My screen resolution is at 1400x900. Has been since I bought this computer over two years ago. And I STILL have to scroll sideways to see the entire page, with this new layout. I'm sorry, but the pages themselves are just too big. I think it would help a lot if the entire left side, the box containing your active pet and the friend alert thingy, was just gone. I haven't come across anyone yet who has said how useful those two things are. Probably because they...aren't, really. I noticed that occasionally your active pet will say things to you, but it doesn't happen often enough, nor is that amusing enough, for me to want to keep it there. And if I really want to check on my pet, well, that's what QuickRef is for. None of my "Neofriends" have been on the site in months, years even, and I'm not expecting them back anytime soon since most of them got tired of the game long before this revamp. So I don't need that whatzit, either. So let's have that space back, yes?
Also, the ads at the top of the page frequently have sloppy coding that shows up on the page, though to be fair, that was a common problem before the site was revamped. I only mention it now because the coding really messes up the navigation along the top; it didn't so much before. And I don't know about you all, but I go to my inventory via that link in the top right pretty frequently.
The main page needs to be simplified. Some of those things they've crammed into boxes could have their own page somewhere, like the most recent items and the polls. Those are for people who have an account and are actually playing the game; I don't think they'd have much meaning to anyone who isn't playing, who just maybe heard the name of the site in passing and decided to swing by to see what it was about. So why are they up there, competing for attention with the actual news and the information for people new to the site? It's visual overkill. The main page should clearly say, "This is who we are. Here's a link for those of you just getting started. Here's a link to our news. And here's a link for our players to log in." (Maybe a link to the Neocam and another to their store too.) It should not say, "BLEEARAHGSFNoisyflamperskiggle" or some other confusing, meaningless thing.
The rest of the revamp...now that I've calmed down and regained my bearings about the site, I can probably live with it. I'll probably still prefer the old version, but the new one's...okay. Passable. Doable. Most of my pets, though they were altered without my consent (*grumble*), I could live with as well - they either turned out slightly better or slightly worse than before. The ones I was scared about the most, my Faerie Peophin and Darigan Blumaroo, didn't get converted. (And they won't be, ever, if I can help it. Because I paid over 1 million NP for a sneaky, devilish little imp who can and will eat your soul. Not some quasi-evil pudgy thing with Lee Press-On Claws. And the customizable Faerie Peophin just doesn't have the elegance and flow of the previous version.)
So, I guess what I'm saying with all that is...while I don't like most of the changes so far, I guess I'll just wait and see more before making a final judgement. TNT's already stated that they're not finished with all the pages. Like many others, I'm also disappointed that such a radical change was done without asking for any feedback from the players. If they had, I imagine it would have saved a lot of time and work, and spared a lot of grief. Not to mention it would have been a lot more considerate.
One final thought and I'll shut up for the night - it bothers me that the pets are smaller now, except when actually customizing them. Visually, that sends me the message that they aren't as important. That bothers me because the pets are the main reason I play, AND (I thought) they were the main focus of the site. This isn't Neogames or Neoguilds or even Neoplots. As fun as those things are, the pets and the related art is what's kept me coming back. And if the pets aren't important anymore...well, it feels like weakening the cornerstone on a building, y'know? It makes the rest of it unstable.
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