Would be happy to get some response on the screenshots below! (high and low!)
Hi Freddy
Taking you at your word here, as I have already had someone in my actual day job get snooty at me for asking for feedback but wanting praise.
Also, from the perspective of a moderately heavy forum user, but not expecting any of my points to necessarily being original. Below is a mix of observations and questions, and then a final comment.
A - I dislike constantly having the column down the side. On the front page - fine.
B - Top banner is already too large imo, and this looks to make it worse. Currently the banner at the top of the forum and associated menus and what have you take up more than 50% of my monitor screen, causing a lot of un-necessary scrolling. This looks to make that problem worse
C - I suspect putting the subforums in a line across the top will (like
@Aardvark Bellay states above) will effectively make them invisible. Ok, I know lots of people don't notice there are there as is, but this will make it worse.
This is especially likely to be the case because there simply will not be space for the subforums to be properly listed. Actually, the more I think about it the more I regard this as a bad design decision for this very reason. If you cannot display them horizontally as one line, then you need to have at least two lines imo, or drop the entire idea.
D - The large splash screens for game forums ... looks pretty yes, but in practical terms no. Much much wasted space
E - As regards to
@Peter Ebbesen 's point about BB Code I know the Paradox team has had a view towards the AAR subfora of benign neglect since the take-off of streaming, but it would be a great shame to lose functionality. However, it may be this is just something one cannot see from a screenshot.
F - Mark Read and Watch forum buttons seem nice and clear. Ditto watch thread.
G - No Search Thread functionality?
H - Can't tell if there are still threadmarks (which I know in AAR subfora are a very welcome feature we would be very sorry to lose, and I have seen used elsewhere too). But maybe I am missing something
I - My overall impression is, unfortunately, someone decided that style was more important than functionality. Form no longer follows function? Or is it a case of mobile functionality is the deteriment of pc functionality?
J - Not at all obvious how to accesse Watched Threads / Forums from these screenshots.
K - Where would notifications display?
L - Currently the forum structure is displayed at the bottom of the page as well as at the top. The screenshots do not appear to show this. Please consider it - when you have just read through a thread, and sometimes having posted, it can be very useful to use that as a navigational tool at the bottom of the page, where one already "is" if that makes sense.
M - Not that I use them currently much myself sharing buttons for thread/post look nice and clear
N - How configurable is all of this? Because from the initial feedback I have seen it looks like some users will really like these changes, whilst others will find them a bit obstructive.
O - Relating to (I) above, I wonder if this aimed largely towards the relatively casual forum user? Trying to make it look welcoming and pleasing. That is a quite legitimate objective. Unfortunately ... I am not in that demographic.
P - Any chance for a few of us to actual get to play around in the new version before it goes live? You have offered us these screenshots as a look - which is great - but only so much can be done looking at screenshots.
Q - What are these "few nice features" you mention?
R - The presentation of threads is clear. It looks less cluttered than current, an effect that appears to be achieved by increasing the amount of space each thread takes up. However, this comes at the cost of space efficiency, and for my own part I didn't thing the forum presentation was that cluttered anymore to begin with (admittedly, I remember the forums of yesterday which were more cluttered at times).
S - Am I correct in that you are removing the three reactions of Agree, Helpful, and respectfully disagree with a single like? am I missing something?
T - Is the little up arrow after someone's name in a quote a "hide quote" button or does it link up to the quoted post, or something else?
Ok, I am going to have stop now as I have spent my entire lunch break poring over this, and need to get back to work
However, to put the above in context and less I sound overly negative I want it to be understood that I have spent thousands of hours on these fora over the last 18 years of my life. Friends I have made here have literally helped ensure I didn't top myself in 2007. I have an emotional connection to these fora. Therefore I really wish to see them be absolutely the very best they can be. These criticisms and questions are offered very much in the spirit of friendship, and I hope they are received that well.
All the best
stnylan