Joomla! enjoys a large Open-Source community and I like the interface quite a bit. I can get help whenever I need it (just like mapping for HL/HL2).
I know there are other ones (like Drupal), but I am pretty much committed to Joomla! at this point. The number of extensions for Joomla is also quite impressive.
Forum posts
Hmm...I have to agree with Ant, it does look kinda strange stuck on top of the header like that.Your feedback is important to me, so I changed the position. How about now?
Can't register names with a dash in. A bit of an unnecessary restriction there?Sorry Seventh. I never intended to discriminate against anyone, but the dash-less restriction was not placed by me. It has something to do with the server or Joomla. Would you be able to spell your name "SeventhMonkey"?
No, we did'nt. None of the HL games have cutscenes.I need to correct you. HL1 did have a cut scene.
After you made it through most of "Surface Tension" and battled with the nimble girl Black Ops, you're knocked unconscious and briefly found yourself on a stretcher of some sort.
That, my friend, was a cut scene.
I fixed the problem.
Move the search box, it looks odd where it is now.Do you mean the current position? I kinda like it there. It's on top of the header graphics, and it distinguishes itself from the search box for the forum (which functions independently from a site search, unfortunately).
Oh, I just realized: are you going to impliment a PM system for the forum?Yes, that's on the list of todo's.
I changed the location of the search box, but now it has an ugly bar going across the page for IE. It looks fine on FF.
I guess I'll have to work on that.
its been disabled for a while, but ill put it back up for youMuch appreciated!
the 'search...' bar is overlapping some of the text.I believe it's a browser issue. Thanks for pointing it out for me. I want as many people to view my site as possible to smooth out all the kinks with different browser settings.
I'll try to work on that issue.
It looks more like it's part of the menu.I've re-adjusted its position. Is it better?
I am a die-hard Half-Life fan. The background stays, even if most members don't get it.
Once again, has anyone tried hacking into the site? I want to know if there is any security holes. Thanks.
Thanks, Seventh.
I'll change the typeface right this moment, and change the phrase to "No members online".
[EDIT]: Your wish is my command. The site has been modified to your specification.
I have also added an URL icon (adapted from Zombieloff's original GP icon) to the site.
Ain't that pretty?
I'll change the typeface right this moment, and change the phrase to "No members online".
[EDIT]: Your wish is my command. The site has been modified to your specification.
I have also added an URL icon (adapted from Zombieloff's original GP icon) to the site.Ain't that pretty?
Those red buttons are ugly.That's a matter of personal aesthetics. I rather like the bold red colors.
And the small letters are intentional too.
I have added a "member biography" section for the user profile. That took me all morning to implement (that and the clickable forum avatar).
I've been up since 5 am this morning, and I haven't even eaten anything. I feel like passing out.
I have been laboring away revamping the site. Daubster has been providing me with many helpful suggestions.
Many new features have bene implemented since yesterday. Check out the new site and let me know your opinion.
Many new features have bene implemented since yesterday. Check out the new site and let me know your opinion.
But oh well, I guess you don't have much to choose from with templates.I have full control of the template. I will experiment with the color scheme today.
How about an article section with user-submittable articles about parenting, gaming, and computering in general?I have a section in the forum for members to submit articles. I (and other moderators) will screen the submissions before posting them to the appropriate sections of the site.
I am currently adding a blog section to the site.
I also missed somethin like a 'Members' page, that'd display all of the members in that site.That shouldn't be too hard. I'll look into that.
Thanks for joining, by the way.
I am most concerned about the security of the site at this moment. If anyone is good with that sort of things, let me know whether the site can be easily hacked into. I just don't want any blatant holes.
Thanks for the quick feedback.
Make the banner a link to the front page.I'll look into that. For a Joomla site, it's not as easy as it seems.
The point is, if they have already sold their soul to the devil for a bunch of pocket change, who knows what they'll do in the future.
Maybe by next week, there will be 5,238 games listed in the uninstalled section of the Steam menu, so the Game menu will take up 32 screens. You have to scroll 28 times to get to the Hammer screen.
