<![CDATA[PlanetPhillip Forum

<![CDATA[PlanetPhillip Forum - All Forums]]> http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/ Sat, 13 Mar 2010 14:51:11 -0800 MyBB <![CDATA[Using The Zero-Point Energy Feild Manipulator (Gravity Gun) within a mod]]> http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1166 Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:06:40 -0800 http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1166

the idea:

It's known that between the events of Half-Life 2 and Episode One Alyx, Gordon and the Gravity Gun were teleported by some Vorts out of harms way to ground level outside of the Citadel. The only way that this will work is to assume that they were immediately sent to where Episode One picked up and that they didn't spend most of this time in a sort of limbo. Maybe a rescue party would have been formed with the objective of finding Gordon and Alyx bringing them close enough to stumble across the gravity gun (one idea I had was for the gravity gun to be lodged in rubble of some sort and holding on to junk of another sort, a bike or something, giving it an illusion of floating. I thought there could be some potentially humorous dialogue with this idea), but failing on their rescue effort. It can be done however you see fit, but at some point the gravity gun would have to make it's way into Dog's possession again..

I apologize for grammatical errors on my part and I hope that I'm not under the false impression of a good idea. I would appreciate feedback either way.]]>

the idea:

It's known that between the events of Half-Life 2 and Episode One Alyx, Gordon and the Gravity Gun were teleported by some Vorts out of harms way to ground level outside of the Citadel. The only way that this will work is to assume that they were immediately sent to where Episode One picked up and that they didn't spend most of this time in a sort of limbo. Maybe a rescue party would have been formed with the objective of finding Gordon and Alyx bringing them close enough to stumble across the gravity gun (one idea I had was for the gravity gun to be lodged in rubble of some sort and holding on to junk of another sort, a bike or something, giving it an illusion of floating. I thought there could be some potentially humorous dialogue with this idea), but failing on their rescue effort. It can be done however you see fit, but at some point the gravity gun would have to make it's way into Dog's possession again..

I apologize for grammatical errors on my part and I hope that I'm not under the false impression of a good idea. I would appreciate feedback either way.]]> <![CDATA[SourceMod Winter Mod. HL2]]> http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1165 Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:15:05 -0800 http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1165 The new release is labelled Beta 1.5 which has an added chapter, training levels (!) and bonus levels one of which has a bikini clad lady by a pool brightening the place up a bit.
The mapping of chapter 1 is still full of holes (literally) but chapter 2 is much better.
There's an option to play in 3rd person and there's a DM as well - neither for me.
Lots of combat and I quite liked it. There is no chance, I think, that Phillip would want this yet at PP so:
http://www.moddb.com/mods/winter-mod#comments
If there's a MOTY category for longest most boring cutscene ever then this mod will come top - make yourself a long strong drink with all the trimmings, it might have finished by the time you get back! It's worth the wait though.

Warning: It's an .EXE. For me the file path c:/Program Files/Valve/.......
does not work as Valve is not valid in my directory.
I deleted Valve/ from the file path and that did not work.
If you think you can get it to work anyway skip the rest of this.

What worked for me:
Dowloaded to desktop (I always do).
(If Valve is valid in your directory and has files and folders in it, you need to rename it temporarily)
Ran the .EXE exactly 'as is' including the incorrect file path and the DM.
Moved 'Winter Mod' File from c:/.Program Files/Valve/..... to Source Mods.
Worked a treat!
Deleted Valve from my directory so removing the crud and the DM.
(If you had to rename Valve, you can rename it back again now).]]> The new release is labelled Beta 1.5 which has an added chapter, training levels (!) and bonus levels one of which has a bikini clad lady by a pool brightening the place up a bit.
The mapping of chapter 1 is still full of holes (literally) but chapter 2 is much better.
There's an option to play in 3rd person and there's a DM as well - neither for me.
Lots of combat and I quite liked it. There is no chance, I think, that Phillip would want this yet at PP so:
http://www.moddb.com/mods/winter-mod#comments
If there's a MOTY category for longest most boring cutscene ever then this mod will come top - make yourself a long strong drink with all the trimmings, it might have finished by the time you get back! It's worth the wait though.

