New Forum Style/Theme

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New Forum Style/Theme

Post by Mooncow »

You can trial it out in the user control panel and select "Chao Island"

Put any bugs/issues in this thread.

I know a lot of you will be used to the old themes, but a few things for after christmas:

1. the new theme will be the forum default
2. old themes will be removed (they are based on old/incorrect coding)
3. i will make "classic" versions of the current themes for those who prefer the layout
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Re: New Forum Style/Theme

Post by Crash32 »

okay to start off, i don't mean to cause any offense with this post, it's my opinion on the new theme
now, pls no

i've always liked ci's layout over other forums because it was clean and straightforward
it's disappointing me to realize we're moving on to a cluttered layout now
i can understand it's linking the forum to the main website, but personally i would have much preferred a better colour scheme for the default chao theme
this blue background here is already hurting my eyes and giving me a headache just typing this, i don't think the black writing on a white back surrounded by blue is working here

i'm changing it straight back after posting this and i'll be holding on to the hero/christmas theme for as long as possible

EDIT: missed the fact you're keeping the old themes as a separate setting (?), if i understood correctly
at first i thought you meant remakes
Last edited by Crash32 on Thu Dec 26, 2013 2:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: New Forum Style/Theme

Post by Wolf »

PLEASE don't make this the layout. as Crash said, i don't mean to offend but it's cluttered and hideous. the classic layout is perfect and easy on my eyes.
i also cannot stand post author info being on the right.
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Re: New Forum Style/Theme

Post by Tobi »

One big reason I like roaming around the forums here, is because there's barely a layout like this out there. This is the best layout for a forum. Please don't change it, but make it optional instead. I'm fine with the other one being default, but I really don't want to have to change to something THAT different. It's not just that I don't like change, I just don't like the layout at all.

Not to be rude, like everyone else said.
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Re: New Forum Style/Theme

Post by ZipoCXG »

Yikes, seriously didn't think that'd be such a giant change from what we're currently used to.

Anyways, where do I start? If this is supposed to become the new default layout/design for CI, then I seriously hope this is just a beta version (it certainly looks that way) and that it's still being worked on. As stated by what the above posters have said, this new forum layout appears cluttered and I find difficult to navigate because of stuff being moved around a bit, not to mention the color scheme really doesn't seem to work here, kinda makes me see why people complain about the Neutral theme we currently have (no offense to anyone who likes the color/theme).

As Shibara stated, the post author information being the right of the page now just looks really out of place. Most people on this site are used to reading 'left to right', and while I get that it's possible for some people to get distracted by the post author information, overall it just feels more natural when the information is on the left. No other forum I've been to (granted, I haven't been to many others) has the post author info set the the right of the page by default, so I honestly don't get why this change would be made.

That said, going by what the others so far have stated - If this is made a thing, I hope it stays an optional thing. However because this is supposed to be the new "default" theme/layout, I can personally see "wannabe member" guests being detracted from it, not necessarily knowing whether or not this would just be optional (if it is). I personally think that the forum layout should stay as is, don't fix what's not broken am I right? Like previously stated, I'm not trying to sound mean, just giving my personal feedback on this matter.
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Re: New Forum Style/Theme

Post by Mooncow »

It's actually the main layout of phpBB forums which i never implemented because there were too many changes at that time anyway - so were always lagging behind from a back-end perspective.

It's now time to pick things back up and move forward (as much as people in general are against change) but as I said, i will make the old layout available via the classic themes.

As for the "if its not broken don't fix it" part, the old theme was broken and the new theme should correctly mark posts as read/unread now, the item shelf in the user profile works too - along with many other fixes!
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Re: New Forum Style/Theme

Post by ZipoCXG »

I guess there were some things I forgot to take into account. Makes a bit more sense now, I'm not in the know-how when it comes to programming and other technical stuff. But yeah, just as long as the current themes/layout are somehow available, I be "satisfied". Hopefully there isn't too much else I misunderstood.
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Re: New Forum Style/Theme

Post by Dr. Roivas »

oh come on guys the new theme cant be that baaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

i dont like this
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Re: New Forum Style/Theme

Post by ShadriaFan »

Oh...no...no no no NOPE.
Please let this just be optional!
I once was part of a forum that had functions just like that- it became inactive and died within a month because it was too confusing. There were tons of people viewing, but none would join as they were scared of how it looked.
Surely there is a way to fix the broken aspects of this current layout without resorting to that....?
I don't mean anything rude at all, and I understand that it's hard to make websites-let alone a forum-as I just had to make a website myself for finals.
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Re: New Forum Style/Theme

Post by Tsui »

Reminds me of that time with prosilver.

But anyway, I really do prefer the older style, even if it's outdated.
Still not as bad as Chao theme though.
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Re: New Forum Style/Theme

Post by CasualCollision »

I think the new layout is looking great as a work in progress, but as of right now it daunts me. And there are a few other things that bother me.

1. There isn't enough color variation to me. I only see two shades of blue and nothing else. I'd be okay with just blue, but I think it needs more shades of it. I understand if this is the theme template at fault though.
2. I personally don't like the icons. This is just speaking from opinion, but I liked the old icons better. Perhaps you should put Chao themed icons in place of them.
3. Again with the preferences, I can't STAND the post information being on the right side instead of the left side. I know that for as long as PHPBB3 has existed, the post information has been on the right side by default, but I've NEVER seen a forum actually keep it that way.

