PCSX2 Site - Design Changes, Ideas, WIP!

[CKemu]

This thread exists for multiple reasons:

• To keep you, our users and fans informed.
  
• To get critical feedback.
  
• To motivate myself and Falcon4ever to actually do this!
  

What is this thread?

This thread will be used to show you WIP design material, which will eventually be turned into functional coded web pages, replacing the current and rather well worn in design.

The aim is to not only involve you on a certain level regarding critique and ideas, but to also help me spot glaring issues.

Note that at all times, this material is WIP, draft, incomplete and not a finished product! Gaps, and random garbage I put in these images, are not perminent.

Why do we need a new site?!

A fair question, the current one works fairly well!

The aim is firstly to add more functionality to the site, make it more interactive as we have a growing "community".

The sites forums do not mesh well with the current design, therefore I wish to create some general "unity" between site and forum.

The current site is rather garish, simple and needs to comply with more modern standards, whilst it worked on our limited server resources back in the day, it could certainly do with a coat of paint!

To make SVN compiles, and downloads more accessible!

To allow you the user more interaction with the development team and add to the site!

Haven't you tried this before?

Yeah, you will note the dates on the text represent when I first looked into re-designing the site, I now have a month of free time, as does Falcon4ever, so well here;s hoping we get it done this time!

First up, the new "idents":

[Image: 01.png]
[Image: 02.png]
[Image: 03.png]

Logo, vague concept source and possibly a way of uniting "PCSX Team" projects under a single "idea" logo.

The Pages sofar:

[Image: PCSX2_Site_03-01-News.png]
[Image: PCSX2_Site_03-02-01-Media-Screenshots.png]
[Image: PCSX2_Site_03-02-02-Media-Videos.png]
[Image: PCSX2_Site_03-02-03-Media-Wallpapers.png]
[Image: PCSX2_Site_03-02-04-Media-Design.png]
[Image: PCSX2_Site_03-04-Compatibility.png]

[Squall Leonhart]

make the CMS fast, and im all for it

[CKemu]

CMS will be Falc's area, with some input from me, though I am sure we will have it as speed and sexy as possible!

Below is a just done, but not complete downloads prototype page. Pretty familiar to the current design, however the builds and various packages are now clusted together, rather than having multiple entries for one release.

In summary: Easier for user navigation, neater and gives a new on site feature, the ability to download prior releases.

[Image: PCSX2_Site_03-05--01-Downloads-Release.png]

[CKemu]

The beta downloads page, but yes its midnight gone, and I have only had 3 hours sleep, thus it is beddy time for me, and hey, who knows, I might wake up to see some feedback

[Image: PCSX2_Site_03-05--02-Downloads-beta.png]

[kickstand]

Something that would be really neat and I have seen it on the dolphin site is offer the latest pcsx2 svn compiles for download as they are available. I'm not sure what all it would take to make it happen but it's great and would be a very nice feature to have on the site. There are benefits such as: people that can't compile the latest svn can still access it and will be able to report bugs from the current version instead of the latest beta release which could greatly speed up development. They also have an archive that has older svn releases for download.

Example

I agree that the forum doesn't mesh well with the site. I rarely even visit the site anymore since it's just as easy to go straight to the forum. Maybe if you had a link on the main site page that opened the forum directly into a new window it'd be better?

[rama]

We'll think about nightlies but no, they won't benefit the user reports at all.
Actually they would cause a lot of confusion about what glitch started happening at what revision,
people recommending rev 44xx but not 44xy, things will get fixed but forum searches will still say it's broken, etc etc.

CKemu: Can you send me some of the herbs you had before writing up those release notes? ;p

[avih]

Looks cool to me! Good job on the design.

One thing that I noticed is that it took too much attention from me to understand what page am I looking at. I.e., the "tabs" visibility (Video/Downloads/etc). If that could look more like an actual tab, or just be plain more visible and clear, I think it would be better.

And re: herbs, yeh, I'm in too

[Saiki]

rotfl on 0.9.8 description. keep the laughs comin

donno if the skin thing is real or not, but it makes for an interesting concept, tailor-made PCSX2 for everyone

[Falcon4ever]

bookmark.

[CKemu]

The guides page, prototype, oh god Bositman is going to rain fury and hate upon me if I don't get this right!

[Image: PCSX2_Site_03-06-Guide.png]