Warning: It's an .EXE. For me the file path c:/Program Files/Valve/.......
does not work as Valve is not valid in my directory.
I deleted Valve/ from the file path and that did not work.
If you think you can get it to work anyway skip the rest of this.

What worked for me:
Dowloaded to desktop (I always do).
(If Valve is valid in your directory and has files and folders in it, you need to rename it temporarily)
Ran the .EXE exactly 'as is' including the incorrect file path and the DM.
Moved 'Winter Mod' File from c:/.Program Files/Valve/..... to Source Mods.
Worked a treat!
Deleted Valve from my directory so removing the crud and the DM.
(If you had to rename Valve, you can rename it back again now).]]> <![CDATA[Nice new PP header bar]]> http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1164 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:46:01 -0800 http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1164 You were waiting to see if anybody would spot it, I'll bet.
Nice job, reduces the header so that at least the most recent post can be seen.
Nice, neat, looks great.
Small snag. I need to retrain my mouse to move to the right to find the forum. Sad

]]> You were waiting to see if anybody would spot it, I'll bet.
Nice job, reduces the header so that at least the most recent post can be seen.
Nice, neat, looks great.
Small snag. I need to retrain my mouse to move to the right to find the forum. Sad

]]> <![CDATA[Scene Help Required]]> http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1163 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 08:19:33 -0800 http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1163
I require somebody to make a very simple, non-playable map and position some HL characters within it. The scene will be used to take a few screenshots, that's all.

I estimate it to be around 2 hours work.

If you can help, please contact me.

TIA]]>
I require somebody to make a very simple, non-playable map and position some HL characters within it. The scene will be used to take a few screenshots, that's all.

I estimate it to be around 2 hours work.

If you can help, please contact me.

TIA]]> <![CDATA[Powder Game]]> http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1162 Sun, 07 Mar 2010 09:19:35 -0800 http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1162 http://dan-ball.jp/en/javagame/dust/

A great small sandbox game. It's really a sandbox Smile

]]> http://dan-ball.jp/en/javagame/dust/

A great small sandbox game. It's really a sandbox Smile

]]> <![CDATA[New map. Trepidation CS]]> http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1161 Sun, 07 Mar 2010 03:56:12 -0800 http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1161 Info': http://www.interlopers.net/forum/viewtop...=3&t=32087

Download: http://www.twhl.co.za/vault.php?map=5437

Sad

but I have no idea what to do with the files.
It's looks like single player FPS and worth a play.

I have CS:S. Any idea where to put the files and how to start the map?
I've never had to put anything into CS:S before.

Help will be very much appreciated]]> Info': http://www.interlopers.net/forum/viewtop...=3&t=32087

Download: http://www.twhl.co.za/vault.php?map=5437

Sad

but I have no idea what to do with the files.
It's looks like single player FPS and worth a play.

I have CS:S. Any idea where to put the files and how to start the map?
I've never had to put anything into CS:S before.

Help will be very much appreciated]]> <![CDATA[babel-research.eu/]]> http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1160 Sun, 07 Mar 2010 01:37:21 -0800 http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1160 http://babel-research.eu/

I've never seen this before. Definitely related to Valve, HL and Portal and notice the copyright date, 2018.

Anyway, I'm not the kind of person to work out the login details, but I am sure somebody has.]]> http://babel-research.eu/

I've never seen this before. Definitely related to Valve, HL and Portal and notice the copyright date, 2018.

Anyway, I'm not the kind of person to work out the login details, but I am sure somebody has.]]> <![CDATA[PORTAL 2]]> http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1159 Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:00:13 -0800 http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1159
http://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2...ealed.aspx

http://gameinformer.com/mag/portal2.aspx

The past few days have been sort of surreal for me, I didn't realize how much these Left 4 Dead and Team Fortress updates were killing me! I'm curious as to how this new installment of Portal will fit in with the Half-Life universe and I would like to know what all of you think as well.]]>
http://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2...ealed.aspx

http://gameinformer.com/mag/portal2.aspx

The past few days have been sort of surreal for me, I didn't realize how much these Left 4 Dead and Team Fortress updates were killing me! I'm curious as to how this new installment of Portal will fit in with the Half-Life universe and I would like to know what all of you think as well.]]> <![CDATA[filecloud]]> http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1158 Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:40:30 -0800 http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1158
I've been trying to play older HL2 mods and it seems that when I see one that looks interesting and go to its page it's only on filecloud. Flagging those would save a lot of back and forth hassle and let me know immediately that I need to do a google search to find a download.

