Web page

[a_man201]

Now when do you think you will fix the web page about the seven cabals since it says Mystics is still a cabal??? only a question

[GodOfWar]

Mystics still IS a cabal. It's just been disbanded by the gods until such a time as they see fit to appoint a new leader.

[edit]
You know what gets the webpages updated faster??

VOTING!!
[/edit]

[Louis]

Mystics is a defunct cabal, so no its not one of AR's cabals. the IMPs could introduce a billion new cabals, cranking one out every few minutes of building time if they wanted.

the web page will be updated when the person in charge of the webpage has the time to update the webpage, and when it has somewhat of a priority on the long list of things to do.. including the interesting and very numerous ideas that compose this list: http://abandonedrealms.wolfpaw.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=656 ... and more. that, along with enforcing game rules and managing/overseeing each of the cabals we have now (their members and their policies) spread this person's resources thin.

no other quick solutions exist because there isn't a team of trusted Implementors at this time. Imms do the enforcing, Imps to the changing and deciding. If you check "wizlist" in the game, you'll see 5 IMPs. Of those 5, 2 are active in AR's day to day function. therefore, it is perfectly fine for a common player to ask for a website update because they would like the Mud to be accurately depicted by its official website, but this player should now realize AR's finite human resources.

[theobserver]

True but when all these changes are imp'ed, a nice new web page could be in order to better highlight them and advertise the mud. Any immortal or player can make a web page and give it to the said over worked imps.

[Davairus]

Are you volunteering?

[GodOfWar]

I'll volunteer for simple stuff. I don't really have the time for anything drastic like a complete makeover of the site, but if stuff needs to be updated, like the mystics thing, or a little something here or there could be added or changed or whatever, I'll volunteer some of the free time I have every now and then to throw in an update. I'd actually welcome the occasional diversion from work.
If you really want the help, send me a list or a note, or whatever, or I can give you my email, and let me know where to send the updated pages for you to take a look at before they get uploaded.

[Quiet Wanderer]

As an add on to GodOfWars post, I manage and own a small time web design company with some friends i've just gotten into playing AR. I you could e-mail me perhaps the source codes or files on the Website and such so I can have something to go off of I would be more than happy to do update, re-make, and such for AR's website. I'm on regularly except for exam schedules and it wouldn't be that hard for me to dump an hour or so every once and a while into the site. I just mainly need either the existing code, or what format you prefer to wrok with (frames, XTML, tables, etc.) I'll be slowing weening off the internet for about a week or two on the start of school (planned, but doubted), so I might be slowed up there at first, but i'm happy to work with you guys if you wish. Mainly before I start I'd just need to have current site pages, or access to the helpfiles and such so I can pop them into the sit while working. Send me an e-mail if I can help.

[Davairus]

Uh.. how about php? a typical page is something like this..

<? include('bleh.php'); ?/>
/*-------------------
| main content goes here |
------------------*/
<? include('blehtwo.php'); ?/>

That's about all the php code on the page .. rest you can view source, and you can also view source at those pages to see what they're about. Redesigning the site should basically be as easy as redoing those php includes.. and maybe some odd changes to the stylesheet. If its left at that then the rest of the webpage will fix by itself. I'd like to get rid of the menu on the right, cos its kind of redundant, although I suppose its ok for the voting link.. but other than that I don't see much point screwing with the format a lot, aside of images.

[theobserver]

[Davairus]

Haha, I actually dreamt the current design. But I could never reproduce the cool font I had imagined up. miller tried to get it but it didnt work out. We're using a photoshopped 'Abandoned Realms' I threw together from some fantasy movie's lettering. Van Helsing I think.

If you guys are capable of something lavish for a welcome page, let me know. I was thinking of doing something like a big toothy tombstone with names on it that light up.. or maybe skull with the sockets (eyes nose and teeth) linking.. well an interactive image of some type to be more general about it. i.e. I wanted to create a site that has to be "explored" and combed for information, not the typical list of links / clicks. A game in itself. Easter eggs to be found, etc.

edit

easter eggs like this page:

http://abandonedrealms.wolfpaw.net/evil.php

[theobserver]

Torkalens secret to pawsome web page graphics:

http://www.davegh.com/

The guy is an professional 3d fanasty game texture artist who fell out with his manager so made his work available on the internet for non-commerical uses.

Although they are designed for gaming use, they can just as easily be slimmed down / altered in paint shop pro and used on an web page. My design for a AR web page would be based around this image:
http://server2.davegh.com/blade2/011202/cap015.jpg
because it is so damn striking.

If you declare that to be an image map and load differnt sections in a differnt colour when the user moves his mouse over, you have what you describe above.

