[Project Complete] $370 MMO Guides/Strategies Website

[kzap]

(Admin code added by Palmer - 4V4526115)

Update: Added EPS logos

Company name: Skryer
Company profile: A community based site providing guides, hints, tips, strategies, faqs and more for Massively Multiplayer Online Games (Everquest 2, World of Warcraft, Guild Wars etc)
Domain name: www.skryer.com
What is the scope of this project?: New Site Design
Who is the intended audience?: Gamers aged 16-40, Male&Female
Mood or tone?: Professional looking, stylish, not edgy,
Color psychology?: Light colors (white/grey), that fit the logo, not heavy on graphics.
Any dynamic elements?: VBulletin
Who are your main competitors?: http://www.multiplayerstrategies.com/
http://www.tault.com/
http://www.gameguidesonline.com/
What resources can you provide?: Logo - attached
Websites you like:
http://www.multiplayerstrategies.com/
http://www.ige.com/
http://eq2players.station.sony.com/en/classes/playguide.vm?classId=11
Deadline: 2 Weeks from now - June 8, 2005
Output: 2 PSD/HTML Template (1 frontpage, 1 for forums) OR Vbulletin template if knowledgable.

Ok this will be for a Massively Multiplayer Online gaming guides/strategies/faq site called "Skryer". It will be using the vBulletin forum software (http://www.vbulletin.com/), but the last thing I want is it to look like vBulletin. There is already a Logo for it, done here at DesignOutpost also, it is attached, pick any version of it which best suits the design.

For the frontpage I want there to be an area at the top of the thread display to look like http://www.multiplayerstrategies.com/ms/index.cfm?page=index_main or http://www.ige.com/ where in it lists the various games available with images next to each game. I would want instead of custom icons, a image border that would hold an image of each game. No need for big logo area, just keep it simple. Then for the left menu and the content boxes/areas I dont want the edges too boxy looking, some stylish but simple, dont use too much gradient. All pages should have a left menu, no need for right menu. Last but not least I want it to look professional and not like a typical gaming site or like a typical Vbulletin forum.

Oh and for the output it doesnt need to be a VBulletin template, a HTML template will do, but if your familiar with VBulletin, by all means :)

[will]

Sorry to bother you, but is that the final version of the logo or just a draft ?

[kzap]

final.

[will]

Great, I will start working on my idea :D

[will]

Just one more question: Do you expect elements of those games included in the design or prefer something completely original ? This question is related to the identity you are trying to create.

[kzap]

Something original as these games have lots of different genres and are constantly changing, so 1 design that would cater to all would be best. :)

[kzap]

Anyone else entering? :)

[Mark]

I will be entering :)

[kzap]

Thank you Mark, I will gladly looking forward to your entry :) :) :)

[pod]

Hi
I will try to make my entry a soon as possible..

Thx

[kzap]

Thank you pod :) Will look forward to it :)

[Luc]

Kzap, are you looking 1 page html template and a vbulletin template too?

[kzap]

just a design actually so a PSD would be fine, HTML is very easy but if you can do it in a VBulletin Template for the final that would be best as it would lessen my work.

[Aliska]

Hello.
Do you have logo in PSD file? Could you upload it here?

[Aliska]

Hello
Here's not a finished idea. Just want to show you and ask - am I moving in the right direction? ;)
http://oxygenworks.net/Designer/games.jpg

[kzap]

Thank you for being the first to submit an entry,
Yes your on the right track :)

I would prefer if all menus links were not graphics and instead text on top of images, also I am heavily into SEO so I would not prefer DHTML menus, since google sometimes finds it hard to follow js links, though if its regular HTML (viewable in nonjs browsers) with some Javascript its ok.
Also I dont like the gradients on the menus so much, as for the header image which seems to be Warcraft, I would prefer if it were generic.

[Aliska]

Hello
Check http://oxygenworks.net/Designer/games1.jpg
All menu links will be text or java script.
I will think how I can change the header and upload tomorrow another header idea.

[kzap]

Thank you :)
Oh btw I am still seeing if there is a PSD file of the logo, I only have eps, ai, tif, and jpg.
Now onto the design, Its looking rather boxy, while you do have a good format for the layout and positioning of objects, the graphics look quite common. As for the featured games graphics, I dont want whole graphics from each game, I want it to be a box for each game, then at the top of the box theres a like a header image which is like a clip where I can stick any image from any game in it to make the header for that game, then below it are a list of say top 10 guides for that game. I'm not so sure also about the sword/snake, but overall it has good placement of its objects.

