Talk:Main Page
Contents
Some stuff
1) The link to the developement blog is outdated, it is now included on the main page. 2) I maintain the arch linux package so we could set its description to (semi-)official to let people know that they can give feedback on IRC and forums. 3) The Links section could be organized in a table like the Contributing section. — Viech 14:17, 10 November 2012
- I've fixed the first and second issues. As for the third, I've categorized them, but really I think the entire front page needs a redesign. I'm thinking of arranging everything into tables kind of like how Wikipedia does it, but where each table cell would contain information pertinent to a discipline or user group, e.g., "Players", "Artists", "Programmers", "Translators", "Server Admins", etc. Also, please sign your posts with
—~~~~. :) —Velociostrich 17:49, 24 February 2013 (CST)
Updating release information
If you would like to update information about the latest release such as the date and version number and all that jazz, do not do so by editing any content page directly: all of that information is stored in the Current template. Like the main page, you must be an administrator to edit it. It should be pretty self explanatory; just edit it like you would any other page. — Velociostrich 17:19, 2 March 2013 (CST)
New front page
The old front page had a number of advantages:
- You could access almost any page within one click
- We looked like a very mature wiki
- Project intro for new-comers
It also had some problems:
- Maintainability
- Changes of various pages around the wiki required us to change the headings and links on the front. (double-editing)
- No-one has front-page permissions other than the admins (to avoid defacing)
- The most edited page on the wiki is the front-page.
- Choosing what to go on the front was a constant trade-off:
- Too much or too little description for links
- "Have I just broken the table and div model?" after every change
- Organisation
- Hard to find what you are after
- Categorised by roles (Coder, artist, etc). Roles overlap! Artists and normal players were discouraged from even reading the links in the 'Programmers' section.
- What pages should be linked on the front? Who uses what? When is it useful?
I think this new design is a much better idea:
- Front page (rarely changed, except for the gallery)
- 6 category pages (constantly changed, links to all other pages)
Front-page categories
The category boxes on the front page are floating so they work at all screen resolutions. If we need to add or remove categories it's a cinch (and we don't ruin the formatting of the whole page). Backend-wise the code is much cleaner: just a set of CSS'ed divs.
Each box has a description of what that category is about, but not links to it's exact contents. That way we don't have to change links on the front-page (double-editing) all the time to keep up with other changes in the wiki.
Anyone can edit the category pages. It will be 1000% better if we can keep it this way, we'll have to see.
Purposes of the wiki
If we recruit new modellers etc we can still send them somewhere relevant: the Making & Modding page (which also has the artist guidelines linked). It's also much more attractive for people to contribute to: they don't think the wiki is as complex nor messy. I'm constantly being asked by people if it's OK to edit the wiki or add a page, and most of all "where should I put it?". This should be self-documenting, not centrally controlled by me.
There is no point having the intro to the game on the wiki. Yes it was well written, but the main site does a better job in three different places:
IMHO the wiki is just a place to share information. When there are better ways than using the wiki, we should use those instead: eg we don't use the wiki as a pastebin, there is many of them usable outside there. The main site is prettier and more controllable 'intro to the project' that is also the first thing people see when they google us. It's rare to end up on the wiki before the rest of the site, and if someone does there are links in the sidebar.
Why I've decided to roll this change in
I think this is the best way for everyone to try it and and give fair feedback:
- Long-termers are not going to like change. "The old one wasn't broken" and "I knew where everything was" etc (I'm talking about you! :D)
- If I just ask for comments for a separate page, I won't ever get a definitive 'yes' or 'no'
- If everyone is subjected to the new design (we can always go back) for a week or so, their opinions will be more thorough and balanced.
I honestly think this new page is in both the interests of you and the project. All discussion is encouraged, and since it's a new design flaws are likely to crop-up.
Remove the images from the bottom
The images at the bottom of the page felt like adverts / didn't look nice when I first had scrolled down a bit.
I don't see that they are helping in any way ?
P.S. I'd be happy to get edit rights for this protected page, or alternatively, have protection removed (since I guess its not so busy anymore? Don't know if there are issues with botspam perhaps though... ).
