The Look of HeroesOfGaming.com (advice please)

rsstites

Okay guys, I need some advice. I've been staring at HoG for years, and we are on version 2.1 of the site. I'm considering either completely revamping the site, or switching to a new cms all together.

The site looks too plain to me. There is one other site that has the same traffic level we do, but I think they look a lot better. That's GameAlmighty.com.

So honestly (no hert feelings here) how does HoG rate with these other sites? (We're talking graphically, not content.)

http://www.heroesofgaming.com (that's us)
http://www.gamealmighty.com (our current equel in traffic)
http://www.gamespot.com (one of the most popular gaming sites on the net)
http://www.ign.com (the most popular gaming site on the net)
http://www.1up.com (another popular site)

Coolgreen44 · Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2007 6:04 pm Post subject:

Ok, ill post as I look.

HoG does seem plain, most game sites I have been to with the exception of gamefaqs always seem to pop out at you. I would say outs does look a lot better then many others who pop out and look like [explicit].

I like the gamealmighty it jumps at you has good colors, looks overall nice like a game site should.

Gamespot reminds me a lot of HoG except they use colors that jump out at you and everything is pushed together compared to how on HoG everything seems spread out. I like the use of colors and how everything looks close together.

IGN same as above. Good colors and more compact.

1up, I dont really like as much to much going on, just crap every where. Lots of info I guess.

I think you could make HoG look more like IGN/Gamespot. There's are a lot like HoG just more compact. Like the Left-Nav make it slimmer and put the login across the top. Then add maybe a few more columns of junk so it doesn't look so open and spread out. When its so spread out it looks like you dont have to much information.

So overall, I dont really like HoG compared to any of those except maybe the last. HoG is just to spread out. Shrink the left nav and add something on the right, like another content column.
Shocked

rsstites · Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2007 10:06 pm Post subject:

It's like you were reading my mind. That's how I always felt.

Now should I go more for the flamboyant GameAlmighty.com or should I work towards tweaking more towards IGN.com? Or maybe a hybrid.

Honestly the modifications I made recently were to get a little closer to looking like IGN.

Also I've got my web guy looking into modifying the CMS to better suit a game site, or finding a new one. I may pay somebody more skilled than me to skin the site better.

More comments, I need them.

Coolgreen44 · Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2007 10:47 pm Post subject:

Well to accomplish the look of the gamealmighty site might be hard. To give the site a quality look without making it look like crap or completely taking there look might be kinda hard.

It seems like it should bot be that hard to try to give it the IGN look, but I assume it is, and since i have never seen the code I would have no idea. (So, ill just assume thats really hard to). But I think you should be able to achieve a quality and unique look if you go for that with more ease then then trying to get the other site.

I dont really know seems like something you just will have to work with, change and modify over and over in till you get it the way you like it. Trial and error till you get it the way you want it.

Go big or go home Wink

rsstites · Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 2:23 am Post subject:

OK, here's what I have for tonight. http://www.heroesofgaming.com/test

I still have to modify some graphics, get them lined up, and that big gray box will be an article chooser thingy. But you can see where I'm going. I've broken the lines up a bit, but still kept the same style.

I can add a lot of color with the game thumbnails, and I'm going to add a video player next to the current flash thumbnails.

Is this a step in the right direction, or was it better how it was?

FFfanaticx · Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 4:31 am Post subject:

i like the genral layout adn what not of the site but it does need some graphical work, when you look at it it doesnt say gaming site it just says general discussion boards we need something to make it scream Gamers paradise
game almighty was good but it reminded me of the phppb skin tweaked slightly.

gamespot and ign dont scream gamer accept from some of there pictures on the main page. Personally i think ign is just as plain as this site but i hate using it the navagation is turd.

Coolgreen44 · Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 9:11 am Post subject:

I like the test better. Its a little hard to judge how it would really feel with just the gray box in the center. I would also change the colors, to make it pop out. It just feels a little plain. But I don't really know what colors to try, its just something you got to mess with.
You also may want to make those tables on the second half of the page smaller, they have so much space. Maybe just make them small and have like a button that says click to see more or something.

rsstites · Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 6:17 pm Post subject:

Hah, I was just looking around. The next major site above HoG and GameAlmighty is GamersHell.com (there's a big gap).

Check this out:
http://www.gamershell.com
http://www.heroesofgaming.com/test

Serperated at birth? Also, this was completely by accident. Oh, well, I'll keep working on it, but I think the layout is how I want it, now it's time to work on the skin and start tweaking the content of each box.

rsstites · Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 5:48 am Post subject:

Okay,

I updated the main page with the new layout. I'm still towing with it, but now it's a matter of adding content, and modifying the skin (and adding more color and game stuff).

But I just spent the last couple of hours on the skin for the Featured Content intro thingy.

So now I'm going to keep customizing the skin, and we'll see how it turns out.

beelzemon_1 · Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2007 10:08 pm Post subject:

dude maybe i have registered recently but i ve visited the site before and honestly yes it does look so plan thats my particular opinion

rsstites · Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 5:03 am Post subject:

Okay, I just finished the new header for the main site ( http://www.heroesofgaming.com ).

Do you like it?

I think it is definitely an improvement over the old one. In case you don't remember, the old one looked like the one at the top of this forum except blue.

Now I guess I need to add more color, and give the site a more "gaming" feel. Any suggestions?

danny12 · Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 11:31 am Post subject:

Yea, it does look good imo, i can't think of anything to say atm but if i do ill let you know

Coolgreen44 · Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 1:53 pm Post subject:

http://customcms.net/demo/gamingcms/

Steal that CMS Razz

rsstites · Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 1:26 am Post subject:

I like the cms. It has a couple of flaws, but it is a much better suited for gaming compared to Subdreamer.

Our Video CMS, and gallery are both much better than theirs, but they have a label system that we don't.

I've been working with my web guy to implement some of the same things they can do into our current CMS.

And fort the site's look, I'll just keep tweaking the current skin. Our CMS can do just about everything theirs can and more. So I'll keep working on the skin to make it look professional, but not too bland.

*I will probably buy their CMS though, I could use it for HeroesOfFilm.com or could learn something from the code.

rsstites · Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2007 1:38 am Post subject:

Double post Very Happy

Oh, and we can't change CMS's because it will kill our page rankings. Right now we actually have a couple of #1 spots on Google, and plenty of top ten through top forty spots. If we change CMS's we'll lose them all. (our #1 is "Mugen Downloads" with Google)