Suggestion/Recommendation - Thing

[Hittokiri Zero]

Well first of all I was wondering if OtakuBoards had a new skin or something planned for this summer?

And I only ask that because it leads into my suggestion. I remember back in the day when I used to post here a lot that there was always something going on in the graphic section one thing in particular that I remembered were the days when there were contests to decided what the new banner for OB would look like.

So i'm basically suggesting that a new contest is held for either a new skin or a new banner for OtakuBoards. If for no other reason then just because it's summer vacation and some of us seem to have a lot of free time on our hands :rolleyes:.

[Annie]

[font=tahoma]All I can say, to my knowledge, is that James is working on a new layout for the OB. However, he is also working on a new layout for MyOtaku.com, so he's been pretty busy. But a new theme is coming, it's just a matter of time.

As for your suggestion, I think it'd be a fun thing to do. I remember those competitions, and wanted to participate. Due to my lack of Photoshop back then, I was unable to. But I have it now, and would like to stretch my legs on that opportunity. It'd definitely draw some excitement, considering how the Art Studio is starting to fire up with some truely amazing talent in the Photoshop/Paint Shop Pro artists. This is the first time in the 2 years I've been a member, that I've seen the Art Studio so active. It'd be nice to see what everyone would come up with.[/font]

[James]

[color=#332E1D][font=franklin gothic medium]At the moment I have a ton of half-finished stuff sitting here for OtakuBoards. My commitments with other network stuff are such that I really haven't had time to finish anything.

I suspect that OB will be destined for a larger update later in the year. At the very least, I'll be able to re-assess things once the new myOtaku has been completed (which shouldn't take too long now).

In regard to skins, it's a very big job. I may hold a public competition here, but the voting wouldn't be open to the public; I'd have to personally choose what can be used or not. I only say that because I want to ensure total consistency with the site's design. I also want to ensure strong quality.

The big problem with doing this is simply that some of the updates planned for OB will change it structurally. For instance, the area at the top of the navigation bar that lists your PMs and your username; when planned revisions go through, that area will be redesigned. It won't just feature a new graphic, it will actually be structurally changed.

At the moment it's impossible for me to provide an accurate idea of what will be different, because all of those changes haven't been worked through yet. So it's a difficult problem.

But having said all of that, it might be possible to make a few small changes and still use the same dimensions and stuff for new skins. That would keep OB fresh for another few months, at least. And it'd give skin makers something to do during summer.

Anyway, all I can tell you is that I'll keep the idea in mind. Right now I just can't promise anything, but once myO is done I'll be in a better position to know how I want to go forward with OtakuBoards.[/color][/font]

[Baron Samedi]

[size=1]This idea has been brought up so many times that I could pretty well much tell what the response was going to be. So for the fifth or so time, I'll add that an image file containing all graphics for OB which could quickly be switched with the OB mule would be a relatively easy and 'cost-free' method of skinning. Distribute the OB graphics folder, and wait for the skinners to get to work.[/size]

[James]

[quote name='Baron Samedi][size=1']So for the fifth or so time, I'll add that an image file containing all graphics for OB which could quickly be switched with the OB mule would be a relatively easy and 'cost-free' method of skinning. Distribute the OB graphics folder, and wait for the skinners to get to work.[/size][/quote]
[color=#332E1D][font=franklin gothic medium]I agree. But as I've said, it is impossible to do that until I know what the physical changes to the site will end up being.

It's useless to distribute a folder with the current graphics set, because it could change within months. And that would be a disservice to the person who spends hours working on a beautiful skin.[/color][/font]

[Baron Samedi]

[size=1]Yeah, I know. It might've been a good idea earlier, but seeing as we're going to be getting some new stuff [Goodo!], it would be quite redundant to distribute it at this stage, and risk nullifying designer's work, or constricting certain elements of the new design to using images and dimensions from the old design.[/size]

[James]

[color=#332E1D][font=franklin gothic medium]Yup. Considering the time it takes to design a skin, I really want to make sure that the skins that get through manage to stay around for quite a while.

When the time comes and things are finalized, I will no doubt provide a ZIP file for artists to download and tinker with.

However, I still have to decide how I'm going to go about the process. I have considered asking for specific types of designs and having people essentially compete so that the best design is chosen. On the other hand, I am interested to see if people can come up with a theme that I hadn't considered before.

Regardless, it must be noted that even if a dozen people submit skins, it's only likely that one or two will be published. When it comes to something like this, I'm going to have to be incredibly selective about what gets used. But hopefully that will spur people to try harder as well. And I'm sure the satisfaction of having their skin made official would be worth it. ^_^[/font][/color]