General Website Discussion

Wed Jan 15, 2014 7:15 am

The header image will always change depending what the latest attraction is like with our old site which featured The Smiler.

The slider will feature attention grabbing features and short videos but this is very much in development.

The boxes at the bottom are the latest news so will change unfortunately with it being closed season there isn't a lot of news apart from Cbeebies land which is why that will feature a lot at the bottom.

Wed Jan 15, 2014 10:57 am

Wow i think the new homepage looks great!

Any idea how long it will be until the whole site is updated

Wed Jan 15, 2014 12:02 pm

We can't really provide a timescale for V3, however we are currently in the process of updating the site's content in order to make TowersTimes the go to place for Alton Towers information.

I believe the plan is to upload it in parts, so, as these are completed, more of the site will be updated to V3.

Wed Jan 15, 2014 1:04 pm

lewis97 wrote: We can't really provide a timescale for V3, however we are currently in the process of updating the site's content in order to make TowersTimes the go to place for Alton Towers information.

I believe the plan is to upload it in parts, so, as these are completed, more of the site will be updated to V3.

You mea TowersTimes currently is not the place to come for Alton Towers information?

Wed Jan 15, 2014 1:15 pm

bensaund wrote:
lewis97 wrote: We can't really provide a timescale for V3, however we are currently in the process of updating the site's content in order to make TowersTimes the go to place for Alton Towers information.

I believe the plan is to upload it in parts, so, as these are completed, more of the site will be updated to V3.
You mea TowersTimes currently is not the place to come for Alton Towers information?

No, not at all, however some content is out of date and will benefit from a refresh for V3.

Wed Jan 15, 2014 2:31 pm

I believe what Lewis was trying to say was that we are having a refresh to ensure that TowersTimes CONTINUES to be everyone's favourite AT information resource

Wed Jan 15, 2014 3:10 pm

I am getting a lot of emails and PM's with questions regarding V3 so thought it would be a good idea to collate and answer these in an FAQ post.

How long until the whole V3 site is live?
Unfortunately this is a difficult question to answer as every page needs to be redone to suit the new style. Although we will try and get the site done ASAP, this will take time as work can only be done in our spare time.

What section / page will be launched next?
If we told you that it would ruin the surprise!

Why have you only launched a new homepage?
Due to the length of time it has taken to get to this stage we thought it would be better to launch new sections of the site gradually and the homepage was the perfect page to start with!

Why does CBeebies feature heavily in the header?
TowersTimes has always themed the site header to the latest Alton Towers attraction. As CBeebies Land will be bright and colorful this is reflected in the header.

I don't like the new news feature?
TowersTimes V3 has been designed to be fresh, vibrant and different. The articles featured on the homepage are the latest news and will currently feature a lot of CBeebies Land as that's the latest news. As we move into the new season this will likely be overtaken by other stories.

What will be in the slider image on the homepage?
The rotating slider will feature various things and is still very much in development. We have a few ideas up our sleeve but don't want to spoil the surprise.

Are you refreshing the whole site?
Every single page will have a new look with content being updated. Things that you love about TowersTimes will still be here but with a fresh and up to date look and feel.

I really hate the new look?
Unfortunately there's always going to be certain things that people love that others hate and we will never be able to please everyone. We have worked hard to hopefully create a fine balance.

My question isn't answered here?
Please post your question here and a member of the team will answer as soon as possible. Please do not email or PM a member of the team with your question.

I hope this answers most of your questions and concerns.

Rob - Lead V3 Designer & V3 Project Manager

YouTube · Wed Jan 15, 2014 7:57 pm

Why is V3 not Responsive?

Wed Jan 15, 2014 8:59 pm

Jared wrote: Why is V3 not Responsive?

Certain aspects of V3 are responsive. Having tested on different devices it was felt the site and features worked better the way we currently have it set.

Thu Jan 16, 2014 12:20 am

Not the active forum member I once was but still drop by quite regularly for a lurk.

I adore the new look to the site. Keep up the good work!

Thu Jan 16, 2014 12:29 am

Loving the new fresh look guys, keeps us moving forward and certainly keeps us on top as the place to go for alton towers information advice or news loving it.

keep working hard guys your work & time is appreciated thank you so very much.
One small question, with the launch of the new The Smiler section and your upload of construction pictures you still have the censor on the indoor heart line/barrel roll hybrid and it was said that with the update on V3 we would see the uncensored versions of the pictures, any chance we could have the uncensored pictures ? :moj

Thu Jan 16, 2014 9:56 am

Uncensored images of The Smiler construction will be included in the V3 guide page for The Smiler.

Thu Jan 16, 2014 3:07 pm

Our v3 news page is now live!

www.towerstimes.co.uk/news

Thu Jan 16, 2014 7:23 pm

Seems a bit messy at the moment... not quite sure how I feel about the whole article appearing in the menu. It would definately be a pain to have to scroll through a massive summary post just to see what's below it.

Tom.B · Fri Jan 17, 2014 9:30 pm

I would like to suggest (if it is at all possible), that the V3 shoutbox is viewable on every page of the forum, and not just the board index. This is because if I'm having a conversation in the shoutbox, and want to post in a thread/browse a board etc, I don't want to be split up from the conversation.

Thanks in advance!

Kirsty25 · Fri Jan 17, 2014 9:34 pm

Tom.B wrote: I would like to suggest (if it is at all possible), that the V3 shoutbox is viewable on every page of the forum, and not just the board index. This is because if I'm having a conversation in the shoutbox, and want to post in a thread/browse a board etc, I don't want to be split up from the conversation.

Thanks in advance!

I tend to have a separate page open for topics/threads and one with the SB. I will however leave the practicalities down to the forum builders

Sat Jan 18, 2014 10:43 pm

It's interesting. I'm not sure I like it, though I don't dislike it either. Except the news page is a bit of a mess and looks quite ammature, sorry.

Not really liking the header and main menu, doesn't quite sit/flow right and pretty disappointed it's not a responsive design. It's just a customised wordpress template right… so you could have picked a responsive one from the hundreds of free ones available as your starting point.

Sun Jan 19, 2014 9:49 am

There are a few reasons we decided not to go with a responsive design but mainly due to the number of devices used to view our site. When tested a responsive site on a few certain popular devices a responsive design just didn't look right.

Sun Jan 19, 2014 12:47 pm

Then you didn't design it right... in a age when more and more people are using mobile devices over traditional computers to view the web, especially amongst your target audience, not future proofing your site or design is a big mistake.

Sun Jan 19, 2014 5:29 pm

Designing it the way we have works on all tested devices / browsers with no issues. Most mobile devices are perfectly capable of displaying standard websites correctly.