Post by Egao, Egao Everywhere on Aug 6, 2013 4:06:41 GMT -8
Nope, this isn't an article about making pretty html-styled post templates. A post template can be composed purely of bbcode such as justify, blockquote, and font color. I will be tackling some basic things people ought to remember when picking and using a post template for them and their characters.
Colors
A lot of rpers use colors for character dialogues. For those who prefer not to use hex colors or are just too intimidated by the mysterious set of numbers magically equating to a specific color, let me tell you something: red, blue, green, and all your basic colors are terrible choices to use.
But fear not because there are other shades of colors you could use instead without resorting to hexadecimals. I've placed the colors on backgrounds of dark and light so you could see how they look.
I have no need to list everything - I don't think I can. It does require some trial and error to see if the color works. I got everything from wiki's "colors by shade" and not everything works or look like what they're supposed to. In the wiki, you can also see the hexadecimal equivalent of the color so you might as well use that if you want. But color names are easier to remember and are really much more cooler than a bunch of random-like numbers. I also used to collect crayons and pastels based on how unique their name is. I thought I should share that.
Text formatting
Not all fonts are good for reading in the forums. Since you can't group your text as pages as in books, you have to settle for the fact that it just have to look good as a block. Use fonts however you like but they might require care in their font size, line height, and letter spacing. One thing I'll tell you is not to use raavi with size 1.
No. Small font + big line height = eye torture. So what should you use? NORMAL font size and NORMAL line height. For text formatting, your best friend is NORMANL.
The universally excellent, readable font is verdana, hands down. Georgia is really good too but I personally like helvetica and trebuchet ms. I'm pretty fickle about it honestly because the fonts all have such cool names and I'm shallow like that. But whatever font family, try to stick with size 2 orfont size 10.5px/ 11px.
Justify
Use the justify tag. You can survive even without a blockquote. Just don't blockquote and not use the justify tag. People might tear their hair off their scalps. If you're curious on how it looks....
Scrolls
Honestly? Don't use them. But I'm not here to stop people from using scrolling templates. If you really want to use one, all I ask is that you be responsible about it.
A bad scrolling post template includes one or more of the following:
If it's a combination of all that and you make a long post, that's just evil. I think really as long as the dimensions are big enough, around 350x300, and the post usually scrolls far enough, I think scrolling templates are fine.
Thin template
Coders would usually warn you if their template won't look good with long posts. Listen to their advice. Don't use a template that makes your post insanely long. If it can't be helped, use a scroll. Just remember to fit it with a reasonable dimension.
In summary...
Templates are like clothes. They look good on different posts, and might not always seem right depending on how long posts end up as. Use a test thread to see how your template looks. If all else fail, resort to blockquote and justify, the simplest, yet most professional-looking template there is.
Some recommended pre-made templates:
there is that late realization in me that, as most of them are v4, they're going to break in a couple of weeks
[/s]Colors
A lot of rpers use colors for character dialogues. For those who prefer not to use hex colors or are just too intimidated by the mysterious set of numbers magically equating to a specific color, let me tell you something: red, blue, green, and all your basic colors are terrible choices to use.
But fear not because there are other shades of colors you could use instead without resorting to hexadecimals. I've placed the colors on backgrounds of dark and light so you could see how they look.
RED has the cool shades of crimson, scarlet, and amaranth. There's also vermilion, burgundy, chestnut, and maroon.
RED has the cool shades of crimson, scarlet, and amaranth. There's also vermilion, burgundy, chestnut, and maroon.
BLUE has smooth, calming colors like midnight blue, cornflower blue, teal; cyan, sky blue, and powder blue.
BLUE has smooth, calming colors like midnight blue, cornflower blue, teal; cyan, sky blue, and powder blue.
GREEN has a lot of nice ones like forest green, harlequin, sea green; olive, lime green, and asparagus.
GREEN has a lot of nice ones like forest green, harlequin, sea green; olive, lime green, and asparagus.
I have no need to list everything - I don't think I can. It does require some trial and error to see if the color works. I got everything from wiki's "colors by shade" and not everything works or look like what they're supposed to. In the wiki, you can also see the hexadecimal equivalent of the color so you might as well use that if you want. But color names are easier to remember and are really much more cooler than a bunch of random-like numbers. I also used to collect crayons and pastels based on how unique their name is. I thought I should share that.
