This looks horrid!  Everything is so big and there are only two items per row

Please give us the option to change the layout, because it's completely unusable like this!!

I'm sorry if this is the wrong forum, I don't know where to put it-- nothing matches-- there's nothing for critique on the site layout or site help/...

Hello,

I am sorry you are unhappy with the new look.  There is not a way to revert it back I do think if you give it a little time you that you will learn to like better than the old layout.  Here are few things that have changed that we are sure will improve our Freestuff area:

Improved search results and overall ease of use.

'Drill-Down' searching capability.

User Navigation simplified and improved. Now sortable by; Product Name (asc or desc) or Date Created (asc or desc).

Thumbnails will now be consistent at 300px by 350px.

Main promotional images now have a minimum width of 800px and maximum of 1200px (Resized proportionally).

Minor bug fixes were made along the way as well.

I'd like to point out an issue with the new Freestuff that may or may not be something that would impact user experience.  I think the main negative issue with the new interface (which I personally find appealing visually) is that the description field no longer supports formatting of any kind.  When we upload an item, and put formatted descriptive text, it just converts the text into one giant run-on sentence.  It no longer supports paragraph breaks, or even separate lines anymore that I can see.  Quite frustrating when you are trying to include a complete descriptive text to accompany a free item.  I think it's important to have formatting so that users can clearly read and understand, and help decide if the item is something they actually want to download.

Quote - if you give it a little time you that you will learn to like better than the old layout.

I'm not trying to pick directly on you, but ever single change this website has had done has resulted in someone at Renderosity/Bondware uttering this.

It's a bit trite, and doesn't take into account that some people liked features that have been drastically changed or removed.

And we have lost features over the years. The website used to size itself based on the viewer's monitor width, you used to be able to view images from the gallery at full size as a default option, it used to be fairly easy to select clothing for a specific figure.

Not to mention that the site has a distinctive blue-themed branding, which was replaced with a rather generic grey color scheme.

At least a few people will learn to tolerate this, and future changes, but that doesn't mean they'll ever learn to love it.

Unless you decide to replace it with something patently non-user friendly and worse...

I do think if you give it a little time you that you will learn to like better than the old layout

DSorry, but no.  No amount of added features can make up for the unusable freestuff index layout now.  The preview images are far too large, the run-ons as someone mentioned are a huge problem, the download bar is far too wide, and there's way, WAY too much space between the huge-ass images, and there are only two items per row.  I absolutely DO NOT like to scroll down.  Please add some way for us to customize the layout so this problem can be fixed.  I'd much prefer the index layout be designed directly after the marketplace layout (save for the "featured products" window at the top-- I don't like scrolling down, as I said-- so I don't want to see a "featured freebies" window-- I mean, who would?)

Also, what is with this "title" or "user" only option?  We won't get hits from the text/description anymore?  That sucks horribly and will make things far more difficult to find.

I will say this now: please don't ever use this layout on the marketplace. 

@LuxXeon I will make sure that I point this out to our programmer this morning.**
**

@iceEmpress - what browser do you use because I am seeing 4 images per row. As for the title/user you are able to search but you can also search by software choice by clicking on the what's new bar in the upper left hand corner of the page.

@LuxXeon - the issue you mentioned above should now be correct and we thank you for pointing it out to us.

@IceEmpress - The layout changes are based on the size of your browser windo.  If you expand/shrink the window the sizes and layout will adjust accordingly.

Quote - @LuxXeon - the issue you mentioned above should now be correct and we thank you for pointing it out to us.

Thank you very much, Tina.  This will certainly help us, as content providers, contribute a more concise descriptive narrative for our assets in the Freestuff.  I appreciate your prompt attention, and excellent work.  I know it's very difficult to please everyone, but I for one do like the new structure, and wish for it much success.

