Yellow Bar beta test results/comments.
Mon Oct 18, 2004 2:36 am
Beta tester entries are now closed unless further notice is made by Adam or Snarkie.
Please do not ask to have the beta added to your account, as it will clog the topic and your post will be deleted.
Okay, to make things easier, post your comments on it here. That way, all the comments/suggestions/whatever will be in one place and easy to find.
Please try to keep discussion to a minimum to reduce clutter. Thanks!
My suggestions so far:
- Put the user/pet/np info above the search bar.
- Shops button should be above the Neomail button. (IMO... I think the shops button gets used a lot more than the neomail button)
- The headers at the top look out of place and strange now. My suggestion would be to put them where the new big banner is. (I don't mind the big banner, but from an aesthetic point of view...I dunno, it just doesn't go right)
- The gaps in the upper part of the yellow bar (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v237/ ... lowbar.jpg) do not show up for me. This might be a resolution problem that could possibly be resolved by allowing people to put in their resolution. (Unless you can find a way to make it work for all resolutions with one graphic)
(taken from okamotosan18's screenshot on the next page)
EDIT: It turns out that the blank space glitch does occur on my pc as well.
Please do not ask to have the beta added to your account, as it will clog the topic and your post will be deleted.
Matt wrote:
Any further posts asking to beta testing will be deleted and action will be taken.
Okay, to make things easier, post your comments on it here. That way, all the comments/suggestions/whatever will be in one place and easy to find.
Please try to keep discussion to a minimum to reduce clutter. Thanks!
My suggestions so far:
- Put the user/pet/np info above the search bar.
- Shops button should be above the Neomail button. (IMO... I think the shops button gets used a lot more than the neomail button)
- The headers at the top look out of place and strange now. My suggestion would be to put them where the new big banner is. (I don't mind the big banner, but from an aesthetic point of view...I dunno, it just doesn't go right)
- The gaps in the upper part of the yellow bar (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v237/ ... lowbar.jpg) do not show up for me. This might be a resolution problem that could possibly be resolved by allowing people to put in their resolution. (Unless you can find a way to make it work for all resolutions with one graphic)
(taken from okamotosan18's screenshot on the next page)
EDIT: It turns out that the blank space glitch does occur on my pc as well.
Last edited by _B4U_ on Mon Oct 18, 2004 9:03 pm, edited 9 times in total.
Mon Oct 18, 2004 2:40 am
I'm quite sure Go! Go! Go! isn't supposed to look like this, even though I haven't played it in quite awhile. I just put the link because it'll stretch the page.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v371/Amdir_Mallorn/GoGoGo.gif
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v371/Amdir_Mallorn/GoGoGo.gif
Mon Oct 18, 2004 2:40 am
Posted this in the main topic but it will most likely get lost...
You definitely have to scroll down a lot more, which is a huge giant pain. For example, when playing neoquest 2, usually my characters health bars show at the bottom of the page during a fight, I like this as it helps me keep track of who I need to heal. Now I can only see to half way down their potions list, so I'll have to scroll every time I want to check.
The advert bar is distracting. Really distracting and when I'm tired its going to give me a huge headache. The ads are very well done, but isnt there some way you could only have the animated ones on say the pet central and main neopets page, and on the rest have static advert images that only change when you refresh the page? If we have to have this giant top bar and adverts it would be nicer if it didnt also make my brain bleed.
I mean in general I stay off sites with top bar advertising, I use Gmail not yahoo because the banner ads on yahoo are a pain and distract me from reading my mail. I don't understand why you would put it in unless you absolutely had to.
You definitely have to scroll down a lot more, which is a huge giant pain. For example, when playing neoquest 2, usually my characters health bars show at the bottom of the page during a fight, I like this as it helps me keep track of who I need to heal. Now I can only see to half way down their potions list, so I'll have to scroll every time I want to check.
The advert bar is distracting. Really distracting and when I'm tired its going to give me a huge headache. The ads are very well done, but isnt there some way you could only have the animated ones on say the pet central and main neopets page, and on the rest have static advert images that only change when you refresh the page? If we have to have this giant top bar and adverts it would be nicer if it didnt also make my brain bleed.