Thanks
Larry]]>
I've been trying to play older HL2 mods and it seems that when I see one that looks interesting and go to its page it's only on filecloud. Flagging those would save a lot of back and forth hassle and let me know immediately that I need to do a google search to find a download.

Thanks
Larry]]> <![CDATA[Complete A-Z Listing]]> http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1157 Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:56:31 -0800 http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1157 SP Maps and Mods
Poll Questions and
Articles.

Should make searching for a title much easier than using the search function.]]> SP Maps and Mods
Poll Questions and
Articles.

Should make searching for a title much easier than using the search function.]]> <![CDATA[Portal Update adds new Achievement!]]> http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1156 Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:21:00 -0800 http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1156 http://store.steampowered.com/news/3533/

Quote:Portal Update Released
March 1, 2010, 2:33 pm - Valve - Product Update

Updates to Portal have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted.

Portal

* Changed radio transmission frequency to comply with federal and state spectrum management regulations

http://steamcommunity.com/stats/Portal/achievements/

The achievement is "Transmission Received" which seems to have 26 parts to it.
As a hint, carry the radio, keep an ear out for the music, and static = getting warm. I'm currently working on screenshots for each part, both the beginning and end for each of the 26 points.]]> <![CDATA[BioShock 2]]> http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1155 Sat, 27 Feb 2010 12:12:01 -0800 http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1155
BioShock 2 returns to the ruined art deco underwater dystopia of Rapture about 10 years after the events of the first game. This time you play as a prototype Big Daddy, one of the hulking diving suit beasts you saw in the first game defending the Little Sisters. Little Sisters are responsible for harvesting ADAM, a substance which gave the citizens of Rapture superhuman abilities at the consequence of becoming mentally and physically disfigured and ultimately bringing the utopia to its knees. ADAM is a finite resource and must be extracted from the dead who no longer need it.

You are looking for your original Little Sister who is somewhere in the dying city. Rapture is now in the hands of a psychiatrist named Sofia Lamb whose collectivist ideals clashed violently with Andrew Ryan's ultra-capitalistic philosophy. She is in many ways his polar opposite and has gone through great lengths in the past 10 years to unite the corrupted ADAM junkies, Splicers, as a kind of nuclear "family" using a religion simple enough for them to understand (which you inadvertently played a part in as a result of the first game).

The improvements are chiefly in the gameplay. A complaint about the first game was that while it had a great story and style, the actual shooting gameplay was merely adequate. Here, everything feels tighter and better. You play as a Big Daddy this time around and the main difference is that you have a drill instead of a wrench and you need to protect Little Sisters from time to time. There's a greater emphasis on gunplay, since you lack a "free" weapon (i.e. crowbar, wrench). But, on the flip side, they streamlined the hacking system, which makes it faster and easier to use some of the enjoyable things about the environment - hacking security cameras to turn against the Splicers, taking control of security drones, overriding turrets, hacking vending machines and health centers, etc. These were all things you could do in the first game, but if you were like me, you got tired of the hacking minigame really fast.

Another improvement to the gameplay is that you can use Plasmids (special ADAM powers) and guns at the same time. In the first game, you always had one or the other and it made the gameplay feel a bit stilted in switching between them. Again, this serves to make interesting parts of the first game (weapon combos!) easier to do in the second. Really, that's what most of the gameplay improvements are about - bringing to the surface the cool stuff that existed in the first game that people who treated it as a straightforward FPS didn't see.

Without spoiling anything, the story is comparable to the first game. It doesn't hinge on one massive plot twist, rather, the handful of key choices you make in the course of the game manifest themselves in a sneakier way. It's actually very clever, and the game has four different possible endings to reflect this.

