In Support of the New Layout

Written by: Pudding and Moongewl

I’ve been playing Neopets since 1999, so that trademark bright yellow sidebar is burned into my brain. I was fond of it, but after the initial shock of the new layout, I decided that I liked it even better.

Moongewl and I decided to interview a few people who'd expressed their opinions about the change on the PPT Forums. We expected to get a few answers from each side, but we were absolutely floored by how strongly everyone we talked to felt about this. The sheer length of the responses we received forced us to split this article into two parts. This part has interviews with the fans of the new layout, and the other part has interviews with its strongest detractors.

Do you think the old look was outdated?

Pinkflamingonewsgirl: I think it was...a bit. I don't think it was so outdated that new people thought, "Gee...this is a really old site...do I really want to play?" However, I think an update has been a long time coming.

_lexxia: Compared to other sites, yes. But it gave Neo a unique look.

luckimiss7: I do think the site was a little outdated. It didn't look bad but there are new ways to make websites user friendly.

Pickles: The old look was starting to seem a little outdated. Many other websites change their layout frequently, sometimes yearly or even multiple times within a year. I didn't dislike the old look, but something new can be very refreshing.

What would you change about the new layout if you could?

Pinkflamingonewsgirl: The only thing I'm really not liking 100% are the pet redraws. I really like most of them, but there are some really hideous drawings. A good example is the Lutari. I can understand TNT wanting them to be standing for customization purposes, but it looks really bad. It kind of reminds me of Gumby. Another thing about the redraws is that it makes your pet very small as you go around the site. Meaning, when you go to the Wheel of Excitement or Coltzan's Shrine, your Neopet is itty bitty as opposed to the normal size it's always been.

While I very much like the new layout overall, I can see how some people view it as being crowded. It would be good to add a feature that allows for you to add or remove certain modules on Pet Central and the Homepage.

_lexxia: I'd add a link to the Inventory onto the Shops drop down menu (since a lot of users don't seem to know that you can get there by clicking on your NP), move the clock back to the left side of the page and put the search box in a more convenient spot. Other than those minor things, TNT did a great job.

luckimiss7: I would get rid of a lot of the clutter. On some pages there are too many modules. And add more page options to the dropdown menus in the navigation

Pickles: I could see several things improving the new layout, the first and foremost being a chance to change the resolution. While I personally use the resolution it is currently designed for, many people do not. My husband uses a higher resolution, and therefore is a little irked about the extra space, while many other people use lower resolutions and thus have many scrollbars.

The active pet and neofriends "modules" are meh: I wouldn't mind having the option to turn them off, or perhaps substitute them with something like a "top 5 stocks you own" section, or during plot times, a "key plot locations" module.

Being a World Challenge fan, a link directly to that under Games would be nice, too. And there's currently no easy way to get to either the Stocks or Battledome, which would be nice.

If it were up to you, would you revert to the old layout, modify the new layout, or choose a different option?

Pinkflamingonewsgirl: I would modify the new layout as stated in the previous question. As I said, I think a new layout was a long time coming. I can see by the way things are that TNT worked really hard on this. They had to redesign EVERYTHING to get it to look the way it does. They had to redraw every single color of every single pet. They had to redesign and redraw all the sidebars. And, obviously, everything was recoded...that couldn't have been an easy task. I'm very grateful for all their hard work.

_lexxia: I'd modify using the alterations mentioned in my previous answer.

luckimiss7: I would modify the new one, unclutter it. And then make an option for users to choose what style they liked.

Pickles: I would probably stick to the new layout with some of the above mentioned modifications. The colors of all of the sidebars are much easier on the eyes, and I like the new layout for the most part.

Do you think the new look makes the site feel more "adult"?

Pinkflamingonewsgirl: I wouldn't say "adult" per se. It's definitely not as childish as it was before. I would say it looks more like it's being aimed at teenagers now.

_lexxia: Yes and no. The super organization certainly makes the site seem "more adult," but at the same time it also feels almost exactly the same but with some things moved around.

luckimiss7: I don't know if I would say adult, but a little more with the times.

Pickles: Yes, definitely. For me, though, being an adult, I don't mind. It almost feels like a nod to the adults who play, which is kinda nice.

Has this changed the feel of the Neopian world in your eyes?

Pinkflamingonewsgirl: Naw. I still love Neopets as much as I did before. I can still explore the same places I did before with as much ease as I did before (after adapting to the new navigation). I can still do the same activities and play the same games. I love it. I wouldn't stop playing for a layout change.

_lexxia: No. The changes will certainly take some getting used to, but it's essentially the same old Neopets.

luckimiss7: No, to me Neopia is the same new layout or not. The only thing that bothers me is all the complaining. They said in about a week they're going to make the people that don't like it happy.

Pickles: Not really. To me, what matters is that I can still play my games, work towards goals, and get escape from real-life stress for a time while having fun. If it's now easier to get to the different games or activities, that's great! If not, I'd probably just make some more bookmarks on my toolbar and move on with what I was planning on doing.

