New Web Review

Published by Animelove_1105 on May 13th.

Hey everyone! The new RW site's been out for a few days now, and I've been using it for about a day. I think it's time I shared some opinions and some feedback about the new site.

The Design

Now this is what I was wondering about when the update was first announced. Knowing the site hadn't been majorly updated for years, I did feel like there was going to be some "modernization" in that update. Honestly, I am not a fan on the modern, flat, "oversimplified" style used by many brands today. Yes, it does make stuff in certain things more easier to sightread. But compared to other graphic design art styles I've seen, it definitely feels very soulless.

Now, back to the new site's design. And it seems like it has fallen into that art style. But it's not all bad. The site feels a lot more smoother to navigate and everything with the new animations. And it still maintains the same navigation system as the old site, so it's familiar to those who've been on here for a while. You'll just need to get used to some of the new systems such as the forums. And I do like how there's still bits of the old site left. The icons for the new items retain the same style as the old ones, and I love that! I really like seeing such art styles on the web today.

Well, that's my nostalgia-blinded thoughts on the design. Now there is another thing I want to talk about...

Themes

On the old site, you were able to select from a wide variety of themes, with some being submitted by users on the site. What do we have now? A Nintendo Switch-type collection of Classic Light and Classic Dark. Firstly, good thing we have a dark mode now. But secondly, I wish there were more for us to choose from. I know the new web just recently came out, but I am hoping that we'll get themes sometime in the future. It doesn't have to be something like the old web's themes, I'll be fine with something like different color palettes.

Comments & Forums

I like the improvements to the forums and comments! First, I'll touch on the Forums. I like the idea of having separate types of threads for questions and general stuff. And I think polls are a neat addition, I think it'll keep things engaging.

About comments, the new features are pretty neat! Replies will be useful in most cases, and the upvote/downvote system will be good at determining actual feedback. The comment editor also looks a lot more cleaner. ...Yea I don't really have much to say about the new comment and forum systems. But there is one related change I do like...

Karma

Well, seems like we've reached Reddit territory. But despite that, I think this will make the site have a much better social experience. I like the idea of having certain features locked behind certain Karma requirements. And with Karma being only obtainable for those with accounts, this will help with the Anonymous problem that the old version had (Which was something I ranted about in the forums...I think. There's probably a thread somewhere which I did). It is a simple, but a very helpful and welcome addition.

The Market

I like how the shops are now on their own page, it felt weird having Scunkie's hanging out on the users page. Two very unrelated things. But now, it's all on one market square! I also like the addition of the Flea Market, it makes a very good way of making Buttons.

Profiles

The new profile system is great! I like how customizable it is now. And with the addition of picture frames, it allows a lot more decoration. Thankfully trophy displaying isn't limited to one, I can display all of them! I also like the new selection of social links. Definitely an improvement to the one before.

Bugs and Such

There are a few issues I've came across. Firstly, a lot of images were resized on certain pages. Here's an example from the Workshop Help page:

Spray paint - (5 Buttons) Using the spray paint changes the color of user's name. Out of 8 different colors, one color is sold by Scunkie each day, and refreshes to another one daily. Some people were given spray paints early as a special reward. Here are some more spray paint colors, some of which are unobtainable.

The spray paint image used to be smaller. The larger image makes the layout look a bit iffy compared to how it looked in the previous version. It isn't needed, but maybe add options to resize images similar to showing icons? (With a limit, of course.)

Also, I've noticed cells don't show well in the Classic Dark theme. You can still see the text, but it's harder to read, and with the similar values, it'll be more difficult for colorblind users to read. (I am using Zen Browser 1.12.3b, running Firefox RC 138.0.3. I will check if this persists on other browsers.)

Conclusion

Overall, I think this is a neat change. It's not the best in the world, but it is welcome. The changes to the site and how everything works will surely make using this site a better experience. Overall rating: 7.5/10
Thank you Vlasta and everyone else involved for your hard work. In the meantime, I'll be visiting often, grinding buttons and Karma when I can, and waiting for whatever updates come next. 😉