where, because ive been on rpol for about 10 years and didnt see strudel the last year and a half about changes

also, I wanted so bad to report your first stupid reply (which was just a laugh) and if they felt any change was neccessary it should have been to make this stupid site more user friendly instead of less... like with a report button.
This message was last edited by admin, as it was against the ToU, at 16:12, Wed 27 Dec 2023.

I think you'd have to be active in the Development forum, which says at the top not to hang out there if you don't like changes. I'm just glad they put a general notice at the top of the site for a week, even if the changeover ate the new theme I'd made on the responsive side.

In reply to Shinoskay (msg # 11):

There is really no need to be this aggressive towards anyone here... people are allowed to laugh, you don't know what they laughed about (whether about the situation or at you or your post) and just because you didn't see the posted disclaimer that was literally at the top of the front page it doesn't mean it wasn't communicated.

The admins are literally doing this for free. Maintaining and running this website out of the goodness of their heart. With the occasional donation from equally good-hearted people to keep it running.

If you don't like it... that is unfortunate. However, if you think you can do it better for no money... then go and do it better.

The first I heard about this was a month ago, long past too late to make any recommendations or bring up any structural issues.  Sure, I recall talk about a mobile site, or something similar, years ago but that has been going on for years with nary a peep as to what was planned and never anything about an actual imminent change until November.  SO I would disagree with your characterization.

I get that anything new will have good and bad, things people like and dislike, and there is always resistance to something new.  However, having grown up when coding HTML was a thing, site designers seem to long ago have forgot the golden rules of site design.  The first of which is the value of real estate.  What shows up on your screen when you open a site is Prime and shouldn't be wasted.  One of the best things about the original site was being able to see everything on one screen (especially on PC).  That is now gone and I need to scroll to see everything.  And having mouse-overs to get basic information and flip back and forth if I want to compare is a pain.  In the end, whatever, I'll figure it out, but even after using it for a month, I find it a much less pleasurable experience.

Being dismissive toward people who had no say in this and are now experiencing a lot of issues isn't really helpful nor does it make the changes seem less problematic.

 I Like the old site... everyone knows that.. I bragged  about it  to folsk on other  sites( which made some  folks on other sites  mad..who cares?)

 when we were first told  about the  Responsive site, I was worried..what would i lose?  would my players  be able to come to the new  site..would  i?

 The big thing , when i switched over..I was crestfallen. the site looked like some of the screen the  lesser site have....BUT... i started  to mess around with preferences  Got  color  on my pages, I'm getting sued to where the tools  are..mIt will take me  another week or so before i can  be as quick here  as the old site.

 One thing  i will  say?.. I played Mass effect  through the years (alot)..Played  Fall out games,  played Madden games..and a couple other   games  that   had  sequels

 almost every  new release. The  developers  changed something...Dialouge  wheels, equipment  choices, loads you carry, travel ect ect ect. we all go used to them. we'll get used to thinks here.

 I had the people in my games  switch over on the 20th, so  we could talk abut changes..  I think, maybe..half? of  mu people where on the responsive  site and didn't know it! So..yeah? we'll be good.

In reply to shinanai (msg # 13):

wtf? screw that noise. you are mental if you think a post thats JUST laughing, not even an lol or a short hahahah but instead a LONG drawn out laugh is acceptable and some how not mockish or aggressive. Go away.

thats another thing, they give us crap ui but I still cant block people. What its so stupid and this is why rpol is basically populated by the same 30 people and you see one or two guys posting the same games... taking up half the players wanted list... and so many people jumped ship from this place years ago.

just because you dont like what im saying about the UI doesnt mean you can come at me like im an idiot or like im the ass hole. No.

@donsr thats great but I already looked in preference and there are almost no options, that was the first thing I did.
the change was sudden and its unintuitive.

 Howdy, Shino.. well.. I don't know  what you mean. I am not a very high tech guy. some of my players  post great pics..I  only know how to use links..so..I guess i'm basic.

  do i miss the old site. Yep. but this is growing on me, i have  what i want thus  far, if something  comes up, I'll be in the forums  and some one will have an answer.

  folks  just need to change perspective. Any brand new  folks coming in, will be seeing this site for the first time, and learn the ins  and outs. Those of us  who have been  with this site ( and I have been for  a long while ).,just got to  leave the  'old site' behind. I mean? I have all the old threads. I have  my lists ..right now. its all about 'the look' and the preferences.

 If  i can  get into this 'new'  site, everyone else should have   a lot less   problems integrating, because  i am tech-struggling  type of guy.

Excuse me for the question, but what does "ui" stand for?

I guess it means the new presentation of the board, but I don't know its exact meaning (English is not my native language).

