1 week later and I’ve got a new skin/design up as promised! This one is a silent, no beep version so let me know what you think of it!
I’ve been spending most of my time sorting out css/php/mysql stuff to make the site easier to update and also made a basic preloader (will change it soon, cos it doesnt look so good) for the main swf.
After so many coding changes I’m a little worried about bugs, so please check it out and let me know if anything breaks!
There are still plenty of spaces for anyone who wants their site linked too, so mail me if you’re interested!
Very pretty. My only complaint is that you have no idea where a polka dot will take you. Otherwise, looks nice to me. I especially like the umbrella one.
I had no idea what Wamoosh was when I got there, so those dots were hella annoying. I pressed a few of them and I got popups and outlook came up, requiring confirmation to close. Quite a turn off at the least, so maybe there could be SOME text indicator that those are links when you rollover?
Funky, interesting project though. Look good. Going to a site with less links than Google, no search feature, and no way to tell what you’re about to click on. :lol:
Theros hit the nail on the head with the “what’s behind door #3 ?” analogy. I thought that could be kind of fun, especially when there are more links and they start changing more often, but thinking about it you got a good point there Dae.
If you come across the site without knowing what it is and start clicking, all the pop ups could be a real turnoff. I’m not quite ready to give up on the blink link aspect yet, but I’ll try and put a discrete message explaining what the links are and what the site is about on the front page.
The mailto: links that bring up outlook are there because I don’t know how make flash email forms yet! I think I came across a few tutorials about that right here in Kirupa.
What else… lack of color… looking back at it again, the content/writing part of the site with this skin is a little colorless but in general I was trying to keep the focus on the dot links rather than anything else. I’ll keep it in mind though.
As for favorite skins, I guess I could use cookies to remember users’ preferred skin once I get a little more adept with php.
Funky, interesting project though. Look good. Going to a site with less links than Google, no search feature, and no way to tell what you’re about to click on. :lol:
Google’s minimalist front page was a major inspiration!
Ok that’s all for now. Final question, better with sound or without?!
not yet to me. Page loads fine. Using Mozilla and IE5. I can help you out with the mailform. I´ll upload it to my server when i get home and pm you.
Maybe its a good idea to have the same kind of rollovers you have on the bottom right digits (number of sites - highest bids etc.) but with the url displaying instead.
How are you loading the dots btw? Are you using XML or a MySQL to maintain Mawoosh?
I also think the anymation of the square could be a little tastier as well as the transitions of the text. It looks way more natural with eases instantly.
Loose the beeps. Some soft clicks would fit better imo.
Thanks for taking the time out to make a working example. Yeah I am thinking about putting rollovers on the dots but I’m not completely convinced yet it’s the way I want to go. I’ll make a version with rollovers and see how I like it.
I’ll check out easing and animations too, but actually I’m trying to decide on a completely new open design with a permanent menu first rather than tweak this one. I’m beginning to think that especially for people who aren’t used to flash, the idea of clicking on an icon to open a menu is unfortunately one step too far. For the site to be more widely accessible, one click from frontpage to any content is probably the best way to go.
Right now I’m using MySQL and php to make adding and managing the links easy in the future. I’ve had one or two reports though of things not working so I have to sort that out soon…
Ok, it’s too late, gotta sleep!
Thanks again for the examples man, I really appreciate the effort!
Looks nice, once I found the actual menu and content…
