http://preview.drunkduck.com

After months of development and a lot of hard work, the new DrunkDuck site—now just called, “The Duck”—is LIVE as a public PREVIEW.

While the new site is not yet finished, it has reached a state where we feel comfortable allowing you, the Duck community, to take a look at the various design and feature improvements we've made and offer your feedback! The Duck community is of paramount importance to us, and we've really made an effort to not only massively enhance speed and stability overall, but also make feature and design improvements with an eye towards ease of use and accessibility for both creators and readers who visit the site. Our goal is that fans will have an easier time finding and following the webcomics they want to read, and comic creators at all levels of experience will be able to publish and manage their work on our site with as little hassle as possible.

Some of the technical highlights of the new site include:

- 100% NEW code-base rebuilt from the ground up in Python and utilizing the Django framework.
- Significant speed improvements across the entire site.
- Improved comic image delivery system using the Amazon Simple Storage Solution (S3).
- Very speedy site search.
- NEW: Front-facing content tags.
- NEW: Videos section.
- Security: Improvements to prevent the delivery of malware and spyware.
- Security: Improved user authentication system.
- Security: Improved user registration system.
- Comic Page Customization: We give Comic creators the ability to customize their pages without using insecure user-supplied HTML code.
- SEO: Improved Comic Page search engine visibility.
- Backup: We now have double-redundancy in Comic image backup.
- Social Media: Improved Twitter integration.
- Social Media: Improved QuackCast integration.
- Faster, more robust & efficient database architecture.
- We've implemented Get Satisfaction for better community support management.

The various Feature enhancements on the new site are perhaps too numerous to list, but if you'd like a detailed assessment of many of them on a page-by-page basis, please refer to the first post of the thread HERE

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE PREVIEW SITE:

1. Much of the content currently found on DrunkDuck has not yet been migrated over to the preview site. Again, this is simply a preview version of the new site, and so only a fraction of the actual site's content (comics, profiles, forum threads, accounts, etc) have been brought over to give users a glimpse of how they will be displayed in the various sections of the site.

2. You can register for an account on the preview site, upload comics, make forum posts, create tutorials, etc. Just keep in mind that at the end of the preview period, all data added to the preview site will be completely WIPED, and the data on the current DrunkDuck will be migrated over to the new version of the site. We're giving users the ability to add content to the preview site in order to test out functionality, UI and bugs, so just be aware that NO CONTENT WILL BE SAVED.

3. Not all of the features of the final site have been implemented in the Preview. We will be rolling out additional features of the site during the preview period, which we will announce to the community.

4. Any and all feedback you wish to provide is GREATLY APPRECIATED. In particular, any bug or formatting issues you may encounter is something we'd definitely like to know about. When reporting bugs or issues, please provide your OS version, browser (with version number if possible) and what steps you took before experiencing the bug, so that we may try to replicate it on our end.

Thank you for your continued patience and support as we have been working to develop the new site. We hope you enjoy it!

I uploaded some comic pages, and the are up in reverse order and I have no idea how to alter it.

Drunkduck isn't drunkduck any more? That's pretty stupid.

Do you guys actually want feedback, or do you just want reports on bugs?

In terms of formatting:
-There is quite a large empty space between the page numbers for the forums and the bottom of the web page.
-Pictures that are larger than the width of the forum are not resized, and just stick out to the side.
(I'm using Opera 11.10)

Hippie Van
Drunkduck isn't drunkduck any more? That's pretty stupid.

I disagree. ‘Drunkduck’ is probably the dumbest name of all the websites I go to and i've been asked multiple times if i was an alcoholic when they saw the drunkduck banner. (not kidding)I like ‘the duck’. We can still have all the awful quack puns and a name change also represents that the site is turning over a new beak.

Reccomendations:

-Put the Random underneath the Just In.
-Make the Rating for the comics be a little more obvious when viewing the comics.
-DRUNK DUCK!!! :(
-Keep forum order as is on the site now.

Otherwise it looks B-e-a-UTIFUL!

EDIT: One more thing: Quoting option leads to just a name showing up and has no distinguishing features between who said what.

The site is not usable at all on FireFox 4.

Seems to work fine on IE8 64 bit

Would you guys like me to update daily my old archive to test it?

Forums look like crap.

Yeah not working on Fire Fox.

And I turned off my Script blocker too.

Also, please don't sober up the duck. There is a history to the name you know.

Genejoke
Forums look like crap.

I have to agree. The yellow background really makes it hard to read the text.

:( Recoding is great. Renaming? No.

Sorry. I don't care what you think of the name or if you'd have called it something else. That's the identity of an awesome community that has been around for a long time. Longer than me, and I abhor the idea of renaming it.

Besides “The Duck” is a terrible name. It has no soul, no creativity, and no identity. It has no description. No one would know you were talking about a webcomic site at all – let alone one that already has a long-standing place on the internet and known representatives and reputation (good or bad, it's who *WE* are).