Hmm.  I just had a look and I kind of like it actually - I don't spend a huge amount of time in the freestuff at the moment but it certainly won't put me off.  just my £0.02

One thing though - my sig has a link to my freebies which doesn't work properly now.  What's the proper format for it after the change?

Hi FrankT,

Here is the new link you can use for your signature http://www.renderosity.com/mod/freestuff/?search=FrankT&expression=artist_name

You may notice that it no longer says FrankT's Freestuff but we have improved it by not only listing all of your item but now it has then broken down in different category so that they are easily accessible.

Glad you like the new look and please let me know if you have any problems.

Boom!! Wow, I really rather like the way they are laid out now! Most impressive.  Thanks very much Tina :)

And I am super happy that you are happy.

Have a great evening FrankT

I rather like how the artists pages are situated. They are easier to navigate imo.

I like the artist areas, too....

But the main parts, look so gigantic compared to everything else on this site. The titles are huge and there is no margin on the left side of the screen. 

The actual marketplace manages to have 4 across, and not look too large, all while having a side margin... this couldn't have been brought to free stuff? 

I don't mind the more portrait style thumbs, but they do seem too large to me.

Quote - @Sabby - Can you check and see if this could be the issue for you?  

The layout changes are based on the size of your browser window.  If you expand/shrink the window the sizes and layout will adjust accordingly.

 

Well this is with the browser the size it needs to be to in order to view the store accurately. If I go larger, it looks even worse, and if I go smaller it goes into a two column (even worse still) format. 

I am guessing this is going to be the format you guy are pulling across the entire site, but the titles of the products are 'huge' at least 2x the size as the titles in the marketplace. The header and menu bar has changed from the marketplace page to a new flat one (which is fine) but not consistent. 

http://eqsigs.com/...site/

There are two images in there to show it looks in my browser without changing anything sizewise (this is the size it HAS to be to see the store correctly without distortions) and as you can see the text is huge, the images scale up... etc.

@iceEmpress - what browser do you use because I am seeing 4 images per row.

Firefox 26. 

[i]As for the title/user you are able to search but you can also search by software choice by clicking on the what's new bar in the upper left hand corner of the page.[/i]

You could already do that before.  And correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the "search by title/content/whatever" also give hits by description/text? 

The actual marketplace manages to have 4 across, and not look too large, all while having a side margin... this couldn't have been brought to free stuff? 

I don't mind the more portrait style thumbs, but they do seem too large to me.

I concur 100%  This is entirely my problem with the new layout.  Except that I don't like the size of the thumbs-- I like how they were before-- then, if I think the thumb and title looks interesting, I can click on it for more info.  I don't need any of that in the index, what we had before on the index layout worked 100% fine except for the multitude of entries linking to dead websites, and the lack of indicators as to whether or not the item is d/led on an external site.  And on the search page, when you guys eliminated the - feature from the search function a year ago-- supper pissed and disappointed about that, and I hope you brought that back.

Also, is it just me, or did the bottom box with the "affiliates/ MP/ free stuff/" etc. disappear from the "what's new" section in Free Stuff?  Please bring that back.

Also, please quell Sabby;s and my fears that you guys have possible plans to bring this horrendous new layout to the marketplace....  I suspect she's not the only major PA who might have a serious problem with this idea...

If you guys add this layout to the MP, I won't be shopping here anymore save for the  major "must have's" that are already on my wishlist...  unless of course you guys butcher that thing as well shudders) because this new layout is an unusable nightmare for me.  It would be nearly impossible for me to navigate the MP no matter how badly I wanted to if you guys implement this.  So please, please just don't.  It would be a massive disservice to the PAs here.
That is not a mere "waah waah do what I want" threat, BTW.  As I said, it would be impossible for me to navigate no matter how much I wanted to (unless I had tons of time to blow) and there are tons of things here that I would absolutely love to buy...  eyes Poisen's, Sickleyields's, DzHeng's, Mairy/3Dream's, Fuseling's, and Donoraul's booths in particular   I absolutely hate the idea that the PAs would be innocent victims caught in the middle of all of this, in said scenario.  
At the very, very least I hope that, IF you have any possible plans of implementing this layout in the MP in the future, that you will at least take it up with your PAs first, and see what they think-- IMHO it should be 50 to 75% their decision, since without them, the continued existence of this site would not be possible. 