If you're going to go with this as the default, I completely understand what with the older look being very outdated. I think a change of scenery is just what CI needs. Just please never make the classic themes NOT an option. It'd be like Youtube forcing layout changes nobody asked for.
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Re: New Forum Style/Theme

Post by Sable »

am i like the only one who likes it tho
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Re: New Forum Style/Theme

Post by CasualCollision »

Okay so, I just realized that the gender neutral icon doesn't show up in a person's profile if they set it to that.

This bothers me.
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Re: New Forum Style/Theme

Post by Eevlynn »

I like the idea of new themes; the fact that various issues are getting fixed sounds great!

Loving how the UCP is organized, the tabs make it seem a bit neater, hahah. Also, it flows better with the main website than the older themes do.

Some of the colors don't play nice with each other, though, like Image and Image

Some things will take some getting used to, though, like the profile information being on the right side of posts or the new positioning of certain buttons, but I'm still looking forward to how everything's going to turn out! (*´・v・)

((And the fact that the older themes will make a return as "classic" themes means there's nothing to lose. ;o ))
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Re: New Forum Style/Theme

Post by chaobreedersmh »

Honestly, I think the new theme looks uh. Very bad. The UCP was kinda confusing and reading threads felt incredibly awkward with the poster's information being on the right. It looks like the theme is a decade old. And this might sound weird but it just looks. Unfriendly? Something about the thread icons just makes it feel weird and robotic almost. I don't know.

Course as long as the old themes are still here and not changed really, I'm alright with it. Good luck if you're still working on the new theme, Mooncow.
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Re: New Forum Style/Theme

Post by Ommy »

Image
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Yeah, like others have said, I don't like the user info on the right side. It just seems off to me. The colors are fine though. The text though is a little hard to read especially the admin/mod colors. Plus the signatures look off now.
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Re: New Forum Style/Theme

Post by CasualCollision »

Honestly, if the post info were on the left side again, I'd probably shrug off any other issues this theme has and fall in love with it instantly.
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Re: New Forum Style/Theme

Post by Mooncow »

CasualCollision wrote:I know that for as long as PHPBB3 has existed, the post information has been on the right side by default, but I've NEVER seen a forum actually keep it that way.
In actual fact phpBB always had it on the left hand side, and only moved it to the right hand side with the launch of phpBB3.
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Re: New Forum Style/Theme

Post by Enzo03 »

Mooncow wrote:
CasualCollision wrote:I know that for as long as PHPBB3 has existed, the post information has been on the right side by default, but I've NEVER seen a forum actually keep it that way.
In actual fact phpBB always had it on the left hand side, and only moved it to the right hand side with the launch of phpBB3
I know I'm not supposed to quote the above post, I just did it this way because bolding the text is an easy way of saying "that's exactly what he just said."
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Re: New Forum Style/Theme

Post by Mooncow »

Oh yeah, i missed that :chaoangry: :walkback:
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Re: New Forum Style/Theme

Post by Maple »

While I kind of like the new layout, I do like the simplicity and flatness of the current layouts. The colors are far too bright on the new one, and they don't all match. It would look better if you stuck with the blue for the main parts, and then use yellow as an accent color. The oranges and reds don't match really. The gradients behind the sections could be a little more subtle too.

It might look better if the "Who is online" section had some sort of background, since right now it looks like it would be the footer, which it is not.

And for things besides color.. The three chao in the middle of the header look kind of out of place. You should get rid of the "chao.hippotank.com" and "Your number one source for Chao information!" and have the logo fill up the whole space. The logo should be the main attention point of the header. Oh, and it would help if it linked to the forum haha. The yellow zig-zagged line that's under the header has an odd greenish glow up until the search bar, and it looks kind of weird, though this probably isn't intentional.

This is all just my opinion of what would make it look better, but I definitely think some of these things should be taken into consideration.

EDIT: Oh and a few positive notes, I like how the new topics look with the Poster Information being on the right. I really like the rounded corners on the backgrounds of things ( even though those are starting to go out of style D: ). The navy blue links on the icy blue background look really nice. I think you should make the usernames and all other links the navy blue color instead of the other blue it is right now.
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Re: New Forum Style/Theme

Post by Snowy »

Well, I'm not choosing it anytime soon. It's a rotten mess on my console.
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Re: New Forum Style/Theme

Post by Mooncow »

Thanks Maple, i'll be taking all that into consideration.

As for everyone that is against the colour scheme - do you have any problems with the main site colour scheme? I haven't had any complains about the colours on the main site where all the Chao information is yet!
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Re: New Forum Style/Theme

Post by Rajikaru »

Also, as far as I know, there is no way to access the Advent Calendar with this theme.
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Re: New Forum Style/Theme

Post by KeatonLabs »

I honestly don't see the hate on this new theme. I like the rich blue color blended in with the white to show text. But maybe I'm just more tolerant for colors and set ups...

While the change does make it look like the looks of other forums, it doesn't hurt my eyes to look at and it makes it look like the main website itself. And while I didn't mind the different look for the forum, I think this looks better. The set up and change of where all the icons like "view your posts" seem a little misplaced but that's really my only grip.

Also, I think it would look nicer without the chao.hippotank.com and such in the top right corner and maybe like chao island forums instead up there. The chao also seem misplaced up there and it would look nicer if they were gone.

Wow, I feel like the only person who is ok with this theme...
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