Extreme Makeover - TP/SMF Edition

[Xarcell]

I know your really in a bind WSA, but I think you should wait it out for future updates.

Gallery, teampage,  and links page will be added in 2 months maybe? (up to Bloc)

Subscription option will be added to the "TPstore" module before the end of the year maybe? (up to Bloc)

The vision impaired is a theme option a dsigner can implement.

MP3 player, I very strongly recommend this: http://www.tinyportal.net/smf/index.php?topic=1227.0

"Felblog" will be ready for outside testing as soon as feline comes back from vacation. She has finished it, and you can also help test it at her site...

As far as the theme, I wish I had time to do one for you, but I don't. I have other (paid) projects I've been working on. I'm just about finished and I intend to help Bloc with as much as the TP documention and help files as I possiably can.

I don't intend to do anything else until it's up to speed...

I actually started another theme for you WSA, but as I said, I cannot finish it in a timely manner. With current projects, new girlfriend, and full-time job, I've bitten off more than I can chew.

[Xarcell]

@ StormLrd

I hope your not charging for a modified bloack 22 theme. Then you'd have to split the earnings with Bloc.

[agridoc]

**We need a new theme.  I really love the theme that xarcell designed for us, but it is pretty graphically heavy and creates long load times for our friends on dial-up.

I had a look in your site and I see a lot of photos, not properly compressed, displaying. Compressing them to 80% will reduce mean file size by more than 40%.

I think this is the main cause for  long load times.

[stormlrd]

lol @ Xarcell hell im doing it for TP not money, if bloc is willing to share I'd be grateful as i can definitly use it especially after the move and all lol.

Seriously here's a cpl quick drafts of a possible logo for it.

[Xarcell]

The images for your theme may be graphic's heavy, but they are also heavily compressed and reused(stored in browser). As I said before, and as agricdoc states, it's the photos that causes alot of your load time.

I don't remeber what they were, but I quoted the load times on the images you had. I believe it was over 7 minutes just for the images you had(photos/logos) and 2+ minutes for the theme images. I could be wrong though....

You can compress a jpg by 20% and see no noticable difference. It will make the file size smaller than a if you would have saved it as a gif.

Maybe after Bloc starts the gallery, maybe we can sweet talk him into adding some kind of compression feature using the GD library.

[WSA]

Thanks everybody for rallying around this project.

Regarding the Jukebox, that can be put off.  I was just thinking to add it while everything is getting done.  No big deal there.

I know what you mean Xarcell regarding waiting.  I do think waiting would be the safer option but I really want to make sure that the website is ready for the traffic.  I can't put off the column as it is already in motion.  We just know that the first 3 issues that come out, the traffic is going to be insane.

I am just as guilty as other people, when I click on a website and it isn't up within 15 seconds, I click back and search somewhere else.  It's the nature of the beast.

I don't want people to click on, get a loading screen for X minutes and then just back out.

I appreciate everybodies help with this and I am open to any suggestions.

Again, the colors should reflect fishing and outdoors.  Greens, blues, and greys.  Maybe some browns in there also.  The text should contrast well against the backgrounds.

On a side note, somebody in my WSA group owns a company and has taken interest in how our forum looks.  He is looking at getting a website and I discussed the advantages of TP.  I think he might go for it.  Bam, another satisfied TP user is what I see.

Again, I know this will benefit TP/SMF in a huge way.  We are a rural area, a bunch of rednecks and NASCAR junkies, but we do know a good thing when we see it.  And I know that when people see what TP can do, it's just a matter of time before we start having many companies jumping on board.

What can I do right now?  What does anybody need from me?

[WSA]

What Xarcell mentioned regarding the graphic sizes, wouldn't this be eliminated if we kept the images in coppermine?  They wouldn't load up initially?

[stormlrd]

What Xarcell mentioned regarding the graphic sizes, wouldn't this be eliminated if we kept the images in coppermine?  They wouldn't load up initially?

I would limit this like you say to the gallery with maybe 1 at most random image block in the tp.

this is real rough bare with me Ive only been working on it a cpl hours but heres a draft:

http://stormlrdsreality.co.uk/SMF_RC2/index.php?action=forum

on/off gifs yet to be done a alot of other things. next to the info center youll note a missing image im gonna add some sort of simple fishing image there. Im gonna break for a bit and I'll be back.

NOTE TO BLOC you can access this using the same ftp info for my regular forum if needed and Ill setup a user account for you.

[WSA]

Not a problem.  I like the color patterns.  I think that will go over well.

Can we use the on/off gifs that we have already?  In addition, can we use the banner that Xarcell designed up at the top?

[WSA]

I have a bunch of little icon gifs also that I can send you.