All I am seeing is this mass of blue and white. It makes it hard to find what I am looking for. The front page is really bad now.
- I don't like the fact that the first paragraph of each article is no longer visible on the front page. The title simply is not enough for me to tell if I want to read a given article or not in all cases. While I could open the article and check manually, I will likely now simply not read an article if the title does not grab me.
- The font is too big.
- Lastly, the lack of dividers anywhere is a bit disorientating. Combined with the new colour scheme, it makes it hard to pick things out. Front page is just sort of a mass of text and stuff. Not good at all.

 

[Xerosch]

Oh my God! Change it back! Change it baaaack!

Why does everything needs to reinvent the wheel? This site was perfectly fine and now it followed YouTube and the abysmal new Xbox Live Dashboard into convoluted complexity.

There was no need for this!!!

 

[dvd_72]

Can't say I was initially a fan of it, but change is allways scary . I'm sure that as I begin to get used to it and figure out how more and more of it works I'll be just fine.

 

[DeadMG]

The new site blows.

News ticker? Why would I want a news ticker? Protip: There's no point reading the same news article more than once, so I'd have to wait forever for it to tick to something new. Waste of space.

The rest of the site has the same problem. The old site was efficiently ordered by date, so all I had to do was scroll back to find something I'd read and I knew I'd seen everything. The new site has no hint of such a useful ordering. Half the stuff labelled as "news" hardly worthy of the title at all. "The 12 Games of Christmas"? Someone else's recommendations as to what I should buy, considering that I can't afford any games, is definitely not "news", it's opinion.

Most of the new stuff is just gunk. How do I know how recent it is? I can't sort this into any kind of useful "read" or "haven't-read" order. The "tiny" News section at the bottom gives no hint as to the order of the articles.

The old site had an efficient way to determine what was actually *new*. This is just a bunch of stuff. Ironically, the log-in bar at the top currently says "Why not check out what we've been up to since your last visit?". I'd like to, but I don't feel like having to sort through every trailer or review of games I have no interest in to find something that's new since my previous visit. The "Required Reading"? 2009. What a waste of space.

News needs to be *new*. If you don't provide a simple and efficient way for me to determine what's "new", then how can I find any news?

 

[Jjkaybomb]

You spent six months on this? Half of the text is unreadable and blurry, and the white background makes it feel like a site from the ninties. I know everyones going minimalist these days, but damn, you've actually managed to have LESS STUFF on your front page!
I mean, all those people bitching and moaning because thier favorite site is a little different? Thats not what this is. This is a serious downgrade.

Is this the work of a hacker? an elaborate and early april fools? A switchup where you post a really bad site layout, then say just kidding and post a better one? Please tell me its one of those.