I like the new layout. I can finally see the thumbs. But I cannot find the "Details" button that used to be there.

Saw a great texture in the gallery, but would not have known it was for something I didn't even have if the artist had not mentioned it. When I went to the person's free stuff page...everything listed there was under clothing (which is not correct if they are just textures...should have been clothing textures) and could not tell if any of the items listed there were just textures or actual clothing. Could not even tell if some of the textures might have been for something I do own. The "Details" button used to tell, but it seems to have disappeared from my view.

Yeah, I noticed the details button is gone too.  I think this was their "solution" to the problem Luxxeon brought up above, with descriptions turning into run-on sentences of the titles.

Sorry, but removing a feature in order to fix a problem is [b]not[/b] a solution.

Without the details button, a lot of freebies are now worthless.

Please fix this ASAP . (and please don't tell me that you can't.  The staff who make GIMP and FIREFOX could do it, and they work for free, so surely for-pay techies for a commercial site are more than capable of fixing something like this-- unless, by some chance, you're using craptastic software...  Which I hope is not the case.)  Couldn't you guys have at least tested this on a dummy site like most commercial sites do before implementing it? :(

Edit: Unicornst, are you telling me that all mesh textures are now lumpewd into "textures"?

Well, that's just great.  So Renderosity basically fixed things that weren't broken, and broke things that were working just fine. 

The only NEW thing I see so far is the ability to sort someone's freebie gallery by file format-- which isn't all that useful IMO when someone can simply click and find out.

I would have preferred that instead of that, a file list all formats it is in like we see on Sharecg-- esp. now that the details/descriptions no longer work.

If this format replaces the current one at the MP, it'll be like a proverbial bullet to the  Renderosity MP's head.

@unicornst,

If you click on the actual thumb you will now see "Product Notes" located under the image.  

Let me know if you have any problems.

Quote - Sorry, but removing a feature in order to fix a problem is [b]not[/b] a solution.

Depends on the context, which is why having metrics on your features is so important.  Is it really worth spending the time on fixing something no one uses?  Varies on a case by case basis.

Quote - Please fix this ASAP . (and please don't tell me that you can't.  The staff who make GIMP and FIREFOX could do it, and they work for free, so surely for-pay techies for a commercial site are more than capable of fixing something like this-- unless, by some chance, you're using craptastic software...  Which I hope is not the case.)  Couldn't you guys have at least tested this on a dummy site like most commercial sites do before implementing it? :(

Having just completed interviewing web developer hopefuls for my company, I can say you would be mighty surprised at the difference in quality that exists.

For web dev, most of the time things are coded by hand.  How the 3rd party software (such as Firefox and Internet Explorer) see it, is a different matter.  So a web dev has to change thier code, because rarely are they going to be able to change the client.

And yes, for professional development typically there is a Source Control Management system, and one or more development enviroments prior to Production.  It comes down to having code you can test, and achiving a high test coverage area through a combination of automation and manual testing.  Only if the build (all the recent changes) pass testing do they get deployed.

Quote - Yeah, I noticed the details button is gone too.

Edit: Unicornst, are you telling me that all mesh textures are now lumpewd into "textures"?

But there is now a Product Description when you click on the thumb as Tina says and it's up to the provider to give the details (which some items are sorely lacking in).

And no, I wasn't saying that. I was saying that textures for clothing are being "lumped" under "clothing" instead of "clothing textures" by the provider. Once again...the providers fault. Not the site. If Rendo gives the providers the means to be accurate in the description, it's not the site's fault if the provider does not take advantage of it and correctly describe the product.