Text formatting
Not all fonts are good for reading in the forums. Since you can't group your text as pages as in books, you have to settle for the fact that it just have to look good as a block. Use fonts however you like but they might require care in their font size, line height, and letter spacing. One thing I'll tell you is not to use raavi with size 1.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse molestie consequat, vel illum dolore eu feugiat nulla facilisis at vero eros et accumsan et iusto odio dignissim qui blandit praesent luptatum zzril delenit augue duis dolore te feugait nulla facilisi. Nam liber tempor cum soluta nobis eleifend option congue nihil imperdiet doming id quod mazim placerat facer possim assum. Typi non habent claritatem insitam; est usus legentis in iis qui facit eorum claritatem. Investigationes demonstraverunt lectores legere me lius quod ii legunt saepius.
No. Small font + big line height = eye torture. So what should you use? NORMAL font size and NORMAL line height. For text formatting, your best friend is NORMA
The universally excellent, readable font is verdana, hands down. Georgia is really good too but I personally like helvetica and trebuchet ms. I'm pretty fickle about it honestly because the fonts all have such cool names and I'm shallow like that. But whatever font family, try to stick with size 2 orfont size 10.5px/ 11px.
Justify
Use the justify tag. You can survive even without a blockquote. Just don't blockquote and not use the justify tag. People might tear their hair off their scalps. If you're curious on how it looks....
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse molestie consequat, vel illum dolore eu feugiat nulla facilisis at vero eros et accumsan et iusto odio dignissim qui blandit praesent luptatum zzril delenit augue duis dolore te feugait nulla facilisi. Nam liber tempor cum soluta nobis eleifend option congue nihil imperdiet doming id quod mazim placerat facer possim assum. Typi non habent claritatem insitam; est usus legentis in iis qui facit eorum claritatem. Investigationes demonstraverunt lectores legere me lius quod ii legunt saepius. Claritas est etiam processus dynamicus, qui sequitur mutationem consuetudium lectorum. Mirum est notare quam littera gothica, quam nunc putamus parum claram, anteposuerit litterarum formas humanitatis per seacula quarta decima et quinta decima. Eodem modo typi, qui nunc nobis videntur parum clari, fiant sollemnes in futurum.
Scrolls
Honestly? Don't use them. But I'm not here to stop people from using scrolling templates. If you really want to use one, all I ask is that you be responsible about it.
A bad scrolling post template includes one or more of the following:
- Small dimension
- Small font
- Small or big line height
If it's a combination of all that and you make a long post, that's just evil. I think really as long as the dimensions are big enough, around 350x300, and the post usually scrolls far enough, I think scrolling templates are fine.
Thin template
Coders would usually warn you if their template won't look good with long posts. Listen to their advice. Don't use a template that makes your post insanely long. If it can't be helped, use a scroll. Just remember to fit it with a reasonable dimension.
In summary...
Templates are like clothes. They look good on different posts, and might not always seem right depending on how long posts end up as. Use a test thread to see how your template looks. If all else fail, resort to blockquote and justify, the simplest, yet most professional-looking template there is.
Some recommended pre-made templates:
- Dreamers (PB v4) by pianissimo
- Fish Face (PB v4) by lurker
- Daisy (jcink) by konya
- Song for Elias (PB v4) by konya
- Good Morning Mr. Flood (PB v4) by capys
- Puppet Strings (pb v4) by electric
- Blank Slate (pb v4) by phosphorous
[/justify]
Five years ago, the Pokemon League formed Lux to create a new world order of peace and harmony. A rebellion formed, under the name of Nox, cries tyranny at Lux's new microcosmic control. Their civil war now tears the Pokemon world apart. The world hangs in the balance of predormitum. Which side will you choose?
is a high stakes RP set in a dystopian Russian society recovering from an apocalyptic war between the armies of Heaven and Hell. Greater Russia now stands free from the influence of God and the Devil, and all non-humans run the risk of execution. Outside the safe zones lies the contained wasteland of Moscow, where demons and mutated shadowbeasts continue to terrorize the remaining human survivors who have been penned in with them. As of late, increasing evangelic disturbances threaten the peace that has ruthlessly maintained by the secret police.