Probably the biggest letdown I had with it was that the levels weren't as interesting, except for the last couple which were simply amazing. Now, I will grant, it's a lot to ask for. You'll never be able to recapture the feeling of first arriving at Rapture. We've been here before and it's familiar to us, even though we're in another part of the city. But the locations you visit in BioShock 1 are very iconic and trope-based - the medical pavilion, theater, industrial area for example - and every inch of the level's real estate reinforces a core theme. BioShock 2 feels like the lower levels of the Titanic in comparison - lots of flophouses and slums. This is the seedy underbelly of the city the rich well-to-dos above would rarely see. So I can understand why, fictionally, it's not "nice." However, there are some levels that really should have stood out that don't. On the other hand, the levels are frequently populated by specific NPCs that do their best to create the adventure you'll have there. In other words, most levels have an eccentric "Father Grigori" figure who sets the scene and the story.

Another thing they did is lock the levels into a linear order. Once you leave a level, you can't come back. Now that's not unusual for HL2 fans, but though you had little reason to, you could revisit past areas in BioShock 1 to look for goodies you missed. I personally wish they would adopt the "Metroidvania" approach (also seen more recently in Batman: Arkham Asylum) where there's an overworld and a series of areas you can visit and revisit. To me, not only would that reinforce the belief that it's a cohesive city, but it would also create that interesting mechanic where abilities you acquire in later levels unlock secrets in earlier levels.

But still, everything that makes BioShock BioShock is still here. The overwhelming atmosphere, the audio tapes and their side stories, the desire to obsessively look everywhere for loot, the sense of paradise lost. Yeah, it's all good.]]>
BioShock 2 returns to the ruined art deco underwater dystopia of Rapture about 10 years after the events of the first game. This time you play as a prototype Big Daddy, one of the hulking diving suit beasts you saw in the first game defending the Little Sisters. Little Sisters are responsible for harvesting ADAM, a substance which gave the citizens of Rapture superhuman abilities at the consequence of becoming mentally and physically disfigured and ultimately bringing the utopia to its knees. ADAM is a finite resource and must be extracted from the dead who no longer need it.

You are looking for your original Little Sister who is somewhere in the dying city. Rapture is now in the hands of a psychiatrist named Sofia Lamb whose collectivist ideals clashed violently with Andrew Ryan's ultra-capitalistic philosophy. She is in many ways his polar opposite and has gone through great lengths in the past 10 years to unite the corrupted ADAM junkies, Splicers, as a kind of nuclear "family" using a religion simple enough for them to understand (which you inadvertently played a part in as a result of the first game).

The improvements are chiefly in the gameplay. A complaint about the first game was that while it had a great story and style, the actual shooting gameplay was merely adequate. Here, everything feels tighter and better. You play as a Big Daddy this time around and the main difference is that you have a drill instead of a wrench and you need to protect Little Sisters from time to time. There's a greater emphasis on gunplay, since you lack a "free" weapon (i.e. crowbar, wrench). But, on the flip side, they streamlined the hacking system, which makes it faster and easier to use some of the enjoyable things about the environment - hacking security cameras to turn against the Splicers, taking control of security drones, overriding turrets, hacking vending machines and health centers, etc. These were all things you could do in the first game, but if you were like me, you got tired of the hacking minigame really fast.

Another improvement to the gameplay is that you can use Plasmids (special ADAM powers) and guns at the same time. In the first game, you always had one or the other and it made the gameplay feel a bit stilted in switching between them. Again, this serves to make interesting parts of the first game (weapon combos!) easier to do in the second. Really, that's what most of the gameplay improvements are about - bringing to the surface the cool stuff that existed in the first game that people who treated it as a straightforward FPS didn't see.

Without spoiling anything, the story is comparable to the first game. It doesn't hinge on one massive plot twist, rather, the handful of key choices you make in the course of the game manifest themselves in a sneakier way. It's actually very clever, and the game has four different possible endings to reflect this.

Probably the biggest letdown I had with it was that the levels weren't as interesting, except for the last couple which were simply amazing. Now, I will grant, it's a lot to ask for. You'll never be able to recapture the feeling of first arriving at Rapture. We've been here before and it's familiar to us, even though we're in another part of the city. But the locations you visit in BioShock 1 are very iconic and trope-based - the medical pavilion, theater, industrial area for example - and every inch of the level's real estate reinforces a core theme. BioShock 2 feels like the lower levels of the Titanic in comparison - lots of flophouses and slums. This is the seedy underbelly of the city the rich well-to-dos above would rarely see. So I can understand why, fictionally, it's not "nice." However, there are some levels that really should have stood out that don't. On the other hand, the levels are frequently populated by specific NPCs that do their best to create the adventure you'll have there. In other words, most levels have an eccentric "Father Grigori" figure who sets the scene and the story.