Quote - @unicornst, If you click on the actual thumb you will now see "Product Notes" located under the image.  

 

Let me know if you have any problems.

Nope...no problems. I checked items that were listed since yesterday and they have the Product Notes (sorry...I said Product Details in last post). Now if the providers could just be induced to give the details of the item. ;)

@unicornst - I will ask if we could possible make this a mandatory field in the future.  Once I am back in the office on Monday I will get back in touch with you on the outcome. 

Okay, good to know, but it still doesn't solve the problem of things being WAAY too big.  I'm having a similar problem listed above-- no matter how big I go, there are only two items per row/colum, and if I shrink it, that's only one.  I like things to be organized AND compact, personally.

I should mention that I DO use adblock for a lot of stuff, though I don't know if any of it even works with the new layout.  I can't stand all the ads, the widgets, and I can't remember what else that forces me to scroll down past a bunch of crap in addition to slowing and crashing my browser, displacing everything else, or having a box covering something (like yesterday and several days before when the bundles/calendar/etc. box covered the right side of the reply box).  I don't suppose that adblock could be contributing to my problems?

Also, why have none of the staff ansered yet about whether or not they're planning to implement this on the Marketplace?  It makes it look like they either don't know or they're afraid to answer us...

Hi IceEmpress,

I have sent your size issue over to one of the programmers but it could possibly be Monday before we receive an answer but I will get back with you on that.

As for your other question yes eventually this format will be cohesive across the site.  The Marketplace is the biggest section to work on so it still maybe a bit before that actually takes place.

I can also provide screenshots of how horrible this looks.

Oh, might as well, now, here s the first.

This is with the screen maximized.  Basically I can't browse more than two files on my screen at once.  Look at how horrendous it looks!  The thumbnails are so huger@!

I can only see two images at any given time...

BTW, I'm having that problem with the bar again on the right-- my browser window is the same size as in the screenshot in this post.

The left and right have not been cropped so that you can see how large I have the window.  Yes, my resolution is on the standard/recommended setting.

Quote - @unicornst - I will ask if we could possible make this a mandatory field in the future.  Once I am back in the office on Monday I will get back in touch with you on the outcome. 

Thank you, TinaK. I'm sure others would find it helpful as well to know exactly what they are downloading.

IceEmpress...I do not know if it is my settings or your upload, but I'm not seeing your images. Just to let you know. It could be my settings. Haven't been here in awhile, so don't know if it's something in my options or what.

Oops...forget what I said IceEmpress. I hit to post and now they are showing. Go figure. ;)

One more tiny problem in the Free Stuff area. You know those items that link to ShareCG? Well, seems sometimes the image over there is large and when I click the download here, I cannot get to the download there because the image there is too large and the pop-up window does not scroll down. Even if I expand the pop-up window, I cannot always reach the download button there. I would show you a screen shot, but I need to find a download that does that again. I forgot what background I was after. ;)

I somehow doubt updating everything will solve the problem.  It never has in the past.

Well, if they could just place a scroll bar in the pop-up window, it would help with that problem. Not sure what would help with your problem, though.

Quote - And now here is what it looks like when not maximized (and I NEVER maximize windows for any program if it can be helped) (although this image is on a download page)  I chose a DL page so you could see the download bar stretch all the way across the screen.

Because the window isn't maximized, and the responsive CSS on the site is broken in several ways, when the window opens it seems to drop into the mobile styling.

Quote - I somehow doubt updating everything will solve the problem.  It never has in the past.

In this case you are correct.  The problem is not the client.

Quote - The left and right have not been cropped so that you can see how large I have the window.  Yes, my resolution is on the standard/recommended setting.

I am curious what the resolution is of your monitor?

The screenshot you attached isn't a site owned by Renderosity.  It's outoftouch.de.