Maybe by next week, there will be 5,238 games listed in the uninstalled section of the Steam menu, so the Game menu will take up 32 screens. You have to scroll 28 times to get to the Hammer screen.
I thought striders use path_track too. I've never tried it myself, though.
Gunships do not utilize info_node_air. Info_node_air's are used by scanners and manhacks.
Thanks for all the suggestions. It looks like I have my work cut out for me.
[EDIT]: How about this design?
[EDIT]: How about this design?
Indeed, the colour theme is rather.. ugly.What do you recommend? I actually have modified the CSS template already.
The strong colour theme isn't suited for forums..That's what I thought for the SnarkPit at first, but then I got used to it.
I will be using phpBB. The interface is the most intuitive, even though it might not be the most secure or being the most versatile.
Here is a screenshot of what I have so far:
Here is a screenshot of what I have so far:
I've set up a local Apache server and installed Joomla!. I played around with the style sheet a little bit, and here is a screenshot of what I have so far.
I still need to set up the forum and modify many aspects of the page, but at least this gives you some idea of what the final site will look like.
What do you think?
I still need to set up the forum and modify many aspects of the page, but at least this gives you some idea of what the final site will look like.
What do you think?
I know it's orange, but I think it fits well into the color scheme of the site.
Just look at TWHL. It's pretty orange too.
Just look at TWHL. It's pretty orange too.
If there aren't any other takers, I think Zombie's design will take the trophy. 
Zombie, can I ask a big favor from you?
Would you change the color of the text in this banner graphics to slightly orange to match the color scheme of the site?
If anyone wants the original background screenshot I used to make my banners, here it is.
Would you change the color of the text in this banner graphics to slightly orange to match the color scheme of the site?
If anyone wants the original background screenshot I used to make my banners, here it is.
Luke no like . . . :
Zombie, I really like the first one you got there. The sun glare in the second background is a bit distracting, in my opinion.
Perhaps I can work the "GP" logo you made for the first banner into that one too.
How about this one?
[img=http://img137.imageshack.us/my.php?image=gamingparentsbg4up3.png]
Perhaps I can work the "GP" logo you made for the first banner into that one too.
How about this one?
[img=http://img137.imageshack.us/my.php?image=gamingparentsbg4up3.png]
![[img=http://img137.imageshack.us/my.php?image=gamingparentsbg4up3.png]](http://img137.imageshack.us/my.php?image=gamingparentsbg4up3.png){kind=link}
How about this one that incorporates Zombie's logo in the banner?
How about this one:
Only n00bs use screenshots as background for the entire page.
I talked to some of my grown-up gaming friends (they are all older than me, have two or three kids and mortgages), and this is what they think:
As usual--my two cents. Take it or leave it or tell me to shove it.
How are you approaching building the web site? Your color scheme and design elements need to be stark and memorable and have a gaming feel to it (by your banner, I think you know that already). But what kind of color scheme are you going for--hopefully not white. Remember, your target audience are parents who ran through hallways shooting evil (and in some cases mutated) Nazi bastards and who have also descended into the depths of secret underground military installations to fight back hordes of demons spilling through a dimensional rip as well as pulled people out of cars and beat them to death with a baseball bat while listening to catchy 80's tunes.
So I am leaning more toward a more stark look and feel for the site design. If you are curious, this is our CS:S clan site. All the members are older than 35, so us adults aren't so tame as you guys might think.
I talked to some of my grown-up gaming friends (they are all older than me, have two or three kids and mortgages), and this is what they think:
As usual--my two cents. Take it or leave it or tell me to shove it.
How are you approaching building the web site? Your color scheme and design elements need to be stark and memorable and have a gaming feel to it (by your banner, I think you know that already). But what kind of color scheme are you going for--hopefully not white. Remember, your target audience are parents who ran through hallways shooting evil (and in some cases mutated) Nazi bastards and who have also descended into the depths of secret underground military installations to fight back hordes of demons spilling through a dimensional rip as well as pulled people out of cars and beat them to death with a baseball bat while listening to catchy 80's tunes.
