Comments on: New ad structure http://www.heromachine.com/2008/05/20/new-ad-structure/ Get the latest on the world's premier character portrait creator. Thu, 28 Aug 2008 23:37:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Jeff Hebert http://www.heromachine.com/2008/05/20/new-ad-structure/#comment-1865 Jeff Hebert Wed, 21 May 2008 20:31:26 +0000 http://www.heromachine.com/2008/05/20/new-ad-structure/#comment-1865 I think the character image area is the same, I don't think I shrunk that at all, although I might be mistaken (this was ready a loooong time ago but got delayed a lot). The ads needed to be integrated because the old way, the ads were pretty much completely irrelevant. The clickthrough rate was non-existent, in theory because the ads were off the part of the page where the user was actually doing stuff. It's possible that this won't be any better, but since ads are what pays for the application to be free to you, it's worth a shot. In an ideal world, everything would be free and there'd be no ads or any need to pay for things. In the real world, though, we all have to eat, and ads make it possible for UGO to a) pay me to do all the extra stuff and b) for you to use it all for free. We are trying to be somewhat sensitive to how it's done, though, so your feedback is definitely being sent on up the chain and we're keeping an eye on how things go. I think the character image area is the same, I don’t think I shrunk that at all, although I might be mistaken (this was ready a loooong time ago but got delayed a lot).

The ads needed to be integrated because the old way, the ads were pretty much completely irrelevant. The clickthrough rate was non-existent, in theory because the ads were off the part of the page where the user was actually doing stuff. It’s possible that this won’t be any better, but since ads are what pays for the application to be free to you, it’s worth a shot.

In an ideal world, everything would be free and there’d be no ads or any need to pay for things. In the real world, though, we all have to eat, and ads make it possible for UGO to a) pay me to do all the extra stuff and b) for you to use it all for free.

We are trying to be somewhat sensitive to how it’s done, though, so your feedback is definitely being sent on up the chain and we’re keeping an eye on how things go.

]]> By: AJ http://www.heromachine.com/2008/05/20/new-ad-structure/#comment-1861 AJ Wed, 21 May 2008 19:18:11 +0000 http://www.heromachine.com/2008/05/20/new-ad-structure/#comment-1861 WHY? You took something awesome and made it crap! It's all zoomed out now. WHY? You took something awesome and made it crap! It’s all zoomed out now.

]]> By: Niall Mor http://www.heromachine.com/2008/05/20/new-ad-structure/#comment-1850 Niall Mor Wed, 21 May 2008 17:03:11 +0000 http://www.heromachine.com/2008/05/20/new-ad-structure/#comment-1850 Jeff, all of the above :). The new interface crowds the control buttons and the window where the characters are actually drawn. It makes everything look tiny and cramped, all jammed up. The descriptive text on some of the buttons (load, save, etc.) and the menu options (skin, hair, eyes, ears, etc.) is hard to read. I think even the finished character images are smaller--all because UGO wants to make room for the freakin' ads! Another thing I didn't like was that the attribute menu (hair, skin, eyes, etc.) is BELOW the category menu (standard or expansion). This seems counterintuitive and illogical to me. The main attribute menu for basic items like hair, skin, eyes, weapons, etc., should be on top and the category or subset menu (standard, expansion, or some other subset) should go underneath that. The one thing I did like about the new interface was that primary and secondary colors for an item are now clearly marked with a 1 and a 2. I don't see why ads need to be integrated with the application at all. The application and all its windows and buttons take up only part of the page. If the designers at UGO left HM its original size and placed ads all around it, I wouldn't mind it very much. But if the ads interfere with the HM product, I'm not going to feel very kindly disposed towards UGO or the product being advertised. Jeff, all of the above :). The new interface crowds the control buttons and the window where the characters are actually drawn. It makes everything look tiny and cramped, all jammed up. The descriptive text on some of the buttons (load, save, etc.) and the menu options (skin, hair, eyes, ears, etc.) is hard to read. I think even the finished character images are smaller–all because UGO wants to make room for the freakin’ ads! Another thing I didn’t like was that the attribute menu (hair, skin, eyes, etc.) is BELOW the category menu (standard or expansion). This seems counterintuitive and illogical to me. The main attribute menu for basic items like hair, skin, eyes, weapons, etc., should be on top and the category or subset menu (standard, expansion, or some other subset) should go underneath that.

