The site does seem considerably faster.

There is a very slight learning curve on how to use the new forums but I don't think it takes too much time to get used to. I think people in a lot of cases don't like change for change's sake and that's fair, but it's not like the site is in Chinese now!

 

Overall I like the new look, it's much cleaner than the old setup and I like that some of the black and dark colors are gone. Dare I say you guys should use vwvortex as a model? This update is a step in the right direction though...much more sophisticated and bright.

Also, I like how there aren't as many things crammed into one page, it gets sloppy that way fast.

 

I think the new buttons and colors look nice, but the usability of this site is far worse, IMO, than the old one. First of all, the banner looks very out of place in that dedicated gray area, almost looks like evom.net is opening in a goofy frame or something. Also, the information architecture of the front page is totally wack. It basically looks like an excel spreadsheet with a bunch of rows and columns, and the recent posts list takes up way too much room and requires the user to scroll down a lot to read it. In addition, since it is probably the most used feature on the site, placing it in the middle makes it harder to find, especially since it wasn't there before. I think the buttons are nice but if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

I just went through a site change to vb3 on another forum. The same griping occured; but after a week or so of evolution ( ) and constructive criticism, the new site is actually superior. Give Mark and his crew a few days to put everything together before you lambast us all with "the old site was better" or "this sucks, I'm going elsewhere".

Mark - thanks for fixing quick reply.

 

I think we need to wait for Mark's brain to recover ;-)

I think I located all the old functionality I griped about - in the sub-bar at the top below the EVom banner. Unfortunately, it looks like it is only visible when you are viewing a thread, not on the homepage itself. Hope it can be adjusted. But I still have a beef that just about every operation requires more clicks. Case in point, I did not see a Delete button on the PM's - you now have to use a drop-box to perform that most simple and basic of operations.

 

yeah i think the new functions are ok... and i can see you guys are probably using 2 tier .NET structure... everything is fast and secure.. me gusta.. anywho... u guys need to hire a graphic designer hehe

 

I think you might be able to turn of some of these drop down features, but you're right... I'm toast right now Once I get my thoughts back, I'll crank away at finding how to make this version look as good as the old one. The way I see it, this one looks bad, but has better features, so it's a better base... I hope

Mark

 

I am starting to get use to the new setup. I guess it took me walking away for about 30 minutes and then coming back to it. I will get use to the new bright colors, I guess that is my main complaint. Props have to be giving to Mark and the staff for upgrading this site.

 

some of the links off "home" don't seem to work. advertising, about us, privacy, etc...

 

Really too tall and fat. Like someone said "diet". The "Latest News" block is way too big especially since it is not updated too often and it's the first section you see. It should be in a corner somewhere, small corner, or just a button. Spending a couple years in Computer Graphics, (IMHO) the new site needs a little help compared to what we were use to. However, it's better than most forums. The best improvement is the "Reply to Thread" window.

 

Rather than reiterate other comments, I will just vote no for new and yes for old.

 

Mark,

On the main page, I used to love how the "latest discussions" hit me in the face right when it opens. But now it seems that i have to scroll down a lil to get to it. Even on my 1024x768 resolution. Otherwise the new interface looks groovy. Thanks dude!

- Kareem

Also, I lost my custom title that I earned (My Ex-Moderator title)

 

Another gripe/flaw:

Sticky'd messages show up on every page of thread listings.

 

I liked the old site because I was used to it (it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks). I liked the fact that all my info such as personal pm's was very visible. Now I don't know where to find my pm's. Also, for some reason it looks as if the home page on this new site holds less information on it.

It also took me a little while until I could figure out how to log on. I had to go one of the forums and log in.

 

i used to be able to hit the back button on my search for latest posts. now if i do it i get no records found and i have to click on quick links then recent posts.

small gripe but i doubt i am the only one.