Topic: Some new themes, and a theme switcher.

[The Chief]

Themes installed:

• Babylon Theme
• Black Fs
• Black Light SMF
• Cileweb
• Classic YaBB SE Theme
• Debase
• Dusky
• Fs Gray
• Orange2Gray
• SMF Army
• SMF Default Theme - Core
• New theme added: Musiconica
• New theme added: GI Digital
• New theme added: Referance
• New theme added: Helios Multi
• New theme added: Dirge

Please use the theme switcher, located in the right column, below the Shout Box, to preview these themes and post comments here.

note that most of these themes have not been modded for this site yet... but I will set priorities based on your input. Example: SMF Army has no link from the articles page to the forum index. This is because this theme was not originaly meant for use with TinyPortal. I can fix this fairly easily, but there are many little mods to make in each theme and if no one like SMF Army, I don't want to waste time fixing it.

Also, some of the thumbnails in the theme switcher are incorrect. Again, this can be corrected, but only after the most popular themes are identified and modded. So please take a few moments of your time to go through them and post your thoughts here.

[TechPro]

I'm kind of mixed between Debase, Babylon, and Cileweb.

I liked the graphics and smooth design of Debase, but I prefer a lot of the appearance style of Babylon (layout is clean, plus it auto-resizes for your screen width - yeah!) ... but I'm not very fond of the colors in either one of those.  I liked the colors of Cileweb ... mostly.  I'd actually prefer more straight blues, with light text (not so pastel blue shades).

You know... it's too bad we don't have a rock wall pattern for a background, with red letter Planet Descent in the Descent font (like the Descent 1 and 2 game titles) ... with black/charcoal text body background with light gray/white text.  Hmmm...

[(LL)Atan]

Thanks for your time and needed work to let us try this out!

IMO 'SMF Default Theme - Core' would be the one.
This one is easy to read (for me) and don't hurt the eyes as much of the other themes.
As second I would like 'Classic YaBB SE Theme'

I'm the one who is more interested in Descent related informations, facts, news or help. And I would like to find (and read!) these easy. I don't think that there is any need of 'some kind of Art' for a Descent related websites besides Level-pictures or screen shots from Dallas scripts or settings
So I would suggest to use all this 'website related eye candy' with care, less would be better in my opinion.
But I'm sure that I'm not representing more as 25% with this meaning. You are the one who must decide how it should looks like later..

[The Chief]

I will eventually have to pick one theme as forum default, but registered users will be able to pick which one they use.

[-<WillyP>-]

I voted for Debase also. Of, course, I imagine what it would look like with a few colorful Descent related touches. 

I prefer a darker background, less contrast seems easier on the eyes. After reading a few site with white background, I find I have some trouble seeing the text. Especially if the text is black. Debase is dark without looking depressing. Everything fits well, no odd overlaps or cut off images. Like TP said, it's smooth. Although I am not sure I like the white band at the top, but it does draw attention to the news ticker.

I like Black Light SMF, too. Especially the transparent header over the image of the eclipse. It's not as slick as Debase, though.

Don't care much for any of the other themes. Babylon would be my choice among the 'whitish' themes, and I think Cileweb has some potential for a blue theme. orange2grey... eh...  Fs black and Grey Fs are too depressing, these two I like the least.

[Ronin RedFox]

I like black light smf, it seems more simple and organized. 

[D2Disciple]

I voted Debase, but I think it needs quite a bit of work. I like the slick design, but it's too compartmentalized (a bunch of boxes in bigger boxes in bigger boxes. If there was a way to seamlessly remove the Debase header (which is a different shade of gray than the sides of the forums) and make it more like the Black Light SMF theme "PlanetDescent" header, which has the eclipse up top and on the left side, I think it would work great.

But, just my opinion, Black Light SMF is pretty darn good as it is, and if you don't want to alter the status quo, I'm quite happy with the look of that (precisely what I'll use unless/until Debase is properly adjusted).

[TechPro]

I was just using the Debase theme for a few minutes, and the more I use it the more I seem to like it.  It's very readable and easy on the eyes partly because it is more "compartmentalized" which helps to visually separate the different components on the screen (the posts, recent posts list, shout box, etc.) ... but that white news strip at the top would surely have to go (or at the very least drastic color changes).  It's just nasty.

For that theme it also might be nice to either enlarge the fonts for the "Reply, Notify, Add poll, Send this topic, Print" strip or give those items buttons that can be visually seen.

Am I asking too much?   

[The Chief]

I'll work on Debase later this week, or this weekend at the latest.

[DarkWing]

Personally, I like Dusky.

[Scyphi]

Currently, I like Black Light, but I think they would all need some work to better fit the Descent theme.

Black Light does also seem a touch more cluttered, but I think that's just me. 

[-<WillyP>-]

Keep in mind black light has already been customized, somewhat. So if you are thinking, "Oh, I like debase best, but it doesn't have cool custom Descent themed icons, and some of the menu links are missing..." then keep in mind these things will be fixed.

[The Chief]

Looks like Debase is a hit 

There is one more option that perhaps should be mentioned, there are tons of themes available for free, and you are welcome to suggest themes that are not loaded here yet. Visit the SMF 1.1.8 theme site and under "Themes for your version of SMF" click on "SMF 1.1.8".

[The Chief]

Added four new themes:
 Musiconica
 GI Digital
 Referance
 Helios Multi

Please check them out, comment, feel free to change you vote if you like!

[-<WillyP>-]

Helios is too graphical, takes forever to load. I like the hex background in Musiconica, but otherwise, it's too bright. There's nothing I like about GI Digital and don't care to much for Reference, either.

Edit: you might like Dirge theme by Crip, HERE is a site using it.. (although you might have to be a member to select it... I'll see if I can find it elsewhere...)