[Aliska]

How about the idea?
http://oxygenworks.net/Designer/Game2.jpg

[Aliska]

And could you upload eps or ai file for your logo?

[will]

Hi, sorry for the delay but it took me a lot to build this design. It was a great experience. For background I tell you that I love mmorpg, rpg, medieval strategy games but above all, warcraft, world of warcraft, sacred and lineage 1. I have lots of games of this kinds and I played all of them. I like to be part of some forums like wc3campaigns and sacred in spanish (since I am from argentina). With that in mind I brainstormed about what kind of site would I like to visit from time to time beyond the ones I already do. I don't like the unproduced sites, they lose the feeling of the games so I created this idea I call "Dragon Slayers". Everything in this creation is original and was made from scratch with exception of the orc (wow) and the dark elf (lineage 2). The background is really a mix of something I found in the web remastered and rebuilt to give the feeling I wanted it to be. I wanted the dragon wings to be red because it's a strong and powerfull color. But there is no need to talk more, check my designs below. The first version is really a reduced version because the site was made for 1024x768 since all the gamers use that resolution as the minimum. The second image is the real size of the design. Sorry for the watermarks but if you decide my design is not what you are looking for I wanted to keep the graphics intact and original for the next customer :D

[kzap]

Wow, you really did put a lot of work into the design, its very very nice.

Unfortunately its not what I'm looking for, I'm looking for something thats not heavy on graphics, light in colors, also it cant be stuck to any specific game/s, has to be generic to be able to provide for the numerous MMORPGs out there. This project would be for a guides/strategies forum, so people would come for the information, and big and intruding graphics would just get in their way. Also the design has a lot of resemblence to World of Warcraft. The design would probably best fit a gaming news site or a clan site. I know you put a lot of work into it and the dragon design is very very cool, though its not quite what I had in mind. Hope this doesnt discourage you. :(

[will]

Kzap, don't worry, as I told you the reward was that I felt pretty cool building this idea. I'll create later some concept for you site. Don't worry at all, I knew it wouldn't be the design you are looking for as soon as I finished it, just wanted to show it to you first. :D

[Mark]

Here's my entry as promised. :)

[kzap]

Thank you Mark for entering :)
I like the header part with the red line and how you positioned the logo, the menu could look better. as for the content area, ill show an example of how i would want it to look.
I put the skryer logo on each game image as an example as that would be the image holder
your 'Recent Topics' and 'Popular Topics' could be used for subpages to display the latest topics for each game so keep that, but for the main page I would want something like below.

[Mark]

Revised :)

[pod]

Hi ! Here is my idea for this project I try someting with clean and crisb look.I am looking forward your comments and questions.

Thanks

[kzap]

Mark - ok thats good, though instead of the right arrow, I liked pod's use of the Skryer 'eye' on the Featured Games. The menu looks better. Though each line of text under each featured game would be a link to a new forum post. and then the arrow would go to the page listing the latest and most popular topics like on your first design, except with a big image of that game instead of the 'featured games' area. Also still need an idea for that 'Image Holder' thing, I think it would do well if used in headers for each game and for images of each game on the frontpage, something like a watermark of Skryer but it would be like a border of the image.

That's pretty much all for the front page. Anyway all you need now is to apply that look to a VBulletin forum look like this: http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=1
I want it to look as much as possible NOT like VBulletin 3. :)

pod - Thank you for entering :) As you said your design is clean and crisp, though a little too clean for me. Also I see you took some time to come up with the logos for each game though I would prefer something like what Mark has done since its easier for me later on to put up new logos for new games. The menu for me is too plain and a bit hard to read the text on the menu. Overall it looks too plain being all white. Mark's design has a good balance between stylish and simple, you can take some inspiration from his :) I hope you still enter again :) Thank you.

[Mark]

Here's the changes. I'm not able to make the arrows the same as Pod's eyes because that would be considered copying other artist's ideas and is not allowed. Personally I think it looks better without eyes because there would be too many eyes on the page. If you would like to see something different than the arrows, please let me know.

