Ideas on the header banner and color theme

[Maltz]

I really like the current theme and I can see a lot of quality work put in there. Just a few suggestions:

(1) On the very top - the "ORG" + Japanese castle banner. Personally I think the winter theme is a little strange as our general wallpaper shows spring time and a different color theme. Maybe we can find another season of the castle to match the orange background better. Also I remember in the opening moments of the intro movie (before "the old shogunate is ova!") there is a nice wall paper showing hand-drawn cherry blossom.

(2) The winter background is probably here to match the background picture for posts, which is also a little blue, as well as dark blue bold font for links... How about we make the color a little warmer?

I know some photoshop so if the staff passes me the specifications of size and possibly the originals, I can come up with some modifications and see if it will work out.

By the way, some of the submissions in the screenshot threads would make excellent materials for banners and wallpapers of the site. We can even let people vote on them...?

[TinCow]

Is the banner winter? I thought it was a spring thing due to the leaves or cherry blossoms or whatever on the tree on the left. Regardless, this is the path of the full image:

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/image...ds/header2.png

The dimensions are 1,920px × 178px. 1920px width is required so that it properly scales for all common resolutions.

For the post background, do you mean this?
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/image...unds/paper.png

If so, that's an image of the in-game paper or fabric. It's designed to match this top bit of each section/post/etc:
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/image...ounds/flag.png

So, changing the 'paper' background would screw up the look of the skin unless the flag pole bit was also changed to match it.

If you'd like to create some alternatives, please go right ahead. I cannot guarantee that we will use them, but anything anyone produces will certainly be seriously considered.

[drone]

Is the banner winter? I thought it was a spring thing due to the leaves or cherry blossoms or whatever on the tree on the left. Regardless, this is the path of the full image:

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/image...ds/header2.png

Pretty sure it's cherry blossoms.

[Maltz]

Yeah the picture is what I am referring to.

If Japanese Castle + Cherry Blossom is what we aim for, I might be able to find something... I can also photoshop the ORG logo with various effect for staff to choose from.

I can modify the background color and let the staff decide whether to change or not.

By the way, is there a higher resolution version of the wallpaper? (the one that obviously shows cherry blossom?) It looks a little blurred.

[TinCow]

By the way, is there a higher resolution version of the wallpaper? (the one that obviously shows cherry blossom?) It looks a little blurred.

Yes, the one that is displayed has been compressed to keep page loading times down. Here is the raw image:
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/image...background.png

Here's another raw image that was experimented with during design, but wasn't actually used:
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/image...s/kanagawa.png

Also, here are various versions of the current logo:

This is the largest version of the logo in black:
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/digita.../logolarge.png

The size that is used in the banners is this one:
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/digita.../logosmall.png

This is the one with the drop shadow:
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/digita...logosmalls.png
There isn't a copy of the large one with a drop shadow, but it shouldn't be much work to add one.

Here are two more version of the smaller one in white and off-white, that I created for a different skin that I never made public:
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/cpstyl...logosmallw.png
https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/cpstyl...ogosmallw2.png

[Maltz]

Yeah that wave picture is very famous. I understand the need to keep the load times down.
One way is to tone down the color constract of the pictures and make it more like a watermark. This way the file can be smaller.

By the way, I went back to the Shogun 2 screenshot thread and found a few awesome candidates for the header picture.
I wonder whether it is a good idea to simply contact the original authors and ask them to come up with designs based on their pictures?

[caravel]

If I might point out, it's not purely about load times and bandwidth but rendering and general performance. I have found in particular that Firefox struggles with vBulletin 4.x, whereas v3.x is smooth. The problem is most apparent when scrolling. If you use chrome, opera or IE or your system is particularly high end you may not notice it.

I found this:

https://www.vbulletin.com/forum/show...=1#post1974926

Also note: vbulletin's own support forum has the rounded corners and shadows disabled and it's a lot smoother.

I use the default "vb4 default style" template when browsing the .org as the .org's TWS2 template is far too slow, due to the extra images, especially the background image - I believe it would be ok if shadows and rounded corners were turned off.

I would advocate removing some of the graphics (and rounded corners and shadows) and going for a lighter and cleaner default template.

£0.02

//edit: I've just noticed that rounded corners and drop shadows are off within the thread bodies, which makes a huge difference compared to the main index and forum indexes.

[TinCow]

If I might point out, it's not purely about load times and bandwidth but rendering and general performance. I have found in particular that Firefox struggles with vBulletin 4.x, whereas v3.x is smooth. The problem is most apparent when scrolling. If you use chrome, opera or IE or your system is particularly high end you may not notice it.

I only use Firefox and haven't experienced scrolling issues with the skin. What are your specs?

[caravel]

1) Intel(R) Celeron(R) D CPU 3.06GHz,, 1GB RAM, Nvidia 7300GT (my main system)

2) Athlon 64 X2 5200, 2GB RAM, Radeon HD 3650 PCI-e, Windows XP (my better half's computer)

3) Pentium Dual Core ~ 2.6GHz, 3GB RAM, intel graphics, Windows XP (work PC)

None of which are particularly "high end", I'll be the first to admit.

On all of these scrolling isn't smooth at the .org and other vbulletin 4.x forums when using Firefox. Scrolling is smooth as anything on vb 3.x and other types of forums.

Scrolling is much better and smoother on vb 4.x sites when using Opera or Chromium - which is my workaround.

As I said above there is a huge difference when scrolling within a thread as opposed to the main index as the rounded corners and shadows are turned off.