Perhaps donsr, but whether youve managed or not doesnt change that its not intuitive.

Lluis, UI is user interface.

Thanks

Neither was the old one, tbh, I learned where everything was over years of using it and still couldn't find some things and had to ask or check the help section. And honestly, a lot of things that people describe as "intuitive" actually isn't, but it's simply something they learned how to use over time. I found my Samsung Galaxy UI intuitive... my husband found Apple mobile OS intuitive. When I switched from Samsung to my now iPhone, it was anything BUT intuitive. I had to ask him about how to do most things... including how to take screenshots. It doesn't mean that iOS is trash... it's just different, but ultimately both have similar functions, just differently executed. It's not a perfect analogy, but hey... just trying to give some perspective.

 yep... My daughter Got Me  an Iphone a few years ago, for her  Youngest daughter to  zoom with me. I had Andriods  up 'till then. it took me  a while, I still have some issues, I have to ask one of  my granddaughters  who live  with their Dad  and me.. " hey..show me how to do this"

 They roll thier  eyes..the middle  one will make fun, But i always thrown out the old chestnut "..hey?   we had to  teach  you to eat and go to the bath room!".. they get embarrassed and   shut up!

 In the end..Like it or  dislike it  we'll all get used to it. I mentioned  about another site i'm on for 1 game..i have been asked to joined others, and asked to run some..but no way in hell... For me? that site is horrendous. For me, its hard to navigate  , I hate the posting..the color thing, the dice roller is  terrible. and god forbid you need to   edit a post!... PMs  have  a limit( unless you pay to play there, then the limit is higher)... I have a direct link to my game.. and that's all i use..and only since i been in the game  since  the   early 90s...they had to move to their new  site, because the other  one crashed every 5 minutes.

 all the  way back since  AOL chatroom games, this is by far, the best site i've ever been on..and why its  easy for  me to shrug off  some of the stumbling blocks.

Can we keep it civilised?  I'd like to have an open discussion about what's "wrong" but open hostility is going to get the thread locked and then nobody wins.

Firstly there's been discussion on the development forum for years and though I grant it went stale for a long time there was ample opportunity for everyone to provide feedback and give ideas.  Either the initial threads or the last two months.  If you didn't contribute then that's your right but claiming there was not any opportunity to is disingenuous.

Not everyone reads that forum which is also fair enough, which is why there's been a notice in the main menu for years.  Again it's been updated three times in the last two months to grab attention plus I posted on the announcements forum which is forced into everyone's list when a post is made.  So again claiming there was no notification is clearly not true.

Oh, there was also a poll.

As to the topic at hand, happy for constructive feedback but there's very little of that here.  Saying it's awful gives zero insight into what the underlying issues are and just adds noise; overall it's a disservice to the site, other members and (if you do have something of value to add) to yourself.

Reasons for the change are well documented in the development forum and also the announcement that some have clearly ignored or failed to read.  As mentioned many times we were far outside all typography recommendations and using ancient layout techniques.  Though I realise many were used to seeing everything on one page in a tiny font... it's actually slower reading as well a causing fatigue and eye strain.  Not only that but search engines actively punish websites that are not created with modern techniques and have a mobile friendly version.

So with that all said, how can the new site be improved?

The 'old site' had a banner at the top for over 18 months suggesting people try the new site. I moved almost as soon as I joined.
And from 6 months ago there was more than sufficient info from the mods that the site would move.
I assume that those complaining of 'no warnings' only bothered to read their game threads and ignored all the new posts in both the General RPol, RPol Development, and Technical Discussions threads.

yep  Larson.. we  were warned..the banner  was there. some mentions in the forums. Me? I was staying on the oldsite as long as i was able. Then sent  my people  to the   new site.

 it really isn't a big deal.  Had i lost all my   htreads. yeah.. that would have been bad to lose the  ship loads of Posts  my games have..but they are there, i can check them for  names and  events  as the games  go one. so.. out of  my comfort zone, but it will become the  'new" comfort'

Yeah. I was definitely warned, I just didn't like it (but I knew that simply announcing my desire to stick with the old would be futile due to the desire for a mobile-friendly site, even at the expense of the Glorious PC Master Race PC users).

My main issues are:

1: The old DarkGreen background didn't migrate over to the new site - it's just a black background (and since it's a wallpaper, there's no customizing it back in).
2: The thread details section of the fora is in way too small font - it takes seriously looking in to notice how many replies are in a thread, when that used to be instantly noticeable.

In reply to Larson Gates (msg # 24):

Heh, yes, and I was whining to get the banner with a button to hide it because I grew tired of seeing it every time I checked in! (Thanks BTW)

Sorry it feels like you woke up to a surprise, but it's been a very long time coming.