It would be different if it was an individual's website. Just yours, and starting from scratch, but as members, many of us have been here a long time. This is not a new project for us; it is something we have been in a long time. I'm excited to see things work better. I'm excited about new functions being implemented – but I don't want a *new* webcomic host. I want my beloved DrunkDuck – working better than ever – AS DRUNK DUCK.



(Sorry, I'm not usually one for rants. I'll go back to silent mode again.)

Do we not get to edit the html on the new DD freely like we can on the current DD? ;_;

I'll lose my site designs? I see Charby and Cwen's Quest lost their designs aside from backgrounds, arrows, etc that can be edited. Will this feature be added before it goes live?

If you are worried about users removing the new very large ads that are on the site, just make the rule like normal where they are required.

I could edit my site to accommodate them.

JustNoPoint

Genejoke
Forums look like crap.

I have to agree. The yellow background really makes it hard to read the text.

I would disagree, being indifferent.

But I would agree that they need a bit more work.
EXAMPLE:
…it was fixed?
…weird…well, it was an image that expanded past the border and looked very poopy…

I noticed that I assumed that was a temporary thing as it seems too big to leave out completely.

I don't like how the signature block is larger/more prevalent than the actual posts. Also the colors of the forum are not done well. The front page isn't bad, but there's a lot of photo's and other things to keep your eyes from hurting. But i've always been a lover of darker colours.


I don't like the name change.

This is a bit nit picky I admit. But I don't like that I would have to make Get Satisfaction account or log in with facebook to give feedback on the site.

I like it, seems easier to navigate around, but I have to agree, the forums are pretty, uhhhh crap, yellow background hurts my eyes. :/ I can't really comment on things like formatting and site layout, because I'm computer illiterate.

Though I have NO problem with the name change, you don't know how awkward it is when your mum logs onto your computer and sees: “Drunkduck” come up in the history and the serach bar! Buuuuuut I can understand why people would be upset at the change.

Here's the major thing that caught my eye

'Comic Page Customization: We give Comic creators the ability to customize their pages without using insecure user-supplied HTML code.'

That means we can no longer change the rawhtml and will have to follow templates, right? So how do we add advertising code? How to we make our pages look unique instead of just cookie-cutter webcomic pages? Will there be complete site design apps so we can make our sites look the way we want?

The only ‘insecure html’ I know of that can be added is our own ad banner code and links… I'm getting the feeling that there will be no user ads allowed on standard comic pages unless you ‘upgrade’ (meaning pay) for it.

It just feels like there's a LOT more going on with this site re-design than we're being told about at the moment.

Yeah, judging from the differences between my comic on the preview site

http://preview.drunkduck.com/Supermassive_Black_Hole_A_Star/1/

and my comic on the current “Duck”

http://www.drunkduck.com/Supermassive_Black_Hole_A_Star/index.php?p=580908

it looks like the new version is cropping out the text I have in my layout that has links to my other comics. :|

Also, the style sheet or whatever seems to be different, because the links I have at the top of the layout are now a different size, style, and color.

I suppose it goes without saying that I'm not too keen on the gigantic ads surrounding the comment area at the bottom.

The new giant ads are annoying. But tolerable. If we can move them around!

All of us can live with being forced to have large annoying banners on a free host. And by moving them around within reason of course. Not to put them where they won't have better or equal exposure.

Also to note if there is an option to have a pay account to remove the banners and gain raw html editing abilities again then I will understand this direction as well. I just hope there is an option somewhere!

I can't check the vast majority of anything because registry doesn't work (Firefox, Windows 7). I concur with all the stuff others have said. This is really my MUST HAVE wishlist, much of which sounds like it is lacking at the moment…

~Custom html and uploaded pages (background info, bios, etc.)
~No requirement to sign up to outside services for any basic functions – like comments, ranking, forums, etc.
~Uploading/pre-uploading pages that work properly and are easy to do.

Basically, please don't make DrunkDuck less convenient for creators or readers. New and better functions are great, but we want a functional site that lets us continue to use it the way we did. I like the things DrunkDuck offers atm.

The main reason I chose DrunkDuck was being able to customize the html so easily and flexibly and being able to upload my own graphics and extra pages (I wouldn't even mind if they had to have mandatory ads or anything). The features I came to really like were the ease of interaction with other users through comments, link exchanges, and the forum. So these are the things of utmost importance to me. – PQs, rankings, user profiles, color schemes, ads, etc. are all of secondary importance.

I could get used to a new name, but if we put it to a vote, I'd vote to remain the Drunk Duck. If you must rename it, for whatever reasons, PLEASE go with something at least remotely memorable or creative. Using “the” in a website name is either pretentious or hillbilly… (I gotta go check me out The Facebook and The Google.) It just sounds… awful.

Haven't tried to upload anything, although the video function sounds neat. I might put LFN Buddies on there or at least backup (lol) my stuff from youtube.

Not a big fan of the name change, but distancing yourselves from the negative view Drunk Duck has gotten is probably for the best. Color design still seems to be absolutely abysmal, I'm not sure why you guys are latching onto it so much when alternatives have been continually brought up. But what would I know, I'm a petulant whining child.

edit: The forums. They're bad.

edit 2: edit harder: Not being able to customize your HTML is an incentive for users to create their own pages. The focus of a webcomic site should be to act as the primary host of a comic, and not a backup/mirror, so in that sense it seems like it could be a bad move.

