News New Website Devlog


New Website Devlog

Woah what? A new blog post? Did I catch you guys by surprise? You know, I was originally gonna start this off by saying "I'm finally back" but then I realized I've already used that in the last two blog posts, if you don't count the contest one. I'm not going to even mention what the one post before those other two (three?) is titled. It's been eight months since the last update and a new one is well overdue. While I have made some progress on Scribble Surfer, I've focused my efforts on the new version of the Ezcha website. This is because of how my games will heavily rely on the new features and systems it will provide, so the website needs to be finished first. So for now I'll keep the Scribble Surfer stuff a surprise for it's own devlog and instead focus on the new website. Let's get started shall we?

Revamped profiles

The first thing I would like to share with all of you is the new profile page. You will still be able to change your profile picture and write an "about me" but now there are more ways to engage with other members. You will be able to send friend requests to them by pressing the "add friend" button. If the other user chooses to accept your request you will be able to write posts on each other's profile pages . There is also the brand new alerts page, where you will be notified of new posts on your profile, friend requests and more. You will be able to accept or decline friend requests right there or on the dedicated friends page.

Goodbye blog, hello news

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Among the changes is that the blog has been renamed to news and has been given a new look and feel. It functions basically the same as the blog did for the regular visitor, but behind the scenes it has been completely revamped. It is now way easier and convenient for me and possibly others in the future to write new posts and to manage existing ones. Smaller changes include the improved categories and the new series system where related posts are grouped together and sorted in chronological order. I plan on expanding the scope of the blog/news feed so these changes were important to make.

Themes

Something a little less boring than news are themes. Now at the bottom of the new settings page you will find the "vanity" section where the theme of the site can be changed. The theme options included at launch will be default, dark, light and maxed-out with the possibility of more being added down the road.

Two factor authentication

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Also on the new settings page, you will find an option to enable two factor authentication. When enabled, you will be prompted for a short and randomly generated code from an authenticator app of your choice. This will happen whenever you login and when suspicious activity is detected on your account. Now it will be much harder for anyone to steal your very precious and highly valued Ezcha account.

The new game page

One of the biggest changes is the games page. It has been completely overhauled and now displays dynamic content from a database and all that cool, fun and interesting stuff. You will be able to favorite games and leave comments on them. But the real exciting part is that the majority of them, including all the launch titles, will be playable right on the website with no downloads or installation needed.

When the update launches there will be six games available right away. Well actually, there will be seven but one will be hidden somewhere else on the website. Three games will be multiplayer and the cringe-worthy "Scribble Surfer Classic" will be present. Excluding possible bug fixes and content updates, the games will be finished apart from one which will be elite exclusive until it's ready for the general public. This line up does not include the new Scribble Surfer game, but it will be playable on the website as well once it is released. If the game has downloads available a new section will appear to let you choose which platform you're on. These options can include Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android (through the Google Play Store) and perhaps another large and popular mobile platform. 👀

Awards have been renamed to "trophies" and now come with experience points. If you collect enough experience you'll level up! The website now has leaderboards as well. Each game can have multiple leaderboards with separate objectives. If you get to the top of one you will receive a notification, along with another if someone else takes the #1 spot from you.

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Plans for the forums

Apart from some minor bug fixes and polishing, the only big real feature left to add would be the forums. While I have been hesitant to add forums in the past, I think it could be a great tool to let members engage and communicate with each other. Not to mention how many times people have requested it. While there will be sub forums/boards for my games, my main idea is to have the forums to be focused on community rather than myself and my own projects. I plan on having boards dedicated to discussion surrounding game design, programming, art, collaboration and more. I want a place for members to share their own projects and devlogs. There will also be boards for discussing games not on Ezcha Network, off topic subjects and more. It won't be exclusively for game devs, but it will cater towards them a bit. Elite members will also receive markdown formatting support. Speaking of which...

Changes to elite

In order to create a more realistic and stable income for the website, some changes to elite will be made. It will no longer be offered at a one-time fee, it will become a subscription service. My current plan is to offer a one year subscription for $12 USD, but this is not set in stone and is subject to change. Regardless of the final price when it's decided, I promise to keep it very affordable. All elite purchases made before the release of the new website will be honored and the users will continue to keep it free forever with no additional charges. I know this all sounds lame, but it's a necessary change to help ensure the future and longevity of the website. Ezcha as a whole will strive to be transparent and will never support pay-to-win, loot boxes and other predatory game mechanics.

Thank you

Thank you for making this far! I am very excited for the release of this new website and I hope you are as well! I've put a lot of hard work into it and the wait will be over soon enough. Once it's released I'll be moving my focus back to the new Scribble Surfer game. If you have any questions, suggestions or concerns I encourage you to comment below.

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Gamer

2 years ago

WTF NEW WEBSITE DEVLOG!

Lancia

2 years ago

hi lolll

seth_bruh

2 years ago

sooooooooo true goat

FireCatMagic

2 years ago

WTFFFFFFFFFFF

Tylor

2 years ago

very cool and swag updates, looking forward to these changes

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1ris

2 years ago

i really like all these features! dont press the button tho

Max

2 years ago

OMG FORUMS

Max

2 years ago

OMG TROPHIES AND NEW GAMES PAGE

Max

2 years ago

OMG TWO FACTOR AUTHENTICATION

Max

2 years ago

OMG THEMES

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Details

New Website Devlog

Written by Dylan
1110 views
Published May 31, 2022, 10:26pm CST

Summary

I've been working on a revamped Ezcha website that's been rebuilt entirely from the ground up. In this devlog for it, I go over some new features and changes. This includes improved profiles, user interactions, themes, game pages and more!