Another thing they did is lock the levels into a linear order. Once you leave a level, you can't come back. Now that's not unusual for HL2 fans, but though you had little reason to, you could revisit past areas in BioShock 1 to look for goodies you missed. I personally wish they would adopt the "Metroidvania" approach (also seen more recently in Batman: Arkham Asylum) where there's an overworld and a series of areas you can visit and revisit. To me, not only would that reinforce the belief that it's a cohesive city, but it would also create that interesting mechanic where abilities you acquire in later levels unlock secrets in earlier levels.

But still, everything that makes BioShock BioShock is still here. The overwhelming atmosphere, the audio tapes and their side stories, the desire to obsessively look everywhere for loot, the sense of paradise lost. Yeah, it's all good.]]> <![CDATA[Steam Beta = Custom Categories]]> http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1154 Thu, 25 Feb 2010 05:13:47 -0800 http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1154 Steam's new User Interface Update Beta. This beta isn't for minor stuff, this is an updae for MAJOR features.
Personally, even though it is pretty buggy in ways I haven't even run into yet, I don't think I'll be able to bring myself to go back to the old version. I now can FINALLY sort out my mods and games into different categories. I've set it up so Half-Life(28), Half-Life 2(11), Episode 1(14), Episode 2(21), and Portal(4) all have their own sections that I've put the games and mods into, and I have another separate section that I put games and mods into that I haven't yet finished playing (I have 123 games and mods, 23 of which are unfinished)
This will be the first time that I'll actually be able to use my favorites section specifically for my favorite mods and games and not need to use it just to keep mods and games that I only just installed from getting lost amidst all the ones I've already finished playing.

There is TONS of other new features too, but it's the custom categories that sells it for me.]]> Steam's new User Interface Update Beta. This beta isn't for minor stuff, this is an updae for MAJOR features.
Personally, even though it is pretty buggy in ways I haven't even run into yet, I don't think I'll be able to bring myself to go back to the old version. I now can FINALLY sort out my mods and games into different categories. I've set it up so Half-Life(28), Half-Life 2(11), Episode 1(14), Episode 2(21), and Portal(4) all have their own sections that I've put the games and mods into, and I have another separate section that I put games and mods into that I haven't yet finished playing (I have 123 games and mods, 23 of which are unfinished)
This will be the first time that I'll actually be able to use my favorites section specifically for my favorite mods and games and not need to use it just to keep mods and games that I only just installed from getting lost amidst all the ones I've already finished playing.

There is TONS of other new features too, but it's the custom categories that sells it for me.]]> <![CDATA[New "Ways to Help" page]]> http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1153 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:55:04 -0800 http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1153 I have also added it to the header menu.]]> I have also added it to the header menu.]]> <![CDATA[Please let something like this be in Episode Three]]> http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1152 Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:53:32 -0800 http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1152

WOW, this is incredible.]]>

WOW, this is incredible.]]> <![CDATA[Hangar 16 Reviews Republished]]> http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1151 Sun, 21 Feb 2010 08:25:35 -0800 http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1151
It can still be found on Archive.org but most PP readers won't have heard of it, so I decided to contact one of the main reviewers and request permission to re-publish the HL reviews.

No changes have been made to the original reviews unless absolutely necessary. These are not editorial changes but removing of old links etc.

I have created a new TAG for the reviews, making it easy for those old enough to remember the site to find them.

At the time of writing this thread there is only one review because I am waiting for confirmation that the format and information give is acceptable.

I have added a Recommendation Image, based of the "out of 5" scoring system.]]>
It can still be found on Archive.org but most PP readers won't have heard of it, so I decided to contact one of the main reviewers and request permission to re-publish the HL reviews.

No changes have been made to the original reviews unless absolutely necessary. These are not editorial changes but removing of old links etc.

I have created a new TAG for the reviews, making it easy for those old enough to remember the site to find them.

At the time of writing this thread there is only one review because I am waiting for confirmation that the format and information give is acceptable.