There's a lot to check out so I reserve the right to add more later.

First off, I understand that not everyone works in an office with their back to passer-bys, which means that the passer-bys have full view of whatever is on the monitor. The vivid color design just might require some fancy explaining, but I'm willing to do that for the Duck.

However, there's vivid and then there's hard on the eyes.


It wouldn't be so hard if the deep yellow were only used as an accent/background color, and if the black on ivory were used for the main bodies of text (like the forum posts). Go ahead and replace the drab gray, but please keep easy-to-read the priority instead of “New and Improved” Design. I ask you: what is the intention of the Design?

Checking out my comic, it looks “wrong” to me without the customized html that I chose to compliment my comic style. Having the option to create the “housing” for your comic is a selling feature when it comes to how people want to present their comic on the web and choosing to come to DD. It's not a deal breaker for me (as in: screw DD – I'm leaving) but I wouldn't be at all surprised if others do feel that way.

As far as the ads, I prefer the way the preview has placed them in the comments section for the comic readers ease, but when the ads are .gifs or otherwise obnoxiously distracting, I have a feeling that it will dissuade people from staying longer to comment. I know I'm not the only one who Loves getting comments, and I think having flashing ads will really curtail commenting.

Last, I checked out the profile page.
CON: (a) Please move the comics up — this is usually why I go to someone's profile.
(b) I saw the pending friend request and selected it, but then couldn't navigate back
Edit: ah - I discovered that I could return to the user control with the link found immediately under Hi!, . Not as intuitive as it could be, but it's there
© Typo: “Comics Recomended By” missing the 2nd “m”

PRO: (a) adding the comic description
(b) listing all the forum topics started
Edit: © adding “sent” in the PQ section. I'm happy to see this addition

Re the “pending friend request” I'm on the fence. There's a nice added logic, but I'll probably feel bad when someone rejects my request.
Overall, imo, a lot of real estate is wasted on the heading sizes, especially USER CONTROL PANEL.

Final word: the various elements were pretty quick to load, which is always nice.

I have two profiles.
http://preview.drunkduck.com/user/bffsatan/
http://preview.drunkduck.com/user/BffSatan/

BffSatan has recommended comics but no created ones.
bffsatan has created comics but no recommended ones.

lefarce
Haven'I'm not sure why you guys are latching onto it so much when alternatives have been continually brought up.

This. I'm honestly starting to think the designer is color blind… I mean they picked the most clashing colors in the history of ever and put them all together?

And I feel kind of like a hypocrite since i whined about how bland DD looked in the last site change, but i really think those colors are better in moderation. (lots of moderation. 8/ )

Also, there probably shouldn't be edit and delete buttons on other people's comic profiles.

The problem is that in both designs nobody ever really bothered to check if the colors would mesh well. They just thought that since it's Drunk Duck it needs a lot of orange and green. That works great for the character, but when you plaster it all over the site it looks like barf.

Skullbie
This. I'm honestly starting to think the designer is color blind… I mean they picked the most clashing colors in the history of ever and put them all together?

Actually, if you were colorblind, I don't think you could see the new design at all. It does sorta resemble this. XD

Also, also, quoting looks like balls; should be a different colour.

But the capital letter bug is a little bit more of an issue. Seems to be the same for amelius/Amelius, and anyone else with caps in their name.

Some thoughts…

1. DEATH TO YELLOW. Or Goldenrod, I can't really tell. I'm fair eyed and half color blind and it literally stings to look at the new site. Additionally, I felt disoriented looking at it. I'm guessing it's a yoke theme maybe, given the egg symbol, but it has to go. I can tolerate the green thus far. We need more subdued colors, please! Yellow is a color of excitement as much as anxiety.

2. Comics by Author in the User section. This should be directly after the About the Author, not Trophies. Please do not downplay creator contributions for fluff. I know you're working hard to see a good site through, so take this reiteration to heart: Function is beyond important. Can we maybe customize the order they appear and change the colors of the boxes/text?

3. Ads. I realize it's an important source of income, but excessive ads scattered all over the place make the site look like a cheap remnant from the Geocity pages back in the late 90's. Shrink ‘em or use less somehow, I don’t know. Too many ads tends to be an issue, especially when the site has problems. In the past, DD at times struggles to load while the ads are jumping up front, trying to animate or make themselves known.

4. Ahh… I'd prefer we didn't go with ‘the Duck’. Not out of some longing for the Drunk prefix, but given the history of trouble this site has had, I can see people giving it their own prefix a little easier, ala ‘The Lame Duck’. Drunk Duck also sounds better on the tongue than The/Duh Duck, if you follow. I don't mind a new title, but The Duck isn't really cutting it. It's bland and ugly sounding.

The forum obviously needs to be ironed out but I assume it's something you guys are already working on so I won't nag about that …yet.

Didn't like the bombshell which was the name change. No hints were made (that I noticed) regarding dropping the “drunk” part and that should have been discussed with the community.