So I am leaning more toward a more stark look and feel for the site design. If you are curious, this is our CS:S clan site. All the members are older than 35, so us adults aren't so tame as you guys might think.
I use Foobar2000 too. It's so much smaller. Winamp has become a bloatware.
I think it's feasible to utilize screenshots as background. The new Steam site use screenshots as background. I think as long as it is done tastefully (and with the contrast lowered or the brightness modified), it can be done successfully.
By the way, what's everyone's opinion on the header options we have so far?
By the way, what's everyone's opinion on the header options we have so far?
I ain't ditching it. I only keep ten images in my wallpaper directory, and the fractal one is among them. I rotate the images every now and then, and I don't replace them very often. Not many images make it to the top ten list.
Here is the complete list:
black mesa.bmp
css militia.bmp
css nightfever.bmp
fractals.bmp
half-life.bmp
hl2 episode1.bmp
hl2 train.bmp
lost coast.bmp
serene.bmp
tf2 characters.bmp
P.S. I am still up to speed with my DOS commands.
Nothing is as fast as a "dir /l /b > list.txt".
Here is the complete list:
black mesa.bmp
css militia.bmp
css nightfever.bmp
fractals.bmp
half-life.bmp
hl2 episode1.bmp
hl2 train.bmp
lost coast.bmp
serene.bmp
tf2 characters.bmp
P.S. I am still up to speed with my DOS commands.
Nothing is as fast as a "dir /l /b > list.txt".
Did anyone notice that the videos are posted under the xBox360 section?
Why should that be the case?
Why should that be the case?
Here is mine. It used to be a fractal background too (the one made by Zombieloff), but I am fickle. I change background after every meal.
I am going through HL1 for the third time right now, that's why I have this screenshot.
I am going through HL1 for the third time right now, that's why I have this screenshot.
Oh boy! Another conspiracy!
I change my desktop wallpaper once a week. I get sick of looking at the same thing for too long.
Thanks for the suggestions.
What sort of "flashy" additions do you have in mind? I am planning to add thumbnails of the latest gallery submissions to the front page also. That should keep the appearance of the front page continuously changing.
What sort of "flashy" additions do you have in mind? I am planning to add thumbnails of the latest gallery submissions to the front page also. That should keep the appearance of the front page continuously changing.
it's conspiracy theorists like u that create a marketing campaign out of nothingThen more power to me!
I quite like Zombie's header, actually.
Do you guys really think 800x200 is too wide? I figure it is still able to fit onto the screen for those with 800x600 resolution.
I made a few of my own, but I want your opinion on them. They don't look as nice as Zombie's, but I am just throwing ideas out.
This one uses the background from a screenshot within HL2. I don't know whether I can use it legally for my site, since Valve mappers designed the HL2 train station.
This one uses the background from my very first map (submitted right here at TWHL). It's got the HEV HUD on it, which I like. It also (by chance) got the year of my birth as the health level.
I like Zombie's idea of adding ".org" at the end to emphasize the URL of the site, so I made this one:
Tell me what you guys think. I may change a lot of things according from the feedback I get. Thanks, and I would love to see more of your own creations too.
Do you guys really think 800x200 is too wide? I figure it is still able to fit onto the screen for those with 800x600 resolution.
I made a few of my own, but I want your opinion on them. They don't look as nice as Zombie's, but I am just throwing ideas out.
This one uses the background from a screenshot within HL2. I don't know whether I can use it legally for my site, since Valve mappers designed the HL2 train station.
This one uses the background from my very first map (submitted right here at TWHL). It's got the HEV HUD on it, which I like. It also (by chance) got the year of my birth as the health level.
I like Zombie's idea of adding ".org" at the end to emphasize the URL of the site, so I made this one:
I would also work hard on the layout and functionality of the site, to ensure that it's easy to use and easy to read.I picked out this Joomla! template out of hundreds because of it's straight forward organization and layout. It's got the menu, login box, and latest news and posting up-front. I could just keep the color scheme, even though that's very easy to change.
