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[Snowcone]

Let me take a step back and walk you through some use cases and gather more data. Here are the other big cover sites:

http://vgboxart.com/
http://www.console-covers.com/
http://www.cdcovers.cc/
http://www.covergalaxy.com

When a user or a member visits the site, everything they are here to do/see should be immediately accessible on the front page. So what are those activities? (You can set aside login/visit the forum as that's a given)

[irvgotti452]

Ummm... In regards to the home page. I like the colors; orange, black, white and gray. Keep it simple. I'm not sure about the cluster of covers in the middle. That looks a bit busy. The greater work needs to be done on the data base. It needs to be scrubbed of low quality covers or maybe a rating system should be added to the covers. There should also be three sections in my opinion: Retail, Custom, and Placeholder. So we can get cover off the forums and make them searchable though the data base. Oh, and make Arseen a cover admin for the purpose of accessing cover that have been submitted to the site.

The covers in the middle is supposed to be a new take on the "Most Recent Covers" from the current homepage. The idea being that usually when people visit the site they are here to look for cover art or see what we have that is new.

As for the database, i'll handle that. I'm going to expand the data we collect on each cover and I'll setup some search and filtering capabilities that allow users to quickly find covers by:

Name
Artist
Console
Case Type
Cover type (Retail, Custom, etc)

Tell me more about this Placeholder type and what we would use it for?

In regards to the Placeholder option, the forums houses hundreds of completed cover for games not available on the sites data base. Most of these covers are good but not up to site standards for one reason or another (Links provided). Because they are housed on the forums, it can be difficult to find them; especially for visitors. Even if the covers aren't perfect, most people prefer to have something as opposed to a loose cartridge. It would be nice to make these available. 
http://www.thecoverproject.net/forums/index.php?topic=10382.0

http://www.thecoverproject.net/forums/index.php?topic=12282.msg103069;topicseen#new

http://www.thecoverproject.net/forums/index.php?topic=368.2655

(Shameless plug of my thread)
http://www.thecoverproject.net/forums/index.php?topic=11578.0

I think that placeholder option you speak of would defeat the purpose of us having standards lol.

[e_brugal]

So far looks good maybe bigger letters, and you can add an inlay link and have the option to upload them

[FritzWhite]

I think that placeholder option you speak of would defeat the purpose of us having standards lol.

If the covers were in a section labeled as not approved or custom, then it should be clear enough that it's a section with alternative options that did not meet the cover project standards.

Maybe you could toss all the inlays into the custom cover/placeholder section with a subcategory?

[shenske]

I'm ok with switching the naming for current covers on the site that do not meet current standards to "placeholder" or "needs replacement" but we shouldn't add anymore that are below standards.


@Segagamer
There is some inconsistency between what we admins add, i can admit that. People like Myself or TikTekTak probably have the highest standards. I apologize if one of the other admins added a cover below standards but i assure you it wasn't me. I will look into Super Bonk and update it if yours is superior quality.  EDIT: The one on the site currently is better quality, no change will be made.

You can PM me with any others that have a better replacement, i just don't want this topic derailed into a quality talk.  
I'll get to what i can as quick as i can (i usually have a 50hr work week every week).

[ChaosCat]

Ummm... In regards to the home page. I like the colors; orange, black, white and gray. Keep it simple. I'm not sure about the cluster of covers in the middle. That looks a bit busy. The greater work needs to be done on the data base. It needs to be scrubbed of low quality covers or maybe a rating system should be added to the covers. There should also be three sections in my opinion: Retail, Custom, and Placeholder. So we can get cover off the forums and make them searchable though the data base. Oh, and make Arseen a cover admin for the purpose of accessing cover that have been submitted to the site.

The covers in the middle is supposed to be a new take on the "Most Recent Covers" from the current homepage. The idea being that usually when people visit the site they are here to look for cover art or see what we have that is new.