[Davairus]

Figures you'd pick something with horns, this goat loving thing is going way too far.

[GodOfWar]

[Louis]

I can make you some cool ass images, especially if they are text-based.

"A picture of a cool ass paladin is placed here."

I use dreamweaver and macromedia software over frontpage for basic web designing. i think our current website is informative, versatile, stable, powerful, smooth, cool, and totally sweet... just needs a few updates here and there and everywhere to include more old Theran Mystiques, updated timeline, updated helpfiles, and store for AR apparel.

[GodOfWar]

I agree. The current website really is great and definately informative. And stability is key to any good website.
But updates are definately needed. Theran Mystiques would definately be a good thing to add, the timeline is still being worked on(perhaps people could throw in a bit more input on that as well[a duty that should probably manditorily fall on all our Herald cabal members]), a page where all the helpfiles are included and categorized would be a Great addition to the site and I can already see it being used frequently, and if anyone's got the artistic skill to come up with some good shirt designs, I don't think that's such a bad idea, though I don't really forsee t-shirts and what not being big sellers at this point, especially considering the overhead(it really all depends on the creativity and skill of the artist[s]).
Ask Dav for his input on the images and once you have that you can get about to doing whatever it is you do to make them happen. Don't think we're going to be going much in the way of text based images though. I think the focus was more on something a bit more impressive. Layered jpegs and animated gifs were more my understanding. Quiet Wanderer has offered his coding skills which I think will be very helpful for the more interactive picture of the site.
What we can do is find a place to host our project so we can all input and see what we're working on in one spot. Maybe Dav can set aside a little part of the web server for us to upload our project pages, images, and all that other good shiznit.
I currently don't have the software available to me to do anything on the artistic side, so we're going to need someone that can draw and has photoshop or something similar. That, or we can plaigerize someone elses artwork and tweak it into something our own, which is not exactly something I agree with.
If anyone's got the artistic capabilities, that's really all we need for Dav to get the creative ball rolling. That's something that's fairly complex though and will take a while to fully design and implement.
In the meantime, it's more than easy enough to do a simple update or an small addition in the way of images, helpfile page, or player photo page.
Keep the ideas coming in and while we can start out small with the current site, a future reworking is a definate possibility.

[Louis]

few suggestions:

* no animated gifs, they are pretty cheesy unless they are just used as buttons.

* no flash or shockwave or other bandwith intensive stuff because more website bandwith means less mud bandwith, if they should be on the same host.

* site idea: navigate through a town as you navigate through links. for example, the bar can be a link to the forum. or, click a query on the JUSTICE cabal and the barsmaid "tells you ..." all the information he/she has about the cabal in a text box.

* encorporation/gallery of AR player fan art, as long as its below a certain size.

i would've volunteered for AR art if i was still in high school or college, but do you know how much time it takes to make one good picture? i'd rather make, practice, and rank my next project, a noyell hardcore gnome thief herald.

[GodOfWar]

I really like the navigation idea, and it's actually along pretty much the same lines as Dav's clickable skull.
Here's the thing about creating something like that on both sides. All the linked areas will need to be planned out and laid out beforehand. For someone to create the images needed, they need to know what needs to be displayed in order to create a visual representation of lets say Seringale that will incorporate all those areas. Also, if you want to click on something like a tavern in order to display the different cabals, an interior of the tavern needs to be made with different sections, or charachters representing the different cabals.
All in all I think it's an excellent idea and it will be easy enough to get started on the layout. The artwork is a completely different story. We still really haven't heard much from anyone saying they have the artistic capabilities of doing something like that, though there are probably certain software packages on the net somewhere that someone could download for easy room or area creation.
Player/fan art is definately a good idea. Anything too big can always be resized and this would also be a good spot for player essays/stories and whatever. I think this would be a much better spot for in-game player stories than notes because they're just a pain in the ass to read in game in my opinion. Especially when you have to scroll all the way through(the long ones) and then back to take that look over your shoulder every now and then.

[Louis]

if you want a place to put up player written essays and player written stories to share ooc (not herald work), then all you need is two separate boards on this forum devoted to that with autodelete turned off. of course, you'll always find the person who posts an idea in the stories forum or a flame in the essay forum, much to davairus's insanity.

interiors of areas don't need to be 3d lookin areas, just titled as some store or whatever and a background image or whatever. what's wrong with lavish text images?

seems like dav knows a bit of that fancy php stuff. you'll have to figure out a way to encorporate his updated forum thread links on your new website should you be working on one.

also, the question arises about ownership and permissions. should a player make or help in making an AR website without being an AR IMM, how much, if any, permission should he have in maintaining the site?

[Burzuk]

[GodOfWar]