website : Website v.2010.1 development

posted 2010.03.07 at 15:56

Sitrep -

The graphics framework has been created and is pretty much finalized. I've been bouncing this one off of IRC and the informed opinion is that it's a big improvement over the previous site version (v.7 or 2008.1). It is - I can't wait to get it implemented.

What needs doing-

1. Title graphics for major website sections and comic chapters. For this version they're now separate graphics, which will slightly lighten the load while navigating the comic chapters.

2. "Backfill" for title graphics. For the current version that's the bit with Thad and Val up top site-wide, or Whitehouse and Yang in DCR. While it's an aesthetically minor thing, I'm still in the process of narrowing it down to a selection of graphics that I like.

3. Chapter selection bits. The formatting thing I had in mind when I redid all of the covers for The Dualist. Still incompatible with the DCR covers and the current TV cover - something I'll need to figure out over the next few days.

How this thing's going to roll out-

1. Major UI graphics will be completed over the next day or two. Work will then begin on the javascript/CSS template.

2. That will then be uploaded and implemented, making the site "live."

3. Bugs will be worked out and additional changes/tweaks made as needed.

4. I'll get the damned commenting thing fixed, hopefully to my satisfaction.

5. With the base graphics and formatting rolled out, the focus will shift to adding (and re-adding) content to the site.

Last time around, I spent at least a week tormented by layout, before finally coming up with something that did the job, albeit not to my aesthetic satisfaction. The new look assembled itself in a few hours and is basically the same information layout as the old, only this time... I like it. It may still use tables - it ultimately depends on how easily the UI can be assembled with CSS.

Optimally, I expect the main UI to be rolled out by the end of the week, and enough content in the CMS to flesh out the new components by the end of the month. New content will be an ongoing process, which I don't expect to be finished for some time.

With any luck, the next major blog update will be 2010 release notes!