Does anyone else have a issue with this new site update?

[7thdayprofessor]

This new forum site layout is extremely difficult compared to the old system and way of things, and is very difficult to work with compared to the old system. I have noticed a markable slowing of activity since the new layout has been activate, as well as I have slowed down on activity due to it's difficulty.

Especially on mobile. On a computer it's not as bad. I personally can't stand the way this forum operates currently regarding the layout and scheme side of things (will always love the site, so i mean nothing against the concept or people within. Strictly the layout).

Am I the only one here finding it difficult to navigate? Or is this a site wide experience? Thank you either way.

[7thdayprofessor]

Also, @ mods, is there any possible way to revert the site settings to reflect it's older state?

[Staff]

Can you provide some specifics on what you find difficult or what you find wrong with the layout? The vBulletin 5 software gives us the power to move/change basically anything around. Most of the settings are just default right now but can be adjusted.

For mobile, unlike with vBulletin 4 where there was a specific mobile style, vB5 uses a dynamic skin that is supposed to adjust automatically for mobile. If it's not doing it up to par, we can look for a dedicated mobile style.

Also, there is the tapatalk app for mobile phones. Have you tried using that?

[FreeEmAll]

The only thing I dislike is when I click on "latest activity" in a thread and it takes me to the very last reply and reverses the order they are shown in, instead of taking me to the first new reply like the old layout did.

[ryanneilcarr]

I'm not use to navigating this yet. The old PC desktop setup was just easy as hell to navigate. Didnt take much brain power. To see where everything is.

[Staff]

The only thing I dislike is when I click on "latest activity" in a thread and it takes me to the very last reply and reverses the order they are shown in, instead of taking me to the first new reply like the old layout did.

Can you try clicking on your user name at the top then User Settings > Account > and scroll down to Display Mode. Try switching between posts and latest activity to see if that changes anything for you.

Also when in the forum list looking at threads, there is a little down arrow you can click to go to the first unread post in the thread. See attached photo.

[Staff]

Also, @ mods, is there any possible way to revert the site settings to reflect it's older state?

The only way to do this would be to restore the database. This is possible but we'd lose everything newly posted since the site was upgraded in early September.

[Staff]

I'm not use to navigating this yet. The old PC desktop setup was just easy as hell to navigate. Didnt take much brain power. To see where everything is.

Added the sub forums back to the front page. Is that better or does it look too messy? If you have any specific suggestions, please post them here.

[FreeEmAll]

Can you try clicking on your user name at the top then User Settings > Account > and scroll down to Display Mode. Try switching between posts and latest activity to see if that changes anything for you.

Also when in the forum list looking at threads, there is a little down arrow you can click to go to the first unread post in the thread. See attached photo.

Changing the display mode didn't do what I was looking for, however the down arrows is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you

[7thdayprofessor]

Can you provide some specifics on what you find difficult or what you find wrong with the layout? The vBulletin 5 software gives us the power to move/change basically anything around. Most of the settings are just default right now but can be adjusted.

For mobile, unlike with vBulletin 4 where there was a specific mobile style, vB5 uses a dynamic skin that is supposed to adjust automatically for mobile. If it's not doing it up to par, we can look for a dedicated mobile style.

Also, there is the tapatalk app for mobile phones. Have you tried using that?

I do not want to write aimlessly, and I do not want to complian with no purpose just to complain, so I am giving the new site more time, and exploring all of its viability and options, before I continue this post. I hate people who complain just for the hell of it. Staff is a lot more appreciative when speaking from experience and intelligence, then it is from random ramblings. I will reply after some given time to learn the new site.

