Flight Rising Discussion

As much as change to any layout is an adjustment, and as we have grown used to the prior format- I believe that this big update is more of a negative than a positive. I understand the work that went into the update, and there are some features I like- however, this overhaul (I believe) was largely "fixing something that wasn't broken". [b]The Color Scheme: [/b] Firstly, the profile and dragon tabs have remained the same. However, the neutral white-tan-red color scheme no longer largely exists within the dragons. The varying colors provided a "tiering" effect (tan buttons blending into the background, creating a "no see-um" effect) as well as a nicely contained and organized segments. Without the light tan color to border the dragons and information, the information feels scattered- much like a stream of consciousness strewn across the page. [b]The Layout &. Tiering:[/b] The dragon pages had key segments: the dragon itself, familiars, apparel, lineage, and physical info. This was tiered in such a way that the dragon and physical info were on the same "playing field", easily identifying the traits of the dragon. [LIST] [*]While layouts can always be improved, I believe that this new layout appears more cramped- (two elements on top originally versus three elements on top). This first layer causes viewers to see apparel, the dragon, and the familiar as the [b]most[/b] important. Originally, this was the dragon and their physical traits- something important to identify the dragon and the dragon itself. Hypothetically, the dragon itself should be the most important part of the page, however this update falls short of achieving this goal- causing the eye to scatter from one section to the other. [*] In the middle row there is an awkward stream of buttons- instead of creating a small blending in effect (no-see-um paint for example) the buttons are jarring, causing the page to look cluttered - similarly the energy is jarring and in your face, whereas it was once a small bar that I barely recall existed in the first place. The modulation of these buttons is awkward, large, and bulky. [*] In the third row, physical info has been sub-tiered to the third level, in a very small font (compare the once large and stately physical info to any of the larger elements- it blends in and has to be sought out). The addition of battle info is a welcomed change, however in its current place it once again feels smushed. Similarly, lineage takes up the same space as the physical info- once a large staple of a dragon's page. [*] Lastly, the biography is the same, in the same place, and with the same size. However my previous statement remains: the tan borders and containment that once existed in this page is stripped away- [*] [b] tldr; the stacking and size of information, buttons, and placement causes a disproportional importance on some items (buttons and energy levels) as well as organizational issues as more items are added. The more you try to fit onto a page, obviously space becomes an issue. This could be solved by modulation that follows the previous design with the addition of a sidebar on the side of the biography (or below the biography) that includes coli details. [/LIST] [b]Scenes:[/b] I believe the introduction of scenes is a welcomed addition as well as a larger image of the dragon. [b] However,[/b] I believe scenes should work similar to vistas and not like apparel- In the gem marketplace, a single scene is essentially $2. If someone was to give all of their dragons this scene because it is their favorite, it would become overly costly as each scene disappears after use. If it were a vista, the price of a scene could be greater, but use could be account wide. [b] Familiars: [/b] I love the addition of a larger familiar as well as naming familiars. However, my problem comes in the form of the shifting familiars. It was a cool gimick to have them reset per refresh, however the cycling of sprites is now on a loop that plays when you rest on the page. This defeats the gimick in my opinion, now adding a relatively distracting animation that distracts from the main point of the page: the dragon. [b] Apparel: [/b] The apparel column now is the first thing you see- the eye reading left to right, top to bottom. Previously, the dragon- the main focus- was the first thing someone would see- however, now it is a cumbersome and unsightly apparel list with small square outlines for apparel slots. Previously, apparel was a small box that could be viewed if sought out- much like most of the other information. [b]Final Thoughts:[/b] The idea of scenes as well as familiar naming are the only positives of this update. The presentation and modulation of information in the overhaul of dragon profiles is uncategorized, messy, and once again: less important information is being placed higher (larger, colored to stand out, etc.) and draws the eye to these features. [b] At the end of the day, this is a DRAGON site. The main focus should always be on the dragon- not on large cumbersome buttons, an animated familiar, or a giant column of apparel. There should be a large space for the dragon, so much that it does not feel crowded or impaired. This update invalidates this very goal.[/b] [center]To conclude I have provided a photoshopped proposal- and yes, the screenshot of the original design I grabbed was from the one and only purble. [img]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/705811871285903360/719569156483186688/unknown.png[/img] Anyways, what are your thoughts? Are there any other graphic designers out there who agree or disagree with me? Anyone who had their dragons set up "aesthetically" also pressed about this dramatic change?