I have added a Recommendation Image, based of the "out of 5" scoring system.]]> <![CDATA[Personalized Recommendation Images]]> http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1150 Sun, 21 Feb 2010 06:53:07 -0800 http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1150
When a registered member is logged in and visits the home page, they will see a new banner. It's a link to the relevant REcommendation Images System section.

Here is what it says:

You may have noticed that some commenters have personalized recommendation images. These are available to all members who make a minimum donate of US $10.00.

If you want to be part of this programme, please make a donation using the Chipin widget in the sidebar and then send me your username and a squarish image that is suitable for use as a small watermark.

It includes some examples, so readers can see what it could look like.

And before anybody asks, Yes, I chose the amount because I thought it was funny.

You can see the examples here:
http://www.planetphillip.com/about/the-r...ystem/#pri]]>
When a registered member is logged in and visits the home page, they will see a new banner. It's a link to the relevant REcommendation Images System section.

Here is what it says:

You may have noticed that some commenters have personalized recommendation images. These are available to all members who make a minimum donate of US $10.00.

If you want to be part of this programme, please make a donation using the Chipin widget in the sidebar and then send me your username and a squarish image that is suitable for use as a small watermark.

It includes some examples, so readers can see what it could look like.

And before anybody asks, Yes, I chose the amount because I thought it was funny.

You can see the examples here:
http://www.planetphillip.com/about/the-r...ystem/#pri]]> <![CDATA[How to shrink the sidebar area]]> http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1149 Sun, 21 Feb 2010 04:48:50 -0800 http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1149
I figured we could discuss ways to trim out unnecessary sections and condense redundant sections together. After trimming the length down a bit, it might be reasonable to extend the posts per page to include more posts until things come a little closer to being even. Here are what ideas I have so far:

1) The welcome message already says everything the About section says Is there any way to merge these together? Maybe get rid of the about section and put "This site covers single player maps and mods for the Half-Life series of games." under the welcome video?

2) The membership sections show the options to login and register even if you're already logged in. I really don't think this should show unless you're AREN'T logged in. For those who aren't logged in, they should only see the Register and Login options, and not the option to logout.

3) Is there really any need for the "latest posts" section? The latest posts are always on the front page, so most people are already there to begin with and if they aren't, they just need to click back on the front page.

4) What is the difference between "Site Supporters" and "More site supporters"? could these be merged together?

5) "forum", "new to", "how to" sections are pretty redundant since those options are up at the top of the page. Rather than having these in the sidebar, it might be better to simply use a bigger/bolder font on the top bar of the site, and perhaps change the arrows from >> to downpointing triangles so people more easily recognize that they are dropdown menus. I also know that there is some fairly easy HTML that would allow that bar to remain fixed to the top of the window so that even if you scrolled down to the bottom of the page, it would still be there.

6) "my articles", "poll questions", and "single player mods and maps" are also redundant for similar reasons. If you were to use html to make these fixed on the page even when scrolling, then you'd lose too much viewing area. However, if you shifted these so they were next to the PlanetPhillip logo (between PlanetPhillip.com "finishing half life is just the beginning" and the search bar) instead of underneath, then that might allow enough room to leave the main navigation constantly at the top of the page while still leaving enough viewing area on the rest of the page.

7) "Dated archives by month" could be merged with "dated archives by year", Just have the section listed out in this format:
2010|Jan|Feb|Mar|Apr|May|Jun|
. . . . . Jul|Aug|Sep|Oct|Nov|Dec
2009|2008|2007|2006|2005|2004|
2003|2002|2001|2000|1999

8) Do we still need the Filecloud warning on teh main page? could it instead be automaically added to any post that used to have a link to filecloud so the warning shows up specifically for the mods that the warning is needed for?

9) Arrange the top of the sidebar at least, in this order: "welcome message", "Membership", "Current Poll Queston", "Donate to PlanetPhillip.com", "Latest Comments", "Site Metrics" then after those you might possibly follow with Site supporters, Top commenters, Latest forum posts, special interest section, etc.