Lots just need this thread to vent, so hopefully we keep civil. If not for a herd of 400 cattle running over my old phone a year ago, forcing me to finally upgrade from 2008 technology, I'd still be upset with the change too, which I voiced in the dev forum years ago after the survey. Time marches on and so does tech.

In reply to shinanai (msg # 21):

I wont neccessarily disagree but the UI was at least simple and condensed. you could see everything and it was clear how to navigate.
You had to figure it out a little but it was basically a kid handed a table with holes and given some shapes kinda challenge, maybe you didnt have instructions but a little bit of pattern recognition got you through it.

this one is just obtuse. The list format makes it so you actually have to navigate for a game. The only improvement I see so far is that it makes it more clear how many new posts there are in a game... but honestly thats kind of a useless feature.

the banner wasnt obvious, or whatever they did to alert us the last week. I mean, strawberry flan man, most of us were doing christmas stuff.

And while I cant speak for everyone, I myself only venture beyond players wanted for the gm wanted thread..... and only go beyond that in situations like this were im asking what the hell.
This message was last edited by admin, as it was against the ToU, at 23:45, Wed 27 Dec 2023.

::chuckles::   I can see that Shino..when i got on here, I was taking care of  my Late  wife  and   working  all day as a letter carrier. I would never check more then the  'players  wanted".. after My wife  passed  would look for games, and  it seemed every week one  would fold up, or GMs ghosted us.

 so?.. I started GMing...a year or so after , I made my own system to use..and  then, I did look at all the  thr4eads that were highlighted.. in case folks  had questions  i could answer, or I could ask.

so? Bottom line.. everyone uses these sites  different.. you might reach out  or not, depending on your needs  and  skill level....again? folks will adjust, i can't see  any others   that are better... i tries to get the folks who  run the game on the other site to come here..for some reason, they swear by that other site..me?  I swear at it!

 I alos don't belong there.. they have a  tiered system there.. if you are a supporter..you get  perks, you get to vote for things ..if you are like me..  I'm just a plyer that helpes the game keep running..

 RPOL..i donate , once  or twice  a year, because i like it..and i know what i can afford.. there is  no 'calls' thing.. for those  who  donate, and those who do not.

anyway.. a bit off track.. But hang in there Shino..you'll be  fine.

Issue #1 you can definitely fix if you go into the Preferences section (on the righthand side, on the main home screen) and select the 'custom theme' link on the upper righthand side under your 'Settings'. That will allow you to custom-color basically everything as you wish. It can take some time to fiddle with, but it's pretty easy (if long!) and you will most likely find something that you like even better than the basic old themes - I know I did.

#2 you -might- be able to adjust by tweaking the 'maximum page width' option (it's one of the settings in the custom theme selections) to be wider than default. I'm not sure if that will make the font any larger, but I too struggle with tiny text and I've not noticed the thread details being difficult to read (although I do have my page width set MUCH higher than default, which is why I suspect maybe that will make a difference.)

Hope that helps!

I guess as I’m getting older I feel less easy with changes, but that’s my problem, not board’s. So  I will wait until I played for a time to really opine, as I will probably (I hope) adapt to it, and only when I have, I will be able to make my opinion.

OTOH, I want to congratulate the staff as I see no major issues with the change. In other boards I’m user such changes have given issues as broken links, broken quotes, and so.


I agree with this, though, as not only the number of posts is difficult to find and read, but also the GM’s name or the system used. I guess I will get used to it with time, but the size of the letter is too small (or my sight is getting worse with age)

It doesn't. The background for Dark Green was not a solid color, so the new format can't replicate it.
This message was last edited by the user at 22:37, Wed 27 Dec 2023.

Try "page background image:"

I sincerely apologize for offending you @Shinoskay.

When I read your OP, I honestly thought you were joking, and it was hilarious, so I laughed long and hard.

When your follow up post made clear you were serious, I recalibrated and tried to offer a straightforward response. From where I sit, the transition to the new site has been THE topic of conversation on here for months, not just in the Development threads, but in all five games that I've been playing in. It did not occur to me that someone who's the least bit active on the site could possibly be unaware.

Clearly I was mistaken. So I ask your forgiveness, and I wish you the best for the New Year.

@1492: Thanks for that follow-up post and apology. I thought the original post on this thread by @shinoskay was in jest as well and was just a vent about the new site. The Responsive site has been a point of discussion (and contention) in all my campaigns for at least a month - since the notice on the main page warned us the changeover was coming. I did not like the change initially but am getting used to it since switching over to the new interface several weeks ago - before we had no choice. Thanks, Jase, for all of the work involved.