Ideal Layout

[Vaelakai]

I am building an online web based game, and I am having trouble settling on a HTML layout for it. I am stuck between having a 3 column layout, and a 2 column with navigation links running along the top.

I would appreciate your input.

[Nox]

You mean index or ingame?

Use what you need but.... basicly you don't have to use some generic N-shape layout,
especially today people often try to make non-traditional websites (speaking generally about webdesign, not just pbbg)
With a such a layout your site could also be more rememberable among others

Otherwise... well it depends if the layout would be fixed or fluid and how wide the columns would have to be and how wide the content would need to be

Try to think of what elements you want on your site, position, size, and then building layout according to it

[Chris]

Index could be horizontal, but ingame only vertical menu is a really valid option. You will simply need the space for an unknown number of options during developing the game after it has been launched (it is  tripple true if it is your first game). I always admired those that were able to make horizontal ingame menu without making a mess with their layout.

As for "ideal layout", such thing does not exist. Gethering the feedback from my players I can definitely say that tastes differ

[shoespeak]

If you design it using divs and CSS, you could make a few different versions and just let players choose the one they want to use.

Pros: more customization for players, more fun for you designing the layouts
cons: more work

Once the game is launched you could track the mos popular layout and eventually just use that one.

[jannesiera]

If you're having such a hard time deciding on such a simple thing how are you going to make a game? There's no "perfect layout" for anything. Aesthetics and in most cases even user interface are personal taste.

[Shrapnel]

If you're having such a hard time deciding on such a simple thing how are you going to make a game?

What a helpful and encouraging statement.   I found his question quite valid.  Vaelakai obviously cares about doing the best job he can and just wants some advice.  Web page design is hardly a simple thing no matter what kind of page it is.  I'm sure he posted for help, not confrontation.

[jannesiera]

If you're having such a hard time deciding on such a simple thing how are you going to make a game?

What a helpful and encouraging statement.   I found his question quite valid.  Vaelakai obviously cares about doing the best job he can and just wants some advice.  Web page design is hardly a simple thing no matter what kind of page it is.  I'm sure he posted for help, not confrontation.

I can ensure you, confrontation is the best help he could receive. I'm sorry if you misinterpreted that statement.

I'm telling Vaelakai that, if he wants to create a browser based game, one condition is to be able to make such simple decisions. By simple I don't mean trivial, I mean that he should be able to answer this question to himself if he has confidence in his own personal taste and relies on common sense for these kind of questions. That's what needs to happen to get to the hard stuff of building a game. If he wasn't able to do that, he should focus on less complicated stuff like building a simple website, blog, ... first. I'm saying: "You can succeed, but you need to have confidence in making decisions".

By simple vs trivial I mean that the decision matters but only when taking the entirety of your UI and layout into account. There is no right or wrong answer. The decision is easy to be made, it's only when other elements are taken into consideration, they all need to get a place so the whole page / website has a coherent layout.

Something else that comes to mind, but that could be something more subjective: If you want to do the best possible job, you teach yourself the principles of web design / hire a professional designer. If you don't want to bother, don't try to do the best possible job and just make those simple decisions.

I hope that puts right my harsh statement of before. I don't want to discourage anyone, I just want everyone to succeed.

[dsheroh]

I'm telling Vaelakai that, if he wants to create a browser based game, one condition is to be able to make such simple decisions. By simple I don't mean trivial, I mean that he should be able to answer this question to himself if he has confidence in his own personal taste and relies on common sense for these kind of questions.

While I agree with the intent of that statement, I would say that it is a trivial question at this stage.  Just pick a layout and run with it.  When you're initially starting out, layout doesn't matter.  This is for two reasons:

1)  As the game develops, you'll learn more about what characteristics are needed in the interface - what controls are needed, how many controls are needed, which controls should be most easily accessible, etc. - and these characteristics will dictate that your interface must be set up in certain ways.  e.g., If you end up with 20 main navigation items, then a simple horizontal nav menu simply isn't an option; you'll need to either use a vertical nav sidebar or a horizontal nav bar with dropdown submenus.

2)  If you structure your code properly, with content and processing cleanly separated from presentation and layout, then you should be able to quickly and easily change the layout at any point in the future, simply by changing a couple templates and/or css files.  Build your code so that you can easily change layout and it doesn't matter if you pick the wrong layout today, because you'll be able to change over to a new one in 15 minutes tomorrow.  Or even try on a new layout every day for a month, if that's what it takes for you to decide which one you like best.

[Chris]

While it makes a lot of sense that layout is easy, it is not true for me. Chosing layout is an agonizing decision for me. Trivial can be a choice of database schema, but layout, never. I consider game development a fully started when I have a layout and a game name These are the biggest obstacles to me.

[snw]

Make it like this :
if guest > 2 columns and when he'll login the third collumn will apear with game menu like User CP etc.

[Shrapnel]

Thanks for the clarification jannesiera.  That was much more helpful.