Timo 2019-05-17 19:25
I'm polishing this website and the biggest missing thing was a proper landing page. That's the one you see first when you enter lowresnx.inutilis.com (or click the console icon in the top bar) and it's for people who don't know yet what LowRes NX is about.
There is an introduction text at the top for "normal" people, and below the featured programs you'll get all the nerdy details.
If you like, please read the page and tell me what you think. Are there things missing which are important to you? Are there too may details you don't care about?
The text is not checked by a native speaker yet, so maybe there are mistakes.
Timo 2019-05-17 20:25
I already think that I want to mention hardware sprites and hardware scrolling...
dredds 2019-05-17 21:28
I like the way it looks.
Coding and running on a phone is a unique feature of LowRes NX compared to other fantasy consoles, so I think showing that is a good idea.
was8bit 2019-05-18 05:07
Text tweak:
“It does not only look and sound retro, but actually works like classic hardware.”>>
“It not only looks and sounds retro, but it actually works like classic hardware.”
was8bit 2019-05-18 05:11
Text tweak
“LowRes NX includes the Character Designer for editing sprites, tiles and fonts, the Background Designer for tile maps and screen layouts, as well as the Sound Composer for music and sound effects. All tools are just normal BASIC programs. You can change and improve them or even create your own custom editors.”>>
“LowRes NX includes editing tools: the Character Designer for editing sprites, tiles and fonts, the Background Designer for editing tile maps and screen layouts, as well as the Sound Composer for editing music and sound effects. All tools are just normal BASIC programs. You can change and improve them or even create your own custom editors.”
was8bit 2019-05-18 05:14
Text tweak:
“Send your games directly to other users or share them via the website.”>>
“Send your games directly to other users or share them by posting them on this website.”
was8bit 2019-05-18 05:18 (Edited)
Tweak 1 because it sounds more natural in English...
Tweak 2 because the theme of the whole paragraph is “editing tools” which seems better to clarify this focus right at the beginning...
Tweak 3 .... really the original text is fine, and maybe my tweak may be redundant as if one explores this website they will find the posting pages....
was8bit 2019-05-18 05:24 (Edited)
The layout and everything look so great :) my only thought might be to somehow get “HELLO” added to the little icon of the game player, maybe underneath it... like signs at visitor centers or signs at the edge of towns in the U.S. will have a big “WELCOME TO ... “ then the name of the town... a “HELLO” seems appropriate as an indicator of the first place a newbie should start... it also falls in line with the traditional first program newbies make in a new programming language... PRINT “HELLO” ... result... HELLO
Myself, if i was a newbie to this webpage, looking at the current icons, I would chose
Book with the question mark on it as the first icon i would choose to click...
However, if the 1st icon had a little “hello” on it, I would definitely hit that icon first... one wants to see what the “hello” is all about when you’re new to a site...
Timo 2019-05-18 10:27
@dredds: I think it should be clear with the image and the "Download on the App Store" badge.
@was8bit: Thanks for the tweaks, I will improve my texts :) About the icons: I don't want to add text to them, but you are right that the "Help" icon calls too much for attention. I will probably remove the question mark from it.
dredds 2019-05-18 10:30
Yes. Sorry I wasn’t clear. I meant that the changes you made communicate that unique aspect of LowResNX well
Timo 2019-05-18 10:52
Ok, cool :)
dredds 2019-05-18 11:17
One suggestion I have is to de-emphasise the beginner friendliness (if you can without scaring people away). Let’s face it, 1980’s era BASIC is harder to use than modern Lua. I find it fun to push the boundaries of the simulated hardware and BASIC language, but judging by the App Store reviews it is a hurdle for people new to programming.
Timo 2019-05-18 11:22
@dredds: Hm, it sounds good for publicity but yes, it's a bit of a lie. It's not good to give wrong expectations. I'll think about it.
was8bit 2019-05-18 13:34
:)
was8bit 2019-05-18 13:43
@dredds, I think for old schoolers who have had a dip in some form of a basic coding will take rather quickly to LowRes NX basic, but you are right that for anyone who haven't ever coded will struggle .... the "BASIC tutorial for beginners" is pretty good for beginners....
Timo 2019-05-21 19:55
I updated the texts on the landing page. I think they are a bit better now, but probably not final yet.
was8bit 2019-05-22 06:47
The text sounds great :)
CreatorJo 2019-05-23 03:53
Good job on replacing the crudely drawn tab images with proper images.
was8bit 2019-05-24 00:26
The clean icons paired up with the large titles on each page work very well... each icon/title pair are good, logical, and self explanatory... :)