New GrimQuest website

[straydogstrut]

Good morning, looking really good I have to say! I really like your colour choices and the site behaves a lot better on my iPod Touch

Only thing I would point out is that the links open in new windows taking me away from the main site. I would suggest having them open in the same window and keeping a consistent navigation so that I can move to other parts of the site. You don't want to give people any reason to leave your site. If you want the images to pop up like that there are lightbox plugins you can get to do that.

I'm not sure how this would work with the new layout, but I haven't had my coffee yet so i'm still half asleep

[Construed]

Thanks bud I took care of that.

[Eric]

I've seen you go through four or five different iterations of this website, all completely different, since your first post. I worry that if you keep taking advice from everyone wholesale, your site will suffer from a "too many cooks" situation, and there will be nothing left of yourself in the site.

This is not to discount Darth's design, but instead of replicating it almost verbatim, as you've done, I'd look more closely at the reasons he's (I'm assuming 'he' here -- correct me if I'm wrong!) made the design choices he has. He says some key things that you could use to guide your own design process:

actual content of the site... is almost off the bottom of the screen

in a way that doesn't force them to either wait or click

most important thing is still providing the content in the most easy and convenient (user friendly) way

As you are more familiar with the needs and the content of your site than Darth, I'd advise to take these considerations to heart, and work them through your own scratch-built design. I think we're tempted to advise you on end-stages issues (image resolution and format, logos, etc.), when you're still in the early stages of design (architecture, hierarchy, etc.), and this is apparent in the fact that much of the suggestions so far are no longer useful (like progZmax's only four or five messages back), as they apply to completely different iterations of the site that you've already jettisoned.

I still think you should start with a wireframe. Bring us a copy of that wireframe, with no content, and let us critique your arrangement of elements. Then, bring us design, and let us discuss that. Then, bring us content, and let us discuss that.

I feel comfortable saying all of this, because you obviously want to make the best site possible, and have been incredibly open to criticism and suggestion so far. I think tackling the site in phases, starting with a foundation, will get you the best possible outcome.

[Darth Mandarb]

Yeah my mock-up was extremely unfinished! 

It doesn't even have a proper navigation in place. 

I wasn't suggesting to use it exactly (though you're welcome to, of course) but more to take pointers from it (as Eric suggested).  It needs a lot of polish before I'd consider it really "useful" as it were.

[Construed]

Yes indeed,
I agree.
You know it was a lot harder to do that custom design than it was to slap a template in there which i suppose in turn speaks volumes of it's value as well.
I'm thinking at the moment its a nice base perhaps just lacking a top navigation menu and perhaps changes in the text/content sizes? I'm probably going to do all new screenshots for it and I was thinking of making little buttons for each menu item like this for multiplayer:

[Construed]

Well, I'm pretty much done with it for the most part.
You can check it out at:
www.GQuest.tk or www.GrimQuest.tk
Comments and suggestions welcomed

Thanks-
Jared

[Eric]

Two quick things:

Change the title of the page (right now it's GQ.zip) for better SEO.

I'd resize the animated gif by the logo frame by frame with...I think 'nearest neighbor' is the best? That will retain the pixelized look better than letting the browser handle image resizing.

[Construed]

Thanks bud, I agree.
Unfortunately I have to wait on GrimQuest.tk to expire because I didnt use my account to register it and its locked without that, making editing the title impossible but thats why I made the GQuest for now, atleast until i can afford a real domain.
And yea, I should certainly do that with the image.

Thanks

[Tabata]

You made a lot of efforts and changed a lot. 
Looking back to the start there are worlds between those versions.
Very much better now - well done!

I want to recommend a little overwork on the nice animation. It's the only one atm and also in the headline. Therefore it is very present and represents the quality of your work somehow. It is a nice one, but it seems to me that one of the layers isn't correct in shape and color.
The text underneath the second screen from the projekt feature about multiplayer "lost" format (and I don't understand why you still use jpg).

Still to say: You are on the right track!
Go on like this!
     

[Icey]

I think it's look good. But what happened to the slide presentation thingy? I think if your gonna put that back again you should talk about 3-5 of the biggest things in the game besides the multiplayer. Like maybe new items?