Topic: My Site! Critique Plz

Hey, in our computer class at school they told us to make a website in Dreamweaver that was totally original (no outside content). So after watching predator 3 times on AMC I decided, hey, what better subject to do it on than a seven foot tall mutilating killer alien...have a look...and plz critique it:

Clicky

Oh ya, and I couldn't use Javascript or DHTML or SHTML or CSS .


[This message has been edited by counterfeitbacon (edited 05-16-2002).]

Ok, first things first...the buttons. I kinda like the effect, but it should stop after a bit...it's hard to read (impossible!) - maybe a quick blurring, then the word...the background...it bothers me. It's too white...how about a background that tiles? Could be cool...and the scrollbar to the right is not the same color blue...kinda distracts from the page (IMHO). And, of course, no inhalt...maybe with some inhalt it would be better...

counterfeitbacon: That is a nice looking page and works nicely. I think WS has hit the main problem - the contrast between the pure white and the deep blue is too strong and having you text (titile and buttons) in black doesn't help. I'd try for a tiling background or an off white and make that dark blue lighter so you can read the black text (I can hardly tell that you are using the Predator font).

I'm also against rollovers that obscure the text - I know I often have to take my cursor off the link to check if it is the right one. However, I do think it does look OK in this context so you might want to leave it in.

You said:

quote:

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I couldn't use Javascript or DHTML or SHTML or CSS

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but you clearly have used JavaScript and CSS. There are a few other bits of advice like not using <BR> for vertical spacing but it depends on if you can use CSS.

Anyway it is a good looking and clean page (I love Predator so I'm biased anyway!!) - well done.

Emps

I pretty much agree with what WS and Emps had to say, but I have a few things to add, pretty much usability stuff.

First of all, I don't think WS or Emps cracked down hard enough on the buttons. Buttons that obscure themselves on a rollover are a huge no-no. Have them light up, spin around, do the hokey pokey, whatever--but please do not obscure the text.

Second thing: there are two vertical scrollbars on this page, the one in the browser window and the one in the inner content area. I can actually scroll down so that whole area fits in my browsing space (just barely), but if I click on a new link it brings me back to the top of the page. As a result, I have to scroll vertically on two different scrollbars to see all the content.

The third thing is really just a pet peeve of mine. I just don't like scrolling/animated text in the title bar area. Also, having symbols before the actual title text means that I can't tell what the site is from my task bar when I have a lot of windows open. Oh, and did I mention that I don't like having things moving around in my task bar?

Other than that, I like the actual site. The graphics are very nifty (and I think they go well with the theme) and you've got some nice content. Overall I'd have to say a good job; the above notes (with the exception of the first, maybe) are pretty minor points.

hehe, looks like you did 2 out of the 4 things that they said you couldn't do.
That would be Javascript on the rollovers, no?
anyway. . .

Movies page:

The blood splatter thingy on "Movies" needs some work. It looks jaggedy and not realistic. I know that there are some tuts on how to make blood splatters.
After the "Predator" heading, I would add a table and set the cellpadding to about 2 or 3. Since you can't use CSS, this will bring the text off of the edges.

Games:

The "slashes" are not too bad but I think you could do a better job. I get a Page Can't be displayed for the pictures. The contents are not a badly up against the edges but it still seems a little cramped.

Predator:

The blood spaltter at the top is different from the one on the Movies page. One is flat and one is bubbly. They both need some work but do one or the other.

Characters:

The blood spatter again. Make the Character names line up with each other vertically.


Thats about it that I can think of right now, but yeah PREDATOR IS COOL!!

Later,
C:\


~Binary is best~

On a related note...

When Predator first came out my friends and I were too young to go see an R-rated movie unaccompanied. We went to the theater anyway and took a look at the lines. The way it worked was that you bought your ticket, gave it to the ticket-ripper (put the tomahawk away, WS ), and then waited on a line to get into the theater. That seems kind of strange, actually, but it must have worked that way or what we did would not have worked. Anyway, we bought tickets for a movie that we could actually see and then stood in line. As luck would have it, the Predator line ran right past the men's bathroom. So, one by one, we each went to the bathroom--and then came out again to stand in the Predator line.

We got into the theater fine, but then we noticed that the ushers were coming down the aisles to check for kids sneaking in. It was at that moment that we heard a "Pssst!" from behind us. It turns out one of our other friends from school was there with his mother, and she told the usher that we were all together. It was pretty cool the way it worked out, I must admit.

Yeah, I lived a wild and dangerous childhood. Considering where I grew up, though, that was "on the edge." I think the worst thing that kids did in our town was steal street signs (not dangerous stuff like stop signs, but street name signs--not that I ever did anything like that, because that's illegal *ahem*).

Um, OK, back to the review. Just wanted to chime in on the "Predator is awesome" theme, and let you know that I risked life and limb (well, kind of) to see it in the theater.

thats a cool story Suho1004, I like it, although I have never snuck into a movie...I want to so bad...

Anyways, yes, I did use some CSS, JS and DHTML, but since my teacher is too dumb to look at the source code for anything it doesn't matter, I just don't want to overdo it because then he'll notice. Damn...

I was thinking of a dark-blue for the background, since I am officially opposed to black backgrounds...

Hmm... well, nothing too dark on the background, or the design elements might not stand out. Maybe a lighter blue, or a steel-blue?

Heh, yeah, sneaking into movies was quite the adrenaline rush. Actually, I only ever snuck into one movie, and Predator was it.