Help choose the next new default theme

[Cherrim]

I vote we don't choose Pokelinks and stuff like that. :s They're great themes, don't get me wrong, but one glance at them doesn't necessarily tell everyone that we're a Pokémon forum. I think themes with headers that feature Pokémon or characters from the series make better default themes because you can instantly tell what kind of forum we are.

Remember that for people who are just coming to PC for the very first time, deciding whether to register or not, the default theme is their very first impression!

:s A lot of us use our phones to access PC, yes, but that's because we're PC addicts and we are definitely a minority, I would argue. (I don't know the numbers but even as supporters/staff, we're a minority.) If we really need to access PC by a certain theme, just bookmark the URL for changing to that style as the URL you access PC from on your phone. We have that option--people who've never been to the forum before don't.

 

[Spinor]

People needing a computer to rom hack has nothing to do with the amount of people viewing the forum on mobiles.

I'm making a game, which involves having to have a computer like rom hacking does. That doesn't make me think when I'm not at my PC "I need a computer to make my game, so I'll just wait to see if I have any notifications or new posts on my thread instead of using my iPhone."
The rest of the rom hackers/game developers may want to wait longer than they have to, but that's unlikely.

A lot to do. As I said, most of the traffic goes to the ROM hacking forum, which clearly slaps the main interest of most new members as ROM Hacking. You cannot involve yourself in ROM hacking without a proper computer. Which means most new members use a computer, and, in terms of percentage, the number of phone users are lower. Percentage matters more than numbers. You can lose 10 dollars if you have a million dollars, but you can't lose 10 dollars if you currently have 20 to live with.

If you're alredy registered, you'd have enough of a mind to change your theme preference by then. Which works through the User CP and through cookies when selecting from the drop-down at the bottom of the page. Which means you can have different themes active on your iPhone than your computer through cookies.

 

[Amore]

Ok, I think I understand this thread...anyway, I would say "New Directions" would be a good theme to use.

It's customisable (blue/green/purple/pink/orange/black), Looks great thanks to the shading, with a cool header that'll be easier to relate to once Black and White come out in the western world and we've all had a good look at Castelia City.

Also, as the main header is based on a location in Unova, it'd be appropriate, what with the next generation being released in a couple of months. Personally I find that hovering semi-transparent box displaying your Avatar, notifications and various links to be the best bit of the theme (although they need a | break between Oekaki and Log out from the forums :P), as it helps you keep track of new things happening, even if you don't have the pop-up notification for new Private Messages.

On the downside, as I saw mentioned in a few posts above, for those with a slow internet connection, it will not be appealing. My wi-fi is 54.0 Mbps, which I've been told is pretty darn fast, and it takes a few seconds to alter the shading when I load the site on my browser. So...a major downside when trying to attract new users.

Hope I contributed to the thread :)

 

[Kip]

Am I the only person to find Route 167 unbelievably dull and bland? (No offence to the creator ^^' ) That blue is so 2003 :P . There are much more creative themes out there which are also light on loading (unless of course you're still on 56kb/s modem taking 4 hours to load a 20x20px image and jamming all the phone lines like someone from 1996). Johto Elite, for example, stands out as a dark theme, yet it is well put together and stands apart from other forums, plus it takes a few seconds to load on a modern connection (yes, even 2Mbits/s).

Route 167 looks so utterly generic to me that PokéCommunity would just merge into obscurity amongst all the other Pokémon forums. One of the great things about this site is the epic amount of detailing and creativity that goes into the themes and attracts new users - little quirks and references and stuff the user can customise, and this is something that Route 167 just lacks entirely. :\ Quite frankly, if I were a new user, I might just die of boredom if it were set as the theme :P

PokéLink 4 is, perhaps, even worse. The default vBulletin theme would be preferable.

So I guess what I'm saying is for the good of PokéCommunity, don't choose a dull theme guys. Choose something that's awesome. My personal favourites would be either the Johto Elite (once again) or perhaps New Directions once it's all fixed up (there's a few problems at the moment but it will be awesome once they're all fixed).

OK - I've said my bit. Awaiting tidal wave of hate. *Braces for impact*

 

[Melody]

I'm still voting that we go for Forest Grovyle's Legendaries. :P

I think it's about time that theme came back...it's simple, it's clean, it's so obviously and totally Pokemon and it's not a beefy theme, so slow connections don't suffer on it.

 

[Nick]

I think themes with headers that feature Pokémon or characters from the series make better default themes because you can instantly tell what kind of forum we are.

I agree with this. People should stop looking at what they like and what they think would fit the forum the best at this point in time with everything going on. That being said, the information going around now relates to the new generation. The only available style for the new generation right now is Generation InVerse.

 

[Amore]

By that, we should have "Satoshi's Battling Test" or "Satoshi's Bigger Test", as a lot more people these days see the anime, then notice the games. Add the fact that Pikachu's the mascot, and what is more recognisable than a theme featuring Ash and Pikachu?

I suppose it all depends what you want the theme to do - my previous post was about New Directions, which would be better for existing users. However, we all change our themes to what we like, so meh. On the other hand, if it's meant to attract new members to the forums, we need something easier to relate to, like the themes I mentioned in my first paragraph in this post.

 

[Platinum Lucario]

I'd choose... a forum style that is IE friendly, so that way no one would be forced to use Firefox, Google Chrome or some other web browser when they're using their profile. But I've already found a good forum style that would work fantasticly! It's none other than Route 167+. This forum style would make everyone see PC as if it's a much more advanced forum than anywhere else. And I already like the way the template works as well as the images used on the XML coding. And the fact that the template has the same width on both sides and not on one side like the other Route 167. And it works properly with IE as well! So you won't have anything of your profile looking messed up like as what it would on Generation InVerse using IE.

So yeah, I'm voting for Route 167+.

~Davin (aka Platinum Lucario)

 

[Jorah]

I love Generation InVerse, a nice, simple design and it is actually up-to-date with the current generation, I agree with whoever made that point~ But it seems Route 167 or PokeLink are the only ones worth voting for now. :S The PokeLink designs are alright, but they're so generic. So I'm going to have to pick Route 167 :S

 

[Amore]

But Route 167 takes a while to load on slower connections...which can be off-putting.

Pokélink may be generic, but they work. And they're simple because they're generic, meaning they load faster.
Generation InVerse is pretty good, but again, it'll take a while to load on slow connections. It'd be easier to have as the default theme though, seeing as it already is xD

 

[Archer]

Also, the pokéball logo is pretty well-known. Although it's seasonal, I still love Winter Friends.

Also, I think we need to look at 167+ over the standard 167 theme. The one with the giant Lugia made a good theme. Can't think of the name.

 

[Archer]

That's half my screen height and takes 3/5 of the real estate on my 720p screen. HUUUUUUGE.

Just a note: your connection speed is not exactly a giant issue. Most styles will, on modern platforms, cache and so even dialup can handle them to an extent - with 30 added seconds of loading, maybe, before it loads the cached assets.

Not to mention that for some reason 1366x768 has become a common res. Netbooks use 1024x600, too.

Heck, I find it obtrusive on my 1920x1080 monitor.

Here's what it would look like on a netbook with firefox and no bookmarks bar or taskbar.