So as you can see we are kind of back. Many things are not fully completed and I'm sure we will be fixing things for the next couple of weeks so please bear with us.
The process was a 3 day long code fest and as we suspected it was still not enough time to roll out everything we wanted. As you can see when you browse some of the pages, things may look out of whack especially if using Internet Explore (damn you IE!). We suggest using Fire Fox as much as possible till I have some time to work out the kinks. As for the features, lets take a look.
New UI
As you can see the look has completely changed. We wanted to give the home page more focus on our community and what is going on around our little site. First we added the flash features. This will basically scroll though the biggest stories, features, or announcements on our site. That way people who just want to get the important stuff can go there. Below that we still have our kick ass new sections. You'll find all the best gaming news straight from the members you game with.
On the right side we decided to add an area for other tib bits of 2old2play. For starters we put in a media section for our 2old2type podcast. The links update as new podcasts roll out and all you have to do is click on the show you want and it will download. In that same box we will be adding a latest video block as well. This will function much like the podcast area only it will update with all our latest videos. As you can see there is little else going on in this area for now. We plan on rolling out more blocks for 2old2play Magazine, 2old2play Gaming Schedule, Latest Games Traded, and maybe even the occansional ad.
The main Navigation has also drastically changed. When we first built the site it was only meant to hold 100+ people. As we added more and more features, the navigation got REALLY long and people missed out on a lot of the stuff we came up with. This time we decided to make it a little more readable and divided it up into easy to digest areas. You have Content which is all the stuff 2o2p provides our community. Community, which is obviously all the stuff you guys can use to talk and interact with one another. Xbox Zone, is all the features that we are currently working on to make a better Xbox Live experience (still very in beta).
More nav will most likely be added or moved around as we continue with the relaunch so look for the changes.
New Features
Well, there really wasn't the time to roll out all the new features that we wanted, but we did manage to add a few.
1) User Box: Now each time you log in, you will have a user box just above the main navigation of the site. This will contain all the links to the functions available to any member. Your Blog, Gamer Profile, Account, and even soon your videos. We thought this was the best possible way to connect you with all your functions on any page you browse to.
2) Community Bar: The community bar located in the header of the site is meant to showcase our blogs to everyone that visits. We want more people to see how kick ass it is to be 2old2play. Each time you write a blog entry you are feature in the community bar.
3) Wide Screen Forums: We struggled with this idea for a very long time, but in the end we think it is a welcome addition. Members will now benefit from a full view forum with much larger fonts and area for sigs. The old forum was just to darn small and since its the main stay of our site, we wanted it to be the main focus. We know that you lose the left navigation, but you will still be able to navigate the site with the addition of our top nav which feature all the main points of the 2old2play web site. You can also click on the logo to take you back to the home page.
4) Game Trader: The game trader is a place to Buy, Sell, and Trade your video games. Still very much in beta, the game trader will allow our members to post ads for gaming equipment they are selling, trading, or looking for. We hope that as things are tested, this feature will grow into something very useful for our community.
Whats Gone?
Some things had to be taken out to make way for future advancements with the site. As you can see, one of those things is themes. At this time, we want people to use the new UI and get used to everything before we ad more themes to the site. We are also awaiting the release of our Senior Citizen Card (yes its coming and yes I know its been decades) which will work directly with things like themes, game trading, downloading, points, etc..
End
In all I think we did a pretty good job and I hope you all like it. Im sure Im missing a ton of updates and features, but you'll just have to find them as you browse. Remember, the site is really only about %80 done so you will have to stand some issue for a while. Let me know what you all think. Thanks and happy birthday to 2old2play.com
- doodi
New UI
As you can see the look has completely changed. We wanted to give the home page more focus on our community and what is going on around our little site. First we added the flash features. This will basically scroll though the biggest stories, features, or announcements on our site. That way people who just want to get the important stuff can go there. Below that we still have our kick ass new sections. You'll find all the best gaming news straight from the members you game with.
On the right side we decided to add an area for other tib bits of 2old2play. For starters we put in a media section for our 2old2type podcast. The links update as new podcasts roll out and all you have to do is click on the show you want and it will download. In that same box we will be adding a latest video block as well. This will function much like the podcast area only it will update with all our latest videos. As you can see there is little else going on in this area for now. We plan on rolling out more blocks for 2old2play Magazine, 2old2play Gaming Schedule, Latest Games Traded, and maybe even the occansional ad.
The main Navigation has also drastically changed. When we first built the site it was only meant to hold 100+ people. As we added more and more features, the navigation got REALLY long and people missed out on a lot of the stuff we came up with. This time we decided to make it a little more readable and divided it up into easy to digest areas. You have Content which is all the stuff 2o2p provides our community. Community, which is obviously all the stuff you guys can use to talk and interact with one another. Xbox Zone, is all the features that we are currently working on to make a better Xbox Live experience (still very in beta).
More nav will most likely be added or moved around as we continue with the relaunch so look for the changes.
New Features
Well, there really wasn't the time to roll out all the new features that we wanted, but we did manage to add a few.
1) User Box: Now each time you log in, you will have a user box just above the main navigation of the site. This will contain all the links to the functions available to any member. Your Blog, Gamer Profile, Account, and even soon your videos. We thought this was the best possible way to connect you with all your functions on any page you browse to.
2) Community Bar: The community bar located in the header of the site is meant to showcase our blogs to everyone that visits. We want more people to see how kick ass it is to be 2old2play. Each time you write a blog entry you are feature in the community bar.
3) Wide Screen Forums: We struggled with this idea for a very long time, but in the end we think it is a welcome addition. Members will now benefit from a full view forum with much larger fonts and area for sigs. The old forum was just to darn small and since its the main stay of our site, we wanted it to be the main focus. We know that you lose the left navigation, but you will still be able to navigate the site with the addition of our top nav which feature all the main points of the 2old2play web site. You can also click on the logo to take you back to the home page.
4) Game Trader: The game trader is a place to Buy, Sell, and Trade your video games. Still very much in beta, the game trader will allow our members to post ads for gaming equipment they are selling, trading, or looking for. We hope that as things are tested, this feature will grow into something very useful for our community.
Whats Gone?
Some things had to be taken out to make way for future advancements with the site. As you can see, one of those things is themes. At this time, we want people to use the new UI and get used to everything before we ad more themes to the site. We are also awaiting the release of our Senior Citizen Card (yes its coming and yes I know its been decades) which will work directly with things like themes, game trading, downloading, points, etc..
End
In all I think we did a pretty good job and I hope you all like it. Im sure Im missing a ton of updates and features, but you'll just have to find them as you browse. Remember, the site is really only about %80 done so you will have to stand some issue for a while. Let me know what you all think. Thanks and happy birthday to 2old2play.com
- doodi
