The New ZU

I posted some comments on the main site but wanted to elaborate - I'm shocked a thread like this hasn't already been started.

I like the new look a lot. I'm a fan of dark-background/light-text, but you went for something different and for the most part succeeded. The blue/red combo is really sharp - I'm replaying the Wind Waker so blue and red is Zelda to me. I like the new site logo, hate the ads, think the game icons are a little weird but not bad.

I suggest finding some way to rope off the adspace like you did before - keep it separate from the content. Having the affiliates sections on the other side of the column ad looks a little strange.

Good job, Lars.

I like the new look a lot. I'm a fan of dark-background/light-text, but you went for something different and for the most part succeeded. The blue/red combo is really sharp - I'm replaying the Wind Waker so blue and red is Zelda to me. I like the new site logo, hate the ads, think the game icons are a little weird but not bad.

That's weird, I'm replaying it too

As for the affiliates section on the right. If you go to the games section for instance, you'll see that the inner column is used for section specific navigation. Clever eh?

All sections don't have section specific navigation though.

And I'm also surprised it took this long for this thread to pop up!

Holy ****.

That's a huge change.

To be honest, I preferred the old style. Only because of the dark color, though. I like the new banner and design, just too white. Heh.

My $0.02

The new style is ok, but i gotta say i preffered the old one my loads. This one I will probably get adjusted to though, i preferr things dark though, and the light isnt doing anything good for me. Meh good job anyway i supose.

I would have to say that i enjoyed the old site much better. It brought more of a mysterious essence to the whole Zelda series, a thing I liked very much. I do think the old layout could have been spruced up a bit, but the new layout in my opinion went too far...It hurts my eyes to read and the whole feel of the site to me now is that Zelda is some happy little game in which you help little animals(not REALLY what I imagine, but you get the point). It also makes me have a feel of a site such as Gamefaqs or IGN, in which it not only tells about Zelda but countless other games...I do not feel a strong Zelda feeling as I did with the old one...Just speaking my mind though, nothing I can do about it.

Don't worry, you're allowed to speak your mind, I just prefer that you use somewhat constructive feedback, like you did, rather than the more traditional Zelda Fan way "OMG U SUXX I HEIT U IM NEVER COMMING BAKK!"

and

"HEY Im BAKK! U SUCX!! IM LEAVIN NOW!!"

I don't exactly appreciate the change. LOZ kind of always had that "kind-of-dark" feeling to it, and now, for the lack of a better term, the ZU website looks like one of those web sites you get when you type in the wrong adress.

lol...ok...Well is there anyway that we could change the layout of the site on our own computer for me...like if I wanted the old one I could go to options and pick the old one..but if another guy liked this one he could choose the new one?

Originally Posted by Master Wolf

I don't exactly appreciate the change. LOZ kind of always had that "kind-of-dark" feeling to it, and now, for the lack of a better term, the ZU website looks like one of those web sites you get when you type in the wrong adress.

That's what it looked like!!! Now i remember...It looks like when you misspell a URL and that website that tells you it doesnt exist pops up...

Meh...it looks boring. That is all I have to say. It's boring. Too much white, the logo looks stupid(sorry Lars, don't kill me)and it just doesn't feel like Zelda Universe. Why did you change it anyway? I would have killed to have been the creator of the older ZU!

I love it. It looks really professional. The ads can be a bit annoying though, but it breaks things up a bit, which is good.

Good job lars!

I would have killed to have been the creator of the older ZU!

Me too! Thankfully I didn't have too, though And why the change? Because I thought it was time for it. We've had basically the same design for over two years, and without change we'd simply be standing still. Plus I also had to change it either way, because I needed to incorporate the bigger ad sizes, to cover the growing server bills.

Well, it's not really the layout I don't like, it's all the white. Maybe you could change the background to royal blue or something?

I think the layout would be fine if it was darker, however this is just mine and Hab's opinion, its just you go onto it and it blinds you. I find it annoying to read stuff on it aswell, the ads don't bother me and like you said you gotta have them to cover the growing server bills, so i ain't bothered about them. But the white does spoil it i think.

Originally Posted by Lars

Me too! Thankfully I didn't have too, though And why the change? Because I thought it was time for it. We've had basically the same design for over two years, and without change we'd simply be standing still. Plus I also had to change it either way, because I needed to incorporate the bigger ad sizes, to cover the growing server bills.

I completely agree that if you did not change the look, it would come off as looking "stale and outdated".

Changing is progress, and as far as the aesthetical value of the site is concerned, it's all in the eye of the beholder. I think it's very clean and sharp looking. I only have one slight thing that bugs me. The info graphics for all the individual games are lackluster in my eyes. I rather prefer the other ones.

Ah well. I don't mind the ads, because lets face it, it's a part of daily internet life. You learn to deal with them... and click on them if you want to support ZU ~_^

Lars, I'm finished with the stuff. I IMed you a few times yesterday, but you didn't reply.

Originally Posted by Sadida

I completely agree that if you did not change the look, it would come off as looking "stale and outdated".

Changing is progress, and as far as the aesthetical value of the site is concerned, it's all in the eye of the beholder. I think it's very clean and sharp looking. I only have one slight thing that bugs me. The info graphics for all the individual games are lackluster in my eyes. I rather prefer the other ones.

See Sadida, that's why I like you - You're smart That's exactly why I felt the need for a change, I just couldn't put it into words as well as you did!

And yes, you caught me on the game intro pages - I threw it together in half an hour this morning. I'm gonna try and get it upgraded as soon as I can, but they'll do for now while I finish the skins for the Image Gallery and the Forums.

Radek: Yes I saw, I was asleep, and when I woke up you were offline. I'll try to catch you later tonight.

"Is this a webhosting site or a Zelda site?

This reminds me more of hostrocket.com than a Zelda site. Can't say I'm particularly fond of this at the moment Lars, this reaks more of "CLICK THE ADS, THE ADS, THE ADS" than "this is a nice Zelda fan community" =/

Still you seem to have high hopes for it, though I wouldn't put people not liking this down to not liking change. I mean it's rather crude just to write everyone off who doesn't like your layout as Cultural Pessimists.

Like I said this looks like a commerical webhosting site now more than anything. It's a nice modern, sterile layout - I'll give you that. But does it anchor the feeling and themes of the Zelda series that it's supposed to represent - no it doesn't.

And there's my evaluative commentary for you. Take it or leave it."

There's the comment I left you. Now to further elaborate on this. The style is too modern for the type of site your trying to make. Zelda is in a traditional medieval-esque environment. Now if Link suddeny jumped into the 21st Century and became some script kiddy using his e-sword to destroy the adware in the Hyrule.02.Network then I could understand the style. But as such the aesthetics of the site do not suite Zelda at all.

Even then the composition of the adverts needs to be thought about more, a wonderful banner ad leads straight into that square ad which leads into the google ad which leads the viewers eye directly to the copyright notice and out of the page, thus meaning that nothing in between (on the basis of composition) so much as gets looked at.

For a Megaman site or whatever, the aesthetics would suite to a T. For Zelda, no. Now the site just looks like generic web-hosting/elitist gaming site using a generic sterile/modern pre-made web-template.

And now I see anyone who doesn't like it is unintelligent, nice way of looking at this Lars ;P

Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's a bad layout. I just don't think it's fitting for the type of site your trying to apply it too.