Tell me what you guys think. I may change a lot of things according from the feedback I get. Thanks, and I would love to see more of your own creations too.
I am pretty convinced that Valve intentionally "leaked" this video to various sites so that the "sneak" trailer can have an edge of illegitimacy to it.
I bet that they purposely made the soundtrack sound unrefined so that true gaming fans (like us) will distribute this video around for Valve (for free) without wasting Valve resources.
I've always known that Valve is a genius at marketing, but they are out-doing themselves.
I bet that they purposely made the soundtrack sound unrefined so that true gaming fans (like us) will distribute this video around for Valve (for free) without wasting Valve resources.
I've always known that Valve is a genius at marketing, but they are out-doing themselves.
Man, that's pretty awesome.
I quickly put up some info about the community, and now it's ready for viewing.
www.gamingparents.org
www.gamingparents.org
Sometimes it's just the job. They come back home really tired and haven't got the energy to play anymore.It's just the opposite for most gaming adults. My clan mates and I are most likely going to fire up HL or CS after a long and stressful day at work. It's hard for my wife to understand why I want to shoot someone in the head after working for fourteen hours straight, but it's a tremendous stress reliever for me.
I suggest putting up an information front for gamingparents.org so people know it exists.Great minds think alike! I was just about to do that before I read your post.
Make it state the purpose of the website and an approximate ETA on the actual content.
If you need design, CSS or HTML suggestions, I'm all there, smile -I am actually starting a graphics competition for the header graphics of the community. The rules are listed below:
- It has to have the words "Gaming Parents" in the traditional Half-Life 2 font and kerning.
- The background should be mainly orange, like TWHL. The color of the text should be some variation of black, but I would allow some creative leeway.
- The border should be somehow HL-themed, it could be Xen-related, Combined-styled. . .whatever. But the border has to fit well with the font and the background. I don't want to make the theme too gritty for the site (not like Snarkpit), but bright and happy like TWHL.
- It should be a relatively high-quality JPEG, of the dimension 800x200.
Thanks in advance to all the contributers. I'll let the competition run for a month (deadline September 30th).
Would there be some sort of age limit applied to the forum?No, I don't want to be discriminatory. Anyone can join and become a member, although I am designing the site for an older audience. Some of the topics in the forum will be about parenting experiences.
I am trying to sell it to the gearhead parents who don't want to give up gaming once they are suppose to be responsible adults.
Surpass Hosting has been around for years now, and they have unfailingly provided amazing support and service. I think I'll stick with them.
Thanks for the offer.
Thanks for the offer.
If atom and Seventh don't mind, I am going to incorporate some features of TWHL into my site design.
For example, I love the "Hello <user>! This is your ##th login." message. It's very endearing and welcoming.
I also like the newest member welcome message.
Both of those are going to be elements of my community. Of course, it won't be a mapping community, so other aspects of the site design will be quite different.
I won't publish the site for another three or four months, so be patient. The link will be dead in the mean time.
For example, I love the "Hello <user>! This is your ##th login." message. It's very endearing and welcoming.
I also like the newest member welcome message.
Both of those are going to be elements of my community. Of course, it won't be a mapping community, so other aspects of the site design will be quite different.
I won't publish the site for another three or four months, so be patient. The link will be dead in the mean time.
I'm getting $6 a month for 200 GB of monthly bandwidth.
That's a pretty good deal I'd say.
That's a pretty good deal I'd say.
still aint working thoughI am at work now, and I have to finish my book first before diving into this project.
I have too many things all going on at the same time right now. I have to control my excessive motivation sometimes.
I'm re-writing it at the moment.Impressive. If I run into any problem with PHP coding, I'll be sure to seek advice here.
As for the color scheme for the site, I plan to use one similar to TWHL. I want to pay tribute to my favorite games of all time--Half-Life and Half-Life 2. Orange with black menu (with pale-yellow menu text) should be clear and distinct. A touch of gray (to similate the Black Mesa science lab feel) should be in place too.