Actually, I've been meaning to do some 'complaining' of my own. So here's the low-down (I tend to be blunt... nothing personal meant by it!!!) :-)
There are
many broken links all over the place. It's quite annoying when you want to view something and the link doesn't work.
The header section for the root web pages (e.g.,
http://www.outpostuniverse.net) is too big. Users in a resolution of 1024x768 will be very annoyed (myself included) when every time they click on a link they have to scroll down to see what they've clicked on. Not a pleasant experience (I'm a graphic artist by nature so if you need help with designing smaller yet readable and good-looking images to use for the header, I'm more than willing to help. As Proffessor Dumbledor once said, "Help comes only to those who ask for it.")
Spelling/gramar/readability are huge aspects of attracting and keeping new and existing users. Quite frankly, the way many things are written, it's hard to understand what is being said. Not to mention, it's a big turn-off when you read something like "so wut u bin sa'in" when what trying to be portrayed is "So, what have you been saying?" (granted, it really doesn't need proper punctuation and whatnot, but it does help.)
Part of a great website and community is a website that can be easily read, accessed and joined as well as cleanly laid out content that is written in a way that anyone can understand.
With all of this said, I am not trying to bash anything, rather, point out little flaws that make OPU seem like a bunch of amatuers. Of course, we are a bunch of amatuers, but as I said earlier, attracting and keeping users is a big part of creating a community. Where is OPU without an active community?
I am available very often. If not on IRC, via e-mail or any number of IM programs out there. I would really like to help create a website that's integrated with the rest of the site (e.g., the rest of the website looking like the forum website). Yeah, I'm working on OPUTool and OP:MIA as well as 10,000 other projects, but web/graphic design is something I've been working with since I was 11. I might as well do it in my sleep.
Maybe I just have fantastical ideas that will never hope to come true, but I see OPU as a very large online community not devoted simply to OP2 but OP1 and the other OP games being created. I see OPU becoming the host of the new OP2 WON server (via whatever software we use/create).
I just had another thought... is this even the forum to be saying all of this?
