Ever made a website? I could use your help

[Sleepy Weasel]

Long version: As a small percentage of you may know, I'm in a computer game design class and we're currently working on a Final Fantasy Tactics style game. We have an assignment this week to make a website by Friday and so I'm supposed to do that since the other guys in my group are busy (and did most of the work so far on making the actual game while I've been sitting around playing subspace and ultimate frisbee). Our professors are trying to get sponsorship from major video game developers, like EA, Microsoft, and so they will be asked to view the website so the site should at least be decent.

So... anyone got any tips on how to make a website, since I've never done it before. Should I use notepad or something else? Should I use a template or go from scratch? Will someone just do it all for me? These are all important questions. But anyway my point is if you can offer any advice it would be appreciated. The website will probably contain a demo that you guys can check out by the weekend if anyone is interested.


Short version: Tell me how to make a website.

[Evasive]

Ask Jason.

[ÆNIMA]

You can hire people to make a website for you....how you would go about doing that....i have no idea, google or something i imagine

[Sleepy Weasel]

yeah I might do that if this was professional, but it's for a class.

[ZeUs!!]

I've never made a site before, and I've just started learning this week. Download dreamweaver from Kazaa, apparently its the industry standard for WYSIWYG (that means what you see is what you get, cool huh?) website design programs, but the really funky thing is the tutorial, its really sexy. Or just ask to borrow one of Jason's sites and change the words

[RabbitRapist]

i can prolly help u.

or message me in-game..

-RR

[Verthanthi]

Whoa you're in Schwartz's 490? I love that crazy bitch. I'm aiming on taking it next term.

Anyway, if you want to learn fast I'd say go with http://www.echoecho.com, or kick it like acid tank and jack someone else's design

[Evasive]

Edit:nevermind.

[Sleepy Weasel]

Zeus: Yeah conc told me to get dreamweaver, and I'm downloading it from Kazaa right now. I should have it in about 5 minutes. Conc also says it's easy.

No, RR I'm not giving you money.

Verhanti: Yes I"m in CS490 part II. I took it last semester and worked on that 10th Life game if you've seen the website. I'd link it except it's so crappy compared to this one I'd rather people not see it. I want to take it for a 3rd time next semester if I'm able to. Thanks for the link looks like it could be useful. And no I think I'll buck the Subspace trend of just ripping off other people's stuff and passing it off as your own.

[TelC@t]

Depends on what platform you host your website on ... I have no idea how to use dreamweaver, but I had my 1st website 4 years ago and since then I designed and hosted more than 3 websites (mainly for fun) ... using HTML, Javascripts, CGI, PHP and mySQL.


Personally I recommend HTML + Javascript + CGI for assignment like this.

1st you have to check out what compilers are on your system. Some systems don't support all the languages, even tho they are merely scripting languages.

2nd you have to know what you want your web site to do. Does it have to be interactive, does it have to read and write to files?


HTML is the template for basic website.

Javascript is on client's side, meaning if you want to do some neat tricks and make your website look interactive without actually getting and sending data from the server, Javascript is the way to go.

CGI is on the server side, you can use it to collect and send data to the person who is using your website from the server. CGI is actually not a scripting language, but uses scripting language to do stuff.


It took me a day to learn HTML, 2 days to learn basic Javascripts and 2 days for basic CGI. But It would take a person much longer to master in those languages.

Also CGI is much harder since you have to check all the inputs , make sure they are legal.

[Verthanthi]

If verifying input is your biggest issue on a server, you have it easy.

[Jason]

I'd be happy to help you, Sleepy. If you'd like to see what I'm capable of, check out the design I'm working on for the new Hockey Zone website.

http://www.jasonofabitch.com/ci

If you do in fact want my help, you can contact me one of three ways. First, simply get in touch with me in-game, via a PM, Pallies-n-friends chat, or a ?message. Second, look me up on AIM. My screenname is trumanipulation. Or you can drop me an e-mail at jt@mail.rit.edu.

[Jason]

Also, allow me to offer my $0.02 worth of advice.

• WYSIWYG editors are EVIL. They produce bloated code that's often not compliant with current standards.
• Notepad (or a similar text editor) is your friend. This is all I use to code all of my layouts.
• You need to decide what the major aim of the site is going to be. Do you want it to simply give the user a bunch of information pertaining to the game? Or would you like it to be interactive? Presentation is perhaps the biggest issue you need to concern yourself with. A site that's mostly informative in nature won't require much, if any, scripting (php, cgi and what not). An interactive site will be more complicated, but it will give your users a reason to come back.

[ConcreteSchlyrd]

Alright, WYSIWYG editors may not be the most efficient, but you have to take this into account when reccomending against them:

A) Sleepy doesn't have any prior experience doing web page coding. Telling someone to just jump into text editing a web page when they don't have any prior experience with it is like telling someone "Fuck Visual Studio. Program in machine language, it's more efficient." It's true, but it's not the way for someone to get started.

B) I doubt that Sleepy's page is going to need dynamic content, and recommending PHP/ASP is just adding another layer of shit that he doesn't need to deal with. It's one more thing that could go wrong.

C) "Efficiency" is kind of a relative term. A completely text web page is really efficient, but it doesn't really work on an asthetic level.

My $0.03 worth of advice, which means I trump everyone else. I'll rock/paper/scissors J for Grand Champeen.

[Sleepy Weasel]

Actually to tell the truth I did make a website once back in 1997. It was hilarious, it probably had about 20 animated gifs on it, but people loved it. Unfortunately it was made on AOL homepages with the free space provided and now it has been removed even though my brother's page (also made in 1997 and including a link to the now defunct subspace.vie.com proving I'm older than you newbies) for some unknown reason still exists. I'm mildly pissed at discovering this right now. Oh yeah I also slightly helped Colonel Wuppass with the Beatdown Brigade website (done entirely in notepad), but if anyone ever saw that site... I'm aiming to set the bar slightly higher.

Anyway, Jason, if I run into trouble I probably will contact you on AIM. Thanks. I really only need images and text, but I'd still like it to look well done and professionalish.