It's now about 3 months since this current layout went live, and throughout that time the Pokedex has been down while I worked on the new one. Now, while I started work on the new Pokedex waaay back at the end of last year - it wasn't actually intentional to be without a Pokedex for this long at all. Basically, what happened - if you weren't already aware - was that the current design, combined with the set up on the new server, basically just did not like the old Pokedex at all and it simply ceased to function.
I have been working behind the scenes as much as possible to have the new one ready for going live though and can finally say that it's getting into the final stages. Now, that's not to say there's not still plenty to do - just that a lot of the groundwork is now completed and it's pretty much downhill from here onwards.
The original Pokedex was a pretty standard affair - all on one page and pretty average all around. Being one of my first real coding projects though, it was also incredibly messy - especially when it came time to bolting on all the D/P stuff - and was clearly in need of a massive revamp. My further experience and knowledge also meant I could do something a LOT more ambitious.
So, that's where the driving force for this new Pokedex came in. My aims in every single aspect has been to make it as much as possible the 'ultimate' Pokedex. But I also wanted to avoid the common design errors that almost all the online Pokedexes have - one of those being a massive onslaught of information all at once. Not to mention any actual attention to the actual aesthetics at play.
So, to show some proof of my efforts and hopefully get you all wetting yourselves in anticipation (or something to that effect), I've grabbed a screenshot of the current build of the Dex in action to demonstrate a lot of what's available.
Please remember that while a lot of this is in a completed state - there's still a lot to be added and tweaked, so it doesn't fully demonstrate EVERYTHING you'll be able to do or see with the finished program. I've picked Shaymin for this screengrab because it shows a handful of recent touches, but there's still a lot more to be put in for Pokemon like Shaymin - so it's both a good example of what's already there AND what's still to come (though you'll have to wait to see the latter...).
The new Pokedex will launch sometime this Easter - along with another new design and a major upgrade to the forums. This is the first step in our plans for a massive overhaul over the summer to incorporate a major new feature (or even a few of them) and I think it's going to be a fantastic way to kick off what should be a brilliant rest of the year for Pokecharms.
(Screenshot in next post)
I have been working behind the scenes as much as possible to have the new one ready for going live though and can finally say that it's getting into the final stages. Now, that's not to say there's not still plenty to do - just that a lot of the groundwork is now completed and it's pretty much downhill from here onwards.
The original Pokedex was a pretty standard affair - all on one page and pretty average all around. Being one of my first real coding projects though, it was also incredibly messy - especially when it came time to bolting on all the D/P stuff - and was clearly in need of a massive revamp. My further experience and knowledge also meant I could do something a LOT more ambitious.
So, that's where the driving force for this new Pokedex came in. My aims in every single aspect has been to make it as much as possible the 'ultimate' Pokedex. But I also wanted to avoid the common design errors that almost all the online Pokedexes have - one of those being a massive onslaught of information all at once. Not to mention any actual attention to the actual aesthetics at play.
So, to show some proof of my efforts and hopefully get you all wetting yourselves in anticipation (or something to that effect), I've grabbed a screenshot of the current build of the Dex in action to demonstrate a lot of what's available.
Please remember that while a lot of this is in a completed state - there's still a lot to be added and tweaked, so it doesn't fully demonstrate EVERYTHING you'll be able to do or see with the finished program. I've picked Shaymin for this screengrab because it shows a handful of recent touches, but there's still a lot more to be put in for Pokemon like Shaymin - so it's both a good example of what's already there AND what's still to come (though you'll have to wait to see the latter...).
The new Pokedex will launch sometime this Easter - along with another new design and a major upgrade to the forums. This is the first step in our plans for a massive overhaul over the summer to incorporate a major new feature (or even a few of them) and I think it's going to be a fantastic way to kick off what should be a brilliant rest of the year for Pokecharms.
(Screenshot in next post)