Not a Graphic Designer but I'd really be much, much happier if there was an option to default to Scenic Mode and another option to collapse the Battle Info, Physical Info and Lineage. [img]https://i.imgur.com/FrwBefs.png[/img]

I would have to agree with you. Your set-up is much more pleasing, as well.

[quote name="Sienne" date="2020-06-08 08:21:41" ] Not a Graphic Designer but I'd really be much, much happier if there was an option to default to Scenic Mode and another option to collapse the Battle Info, Physical Info and Lineage. [img]https://i.imgur.com/FrwBefs.png[/img] [/quote] This! I’m surprisingly getting used to the new layout quickly, but the battle stats n such do still stick out to me.

I definitely agree with a lot of these points! I'm a web developer and not a graphic designer- but I work a lot with html/css and page layouts for work and I think the points you brought up regarding the middle and third row of buttons, and the weird and awkward flow of having the apparel be the first thing you are drawn to look at on the page are my biggest gripes.

But I do like the new layout- I just want it to be decluttered a bit. I wonder if it could benefit from having the physical info and battle info be in a tab layout so that apparel can be moved down to that row instead? Really like 98% of my dragons have no fancy battle info to display so I don't care about seeing it- but if you could tab between the two info pieces and combine them into one location I think that'd clear up a bunch of room.

Also I think the share and morphology buttons just... Need changed. They are in such a weird place and seem like a last minute placement. Put them back under physical info and maybe move the like button into a trio of buttons maybe??

And some padding between the top buttons and the dragon.... Please...

Isn't the photoshopped proposal just the old layout with Background added? I mean I wish the apparel box was somewhere else too but the proposed changes you drew out isn't even what I'd call an update, it's just a slight modification.

[quote name="cosmacy" date="2020-06-08 08:12:35" ] ... [b]Scenes:[/b] I believe the introduction of scenes is a welcomed addition as well as a larger image of the dragon. [b] However,[/b] I believe scenes should work similar to vistas and not like apparel- In the gem marketplace, a single scene is essentially $2. If someone was to give all of their dragons this scene because it is their favorite, it would become overly costly as each scene disappears after use. If it were a vista, the price of a scene could be greater, but use could be account wide. ... [/quote] definitely seconding this! i bought the gems one assuming i could apply them to multiple dragons at once, i'm not terribly upset that this isn't the case, but part of me wonders why it couldn't be? another thing i have an issue with is the fade to transparent on the scenic mode. why? why why why. its a SCENIC mode. not a 'the bottom of my dragon is nearly cut off by a fade to white and some cumbersome buttons' mode. leave a gap at the top for the buttons. round off the edges if they want to appease a certain 'aesthetic' but for all that is holy dont touch the opacity! i love these backgrounds! let me see them in all their glory without opening another tab! and lastly, regarding bio layout: in some ways i think users are never going to quite agree on what info is important enough to go alongside the dragon. but there's one think i think we can all agree on: those lined boxes are [i]ugly[/i]. begone! what purpose do they serve!

[quote name="cosmacy" date="2020-06-08 08:12:35" ] [b] Apparel: [/b] The apparel column now is the first thing you see- the eye reading left to right, top to bottom. Previously, the dragon- the main focus- was the first thing someone would see- however, now it is a cumbersome and unsightly apparel list with small square outlines for apparel slots. Previously, apparel was a small box that could be viewed if sought out- much like most of the other information. [/quote] Also a graphic designer here, that's exactly what I said. I got lucky so my comment was first page in the update thread, but the apparel is really the only thing really bothering me in this update.

I personally like it a lot, but my main beef is with the apparel/scene/skin boxes. The dashed lines make it look too prominent that they aren’t wearing anything, and it’s kind of annoying because it feels... incomplete for the dragon, if that makes any sense?