Thanks

[kzap]

Hmm k, then the arrows are fine, the watermark doesnt really fit, it would look better as a type of border/mask.

Hmm it seems I didnt indicate in my first post that I would be needing 2 templates, 1 for the frontpage and one for the vbulletin forums, would that require extra fees?

[pod]

Hi Kzap

Thanks for your feedback :)

[pod]

[QUOTE=Mark]Here's the changes. I'm not able to make the arrows the same as Pod's eyes because that would be considered copying other artist's ideas and is not allowed.

Thanks Mark being sensible for this ! You are great designer and person .

[Mark]

Hmm it seems I didnt indicate in my first post that I would be needing 2 templates, 1 for the frontpage and one for the vbulletin forums, would that require extra fees?


No it would not, however we usually wait until you select a winner based on their home page design because the look should tie in anyway.

[Aliska]

Hello :)
Here's 1 more idea from me. Could you also make some comments on my last changes (message #19).

[kzap]

No it would not, however we usually wait until you select a winner based on their home page design because the look should tie in anyway.
ok then lets focus on the frontpage :)
Could you add the Recent Topics thing from your first design to the latest below the 'Other Games' section, and outside the 'Games' box. Also it looks sort of weird with that empty space all below the Home link, and last the watermark: it would look better as a type of border/mask. Thanks Mark! :)

[kzap]

Hello :)
Here's 1 more idea from me. Could you also make some comments on my last changes (message #19).
Sorry, missed that, I uploaded the EPS versions of the logo to the first post. Ok now for comments

#19 - Still dont like the header, by generic, I mean something that could related to all games, not necessarily meaning put all games in there, might not even need a header image.
The litle intro text with the sword is ok same with the members login, you've got it good on the Top 10 Guides area except its hard to fit in different game logos/images like that, especially for someone with little graphic knowledge, for future games use.

#34 - I like the left side of the design (menu/logo) much better on this one, header image - nope, better probably without unless you have a general mmorpg image idea. The section for each game is ok, good layout though I would probably be putting links to forum threads in there or something instead of descriptions, also it seems to take up a lot of space. The Grey/Black you use is good for the menu (Home/Affiliate Program etc) but doesnt fit well on the members area and game description boxes.

[Mark]

:)

[kzap]

Hmmm nice, though it looks sort of like a lego block, black border maybe?

[Mark]

:)

[kzap]

umm ok good :) i dont think I have any more comments
Maybe an example of how to add more menu options to the left menu, so i could create menu headers like 'choose your game' without using images, just text and css

[Aliska]

Hello
Changes at my designs. What do you think?

[kzap]

i'd prefer the 1st one (strategies-2.jpg) the best though i just cant get to liking the colors, would you still want to submit another revision? deadline is up so no new entries anymore ppl :)

[Aliska]

Sure, I will make changes and upload another version

[Aliska]

Some changes with the colours. What do you think?

[kzap]

I like strategies-33 the best. no further comments other than it feels heavy on graphics. not really as in large images but its a bit overwhelming :)

[kzap]

any more revisions or should i choose a winner already?

[kzap]

ok I assume I should choose a winner by now.
It basically came down to Aliska and Mark.

In the end I decided that Mark's design would best suit the website. Congrats Mark :)

Thank you Aliska for your numerous entries. Thank you also to Will and pod for entering also. :)

Now for the VBulletin version of the design, I assume this would be moved to the revisions forum?

[Aliska]

Congratulations, Mark :)

[Mark]

Thanks Aliska :)

kzap, do you want the left menu to remain with the forum to the right of it or do you want just the header and the forum to fill the whole page?

[kzap]

:D Hmm with menu I'd say

[pod]

Congrats Mark :tup:

[Mark]

Thanks pod. :)

Kzap, here's the forum layout for approval.
Thanks

:)

[kzap]

k, need some icons :)
- forum has new posts (red eye) - done
- forum has no new posts (grey eye) - done
- forum locked
- thread has new posts
- thread has no new posts
- thread is locked
- hot thread with new posts
- hot thread with no new posts
- thread with your post in it
- post reply
- new thread
- edit
- quote

tell me if im going a bit too far and i can add in extra to compensate :)

[kzap]

Files Received.
Thank You :)
Project Completed