BZPower Front Page Updates

[Hapori Tohu]

The BZPower front page has remained unchanged for a number of years, and we on the staff are well aware it's in need for an update. While we work on an overhaul, we thought we could ease the wait by making some small tweaks in the meantime. As you can no doubt see, (hopefully) all of the outdated and broken links have been removed, and we've made links to BZPower's presence on various social media sites more prevalent. Let us know what you think in the Talkback, and thanks for your patience while we plan and work on something even cooler! (Which, before you ask, will be done when it's done, and not a moment sooner.)

 

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[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

Wow! It looks so modern, yet still has the good ol' BZP feel to it! I wonder if there will be a new Quicknav for new Bionicle...

[~X-Clone~]

Looking good so far. BZP has had the same front page since before I joined, so I can't wait to see the final product.

[Art Vandelay]

While I would have loved to see some of the modules like the Member Spotlight be fixed rather than removed, (I realize that's more trouble than it's worth) it's really awesome to see you guys making these updates! It's brought some new life into the front page, and it was much needed. Can't wait for the overhaul!

Edited September 27, 2014 by XONAR

[TheSkeletonMan939]

About time. It's embarrassing how long the right side of the page was just dead links.

[Torran]

Cleaner already! Looking forward to the final product, it's as good a time as ever to update.

[SkullKid]

I like it so far, just don't get rid of the scroll-down that gets us to the forums. Or at least provide another link. 

-SK

[Shadow Destroyer]

Can't wait to see what the finished product looks like! Hopefully we get some other big changes!

[Ektris]

Not too keen on how disproportionately large the Twitter and YouTube buttons are.

 

The Twitter feed's a good idea, though. Overall it's a good start.

 

~|ET|~

[CHTrilogy]

Hopefully not too much will change.

[emily]

I know that BZP has long become obsolete as a BIONICLE reference base (BS01 surpassed it years ago), but it still feels really weird to see the Reference section reduced to a single box with three links. It's always been BZPower: BIONICLE News, Reference, and Discussion, if only in name. The times, they are a-changin'.

 

In any case, change is good and I'm glad to see the front page is beginning to reflect the modern BZP community more accurately.

Edited September 27, 2014 by Pereki

[Portalfig]

I am super pleased with this, yes. 

 

Good job!

[Toa Smoke Monster]

I like what's been done so far. The Twitter feed is a neat idea, as while as putting the various media site buttons on the top of the page. 

 

I look forward to seeing what you guys will continue to change as it happens.

[Reznas]

This is so awesome! Can't wait to see what the front page will look like further on!

 

-Rez

[Cambion]

[applauds]

 

about time this happened. i'm really looking forward to seeing the full redesign. the transitional stuff looks alright; there's a few things that are kinda weirdly placed, but otherwise it's nice.

[Kayru]

I'm certainly glad there are a lot more changes in store, but this is definitely a step in the right direction.

[Observance]

IMO you should put the buttons under that "Community" tab. The bright red sticks out too much on the blue header.

[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

I just realized that clicking on "News" and "Discussion" on the main title/banner actually linked you to places. (Why is there no facepalm smiley?)

[Space: Ocean of Awe]

The little changes aren't much agreeing with the mobile browser, and the red YouTube button is rather jarring against the cool blue header, but I trust this is only one faulty step towards a better front page? I'm probably going to get super nostalgic about the old front page though. I hope you guys outdo yourselves in the design and layout to come up with the best blend of new and old, and a prime balance of aesthetic vs functionality. Looking forward to this future event.

 

=)

Edited September 27, 2014 by Space: Ocean of Awe

[Lyichir]

One thing that just occurred to me—with this transitional design, have the old front page's known vulnerabilities been patched? The extra activity due to the Bionicle announcement has been great for BZP's recovery, but another hack attempt could potentially take a lot of the wind out of BZP's sails.

[Rooster Nui]

It's a good start changing the frontpage a bit as a new era of Bionicle is coming and with that, BZPower is slowly getting updated, I Like that. 

 

Funny, me and my brother were discussing last night how the front page looks pretty much the same since the old days when he was active in the forums.

[Volitak_Boxor]

It's nice to see the front page being updated, and I like that the top banner and central news section are still the same, at least for now.  They may be old, but I like the way they look, and they work consistently, unlike most of the now-gone links.  The Twitter feed where the Amazon box used to be seems like a good, modern improvement, but I'm wondering if anyone ever even used the Amazon box.  I always thought it looked a bit out of place.  Also, I was surprised to see the set database link gone.  Admittedly, the set database wasn't that great, compared to what's on, say, Bricklink, but I always thought the combiner database was nice (Actually, if the combiner database could be updated with functioning links to all the combiners' instructions, that could be a really useful feature that I haven't seen anywhere else online.  Of course, I realize that that's rock-bottom priority).  I found the link on the sidebar on the page with the list of product reviews, though, so I'm glad I can still get to that database somehow.  Anyway, I can't wait to see what the front page looks like once all the updates are completed.  Here's to the possible return of Hot Topics!

[Planetperson]

Glad to hear it. Please consider moving the social media scripts to the bottom of the HTML document so the content has a chance to render first, or else the page layout readjusts itself unpleasantly when loading. This will give the impression of a faster loading time. Please also consider using something besides nested tables and spacer gifs for the news feed, since this is 2014 after all.

[Demeb]

Good start so far; it's nice to see the dead links and panes (finally) removed.  I'm also in favor of the twitter feed - I don't use twitter myself, but it is nice to be able to see what you guys actually post there.  At this point, I think the red google/social media buttons stand out a bit harshly against the blue background, but I'll wait to see the final product before (completely) making my judgement.