I mean in general I stay off sites with top bar advertising, I use Gmail not yahoo because the banner ads on yahoo are a pain and distract me from reading my mail. I don't understand why you would put it in unless you absolutely had to.
Mon Oct 18, 2004 2:43 am
I like it. But I'll answer a question that seems to be popping up a lot that Adam already answered: It will be impossible to have a real-time clock.
Mon Oct 18, 2004 2:44 am
.Just as a reminder, you still need to code the buttons in the other languages. I'm sure you're working on it, I just wanted to make sure.. ^_^
Mon Oct 18, 2004 2:46 am
I would like to be guaranteed that the top banner will not go to outside sponsors
Mon Oct 18, 2004 2:47 am
I wouldn't like the new bar if it makes me have to scroll down more. Couldn't the ads be put underneath or something?
Mon Oct 18, 2004 2:48 am
Problems
In Safari 1.0.3 for Mac OSX, the side bar buttons don't show up. However they appear when I move my mouse over them.
Suggestions
The giant ad is really too much (there's already one on the side!). If you could replace the ad with the top banner that usually appears there, I think that would be better. Or maybe, on top, you could have username, pets, items, neopoints. That'd be cool!
I will edit if I find other problems.
In Safari 1.0.3 for Mac OSX, the side bar buttons don't show up. However they appear when I move my mouse over them.
Suggestions
The giant ad is really too much (there's already one on the side!). If you could replace the ad with the top banner that usually appears there, I think that would be better. Or maybe, on top, you could have username, pets, items, neopoints. That'd be cool!
I will edit if I find other problems.
Mon Oct 18, 2004 2:50 am
I don't have this yet ... but I've now seen a ss of what a lookup with a top banner looks like. The Neo topbanner is, in my opinion, huge, looks very distracting. And to be honest? I do have a disability - if that's going to be on the top of every page as large as it is with stuff moving, flashing, blinking, I may not be able to continue on the site. I'm sure I'm not the only person with problems or a slow computer or a low resolution, small monitor --- whatever.
This is small, I know ... but this is what a now "normal" banner looks like with that new Neo topbanner. Yes, that yellow and the red large type is the ad covering more than have the custom banner (which is 80 high by 450 wide) The sidebar? Wonderful, change away. Yes, it will be a pain for many of us to have to redo our sidebars, but that's alot more "doable" than trying to work around this big, annoying topbanner.
This is small, I know ... but this is what a now "normal" banner looks like with that new Neo topbanner. Yes, that yellow and the red large type is the ad covering more than have the custom banner (which is 80 high by 450 wide) The sidebar? Wonderful, change away. Yes, it will be a pain for many of us to have to redo our sidebars, but that's alot more "doable" than trying to work around this big, annoying topbanner.
Last edited by everconfused on Mon Oct 18, 2004 2:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
Mon Oct 18, 2004 2:50 am
I just got it and nop, I DON'T really like it 
Here're a few reasons why:
1. It takes FAR too long to load on my 56k connection. Most of the time I see nothing but white on my screen. I have to wait for an extra 7 second for it to load
It's a pain if you're trying to play neoquestII 
2.The top banner ad is TOO big and unnecessary.Waiting for the New event pic to load is a pain, but it's great that you can see what's going on by hovering over the button. That's change I can get used to.
3. EDITED, since I now know it's not possible.
4. User and pet information should be higher up, before the ad if possible. Otherwise just take out the ad on the side all together. There's already a gi-normous one on the top :/
5. It would be great if you can do 2 versions of the sidebar, one for low-bandwith users like me and one for others on broad band or faster.
EDIT: oops, wasn't suppose to bold everything :p
Here're a few reasons why:
1. It takes FAR too long to load on my 56k connection. Most of the time I see nothing but white on my screen. I have to wait for an extra 7 second for it to load
It's a pain if you're trying to play neoquestII
2.The top banner ad is TOO big and unnecessary.Waiting for the New event pic to load is a pain, but it's great that you can see what's going on by hovering over the button. That's change I can get used to.