[Preach]

Here are three things that screamed out to me:

The top section of thread pages is just weird, I dunno what's going on. The thread title appears twice, in different fonts, with tons of space. It just doesn't look very neat to me:

problem1.jpg

Imo, something like this would look better:

better1.jpg
















The second thing is the whole layout on the front page:

problem2.jpg

This would be better:

better2.jpg

This would be even betterer:

better22.jpg








All of these were edited in paint but you get the idea. There's just too much stuff everywhere. Too many lines, too many buttons, too many different fonts. All the "tables" have outline colors. The gray box on top of the forum links that says "2Pac Reference Section" has a bright gray line on top and probably a dark one azt the bottom. I forget what the effect is called, but it makes it almost look like the whole gray bar is "elevated" slightly. It's probably one of the first tutorials in the "webdesigning for dummies" book, but it's very dated and not very slick imo. The "table cell" of the "gray bar" should have a single background color, and then the "outline" should be transparent, for a cleaner look. All in all there's too much noise going on with all these little factory standard "embroidments", and it doesn't feel like the UI is guiding my eyes. It feels like it's wrestling with them. Another huge pet peeve of mine is layouts that stretch to the edge of the screen. I have always preferred thinner layouts with space on the sides, with smaller fonts and less table spacing and etc. to make up for it. Something like the old hitemup.com ( https://web.archive.org/web/20040623...w.hitemup.com/ ). But that has never been 2Pac-forum's thing so that'll be for your consideration.

One last point I wanna make is the color scheme. White on black is pretty much the hardest contrast that exists. The old dark forest green on bright (snot) green backgrounds was easier on the eyes. There's a lot of harsh contrast going on with the colors. It contributes to the "noisy" feeling of the current layout scheme. And that's the word I would use to sum up the experience: noisy, full of specks.

[7thdayprofessor]

I do miss the old site for memories reason too, though that is not solely why.

[Preach]

I didn't vote but figured it would probably look something like that.

I doubt the old forum coming back is on the table. It's old software anyway, and was acting buggy towards the end. The only way forward would be to tailor the current design to be more like the old one. And so what specifically about the old one did people like? Just "everything about it" isn't much to go on, but if people can point out some specific things, it would be easier to make adjustments accordingly.

One good thing I can think of immediately is that there's not a "Thank you" AND a "Like" button any more. We only really need one. Clicking both was like a compulsion, so that change alone has saved me at least 47 seconds in the next ten years.

[jackcorgi]

I prefer the old site format but in time I'm sure we will get used to this new format,just in time for another update that puts us right where we are now,lol

[Staff]

Here are three things that screamed out to me:

The top section of thread pages is just weird, I dunno what's going on. The thread title appears twice, in different fonts, with tons of space. It just doesn't look very neat to me:


The second thing is the whole layout on the front page:


All of these were edited in paint but you get the idea. There's just too much stuff everywhere. Too many lines, too many buttons, too many different fonts. All the "tables" have outline colors. The gray box on top of the forum links that says "2Pac Reference Section" has a bright gray line on top and probably a dark one azt the bottom. I forget what the effect is called, but it makes it almost look like the whole gray bar is "elevated" slightly. It's probably one of the first tutorials in the "webdesigning for dummies" book, but it's very dated and not very slick imo. The "table cell" of the "gray bar" should have a single background color, and then the "outline" should be transparent, for a cleaner look. All in all there's too much noise going on with all these little factory standard "embroidments", and it doesn't feel like the UI is guiding my eyes. It feels like it's wrestling with them. Another huge pet peeve of mine is layouts that stretch to the edge of the screen. I have always preferred thinner layouts with space on the sides, with smaller fonts and less table spacing and etc. to make up for it. Something like the old hitemup.com ( https://web.archive.org/web/20040623...w.hitemup.com/ ). But that has never been 2Pac-forum's thing so that'll be for your consideration.

One last point I wanna make is the color scheme. White on black is pretty much the hardest contrast that exists. The old dark forest green on bright (snot) green backgrounds was easier on the eyes. There's a lot of harsh contrast going on with the colors. It contributes to the "noisy" feeling of the current layout scheme. And that's the word I would use to sum up the experience: noisy, full of specks.

The thread title does look a bit strange. The old site had this too but the layout of it here is a bit odd. A few template changes could easily fix this up.

Below is a quick test edit of the border/spacing from the homepage. Does this look better?

Capture.png


Will try and find some other styles to add with better color contrast.