[believe victims]

Unsure about the buttons just kinda slapped onto the upper banner, but then again this is just a transitional form so i'll take it. I hope for better integration in the redesign, though.

[Tea-rex]

Good work so far!

Can't wait to see what else you have in store for us.

 

May I make a very tiny suggestion though?

Seeing as how spherus magna is now whole again, could you change the online/offline indicator & all those other things to the galaxy formation that is now relevant?

(Basically instead of a big circle with two smaller circles, one whole circle with the galaxy wispy parts next to each-otehr).

[Vorahk1Panrahk2]

Unsure about the buttons just kinda slapped onto the upper banner, but then again this is just a transitional form so i'll take it. I hope for better integration in the redesign, though.

 

I agree with this. They look okay in full screen, but in a smaller window they look like they're just floating there. Definitely not very attractive.

 

But, as it's a transitional stage, I'll keep complaining to a minimum, and I'm sure things will look much better when all is said and done. I just hope it's not too different from what it was before.

Edited September 27, 2014 by Vorahk1Panrahk2

[Ballom Nom Nom]

May I make a very tiny suggestion though?

Seeing as how spherus magna is now whole again, could you change the online/offline indicator & all those other things to the galaxy formation that is now relevant?

(Basically instead of a big circle with two smaller circles, one whole circle with the galaxy wispy parts next to each-other).

Given that the online/offline logo is based on the classic UDD logo of Bionicle, I don't see how this is relevant at all; it should remain the same.

 

Anyway, these are some good changes, although I've noticed that on Safari for iOS the two halves of the front page banner don't line up properly, probably because the social media buttons can't fit on a single row.

 

~B~

[specsowl]

I am excited for this update! It was definitely a long time coming so I look forward to how the front page will look. Also, member spotlights are important, so I do hope that you restore them in the updated version!

[TNTOS]

Nice to see you guys are working on it. I think the current design is kind of clunky and unwieldy, but as others have said, it's only transitional, so I'm not going to complain just yet.

 

-TNTOS-

[Liopleurodon]

Some of the buttons at the top seem a little cluttered, but I'm glad the dead links are gone.

[Pomegranate]

Oooohhh, that is lovely    A little bit of tidying up with the social media buttons and the side widgets and it would really look incredible. Thanks for showing y'all care and are on top of it! ^^

[Hitoshura]

Wow, this feels like it was needed more than I thought it would be, and it looks a lot nicer now.

[Banana Gunz]

I like the way BZP looks, but it's refreshing to see some good looking changes. I can see that there's still a bunch to be done, but this looks like a nice beginning.

 

Just one thing: PLEASE don't overhaul the entire website and make everything out of wack and run differently. I've seen some websites do that and it's just annoying. Almost everything works very well once you've gotten used to it.

 

But keep up the good work BZP! 

[TheSkeletonMan939]

Just one thing: PLEASE don't overhaul the entire website and make everything out of wack and run differently. I've seen some websites do that and it's just annoying. Almost everything works very well once you've gotten used to it.

 

Agreed. Don't try to be "hip" and "cool" and make the homepage super modern-looking and vastly different from what it is now. I'd really like it to remain recognizable.

[believe victims]

I really, really think the dedication to keeping a front page that coughed and hacked its way out of the early 2000s is almost detrimental.

[Voltex]

 

Just one thing: PLEASE don't overhaul the entire website and make everything out of wack and run differently. I've seen some websites do that and it's just annoying. Almost everything works very well once you've gotten used to it.

 

Agreed. Don't try to be "hip" and "cool" and make the homepage super modern-looking and vastly different from what it is now. I'd really like it to remain recognizable.

 

 

This is an excellent way to make sure that new fans brand new to the world of Bionicle will decide not to join BZPower (or at least guarantee that far fewer will join than we would like).

 

While older members (myself included) are certainly familiar with the current design of the front page, and I won't deny a certain degree of nostalgia (although it is far, far less than most things), the fact remains that keeping a design from the early 2000s when it has been at least ten years makes the site seem archaic. Sites such as Facebook and Youtube undergo visual redesigns every few years to make sure that they can remain relevant in their designs; while I don't think BZP needs to start redesigning the front page every two years, it does need a visual overhaul. It needs to be brought up to date with the current appearance of the forums, and in a style that is attractive to the general population at present.

 

I am pleased to see changes being implemented; while I feel like giving the social media buttons their own box on the left (right above the link to the forums) would be more visually appealing, they certainly do standout. I really like the Twitter feed on the right hand side. 

Edited September 28, 2014 by Voltex

[Planetperson]

Another thing: being that the front page has looked the same for so long now, is it possible that you could include a "classic mode" so that older fans can switch back to a version which looks like the original? I think that would make everyone happy.

[Sumiki]

I'd really like the new front page (whenever we get it) to reflect the design of the old one while touching up the aesthetics - including the removal of those JPEG artifacts.
 
As it is now, this update is just splendid.

[Avohkah Tamer]

Can't wait for the full overhaul, although for the purposes of remaining iconic I hope that it keeps most of the basic ideas and image themes of the original.

 

This is transitional, so I won't really complain much about the actual design elements and module boxes right now (except maybe the double space under the Premier Members block, just ergh), but I do hope that the social media buttons will be less... obnoxious in the final design. They're important to have visible, I think, but they really very badly clash in that top section. Regardless of location, though, they just don't fit well with the design.

 

Basically, I'd really like to see the final design incorporate custom social networking buttons, maybe prominently in a grid on a sidebar or something, instead of the stock buttons we see now.

 

~ (^{A V}_T^O_A^H_M^K_E^A_R^H)