As for the database, i'll handle that. I'm going to expand the data we collect on each cover and I'll setup some search and filtering capabilities that allow users to quickly find covers by:

Name
Artist
Console
Case Type
Cover type (Retail, Custom, etc)

Tell me more about this Placeholder type and what we would use it for?

In regards to the Placeholder option, the forums houses hundreds of completed cover for games not available on the sites data base. Most of these covers are good but not up to site standards for one reason or another (Links provided). Because they are housed on the forums, it can be difficult to find them; especially for visitors. Even if the covers aren't perfect, most people prefer to have something as opposed to a loose cartridge. It would be nice to make these available.  
http://www.thecoverproject.net/forums/index.php?topic=10382.0

http://www.thecoverproject.net/forums/index.php?topic=12282.msg103069;topicseen#new

http://www.thecoverproject.net/forums/index.php?topic=368.2655

(Shameless plug of my thread)
http://www.thecoverproject.net/forums/index.php?topic=11578.0

I can Agree with that it took me a half hour or so to learn how to search efficiently for covers in the forum! that being said,  I do tend to learn faster then most people, this is actually my first forum XD

[e_brugal]

So far looks good maybe bigger letters, and you can add an inlay link and have the option to upload them

What about these that i tell before for an inlay link?

[larryinc64]

Read all this later gotta sleep but . . .

I was working on a logo a year or two ago, maybe I should Finnish it up and you can use it?



The was going to be a Genesis/ 32X cart, and Project was a case.

[Arseen]

This Super Bonk cover was uploaded last month and it doesn't meet site standards. (http://www.thecoverproject.net/view.php?cover_id=13207)

Where as this cover for Super Bonk has been on the forums for over a year (http://www.mediafire.com/view/?s5ztvcdnaqjbehz). Meets sites standards 100%.
So things are a bit skewed.

I so 100% agree with you on this.
But there is natural explanation on this... not gonna say it... but I think atleast 2 members should check cover before adding it... for this obvious reason.

[shenske]

This Super Bonk cover was uploaded last month and it doesn't meet site standards. (http://www.thecoverproject.net/view.php?cover_id=13207)

Where as this cover for Super Bonk has been on the forums for over a year (http://www.mediafire.com/view/?s5ztvcdnaqjbehz). Meets sites standards 100%.
So things are a bit skewed.

I so 100% agree with you on this.
But there is natural explanation on this... not gonna say it... but I think atleast 2 members should check cover before adding it... for this obvious reason.

It doesn't happen often, its pretty rare when one slips through. With the way all of our (admins) schedules line up it would be redundant and no offense but a waste of time to have two admins checking every file.

[palmer6strings]

Kind of getting back on topic, the new covers in the middle seem kind of small to me, if you double their size it would fill out the page quite a bit better IMO.

[Snowcone]

Kind of getting back on topic, the new covers in the middle seem kind of small to me, if you double their size it would fill out the page quite a bit better IMO.

The size of the images scale based on your screen resolution. You can see the page on my computer at 1663px wide vs 961px wide:

[Azarkhel]

New design looks fine to me as a splash page, clean quite easy to navigate. Only criticism would be that having the console categories smashed up hard against the left looks a little rough. Bring that column in a bit, give it some breathing room.

[Arseen]

This Super Bonk cover was uploaded last month and it doesn't meet site standards. (http://www.thecoverproject.net/view.php?cover_id=13207)

Where as this cover for Super Bonk has been on the forums for over a year (http://www.mediafire.com/view/?s5ztvcdnaqjbehz). Meets sites standards 100%.
So things are a bit skewed.

I so 100% agree with you on this.
But there is natural explanation on this... not gonna say it... but I think atleast 2 members should check cover before adding it... for this obvious reason.

It doesn't happen often, its pretty rare when one slips through. With the way all of our (admins) schedules line up it would be redundant and no offense but a waste of time to have two admins checking every file.

It was polite way of saing that If admin is about to post his own cover other admin should check it too...

[palmer6strings]

Ah ok I gotcha, ya I'm just on my phone, guess I need to check it on my computer.