How do you think this reflects on the current management of Neopets?

Pinkflamingonewsgirl: That's a tough question. On the one hand, I have a greater appreciation for their talent in design and their hard work to try to make the game better. On the other hand, I've been hearing the biggest complaint: "They aren't as personal as they used to be." I wasn't around when they were very personal, so there's no way I can know how those people who have been around feel. I'd imagine it's tough to see the small, personal game turn into a big, impersonal game.

But I think it's also important to remember that this game is more than that to the people who work on it; it's a business. There are lots of businesses that start small and eventually become corporate...actually, I'd venture to say that most, if not all, corporations started as small businesses. Did they lose customers when that happened? I'm sure they did, but it's the way businesses are. They do what they feel is best for the employees, the customers, and the organization. Unfortunately, it seems to some people that TNT is putting their organization before their customers (players).

But, and someone made this point at the post about this topic, there are millions of Neopians (players). To send each of them an e-mail requesting their personal opinions and suggestions, then to read all of them would be ridiculous. There is no way that they could do all that. Because of this, I understand where TNT is coming from, but perhaps it would have been better if they'd have slowly changed the site rather than doing it all at once.

_lexxia: I've been lurking on the Neoboards quite a bit the past few days, and I've noticed that a lot of users are having trouble finding things and moving around the site. This alone makes me wish that TNT had given us fair warning about the changes (I don't consider the Meepit a warning at all, I for one thought it was a new plot). The fact that there was no adequate warning makes me feel like those in charge don't care enough about our opinions, and I'm starting to think that there are some in the Neopets organization who only think of the users as dollar signs.

luckimiss7: I think that it shows they had good intentions even though the end result wasn't the best it could be. This took a lot of time and with as many users as neopets has there is not possible way to please everyone.

Pickles: It's a double-edged sword. In one light, it shows their worst side: dumping this on us with no hints or warnings. I would have appreciated knowing that when I logged on that day (or refreshed as some people experienced) that everything was going to look different. At the same time, I don't think sites like CNN or MSN bother to announce a new layout - it's simply just there. Not a good policy, still, though. Not thrilled for the people who lost their lookups, but according to TNT, there was some trouble with the code switchover that couldn't translate no matter what they did. Knowing a little bit of programming I can sympathize.

On the other side, when they did it, they went all out. They provided 5 basic colors that all users can use as the site theme (standard dark yellow, light yellow, green, blue and red), so no one has to be blinded by the bright yellow sidebar anymore. They took into consideration that we would be upset if we lost any of our old sidebars, so had all of them completely redone and ready when they did the switchover. They made the links more understandable (like Explore, which tells you what you can explore through that link). Overall, it seems like they did a pretty darn good job of thinking about a large number of what may seem trite things to make sure we would have as little interruption in service as possible (including the downtime, it was what, 15-20 minutes?), and did what was possible to take care of them. Also, they have been asking for our feedback, and making small changes as possible. I expect we'll continue to see more small changes as time goes.

What do you think this means for the future of Neopets?

Pinkflamingonewsgirl: I'm sure nothing really will change. People will leave, people will join. Some people will complain and some will rejoice. I, personally, am rejoicing over this change.

_lexxia: I think it means more modernization, more commercialization (which isn't always a good thing) and a lot more complaints from those who don't want to or can't seem to just go with the flow. Ultimately the ones in charges are the ones in charge, and they'll do what they think is best. The most that we the users can do is send feedback and hope that some one is listening.

luckimiss7: Until everything gets straighted out and cools off they may lose some of their older members . But more will come along. Kid are getting older and they may not remember the old layout so they won't know the difference.

Pickles: I think this shows that they intend to keep things more up-to-date and invest possibly even more time into the different aspects. We may even see other requests that have previously be answered with "Never" begin to happen. The amount of creativity, detail, and time spent in designing plots, new worlds, and even this update seems to be a good sign.

How will the layout affect your use of the site?

Pinkflamingonewsgirl: It doesn't really. I've adapted and now use the site just as efficiently as before.

_lexxia: Other than now having direct links to my bank account and favorite games list, it hasn't and it probably won't. The changes that TNT implemented thus far are purely cosmetic. All of the pages I go to are pretty much in the same places as before and as long as the URL names aren't changed, I won't have any problems getting to them.

luckimiss7: It hasn't affected my use in any way. I'm not using it as much though until everything cools off and all the bugs are worked out.

Pickles: Honestly? Not much. I have no intentions of quitting just because they changed the look. I've weathered a lot of change over the site in the 6 1/2 years I've played, and whether I've liked it or not, I'm still here, because I still love to play!

Ultimately, many fans still love the site and like the layout, even if there are a few kinks to be worked out. Neopets will have fans for many years to come.

Pudding and Moongewl are best friends who fight crime and eat tacos in their spare time.

Nessa is an integral part of their crime and typo-fighting team.

If you have any comments or suggestions about this article you are more then welcome to PM or email the author.