New News Page Layout

This is just an experiment - I'm not sold on it. The idea is that bigger news items dropped out of sight pretty quickly with the old format, while this one allows more to be seen at a glance. On the downside, it also makes it look a lot like every other news site on the web. The difference isn't as big as it appears at first - it's just that individual items are collapsed rather than expanded by default, in an attempt to make more room. Other than that, it's the same.
Anyhow, with the caveat that nobody likes change, let me know how you get on with it. It may stay, or it may go back to the old way. Switching it back is only a single click away!

 

[Agglomérante]

Maybe post a screenshot of the layout using the average visitor's screen dimensions. Your web analytics app probably collects the data.

I find the narrower headings produce a blocky "tombstone" effect on the page. The dark grey background with the dark blue type are just these dark slabs on your page. Every article has the read-aloud-text-block background grey. The overall effect is cramped blocks! The existing while space is wasted in inconsistent gutters.

I'd lose all the heavy backgrounds, which will open up all kinds of white space, and let the large type of the headings guide the eye. At least use that as a starting point for a subtle design to guide the eye from article to article.

Love the site itself

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I think it looks pretty good.

 

[Nellisir]

Anyhow, if you don't like it you don't like it! I'm not trying to talk you into liking it.

No, I know - I like to be clear about why I don't like something and/or exactly what the problem is. Sometimes it's an easy fix.
I don't like the slideshow. I can probably get used to the rest of it. Still prefer the old style. Maybe the same amount of scrolling, but less clicking.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

By rail, do you mean columns? There was only ever one column of news!

Rail (aka "handrail"): The left/right columns that are ads, links, summaries, etc (everything but news content). There had been two (left/right) with the news column in the center; I prefer the single rail on the right.

I prefer one column of expanded news to two collapsed -- I don't want to have to "click through" to read a news article, then click back, then click through again, etc.

 

[bujoojoo]

I [almost] like it.

I think if you cut the scrolling 'features' graphic down to about 2/3rds the height it is now, remove the 'Morrus' Daily RPG News Updates' banner underneath that (you already have the breadcrumb at the top of the page under the main banner), reduce the font in the headlines (both in the news and the sidebar sections) by a few points (along with the page view counts underneath those - i think those should be removed or at least tiny and stuffed in the corner of the headline 'box' (Does anyone care about that other than you? That might be an admin only view feature or at least customizable by the readers).

I just think a bit more data on the page is better than too much header and whitespace. The reader wants to get to what he wants to read as quickly as possible and IMO keeping data above the 'fold' is better than asking the user to scroll, scroll, scroll...

Just my $0.02...

Thanks for your hard work keeping this site going...

 

[lkj]

I like the new layout. Just my two cents.

AD

 

[The_Gneech]

I like the two columns!

-TG

 

[gorpybleeder]

Looks good - like this one better

 

[samursus]

Love the new News page format. I concur, in that I missed the older items or had to click on multiple links to see what was going on. This format works way better for me.

 

[Riley]

I don't like the new version; I like the traditional view. I like being able to skim/scroll through the meat of the posts, so I can quickly tell whether or not I want to read more closely.

I can't easily tell from the new teasers whether or not I'm interested in the post. If I wanted short teasers, then I'd go with a twitter feed - which I don't. (YMMV.)