The new RWA site update impressions.....

[GSkid]

Just wanted to make a thread for feedback and impressions on the new look and format of the RWA site. Feel free to chime in!

Overall I'm really liking it, I really like in the download section where the picture for the download is really blown up big to easily see it when you click the "More Details" button. My only problem with the download section is I wish sounds was a separate category.

I love the big picture slide show on the main page.

My biggest problem with the update is simply a matter of personal taste. I think the big American flag banner behind the site's title is a bit overkill. I immediately thought I had accidentally clicked on an American political website for a moment. A mix of the American flag and some railroad or Railworks pics in the title banner would be better IMHO. Definitely gonna have to get used to it.

Otherwise I love the new site! Great job guys!

[buzz456]

Railworks AMERICA, do you get it?

[PapaXpress]

?

[NDORFN]

I got a new icon in my Favourites menu so I'm stoked! Love it.

[GSkid]

Railworks AMERICA, do you get it?

Oh I totally get it. But it's too much American flag for me. But I usually go straight to the forums quickly, so I guess I can live with it. Like I said... it's a personal taste issue and nothing technically wrong with it at all, The old site look had more homely charm and this site looks more professional or business like. That's not a dig at the look of the old site at all. It's just the best way to describe the differences between the two. Overall I like the new site better.

[artimrj]

If we end up with enough sounds, a new category can be easily made, for now I have seperated what used to be rolling stock into 3 sections, engines, rolling stock and accessories. Sounds are accessories as they are added to an engine or something. So if it isn't and engine or a piece of rolling stock, it is an accessory.

[roinuj]

Excellent site rebranding and a great execution of the Joomla system. Looks great. I like the format of the download library.

Great job.

[Griphos]

Yeah, it's a lot of flag. Nothing against the flag, but having it as the icon for various blog entries as well is a lot. I would prefer railroad images myself. Railworks is the point, after all.

[GSkid]

Yeah, it's a lot of flag. Nothing against the flag, but having it as the icon for various blog entries as well is a lot. I would prefer railroad images myself. Railworks is the point, after all.

Well I received a nasty PM from someone over this flag issue that was simply a matter of personal taste for me. I was called an idiot and my patriotism was basically questioned. So to head off anybody else from doing the same, I'll just quote my response to him.....

I love the flag too but there is such thing as too much. Just like if someone insisted on wearing american flag shirts, pants, underwear,socks, hats, earrings, belts, shoes.... not to mention a house painted the American flag, inside and out, the car painted the American flag.....etc etc...

Like I said..... there is such thing as too much flag.

I said political cuz the websites that use the flag ALOT are political ones like the democrats and republicans. It's red white and blue all over them along with the flag every chance they can to use it.

It's like your favorite meal on earth.... you might love it, but you wouldn't want it as your only meal 3 times a day, 365 days a year now would you? There is such thing as too much of a good thing.

I didn't say I didn't like the flag, I said I personally didn't want so much of it in the banner. I would have liked a better mix of things in it.

It's an aesthetics issue and has NOTHING to do with the FUNCTION of the website. If artimrj chooses to change it... ok. If he doesn't? I can live with that too. But please folks.... no nasty PMs to me. I love my country and the flag to clarify things. I don't have to drape everything I own in the flag to prove my patriotism.

The website is great otherwise and it's a testament to artimrj's hard work that the banner was one of the only things I could come up with to find personal fault with. Thank you very much artimrj!! You've got nothing to be ashamed of! Maybe I'll just call you Captain America from now on!

[NDORFN]

From an outsiders perspective, I'll admit the flag thing seems kind of over the top. I guess it's like if you were to explain what the site was about in order of importance through that picture, you'd be saying "1: It's Amercan!!!, 2: It's about TS2 2013, 3: It's a community", instead of what I personally perceive this site to be "1: It's a community, 2: It's about TS 2013, 3: Based around American prototypes". That's just my personal opinion.

I do love how Americans are so patriotic though. It's unfortunately something that New Zealand lacks in it's culture.

