This brief tour will highlight some of the main areas of the site and how you can get the most from your visit.
Firstly let's look at the index page. At the top of the page is the menu. It lists the most important pages on the site. Most of these are discussed in the tour.
You will also notice the search bar. Simply type in your search term and press return/enter. The results will be displayed on a new page.
Under this is the Daily Half-Life 2 Image. Each day I change the image to a new screenshot. The images follow the player from the very first moment the game starts to the end. By clicking the image you will visit the full size image.
Under that is a set of links to view maps and mods for each of the main games covered by the site.
Let us now look at the main post area. Here you will see the 6 most recent posts. If it is a map or mod you will notice the relevant game logo on the left. It will also display a short introduction about the map or mod.
Below this is the navigation footer, which is discussed on the next page of the tour.
This is the navigation footer and contains plenty of links to various pages of the site. The footer is in constant development and as such I will only discuss the main sections.
This section displays the current weekly poll, an information graphic and some other topical information notice.
This section displays the latest posts, comments and forum threads.
This section displays the various categories that posts are categorized in.
This section displays details about Tagging, Rating and Commenting on the site.
This section displays the current list of tags used on the site. Perfect for finding mods with elements you like.
This section displays links to important areas and shows other details about the site.
The next page of the tour discusses the Highest Rated page.
This page displays the highest rated maps and mods for Half-Life 1 and Half-Life 2. Each map and mod requires a minimum of 5 votes before it is displayed.
This page will only be useful when hundreds of readers have rated the maps and mods. I therefore urge you to rate the mods, even the older ones!
Due to the lack of maps and mods for Episodes 1 and 2 they are not listed here but if enough of them are released I will add them.
Correct! I am only accepting ratings for the games listed on this page.
The next page of the tour discusses the Dated Archives.
This page displays every single post in chronological order, starting from the most recent. Only the title is displayed, which is a link to the full article.
By clicking on the monthly title you will be taken to a page that displays the excerpts of each post for the entire month.
The dates relate to the date the map or mod was published on the site NOT the date it was actually released.
Due to the large amount of maps and mods that still require updating, many are dated earlier than their actual release. This will eventually be corrected.
The next page of the tour discusses a mod page in detail.
This part of the tour looks at a mod page in detail. Not all mod or map pages have same layout but all are being updated to match this layout.
At the top is a graphic taken from one of the screenshots, underneath this is either the basic story or some information about the mod.
The section lists the basic details of the mod, including Name, Filename, Author and original Release Date.
The file mirrors follow the basic file details, with the recommended FileFront server displayed first, with any subsequent mirrors listed afterwards.
The last section is the collection of screenshots which open with some clever javascript to overlay the open page.
Occasionally there are other sections, including Features List, Installation Instructions, International Coverage, Videos, Panoramic Screenshots and Resource Links.
The next page of the tour discusses the forum.
Like most websites nowadays PlanetPhillip has a forum. It generally has one or two new threads per day, each created by PP readers.
The forum is separated into various sections to allow better organization and ease of use.
As with the main site, the language allowed is quite strict compared to other sites. Swearing is discouraged and no links to inappropriate sites are allowed.
The big difference between the main site and the forum is that YOU can create the threads on the forum. You can chat about anything you want, be it game related or the weather.
One rule I am quite strict about is that of not discussing maps and mods on the forum if they have an entry on the main site. I do this because I don't want to split information for other readers.
Thank you for taking the tour and I hope you found it useful.Much more information can be found about the site and how to use it on this page. Just click CLOSE to view the page and continue your exploration of the site.If you are new to the site please consider taking the New Visitors' Survey 2008.Finishing a game is just the beginning!
model sitting inside a large hanger of some sort..
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