Site redesign - 2016 Update #1

[whismerhill]

In response to post #34807265. #34809035 is also a reply to the same post.

Xander9009 wrote: This is partly a response to another comment, but more importantly, it brings up a different point, so it's being posted as a new comment rather than a reply. However, in response to the idea that the sides of the screen shouldn't be filled in with content is... strange to me. One of the arguments given was ad space, but I just checked with AdBlock disabled and that space is currently not taken up by ads, so there's no ad space being removed by allowing wider content. Another argument given was that the various displays would be difficult to handle while keeping responsive. While I can't say much about how difficult this would be since I'm not a web designer, I can say with relative certainty that it's possible. I've seen various websites that have multiple blocks and panes of data that remain responsive. FB is an incredibly easy, albeit not necessarily /good/ example. However, it doesn't need to be dynamic content, even. It just needs to be /used/ in a /useful/ way. A navigation panel for when you're no longer at the top of the screen to easily navigate would be a good choice. I find it ridiculous and dumb that /literally/ the /majority/ of my browser space is completely blank and devoid of any content. However, while I really dislike the unused space, I won't harp on it.

The reason I made this a new response, though, is related to something I brought up that. AdBlock. I mentioned that I use it because I wanted to explain /why/ I use it so hopefully it can be addressed. I've tried greenlighting the Nexus multiple times, but it always results in the same thing. The ads that the page loads, over time and with more than only a very small number of tabs (of the Nexus) open, begin eating ram like crazy until the Nexus tabs all crash or become unusable. I have a lot of ram. I have a very nice laptop easily capable of running Skyrim, handling lots of open programs and CPU intensive tasks, lots of ram heavy applications.

See, when I browse the Nexus, I see a mod I like in a list, but I'm not done browsing the list. In order to remember to look at the mod while not losing my place in the list or whatever I've currently doing, I'll open it in a new tab and continue down the list. This often results in many tabs, and that doesn't have good results regarding site usability, since all of those tabs take all my ram due to ads. It doesn't just make the site unusable, though. Since it's taking up the ram, it makes the entire laptop incredibly sluggish.

I know it's the ads, because when I enable AdBlock on the site, the problem vanishes immediately. I cannot afford to pay to have the ads removed the proper way (I literally do not have enough for that at the moment, because I live on /very/ little money, and I shouldn't need to pay to use the site in a reasonable manner I like). I cannot run the site effectively with ads, though. So, AdBlock is the only real solution for me. I can't imagine no one else has this issue.

I just compared the ram taken by the same page (homepage of Skyrim) with and without AdBlock. With AdBlock, it got up to about 37 MB and 44 MB (two tests). Without AdBlock, it got up to 157 MB and 132 MB. That's a ridiculous and unacceptable ratio. However, I can think of two different approaches to solving this.
1: Either limit the amount of memory the ads can use by making sure that when an ad loads, it's smaller than a given filesize, otherwise, request another ad and discard the first. (I think most webpages should do this to convince ad makers to be more reasonable with their ad's footprints to be more likely for them to be displayed.)
2: Create a tool for use on the site that lets you bookmark a mod for later viewing. See a mod you want to look at later? Queue it up. Mind you, this would need to be available also for text mod links, specifically on the New Today and New Recently pages). When you're ready to run through the mods, go to your queue. For best results, when you load a mod page from within your queue, add a button to remove it and another to go to the next mod.

The first would allow multiple tabs to be open without eating GBs of RAM. The second wouldn't affect the ads themelves at all, but would help reduce the need for multiple tabs in the first place, meaning only a much smaller number of Nexus tabs would be open at a given time, making the impact of the massive ad sizes much less strenuous.

I realize this would also be solved by paying $2. The problem is that it shouldn't be required to have the Nexus not slow my computer to a crawl. I'm willing to whitelist NexusMods (I have before, in fact).

BTW, as I was typing this, I went back to the tab to close it here at the end, and it had catapulted to 1.25 GB. The page itself was at about 225 MB, with shockwave taking up 1 GB (which disappeared when I closed that tab).

