We’re updating the website…
on November 14, 2012
at 7:54 am
Hi all!
Just wanted to take a sec to show you what the site WILL look like very shortly.
Phil is putting the new look together as we speak. So the site may be a little…AAAAHHHH!!! for a bit.
Also, I’m working hard at finishing the scripts for the last 4 chapters.
It really came down to me needing to not just write Chapter 19…but 20,21,and 22.
Everything needs to come together and it’s best if I get it all tight now since the series will be ending in the next 4 chapters.
Thank you for your patience. As I’ve said before… I may need until January 1 to get this all done (and my other projects I’m working on)… but once I start back up… it’ll be non-stop updates again.
Thanks!
Scott
YAY New Site!!! YAY info on your updates!! YAY for getting all of it written now (since that may help reduce the wait between chapters from here on out)!!
BOOO Ad that pops up and floats over the update!! 😛 BOOO Notice that tells me I’m posting comments too quickly when I’m only just now posting a comment!!
YAY Back button taking me back to my comment with all that I’d written still saved there (I hate having to re-type everything when WordPress assumes I’m commenting too quickly)!!
Awesome for new site!
However I do feel obligated to say the background is going to be a problem for users. Why? Over saturation. The focus of the site should be the graphic novel page they’re viewing. Having such a detailed (and cool!) background will detract and distract.
But that’s the web designer talking. The nerdy geek in me says “SHUT UP BUSINESS MAN! IT’S AWESOME!”
Woh, website inception. Also, ow my head. Such a busy image within itself is instilling a sensation not unlike vertigo in me.
This is going to look great around the regular comic, though. So very dramatic and I do like Nastaja getting pride of place 😉
Some feedback though: the castles in the far left and mid-right seem peculiarly flat being so lightly coloured with no discernible shadowing. Nicodemus’ face is hidden behind an AdChoices banner, too.
.. It’s not going to look “exactly” like the image above but very very close.
… and yeah, it is quite busy with the over saturation. I’ll discuss that with Scott and see what kind of things we can do.
Ending? ENDING???
What is this “end… ing” you speak of? >:(
The new site looks awesome, but I really, really hope you aren’t getting rid of the bookmark!
I am running 900 x 1440 resolution and using the Opera browser. I am only able to see Nastaja & Nicodemus (though he’s behind a banner ad). Also the top banner skews to the right and the title skews to the left (same in IE9 & Firefox).
I like it … but I’ll miss seeing Astoria at the top.
Will the new site still have day/night changes?
Not sure if it’s an artifact of the changes, but there’s a page numbering fault at pages 736-737.
http://thedreamlandchronicles.com/comic/page-736/
Boy, does the comic display awfully small for me.
ohmigosh! The end is in sight :D!?!? WHOOO. That is so exciting ^__^! I hope you have another project planned to take its place. I’ve grown to love your stories and would be bummed if there was nothing to come after Dreamland Chronicles.
Not too shabby. Certainly more dramatic.
Me too, man. Me too. *pats on shoulder*
So after I hit “Post Comment,” I realized that was a bit vague. I mean, “The web designer in me is also certain the background will be an issue, but the nerdy geek is going “SHUT UP.” Just being clear, here.
One of the reasons this story is so amazing is because it seemed like it ended (nic was defeated) yet there’s more, and not like the kind of more just added to make more money or keep it going. This is actually legit. It one of reasons I love the Dreamland Chronicles! Keep up the great work! Yeah, I find if I want to write a story, I need to know where it’s going, writing from beginning to end not thinking about it,… even if I was thinking about it, would be the end of me.. lol
I like the new site, Scott 😀 Though personally I feel like you should put Paddington and Kiwi in there somewhere too in the background; I know Alex and Nastajia are a lot easier to work with visually but it seems like recently this comic had been leaning towards being all about them. Gotta show the newcomers the rest of the cast too to get them interested!
Oh my goodness. That’s freaking fantastic. Can’t wait to see it up and running!! 😀 By the way, is there a full image of the map we can see? I think it would be super cool to see that! 🙂 (and maybe even a line going from place to place to show where they’ve gone in the story? I don’t know though, it might get confusing since they travel a bunch..) Anyway, keep it up, you’re amazing!!! 😀
Kiwi is going to show up in the design, paddington will probably be an easter egg someplace 😉
Looks great! Nice, easy, layout, and OMG THAT BACKGROUND. 😀 I love it!
I love seeing the nested backgrounds here. Will the preview be archived?
Yo’ Dawg,
I heard you like webcomic sites so we put a picture of a webcomic site in a webcomic so you can read a webcomic while reading a webcomic site
Scott this is look amazing! The map reminds me of both Narnia and Lord of the Rings 😀
Wow! Will the archived stories still be around? I saw all there was is Chapter 1.
BOOO! Me no like. 🙁
Too much side space and not enough middle. It’s like saying “Look the comic and words don’t mean much.” At least at this resolution. Then again at higher resolutions probably makes it look smaller. 🙁
Tekserver noticed one page numbering error. I noticed another. The end of Chapter 16 with the shocking revelation of the King and Queen of the Elves, the page is 1593. Yet, in your previous announcement, you clearly state the webcomic is over 1600 pages. Some readers might call your wording misleading. Please explain to all of them.
My error. It’s Chapter 19.
Chapter 18. I can’t think this morning.
I’m getting the new ‘surround’ today – looks great especially if you maximise the browser window to see all the characters. Gives the site gravitas & a more professional appearance. Liking it!