It's up to the .org admins if they want to do anything about it - I'm just trying to help. You shouldn't need a high end hex core gaming rig just to browse a forum. £0.02

[TinCow]

It's up to the .org admins if they want to do anything about it - I'm just trying to help. You shouldn't need a high end hex core gaming rig just to browse a forum. £0.02

I honestly don't see much of an issue. I've tested it with Firefox on a machine that has near identical specs to your #3 (including onboard VPU), and there's barely any scrolling difference between TWS2 and vB Default. The level of slowdown is so minimal I wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't been flipping back and forth testing it, and it's clearly due to the onboard VPU. If you are bothered by the same level of slowdown that I saw, then I suggest that you should try using one of the other skins. TWS2 works without any noticeable slowdown on pretty much everything else I have tried. It even browses smoothly on an iPad 2 and iPhone 2 (though I highly recommend using one of the mobile skins for all smartphones). I do not see a "huge" difference anywhere on the site. I'm not particularly keen on making TWS2 uglier to improve its speed by a small amount on lower end machines. We already have five other skins that have minimal graphics which can be used by anyone who experiences this issue.

[caravel]

You seem to misunderstand me - I'm talking about vbulletin 4.x vs vbulletin 3.x/vbulletin 4.x with rounded corners and shadows turned off. Not the difference between the vb default and TWS2.

The background image especially on TWS2 does cause some choppiness but the rounded corners and shadows are eating up more CPU cycles.

[TinCow]

We are aware of the issues with vB 4 and we gripe about some aspects of it regularly, but downgrading to vB 3 is definitely not an option.

[caravel]

Who said anything about downgrading to vb 3...?

[TinCow]

Apologies, I did not understand your point on my first read through. On re-read, I see that you want shadows and rounded corners turned off. My response to that request is the same as in post #10. The level of difference I can see is tiny, occurs only on older machines, and there are already five other skins that are nowhere near as graphically demanding. I think it would be better for people who have issues with TWS2 to use one of those other skins than to downgrade TWS2, which works quite well on most machines.

[caravel]

All of the other skins also have rounded corners and shadows enabled, except maybe the lightweight skin which at least does not seem to have shadows - I don't see disabling those two as much of a downgrade and if scrolling is smoother as a result - it's worthwhile IMHO. Anyway, I'll bow out at this stage.

[TinCow]

Those skins have been on the site for many years. If you are just now having issues with them, it's probably a local configuration issue.

[caravel]

The rounded corners and shadows came into being in vbulletin 4.x, independent of any forum skin... they did not exist in vbulletin 3.x. Please read the link I posted earlier. It's certainly not a "local configuration issue" (on three - actually more - different PCs - are you having a laugh?). Anyway, as ever, just forget it...

[Beskar]

Hey Caravel, are you able to screenshot to demonstrate what you mean, so I have a better understanding?

Not sure exactly on how the skin system works in vbullentin, but having this option turned off on a plain skin or similar to compensate for this issue might be a simple change.

[Kagemusha]

As i am the "guilty" party as creator of the TW2S skin. I would like to comment that great pains were taken to scale down file sizes for each image being used for the skin. TC made lot of work to find optimal file sizes with best compromise between sharpness and file sizes.

Maltz, if you are interested on doing creative work with skins. You should contact staff and they can help you to start creating entirely new ones. I would rather keep this one as it is, as now the skin is like i intended it to be.

Caravel, am i right that you mean we should disable shadows and rounded corners from all the skins we have in order to enhance scrolling? From my part.I dont remember running into such option from the skin variable options for individual skins, so if there is such option to turn those off, it would had to be controlled somewhere else in the admincp.

[TinCow]

Caravel, am i right that you mean we should disable shadows and rounded corners from all the skins we have in order to enhance scrolling? From my part.I dont remember running into such option from the skin variable options for individual skins, so if there is such option to turn those off, it would had to be controlled somewhere else in the admincp.

There is no individual shadow option for the entire skin, there are just many individual ones for all the separate areas. It could be done if someone wanted to do it, but I really do not think it's worth the time it would take. Those skins have been exactly as they are now, with shadows and rounded corners, for over two years without any issues or complaints. If it was truly a "huge" slowdown for multiple people, there would have been comments on it before now. We already have some very stripped down skins anyway. Morbid has some shadows and rounded edges, but far fewer than the others and it is blazing fast. For a really stripped down version, Lightweight cuts out all graphical frills. I don't think it's possible to get any faster than Lightweight.

If I have some time, I'll see if I can find another really basic skin without any graphical enhancements at all.

[Kagemusha]

There is no individual shadow option for the entire skin, there are just many individual ones for all the separate areas. It could be done if someone wanted to do it, but I really do not think it's worth the time it would take. Those skins have been exactly as they are now, with shadows and rounded corners, for over two years without any issues or complaints. If it was truly a "huge" slowdown for multiple people, there would have been comments on it before now. We already have some very stripped down skins anyway. Morbid has some shadows and rounded edges, but far fewer than the others and it is blazing fast. For a really stripped down version, Lightweight cuts out all graphical frills. I don't think it's possible to get any faster than Lightweight.

If I have some time, I'll see if I can find another really basic skin without any graphical enhancements at all.

Thanks for the clarification. Going through all the individual variables in order to do that sounds like a recipe for madness. I just wanted to be sure what caravel was trying to say.

[Husar]

I've told people again and again to use Opera because using Firefox is a "local configuration problem", but they never listen....

[Andres]

Would rounded corners and shadows disabled impact all skins, or is it possible to do it for one particular skin? What I mean is: would it be possible to keep the TW2 skin we have now and have a "light" version with rounded corners and shadows turned off?

Sorry if this is a dumb question, I'm not really good at this kind of stuff (that's why we have TA's), but I was just wondering. I also have no idea about how much work it would actually need, but perhaps somebody is willing to give our TA's a hand with this?

[TinCow]

Rounded corners and shadows are currently disabled on the vB default skin.