CSS: Bae or Nay?

Though I'm not so new to RPing anymore, I am still new to CSS having finally implemented my own basic CSS in an RP. Special thanks to those that helped me with that, yu know who you are :)

Back to the topic though, I can see the reasoning that it can be intimidating for new people when they see these awesome CSS's. How I see it though, I think it works as a good motivator for those that don't know how to make them or simply aren't so great at it to become better that do want them. That's my reasoning for why I finally got my own as I wanted one the second I started RPing but wasn't sure how to go about it. Thanks to some helpful members I finally have my own.

As for those who don't want one, I also have some experience there. It is plenty possible to make a good looking post without the use of CSS with a little effort. Second, what matters most is the quality of the post and as long as one does fairly well with that, it won't matter whether you do or don't have a CSS.

That's my two cents :)

Jauntier said:

I actually find myself disengaged to read very long posts that are not formatted in CSS in role-plays, only because I think they are too wide on the page and stretch. A very simple div of width and activated overflow can constrain that nicely, and then it won't feel like I'm reading a never-ending report where I can see I have so much more to go and become distracted by that.

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There is a really easy solution to this - just make your window smaller. Further, aren't there layouts here that ARE fixed width? I'm not really sure, but if they do exist, then this means you have more non-CSS options for your width.

As I said, it isn't making them flashy to me. I would rather have them centered on my computer than go across my whole screen. It annoys the crap out of me. That is the only reason I started using CSS.

^ Example, this above goes across my entire screen on one line. It is true, I could change the site skin for myself, but I don't care for most of them to be honest. And they goods ones are holiday related. And a lot of them are far too bright for me. I prefer darker skins.

I haven't had the chance to read up on the debate yet, but my personal opinion on CSS is that I love it. If chosen well, it can really tell the story of a character simply through design alone. A wild go-getter character should have a brighter and more flashy CSS to go with their posts, while more reserved characters should have simpler and more organised looking CSS. Personally, I enjoy reading posts with nice CSS, and it's that simple.
I do wish it were easier to make, so I'm very grateful for those who have made it for me in the past, but I still cant join RPs without it. I also have to be thankful for the CSS template thread, which has been a major help for me.
Last thing, I'm calling out Oddball32 or whatever his username is, for using the same CSS as me in Venice. Try me, we will fight bro

Arylett Charnoa said:

There is a really easy solution to this - just make your window smaller. Further, aren't there layouts here that ARE fixed width? I'm not really sure, but if they do exist, then this means you have more non-CSS options for your width.

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Yes, clearly, but I'm not trying to adjust my window for specifically certain PokeCommunity role-play posts, nor I am not going to change my entire theme when I've found one that I like the best, finding it personally easiest on my eyes in terms of contrast, all for one slight margin.

Like I said, I will be personally disengaged. It doesn't mean I'm going to outright avoid a post. I'm sharing my opinion of why I like CSS and how it can be utilized for nothing so fancy or "intimidating" as to constrain text in a way that pinching or expanding my window around or going through a list of site themes will not be the select response.

I'm too lazy to css half the time, but it does affect what i read and dont read. Some Css can really bring out an effect with the text, and others can just make me want to puke or look away because it makes everything so daunting and looks like its more than it really is. But I don't really like to read plain text since then its just like, okay theres 11 or 12 paragraphs, holy crap i dont want to read that. But with Css idk, its more inviting?

Actually, I've never touched CSS before. HTML master race! I think PC's RPT is actually the first roleplay site/section where I've seen people use CSS. Apart from the odd few, everyone I know has stuck with plain old BBcode or just black on white nothing outside of GM posts. It might just be because I'm not used to it, but I'm not a big fan of CSS outside of small touch ups like borders or maybe a picture to the side. Smaller width may be nicer when I'm on my laptop and iPad, but it's a pain when I'm viewing the forum on my phone. I also find it better when the entire thread uses the same colours and keeps relatively to the same style, especially seeing as though I'm mostly on at night and my eyes are tired. I've yet to be turned off of a post due to extravagant coding like some people have said, but there's been a few nameless people that have tried to fancy up their posts and have made me think that it looks a bit… not right. My opinion on CSS as a whole? I'm gonna stay away from it, but it's not that bad if used right and I'm not discouraging it. Just one thing:

Keep it simple, stupid.
If you're using CSS, you should already know this.

This was certainly an... interesting read.

People make terrible formatting choices with or without CSS. All I think you need to do is mention it to them. A lot of people are understanding and possibly don't see their choices as you do. As long as you're appropriately displaying your concerns or problems, I don't think there's any harm in it. If they have blinding colors in their posts and you can't read it, ask them to change it. If you want them to add a scrollbar or something, ask them to change it. I think a lot of these "problems" could be solved with actual communication not built up anger.

aeternum said:

I don't really like to read plain text since then its just like, okay theres 11 or 12 paragraphs, holy crap i dont want to read that. But with Css idk, its more inviting?

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Yup. Same reason why I prefer CSS at some posts. It is also worth mentioning that JPs (which are really frequent in PCs RPT) are usually longer than most post since it's 2++ people playing. Adding a little touch of color might just be the thing people need to read it.