What is your screen resolution?
Aaaah, there’s something worth to look forward to 🙂
Besides – nice design.
+1
I always use the bookmark
PS. Awesome comic, Scott. Can’t wait for the next chapter (or for my new book to arrive :D)
Oh, finally the “You can use these HTLM tags” is back!
Meanwhile, we’re not doing well on TWC.
#10: 4,276
#11: 4,231 <= us
Just a little bit more, and we'd enter the Top Ten. Vote, fellow Readers!
Exactly what I wanted to say, way too much space around the comic.
I don’t know if it’s the background that gives the illusion that the comic has been shrinked, of if the resolution has been downgraded.
Anyway, I usually zoom stuff on my browser.
On the bright side, we can now see the map of Dreamland. Kinda…
Take your time. It’s cool- you’ll start up right when i go back to school and have to move back to Idaho, which will be nice. I always associate books and webcomics with where I started reading them, so It’ll be like visiting ome every day. Woohoo.
but seriously, take your time. we can wait.
Likewise.
The background, as previewed in today’s ‘strip’ looks great! I actually don’t think it’s too busy at all — the white border should serve to highlight the comic. However, on my screen (Widescreen, full screen, Firefox, no add-ons or options that alter display). Alex and Bognok are out of frame… mostly I can see the full extend of the inside shoulder of each, and everything closer to the comic than that, and it;s a little distracting to have 1/3 of a character on each side.
Anyone else notice the top of the site…?
Oh goodness! It looks fantastic, and I can’t wait to hear the end! (of course, then I will miss it dearly!) I do have a suggestion, I don’t always get to read a comic on the day it comes out and I have to scroll to the bottom of the current strip to hit the previous button. This causes MAJOR spoilers in the plot development! Any way you could add the navigation buttons for the strips at the top of the current strip? It would make my reading a little less spoiled!
I am epically speechless.
At HD res there is 4″ of border. Major fail. Sorry but I can’t stand sites that think they know my monitor size, ans want to takeover everything. This is horrid.
I was a big fan of the old (night time) site, so I wasn’t so stoked about a change, but wow – it’s beautiful. My one comment would be the Title – my suggestion: take the text “The Dreamland Chronicles” in the font that it’s currently in, and apply it to your 3D software and perhaps see how that comes out? It might be a more organic fit, for a cohesive whole. as is, looks like you bolded it again and again to make it feel like it wasn’t just floating in space there. and keep working hard behind the scenes – you’re rocking and we know you are!
Take your time Scott, we’ll be here. Thank you again for the story you are unfolding for us.
Take your time, Scott. It’s been a great read and a great ride so far. Looking forward to the rest.
Sorry to be a bit of a wet blanket, but I am not real crazy about the site change. But, it seems to be the new fad for web design. I liked the old version, it was unique. However, if everyone else likes it, I’ll ignore it and try to focus on the page of the day when they start coming again.
Haha, I felt that the ad covering Nicodemus’ face was very appropriate.
But I totally understand why you didn’t keep it that way xD
So I just started reading this today (well, yesterday) and spent many hours reading so I could catch up. And now a cliff-hanger!? AHHHHH
Anyways, I’ve already started drawing fan art…do you accept fan art?
Well, almost two in the morning, I should probably hit the sack. Glad to have found another great webcomic to follow!
Ahh, you do have a spot for the fan art! I just need to find a way to draw little Nicole so that she doesn’t look evil.
And *now* I shall go to bed. Actually I will eat, then go to bed.
For day/night changes they should have Alex/Staj for day and Nick/Nightmare Realm ones at night. Would be fun to see 🙂
Just so you know – am still dropping by and clicking on adverts – got to keep the income rolling in!!
i don’t like the new webpage either. it’s very distracting from the main comic itself.
Your margin’s are larger than the content I mark this as a major step backwards. Please reconsider. The “new site” seems to think the content area is fixed resolution and the boarders are way too generous. In short it screams static graphic artist that has not grasped the web. It is a truly a definitive Failure. Why display your art in such a broken way that detracts from the quality of your work, rather than enhance it. (My gut reaction is telling me to go away because the pain will be way to high. I would bluntly share my reaction, but quoting Auntie Em, “Being a good christian I can’t.”
I’m not sure the margins are, in fact, wider than they were, and if you’re using wordpress, for example, there are, unfortunately, limitations, but I agree, the borders are too wide, in general.
At my age – +70 – it is very hard to read the center panel – even wearing glasses and using a magnifying glass. I realize that most of your readers have much better eyesight than I do – so it is not a problem for them. I’ll wait to see what your final solution looks like.
Think those worried about the re-design need to realise that the mock-up shown is a whole page within a page. When the new site is up and running the centre comic will take as much as the ‘demo’ bit does now. Think it was a mistake to show a mock-up before the site is complete as has led to confusion in these comments.
No comment except that your avatar is Count Weirdly. I approve.
I run at 1690×1060 and the characters look really granny. This works great for the map, but it looks crummy on the characters. But I do understand the catch 22, if you use a higher res image then the site takes longer to load.
This actually has nothing to do with WordPress. Lots of responsive designs in WordPress. Easy to do. It’s more a static design create to showcase a graphic novel page at a specific size in order to keep load times down.
Please change the font back to something like Tahoma or Helvetica. The present font is hard to read.
I have to second this. Nice for headlines, barely readable in body text.
Commenting text should be easier to read.
Third on this.