I understand that. It was made to show the problem that a lot of items in the Free Stuff have. You cannot get to to the item without a scroll bar in the pop-up window. That window was what came up after I clicked "download". First the window stating the download should start in 5 seconds (with MP products advertised) and then it takes you to the site where the actual link is. If, when it does that and there is no scroll bar in the second pop-up, then you cannot find or download the item.  It does the same thing when the item is stored at ShareCg as well. That pop-up window to get your download does not act as a regular window you open in your browser. It should is what I am saying. If it takes you to a different site, then it should have all the features of a browser window.

I am curious what the resolution is of your monitor?

I already told you, the recommended one whichever that is.  I'm pretty sure the recommended setting is the exact same no matter what version of windows the person is using.

I didn't have any problems with the damn layout before this horrible update (I'm not lashing out at you, I'm justr sick of this problem and everyone telling me it's my fault)  And the MP layout looks like it should (rows of four of nice, close together thumbnails)

BTW, I just checked, and I have the EXACT same problem in IE (it's a really old version because I never use it)  So it's not browser specific.

So what now?  Why am I the only one being affected?

Quote - I already told you, the recommended one whichever that is.  I'm pretty sure the recommended setting is the exact same no matter what version of windows the person is using.

Recommended isn't a size.   My monitors for example, are recommended and are 1920 x 1080.  But they are wide screen monitors.    I suspect it's the CSS viewports causing your problem, but without knowing what you are running, I can't verify that.

Thinking about this, to explain further.

Windows will suggest a particular resolution based on the hardware you are running.

A widescreen monitor can have a vastly different resolution than a old CRT.

By 1920 x 1080 monitors are recommended.

If someone had a old 800 x 600 monitor, that'd be recommended.

Recommended isn't a size, and the CSS will determine layout based on resolution.  If you are getting the mobile layout, chances are you are running a lower resolution.

Is there not a way for a website to tell if you're viewing on a computer vs a mobile device without basing it on the size of the browser?  

There is, mobile agents typically have the word mobile in the user agent string.

You can also test for if the client supports touch, but with Windows 8.1, a lot of browsers now support touch, even if they are not on mobile.

Best case would be to run some JS very early in the page and load the correct CSS for the device.

Alternately, you can set up the network to redirect mobile enabled clients to a mobile specific site via Apache rewrite rules.

http://www.howtoforge.com/apache2-how-to-redirect-users-to-mobile-or-normal-web-site-based-on-device-using-mod_rewrite

it goes to page with {scroll, status, tab} bars disabled, when I click on freestuff redirected to another site.  almost like old malware trick, but likely just coding glitch.  safari

Quote - it goes to page with {scroll, status, tab} bars disabled, when I click on freestuff redirected to another site.  almost like old malware trick, but likely just coding glitch.  safari

Which product are you seeing this on?

adamthwaites poseable chain.  prevents me from scrolling down to his freebies link.  am trying to find how to create dynamic chain (draping) for necklace.

The file:

http://www.renderosity.com/assets/javascripts/freestuff.js

Contains an event handler for the download button, which on click, uses JavaScript to open a new window, which is 500 Height by 1200 Width.

Because the window.open function call does not contain instructions for scrollbars, status bar, or other 'chrome' (term used for everything not in the viewport) they are considered to be disabled by the function.

https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Window.open

If the optional parameters are used, the features that are not listed will be disabled or removed (except titlebar and close which are by default yes).   

In the case of what you are seeing, because only height and width are passed in, everything else is considered to be disabled or 'no'.

My recommended screen resolution is 1024x768.

BTW, I'm not getting that problem another poster mentioned on Adamthewaites' posable chain, if anyone must know.

Quote - My recommended screen resolution is 1024x768.

I can confirm it's your resolution which is returning the 2 / row thumbnaiils layout.

You are falling into the CSS styling they have set for devices between 992px and 1199px.

You require 1200px wide to see four across under the current styling system.

That would make things way too small.  Plus, I like my old monitor.  I can see most of the screen all at once, and it's covered in pretty bug stickers.