If you guys are currently redesigning the site, please address this.

dspeare wrote: Xander9009, to create a queue for later viewing, have you considered the browser plugin "Pocket"? It does essentially what you described (except it works for ALL web pages, not just mod pages here). The queue is maintained between browser sessions and it will even synchronize your queue between multiple browsers or multiple machines. It's available (free) for most of the popular browsers. I have been using it since before they renamed it "Pocket" (it used to be Read It Later) and, so far, it seems to work as advertised.

to my knowledge ads using a lot of computer resources is a general whole worldwideweb problem, & not an issue localized on nexusmods only.

@dspeare, another plugin which stores information from you on an online account yeah ! more tracking please ? ... (that is ironic)

[bben46]

Lets at least try to keep on topic here - this topic is NOT about evil ads or about your opinion on how one manager is better than another - it is about the new SITE design proposal.

[SinMike]

Always thought it would be great to have something like "Dont show me this mod" button. I'll try to explain - browsing through even 16K mods for FNV (not to mention 46K Skyrim mods), it's hard to remember which mods i've tried, which i'm not interested, or not liked. And so, I click this button, and this mod is not shown to me anymore. Is it possible?

[BlueGunk]

In response to post #34795495.

makutamon wrote: You know What I would like to see? The Website using your download history to create a "recommended for you" page, which selects mods that you might like based on your download history.

I like that idea! +1 from me!

[BlueGunk]

In response to post #34788205.

xunknownx777 wrote: I love how it's coming along. I hope to see a section for tracked mods, that would be really neat.

I'd agree here - thanks. Tracked mods are all but useless in the current design. It would be good to have a picture "card" view like the main pages so you can skim over the mod cards and spot what you want quickly. At the moment you have to plod through a list that is in no apparent order whatsoever.

[Jeir]

In response to post #34795495. #34829255 is also a reply to the same post.

makutamon wrote: You know What I would like to see? The Website using your download history to create a "recommended for you" page, which selects mods that you might like based on your download history.

BlueGunk wrote: I like that idea! +1 from me!

From our 'Endorsements' might be better.
There are several mods I've downloaded just to check something, or simply didn't like and thus deleted and didn't give an endorsement.
In any case, such a thing would probably have to rely on the tagging system, with is rather flawed even when it is used, due to user interpretation of the tags.

[Jeir]

In response to post #34788205. #34829345 is also a reply to the same post.

xunknownx777 wrote: I love how it's coming along. I hope to see a section for tracked mods, that would be really neat.

BlueGunk wrote: I'd agree here - thanks. Tracked mods are all but useless in the current design. It would be good to have a picture "card" view like the main pages so you can skim over the mod cards and spot what you want quickly. At the moment you have to plod through a list that is in no apparent order whatsoever.

And I'll disagree, or at least ask for current option on its own page, no pics, and jumbo-pictures-on-front-page option for those who want it. =D Tracked mods as they are suits me perfectly fine. I can see the name of the mod, when it was last updated (which determines what position on the list it is, by the way) and when I last downloaded it. As someone who does not like mod managers, it is my preferred (and if I didn't keep all mods I use on my HDD, my only) way to keep up to date with the mods I use. Edited February 21, 2016 by Jeir

[gigabitemon]

site works fine for me for now, so at least there's a place to go back to if all goes to hell.

 

but a new design sounds cool. eager to see what happens as y'all go along.

 

to be honest, the old design could use some reworking, now that i look closer at it.

[Sulhir]

In response to post #34831615.

gigabitemon wrote: site works fine for me for now, so at least there's a place to go back to if all goes to hell.

but a new design sounds cool. eager to see what happens as y'all go along.

to be honest, the old design could use some reworking, now that i look closer at it.

*gets bugnet out* I'M READY FOR DEPLOYMENT!

[cleggmasta]

In response to post #34795495. #34829255, #34830585 are all replies on the same post.

makutamon wrote: You know What I would like to see? The Website using your download history to create a "recommended for you" page, which selects mods that you might like based on your download history.

BlueGunk wrote: I like that idea! +1 from me!

Jeir wrote: From our 'Endorsements' might be better.
There are several mods I've downloaded just to check something, or simply didn't like and thus deleted and didn't give an endorsement.
In any case, such a thing would probably have to rely on the tagging system, with is rather flawed even when it is used, due to user interpretation of the tags.

yea, thirded, but from the endorsed mods as Jeir said