[Marleyman]

My Observations: I like the new site. I would like it more if the download section either displayed more than five downloads on the page at a time or gave me the option of how many downloads I want displayed. As the section grows there is a certain number of clicks I am willing to do in order to just browse the downloads before I get bored and miss out on some excellent download.

The fonts and placing of text is very good, I can see and understand everything I need to on the front page and this carries forward to the sub pages. The Header and The sub menus are good too. Pop up time is good and again spacing and font is great. I like that the banner is also a 'home page' link. Clever, simple use of the banner. One suggestion for the RCAP menu item, I had no idea what this acronym was, perhaps have RCAP as the menu and on the sub menu have the full text or Community Asset Project just to give new visitors a heads up. On the other hand, curiosity killed the cat...
I am also fussy about the Payware Advertisers description. Professional Modellers, or Builders, or Third Party developers sounds better to me. The word 'advert' and the chance that there are adverts, not useful content, sounds like a poor presentation or representation of the third parties that section champions. Also, when in that section I think I would like to see one thumbnail for each developer, even if it is just their logo or a signature asset.

In time I may be inclined to think that the Latest News box would be better if it were expanded instead of having scroll icons, or perhaps running across the page and scrolling like a 'ticker tape'. I may need to wait for more News to see how that works. I just don't think I notice it first, where it is, partly because it is 'up there on the right' and not moving so does not catch my attention.

The cover images are good insofar as they are quick and do not spoil my load times. Perhaps they need to be brought in line with the text boxes below as the border spills over to the right hand boxes and looks unbalanced. The page balance may look better if the image box is the same width as the text box below it or, the full width of the page, thus I get to see the Latest News box moved. :)

I don't think you need the time stamp box. And the tag cloud box is no more than a distraction, if you must have it please consider moving it to the bottom of the page and let the robots and search engines feast on it down there.

I like the 'most popular files' and I like the headers in the main text box. Especially how they are not expanded and then just expand enough to give the highlights of their content and provide a more button if I want to browse off the main page.

The footer has a link to railworksamerica, that seems a bit narcissistic, perhaps it is a work in progress. In fact, I am not sure links to any other site on the Home Page is good practice at all. You have a links section, that should be enough for anyone that wants to wander off reservation. I am also not sure we need to know how the weather is in Beaver, PA. I do not have a suggestion for content on the footer but I am sure 'joomla' has plenty bells and whistles and perhaps a good two tone horn too!

My overall impression of the site is that it is a very pleasing site to browse and a welcome update. Like any site I am sure it will evolve and change over time, very nice work so far.
PS. If that banner has not changed since the mention of 'The Flag' in previous posts, I think it does not need to change beyond darkening the font or adding a shadow to make it stand out more. Otherwise, the banner looks good to me.

[Samwolf]

Looks Good.

Just will take a little "getting used to"

[PolyesterMafia]

Very Nice!

Love the flag. It wouldn't hurt my feelings if the entire site background image was Old Glory waving in the wind!

[bloodonfire3]

My .02? Very nice...a much better improvement over the old site. The thing is, technologies change, therefore, we need to keep up. Good work, love the flag...let's move on to more relevant topics, like who's gonna build critters! (I'm learning Blender at the moment, so anything is possible!)

[thecanadianrail]

I like the new style of the website. much better scrolling screenshots on the home page (maybe one day we could have a competition to get "our" screenies on the front page?) Although there are 2 things that I would have done differently imho and these things are 1. there is too much white everywhere, I would have had this changed at least to another color that doesn't blind me when I open up the page at 5am 2. it would have been nice for the little weather thing at the bottom of the page to be set for the viewer kinda like how the time is? (ie if its sunny where you are show it for you but if its raining where I am show that its raining here for me if ya know what I mean)

all in all I do like it!



(as far as I can tell is that there is only 1 US flag on the front page so I don't see what the big deal is? it would be different If it was used everywhere....but imho I would have 1/2 the flag solid color on the left and the other half fading into a very nice screenshot from RW of a loco or something?)