3. EDITED, since I now know it's not possible.
4. User and pet information should be higher up, before the ad if possible. Otherwise just take out the ad on the side all together. There's already a gi-normous one on the top :/
5. It would be great if you can do 2 versions of the sidebar, one for low-bandwith users like me and one for others on broad band or faster.
EDIT: oops, wasn't suppose to bold everything :p
Last edited by Mokona on Mon Oct 18, 2004 3:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
Mon Oct 18, 2004 2:57 am
mercurius wrote:Problems
In Safari 1.0.3 for Mac OSX, the side bar buttons don't show up. However they appear when I move my mouse over them.
You mean I'm not alone in this world?
The side bar buttons don't work on any browser that I have in Mac OSX, including Safari, Internet Explorer, and Mozilla. Quite annoying, if you ask me.
Mon Oct 18, 2004 2:57 am
everconfused wrote:I don't have this yet ... but I've now seen a ss of what a lookup with a top banner looks like. The Neo topbanner is, in my opinion, huge, looks very distracting. And to be honest? I do have a disability - if that's going to be on the top of every page as large as it is with stuff moving, flashing, blinking, I may not be able to continue on the site. I'm sure I'm not the only person with problems or a slow computer or a low resolution, small monitor --- whatever.
This is small, I know ... but this is what a now "normal" banner looks like with that new Neo topbanner. Yes, that yellow and the red large type is the ad covering more than have the custom banner (which is 80 high by 450 wide) The sidebar? Wonderful, change away. Yes, it will be a pain for many of us to have to redo our sidebars, but that's alot more "doable" than trying to work around this big, annoying topbanner.
You know, as you said that, I thought about the same thing.
It's not at all handicapped complient to either partially blind or ADD. I'm the president of a student organization here at BGSU called Undergraduates Against Disability Discrimination. We just had a seminar on making websites disability complient...I'll see if I can dig up the link again....
Mon Oct 18, 2004 2:58 am
I'm on dial-up, and it doesn't take any extra time to load, so maybe it's just your computer or something?
Mon Oct 18, 2004 3:02 am
Gawd, homestead goes down so much now it's not even funny.
I still get broken images on the sidebar until I scroll over them all. I had a screenie of it, but homestead is down right now and I can't afford to waste anymore bandwidth for this month with photobucket. -.-
Since the images are broken, it's annoying to know what is what since the text under the side bars follow the old side bar layout.
EDIT: I'm using Mozilla, BTW.
I still get broken images on the sidebar until I scroll over them all. I had a screenie of it, but homestead is down right now and I can't afford to waste anymore bandwidth for this month with photobucket. -.-
Since the images are broken, it's annoying to know what is what since the text under the side bars follow the old side bar layout.
EDIT: I'm using Mozilla, BTW.
Last edited by Armi on Mon Oct 18, 2004 3:08 am, edited 1 time in total.
Mon Oct 18, 2004 3:03 am
Adam, I have another concern about the top banner flash ads for dial-up users and those who have older computers. With 2 flash ads going at the same time, the one on the side and the top banner, I'm afraid this will further slow down games. I have an older computer and always make sure that all programs are terminated and extra web pages closed before I play a Flash game. With 2 flash ads, won't this just slow older computers down more?? I am an avid game player, and I'm really afraid that dual Flash advertisements going at the same time I'm playing a Flash game will nullify my score and place me at risk for being frozen...
Another thing I've noticed is that all the graphics for the links on the sidebar beneath Pet Central don't load for me when I go to a new page. I have to pass my mouse over them for them to show... I'm using Netscape 7.0, btw.
Please, please, please consider offering both a low-bandwidth version and a high-bandwidth version. The low-bandwidth version would contain HTML ads, which would aid not only dial-up users with slow connections, but also those of us who must rely on older computers with slower CPUs.
Another thing I've noticed is that all the graphics for the links on the sidebar beneath Pet Central don't load for me when I go to a new page. I have to pass my mouse over them for them to show... I'm using Netscape 7.0, btw.
Please, please, please consider offering both a low-bandwidth version and a high-bandwidth version. The low-bandwidth version would contain HTML ads, which would aid not only dial-up users with slow connections, but also those of us who must rely on older computers with slower CPUs.