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Skin Suggestions


Harakiri Tiger

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Since we have updated to a new version of IPBoard all of our old skins have become non-functional. It's about time we got some new skins. ACU had 12 skins on the day it opened and upgraded to 15 before we updated to IPB 3.2, so I'd like to not downsize on that. I want to add at least a bare minimum of 14 skins for IPB 3.2 with an upper limit of 20 skins total (not counting mobile skin) for the site. Skins do take up space and resources, so I don't want too many.

 

Another thing is that I want more normalized skins if possible, no really wild color variations that make you think of a circus or emo circus, etc. I don't care if the skins are free or not free, but if they're not free I'll be less likely to get them unless they're really good looking or have high functionality. I'd like to maintain something of a balance in the brightness/darkness of the skins too. Something like five clean bright skins, five clean dark skins, and five to ten skins that cover a gradient of other colors and brightnesses. I will count the default IPB skin as one of the five bright skins.

 

I have a natural preference for brighter skins, but I realize a lot of you don't and much prefer darker skins, so don't be surprised if we conflict on which skins look good. I'm sure we'll also have other points of conflict. The only thing I can say is that if you find a skin you like and recommend it, it is not automatically going to be accepted. I'll be checking its functionality, price, and appearance and I have to be fine with all three before I decide to upload it to ACU.

 

Here are a few links to some websites that have skins for IPB 3.2. Feel free to go through them and post links to the ones you guys like as well as discuss them. You are free to use other websites as well. If you find another website with a lot of skins on it post it so I can add it to this topic. The skins that are good I'll add, the ones that are bad I'll ignore or decline.

 

Official IPS Site

IBSkin

IPBForumSkins

IPBCore

Final Prestige

Skinbox

 

Points of Interest:

- Minimum 15 Skins Total

- Maximum 20 Skins Total

- Free or $$ Skins are Fine

- Normalized Skins

- Functionality is Important

- 5 Bright Skins

- 5 Dark Skins

- 5-10 Gradient/Other Skins

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Innovation

Chillax

Pulse

Warrior Preview background reminds me a lot of an AC garage

Genesis usually don't like highly stylized stuff, but this one really caught my eye (link to 3.2 at bottom but this screenshot is better)

Overlay (apple)

Edited by renketsu0
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Ok, so I've added a few skins so far and I've decided to upload the PSDs here so you guys can edit them to make some fancy banners or something. Remember the banner has to fit the banner bar's background colors. Some images may look good standalone, but sticking them together with the rest of the skin may clash so badly that some people could pass out from nausea.

 

Remember that any submitted banners must be a .png file and you will need a program that can edit PSD files, such as Photoshop. Feel free to use images of Armored Cores and other AC related stuff, but please do try to slip in ACU or Armored Core Universe in the banner somewhere.

 

When you get a banner done just post it in this topic or PM to me.

 

ACU Banners File

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http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/aa66/person4645/UnlimitedLogoACUblack.png

 

For the Unlimited skin. I just put it on a black background so you could actually see the logo. How looks it?

 

Edit: Oh wait, I'll probs just take off the .net later since acuniverse.net isn't the actual url. Kind of just threw it in there to take up space, werd.

Edited by wktk
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The .net is fine. That's the core domain. The other three (.com/.org/.info) all just redirect to the .net. I'm not sure why you'd put the domain type at the end though, but I'm not against it. I suppose some people might get a kick out of it. If you think it looks better that way then just leave it.

 

As for a picture of the old Karasawa, just do a Google image search for WG-1-KARASAWA (AC1) and KARASAWA-MK2 (AC2). You'll find tons of side profile pictures of them. Also keep in mind that if someone uses white or any distinctly bright color for their custom forum color your banner will vanish. You may want to consider a stroke, drop shadow, inner or outer light, or some other kind of effect that would make the text stand out mildly even on a bad background color for it. You might want to consider doing something fancy with the laser too, if there's room.

 

As for the resolutions, I think it may be possible to use slightly larger banners as long as they don't stretch the banner bar. If they stretch the banner bar we'll have navigation button problems. Web 2.0 is pretty frustrating like that, haha. For example, I may be able to use wider banners in some skins like IP.Board and Unlimited, but not in every skin we eventually get. Best thing to do is just experiment. If you make a bigger banner that looks good I'll try it out and we'll see if anything breaks, but just don't make HUGE banners. I don't want banners that are half my screen height. Much like I prefer more tame signatures I prefer more tame banners. I'd say that probably 600x300 should be max banner dimensions, though I'd prefer banners closer to 600x150 like our signature limits.

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It has a pretty distinct edge for me. Idk why the one in your screenshot is so smooth on the edge compared to the uploaded version. If you could make the right side fade into full transparency near the edges it should work out ok.

 

Also 90, there will probably be an AC or something in your skin just to make you unhappy.

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It does have transparency in it. Making it transparent to the point of having the edge fully disappear will still give a weird smudge just below the arm that still won't play properly with the background for those who have short browsers. For now it'll just have to be that AC without the background until I can make a logo that plays properly with the space. Having that lower edge show through because the user bar has a gap at the top isn't acceptable.
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The banner that I put in for Innovation is just a placeholder with the intent to troll Ninety. TM submitted a fully transparent version of his previous banner for Executive, so we're using that one for now. I'm looking forward to more banner/logo submissions. Please note that due to how IPB3 skins seem to work that a banner with some form of transparency will generally look more natural. Also try not to make banners/logos bigger than 600x200 in size, with a preferred maximum size of 500x150. Smaller is fine as well, especially for logo images instead of banner images. Logos are generally easier to work with and preferred as well, as making a natural looking banner takes significantly greater work.

 

You guys should keep recommending skins, btw. There's only four so far, so we need eleven more. Just keep in mind that if the skin says it's for IPB version 3.1, 3.0, 2.x, or 1.x that it isn't going to work on this forum. We're running IPB 3.2 right now and it isn't backward compatible with skins even from 3.1. They must be 3.2 compatible. I obviously want to avoid pricey skins as well, but you can still recommend those as I may end up being able to afford them in the coming months. Don't worry about recommending the best skins possible either, just decent skins that other people might like. The goal is to be able to have a skin that fits just about everyone's visual preference.

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As soon as I finish this other shit I'm working on then I'm going to make an innovation banner to replace faggy somw.

 

I like your enthusiam! I think nob may be working on an Innovation banner as well, so you are probably going to have to race each other.

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