That's all I can think of right now. Any other ideas I might have for changes would mostly depend on how things looked after trimming and compacting.]]>
I figured we could discuss ways to trim out unnecessary sections and condense redundant sections together. After trimming the length down a bit, it might be reasonable to extend the posts per page to include more posts until things come a little closer to being even. Here are what ideas I have so far:

1) The welcome message already says everything the About section says Is there any way to merge these together? Maybe get rid of the about section and put "This site covers single player maps and mods for the Half-Life series of games." under the welcome video?

2) The membership sections show the options to login and register even if you're already logged in. I really don't think this should show unless you're AREN'T logged in. For those who aren't logged in, they should only see the Register and Login options, and not the option to logout.

3) Is there really any need for the "latest posts" section? The latest posts are always on the front page, so most people are already there to begin with and if they aren't, they just need to click back on the front page.

4) What is the difference between "Site Supporters" and "More site supporters"? could these be merged together?

5) "forum", "new to", "how to" sections are pretty redundant since those options are up at the top of the page. Rather than having these in the sidebar, it might be better to simply use a bigger/bolder font on the top bar of the site, and perhaps change the arrows from >> to downpointing triangles so people more easily recognize that they are dropdown menus. I also know that there is some fairly easy HTML that would allow that bar to remain fixed to the top of the window so that even if you scrolled down to the bottom of the page, it would still be there.

6) "my articles", "poll questions", and "single player mods and maps" are also redundant for similar reasons. If you were to use html to make these fixed on the page even when scrolling, then you'd lose too much viewing area. However, if you shifted these so they were next to the PlanetPhillip logo (between PlanetPhillip.com "finishing half life is just the beginning" and the search bar) instead of underneath, then that might allow enough room to leave the main navigation constantly at the top of the page while still leaving enough viewing area on the rest of the page.

7) "Dated archives by month" could be merged with "dated archives by year", Just have the section listed out in this format:
2010|Jan|Feb|Mar|Apr|May|Jun|
. . . . . Jul|Aug|Sep|Oct|Nov|Dec
2009|2008|2007|2006|2005|2004|
2003|2002|2001|2000|1999

8) Do we still need the Filecloud warning on teh main page? could it instead be automaically added to any post that used to have a link to filecloud so the warning shows up specifically for the mods that the warning is needed for?

9) Arrange the top of the sidebar at least, in this order: "welcome message", "Membership", "Current Poll Queston", "Donate to PlanetPhillip.com", "Latest Comments", "Site Metrics" then after those you might possibly follow with Site supporters, Top commenters, Latest forum posts, special interest section, etc.

That's all I can think of right now. Any other ideas I might have for changes would mostly depend on how things looked after trimming and compacting.]]> <![CDATA[Mod Of The Year Awards 2010]]> http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1148 Sat, 20 Feb 2010 22:47:05 -0800 http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1148
This may seem crazy but allow me to explain.

For this year I have decided to have many different categories. There is no way I would be able to remember all the mods in January 2011, so I created a page that I will add to as the year goes.

For each map or mod that gets nominated, I will add a section in the main post, see Outpost 16 and Human Error for good examples.

The nominations links to the respect section, where I explain why I have nominated a particular map or mod.

At the end of the year I will add polls for each category and readers can vote.

No comments can be made on the post, but I will change that once the voting starts.

You can view the page here:

http://www.planetphillip.com/browse/mod-...year-2010/

The main MOTY award will be run more or less the same way as this year.

The page is available from the drop down header menu but I won't be promoting the page specificially.]]>
This may seem crazy but allow me to explain.

For this year I have decided to have many different categories. There is no way I would be able to remember all the mods in January 2011, so I created a page that I will add to as the year goes.

For each map or mod that gets nominated, I will add a section in the main post, see Outpost 16 and Human Error for good examples.

The nominations links to the respect section, where I explain why I have nominated a particular map or mod.

At the end of the year I will add polls for each category and readers can vote.

No comments can be made on the post, but I will change that once the voting starts.

You can view the page here:

http://www.planetphillip.com/browse/mod-...year-2010/

The main MOTY award will be run more or less the same way as this year.

The page is available from the drop down header menu but I won't be promoting the page specificially.]]> <![CDATA[Comment Nesting Issues]]> http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1147 Sat, 20 Feb 2010 06:21:32 -0800 http://www.planetphillip.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=1147