The one thing I did like about the new interface was that primary and secondary colors for an item are now clearly marked with a 1 and a 2.

I don’t see why ads need to be integrated with the application at all. The application and all its windows and buttons take up only part of the page. If the designers at UGO left HM its original size and placed ads all around it, I wouldn’t mind it very much. But if the ads interfere with the HM product, I’m not going to feel very kindly disposed towards UGO or the product being advertised.

]]> By: Jeff Hebert http://www.heromachine.com/2008/05/20/new-ad-structure/#comment-1848 Jeff Hebert Wed, 21 May 2008 16:16:25 +0000 http://www.heromachine.com/2008/05/20/new-ad-structure/#comment-1848 Thanks for the update Niall. I'm just curious, are the integrated ads bad in your opinion because they take up too much space, because they're too intrusive, because the ads themselves are too irritating, or some other reason? Thanks for the update Niall.

I’m just curious, are the integrated ads bad in your opinion because they take up too much space, because they’re too intrusive, because the ads themselves are too irritating, or some other reason?

]]> By: Niall Mor http://www.heromachine.com/2008/05/20/new-ad-structure/#comment-1847 Niall Mor Wed, 21 May 2008 16:05:55 +0000 http://www.heromachine.com/2008/05/20/new-ad-structure/#comment-1847 Jeff, I just found out that hitting refresh on a Mac will load the new interface, but it's still a nuisance. Integrated ads are a bad idea, IMHO. Jeff, I just found out that hitting refresh on a Mac will load the new interface, but it’s still a nuisance. Integrated ads are a bad idea, IMHO.

]]> By: Niall Mor http://www.heromachine.com/2008/05/20/new-ad-structure/#comment-1846 Niall Mor Wed, 21 May 2008 15:57:46 +0000 http://www.heromachine.com/2008/05/20/new-ad-structure/#comment-1846 Jeff, on my Mac, the ad seems to overflow its boundaries, effectively cutting the heads off of some of the little thumbnail figures. Fortunately for me, I now have HM on my desktop, so I don't have to deal with this problem, but for somebody who had to use the online version, this could be a real pain in the neck (f you'll pardon the expression). :) Please tell the powers that be at UGO that as far as I'm concerned, integrated ads stink. Jeff, on my Mac, the ad seems to overflow its boundaries, effectively cutting the heads off of some of the little thumbnail figures. Fortunately for me, I now have HM on my desktop, so I don’t have to deal with this problem, but for somebody who had to use the online version, this could be a real pain in the neck (f you’ll pardon the expression). :) Please tell the powers that be at UGO that as far as I’m concerned, integrated ads stink.

]]> By: Jeff Hebert http://www.heromachine.com/2008/05/20/new-ad-structure/#comment-1755 Jeff Hebert Tue, 20 May 2008 16:48:17 +0000 http://www.heromachine.com/2008/05/20/new-ad-structure/#comment-1755 No, that happened to me, too. I had to hit CTRL-REFRESH (holding down the CONTROL key while clicking the browser's REFRESH button) to get the content to re-load the new interface. No, that happened to me, too. I had to hit CTRL-REFRESH (holding down the CONTROL key while clicking the browser’s REFRESH button) to get the content to re-load the new interface.

]]> By: liam halverson http://www.heromachine.com/2008/05/20/new-ad-structure/#comment-1754 liam halverson Tue, 20 May 2008 16:48:03 +0000 http://www.heromachine.com/2008/05/20/new-ad-structure/#comment-1754 it is waaaaaayyyyy to distracting <:( it is waaaaaayyyyy to distracting <:(

]]> By: The Doomed Pixel http://www.heromachine.com/2008/05/20/new-ad-structure/#comment-1751 The Doomed Pixel Tue, 20 May 2008 16:19:28 +0000 http://www.heromachine.com/2008/05/20/new-ad-structure/#comment-1751 Well first off, the add is in the app but the new app layout is not yet on, causing the ad tp overlap and cover up some option in the app. Am I the only one having this problem? Well first off, the add is in the app but the new app layout is not yet on, causing the ad tp overlap and cover up some option in the app. Am I the only one having this problem?

]]>