GarageGames Website Changes: March
by Jacob Fike · 04/07/2009 (5:31 pm) · 56 comments
You may have noticed a few changes today. Here is a comprehensive list of what changed over the course of March (and this first week of April). As always, please give us your feedback.
New Features
- RSS Feeds! - Yes, RSS feeds are back! You will find them right here
- jQuery - Our javascript library is now jQuery instead of Prototype/Scriptaculous, so hopefully you will notice some speed improvements and this also will pave the way for some fancy new features (like the mini-profiles described below).
- Mini-profiles - Clicking a user's name on the forums or on a blog will drop down a small profile tooltip with some handy information and links in it.
- Page header improvements - You can now quickly view your profile and change your settings from any page with the dropdown menu that appears when you hover over the My Account link. The Cart link now shows how many items are in your cart. Also, be sure to checkout the Games dropdown menu.
- Checkout process - Fill out billing and shipping information (when needed) on the same page, simplifying the checkout process.
- Activity Feed - Now we show a recent activity feed on each user's profile so you can more easily see what people have been up to instead of searching through all blogs or threads separately.
- Engine screenshots - Screenshots for engines now have comments, letting you know what game the screenshot is from.
- Code in blogs/threads - You should now notice a spiffy new look for code blocks in threads and blogs/resources with syntax highlighting. You can specify the code syntax in the code tag by using [code=X where X is cpp (for C++), c#, php, python, java, js, sql, or xml. If it is not specified it will default to C++ syntax highlighting.
Bug fixes
- Fixed whitespace issues and wordwrap issues in code blocks
- Fixed lots of display issues in Opera
- Posting and editing blogs and threads should be faster now
- Better messaging when trying to purchase a product that requires owning another product
About the author
As the CTO of Avalon Labs LLC, I am responsible for the technology behind Fellowstream, our team-based to-do list.
#22
:)
04/07/2009 (8:47 pm)
@Nice updates.. Starting to like the new design now.... But, don't let it go to your head, I reserve the right to complain about something later!:)
#23
04/07/2009 (8:56 pm)
Great work Jacob! This is awesome. 
#24
04/07/2009 (9:22 pm)
Cool feature, To have a profile pic or company logo on the little profile thing would be cool. 
#25
04/07/2009 (9:35 pm)
I'm loving the new changes on the site!! 
#26
Can you guys make it where we can have a quick reply box at the bottom of each page "including blogs"? And if so, make an option in our profiles where we can make it default to open or closed.
Other than that, I like it...all of it. And thanks so much for the feeds, I was waiting for them rather than having to browse the site everyday.
GarageGames is now doing Supercool! (amusing Upright Citizen's Brigade reference)
04/07/2009 (9:41 pm)
Ok, wow. Nice update. Just one small problem that has been haunting me this whole time.Can you guys make it where we can have a quick reply box at the bottom of each page "including blogs"? And if so, make an option in our profiles where we can make it default to open or closed.
Other than that, I like it...all of it. And thanks so much for the feeds, I was waiting for them rather than having to browse the site everyday.
GarageGames is now doing Supercool! (amusing Upright Citizen's Brigade reference)
#27
04/07/2009 (10:10 pm)
Great work guys! I love the code snippets. :P 
#29
Glen - I think the quick reply box did start off at the bottom of every page, but since we're not used to having pages around here, people requested it be left onl on the last page, so we didn't start writing replies accidentally ignoring several pages of posts. And GG speedily granted our wishes ;)
Ooh - just something I noticed. I can no longer tell which forum posts are stickies. Which doesn't *really* matter, but it's nice to be able, when browsing the forum, to just skip over the stickies at the top and find posts people are actually posting in ;P
04/07/2009 (11:50 pm)
I <3 GG!Glen - I think the quick reply box did start off at the bottom of every page, but since we're not used to having pages around here, people requested it be left onl on the last page, so we didn't start writing replies accidentally ignoring several pages of posts. And GG speedily granted our wishes ;)
Ooh - just something I noticed. I can no longer tell which forum posts are stickies. Which doesn't *really* matter, but it's nice to be able, when browsing the forum, to just skip over the stickies at the top and find posts people are actually posting in ;P
#30
04/08/2009 (12:34 am)
Wicked sweet! 
#31
I really like the Recent Activity list - it just needs that order fixed.
What I'm the most happy about is that you chose jQuery - I can see more coolness around the corner!
PS: Hint: How to create a TorqueScript syntax highlighter :)
04/08/2009 (12:36 am)
Very nice work, Jacob & web team. I really like the Recent Activity list - it just needs that order fixed.
What I'm the most happy about is that you chose jQuery - I can see more coolness around the corner!
PS: Hint: How to create a TorqueScript syntax highlighter :)
#33
04/08/2009 (2:09 am)
Great job with the changes... another vote for either removing the community banner or making it more useful i.e. displaying snapshots, recent resource links, etc 
#34
04/08/2009 (3:42 am)
Yeah, great job gg! I have to agree with the suggestions on the banner, it's too big and useless within the actual post's. The return of snapshots (and profile avatars) would be nice too (assuming it's not already in the vast todo list). Great work though! 
#35
04/08/2009 (5:09 am)
Code blocks really looking slick now....!! Great work! Nice...the profile dropdowns under each member. 
#36
Just kidding.. I love the little drop down menus on users names.
And it's good being able to see whos an employee, Torque Owner or just a member.
04/08/2009 (5:55 am)
Why did you change the site? change it back GG! Just kidding.. I love the little drop down menus on users names.
And it's good being able to see whos an employee, Torque Owner or just a member.
#37
04/08/2009 (7:05 am)
Very Nice. I like the new user drop down info- it's cool. And I could never possibly express how happy I am to have the RSS feeds back, it was like a part of my soul was missing and has now been restored. Thanks!
#38
04/08/2009 (7:49 am)
yes community banner is very lame. also have the whole post at the top of every page is also pretty lame it would be much nicer if it were only on the first page. I like the way you moved the user down past it on the subsequent pages but there is just no point in having it there on any page but the first. I find it pretty annoying.
#39
04/08/2009 (9:00 am)
Any chnace of getting the profile photos back, and also better formatting for profile pages?
#40
04/08/2009 (9:10 am)
Hey! Date filtering in search results ! Woohoo! 
Associate Michael Hall
Distracted...
I wasn't going to mention the non-awesome Community banner again... but since it's already been brought up: GET RID OF IT!! Or at least replace it with an oft missed site feature: the Snapshots -- but only on the first Community page the "What's New" page I guess of course.