As some of you already know, Middle-earth Center will be undergoing some big changes later this year. To be prepared for the future, we will launch a brand new look for the site. However, we will also take the opportunity to clear out the junk that has accumilated for the past four years.
In the past, when we had a big skin update we would take the site offline for a few hours to do the neccesary replacements. This time however, we want to keep it going for everyone. What this means, though, is that some content or images may be broken or look out of place for the next month or so. We hope that you’ll bear with us, because we think the new skin is a huge improvement from the current look and feel of the site. Here’s why:
A newly organised navigation bar will allow you to easily find what you’re interested in
This brand new “breadcrumbs” bar will show you where you are in the site, and allow you to click back to previous pages
News is organised in a more upfront and usable way. You can use these tabs to quickly filter out the news that interests you most.
The new sidebar no longer lists all the site pages (these are accessible via the new “games” tab on the top of the page). This allows us to display other exiting content. These two news related blocks allow you to instantly see the latest “big” news items, or browse trough all our categories.
The forum activity block and poll block from the old site make a return visit, with a bit more room to spare
There’s a few more things we’re keeping under wraps for now, including the new look for the forums. Check back later for more!
Poll
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Comments:
Balin38:
That looks really good. It'll be nice to lighten up the pages and it looks like it'll still have a LOTR feel with the Green. A bit like the BFME 1 menu and BFME 2 menu.
Yams In a can:
Auuhhh, I like this look though.
Ilaras of The Dunedain:
Looks good. I like green :P.
sports:
if they get this up I think they will not need a upgrade for a long time.
krapyl:
This new look looks good ;)
Mithrandir7:
Dude those new post markers have an obvious white background to them and its driving me crazy :P
zach:
What are you talking about?
Freek:
Some people love browser cache :)
I hope to make the new forum skin available to the public soon, albeit as a secondary skin (you can select it via a dropdown on the page)
Heron:
The white background annoys me less than the fact that the red icon's pattern is different from the green icon's pattern...
Freek:
These aren't the actual post icons we'll be using, just a bit of an experiment. I'll add the definitive markers later :)
Arvedui:
I own a Mac and a PC. When I log onto MEC using my PC the "new posts" and "no new posts" icons are rings or rings with the Eye in them. When I am on my Mac, the icons are red and green Palantiri. None of this started until recently.
Is there some Mac/Pc coding?
Heron:
You'd just need to refresh the cache on your PC - press Ctrl+F5 with MEC's forums up.
Arvedui:
In that case the old icons were better :P
zach:
Willim33:
Woah it's all changing! :)
Mithrandir7:
background still sucks freek
Samus1111111:
lol, the faces look like they're about to puke at the backround :P
Arvedui:
:ehh: Not sure if I like the new look
Samus1111111:
I think I like the old look better, but this look is beginning to grow on me a bit
just need to fix the recruit, soldier, knight, ect. tag and the skype, e-mail, msn, ect. tag
TokyoBlade:
I still think the very first skin MEC had was the best one of them all :P I don't like this one as much as the last one, but oh well :P
Freek:
There will no doubt be another one in a few years :P
The Balrog of Morgoth:
I like it- might take some getting used to, but its a cool colour scheme.
Mithrandir7:
change the background or I will start an uprising
zach:
The background is fine... Green smilies.... not so much. :P
Mithrandir7:
Couple more things
1. CHANGE THE BLACK BORDERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2. You added padding above the nav strip but now its touching the maintitle
Pietrak:
How come my main page is in the old colours and the rest is in the new ones?
DAMN! I have to change my sig and ava now, these don't fit to the whole whiteness.
Freek:
The home page will be changed somewhere this week I hope
zach:
I see the icon s are slowly changing. Looking better every update. Really like the Add Reply button. Much more Tolkien feel.
Ayodon:
I agree. :)
The site looks amazing! I even like the sickly green smiles. :P
Mithrandir7:
I feel so elven :P
Freek:
Mithrandir7:
You could just empty your cache zach.. but it seems like the transformation is complete for you :P
Ayodon:
I Didn't have to refresh my cache, I arrived at the forum one day and all these beautiful change's had been added to the site.
zach:
I see new rank images too. :) I think everything is changed now, right?
Mithrandir7:
Seems like the only thing changed about them is the center bar, which is now green. :P
Freek:
Actually the text has been changed, most of the badges have received a colour adjustment and the texture bars have gotten a slight colour adjust as well :P
Pietrak:
yay, the front page has changed at last! I quite like it ;)
Freek:
Glad that you like it... there's much work still to be done though :)
Pietrak:
Well I guess so, for example the "forum activity" part should be bigger, I've spent a moment looking for it at first.
But the first impression is very good :)
Ilaras of The Dunedain:
YAY! The front page looks amazing! A nice new fresh revival from the past look. You guys did a great job on the revamp, I really like it. :)
Ayodon:
Me to, the site looks great! It has more of an Elven feel to it.
Pietrak:
I just noticed something, why the Forum Activity on the front page doesn't inform about new post in the Hall of Elders?
Freek:
It never has -- mainly because of the fact that topics from the HoE would look out of place on the frontpage of a Lord of the Rings website.