Board Thread:News and Announcements/@comment-15636815-20131111185541/@comment-15529092-20131128001934

Well, I concluded this would take an eternity to discuss every single isue via that Word document, so I decided to take a more straightforward approach. I created a user page proposing final layout of everything what has been completed so far => Extension Introductions, Rails, Local Trains, International Trains and Technology).

I processed everything with exception of slots table data (I kept just some rows as an example). It contains every previously mentioned idea (with exception of proposed filtering).

I was focusing especially on following 3 things during my revisions:


 * 1. Consistency. To keep consistent everything with everything where it is reasonable. It's not in my powers to report every minor text or image description consistency adjustment - there are so many of them ... but you can certainly trust me that I was thorough :).


 * 2. Solving chapter introductions layout problems.


 * 2a) I was having really tough time during my attemps to solve that layout problems (many refined approaches failed) so I devised something brand new. I realized that some data have very similar structure PLUS short text length which is allowing to convert them easily into a table. That's how the Key Facts table came up (valid for every chapter with obvious exception of Technology). I hope it looks good enough?


 * 2b) Furthermore, I decided to put Game Update notes to the chapters' end as this is information is less relevant compared to everything else. There is really no space for them at chapters' beginnings (users should definitely see at least 20% of main extensions data table when they jump into particular extension section). I was also thinking about putting Game update data into Key Facts table but I this concluded this as dead-end.


 * 3. Cutting text lengths to keep relevant information only (as their lengths were really enormours).


 * 3a) Significant ammounts of chapter introduction texts were cutted in the process. I also made some text-cutting changes around 1st Extensions page picture (only minors).


 * 3b) I have also reworked your data-validation texts & legend => I found most of its content was just repeating the same idea again). On the contrary new graphic layout should help to make it displayed even more boldly highlighted (despite its space is significantly smaller than before). Another good reason to merge legend table with Key facts table was to prevent the page becaming 'over-tabeled'.

I also made some adjustments on Pella's tables (layout may changed quite a lot but technically it's the question of a few minutes to switch the source code - I can do it eventually if you agree to go-ahead):


 * 1. Applied previsouly reported user feed-back about unability to differentiate local slots from international ones (because tables are so long that you don't have any header or footer available most of the time).


 * 2. I refreshed previsouly reported the of missin bold extensions designations (extensions designations as primary data values were drowned among of large quantities of other data - especially costs). I just exchanged | for ! which is making from designations a primary data column. I like this layout very much (desination values are highlighted and it's nice natural bridge between header and footer as well).


 * 3. Applied 'colspan = 3' on extra extensions (meaning extensions included in something else and contract awards). I don't see a logic in restricting this value only on one cell only as it is common for all 3 columns. Each from these 3 involved columns is not sortable so this shouldn't have any draw-backs.


 * 4. Added SUP tags into Rails designation values. These should appear again in the future in streets & stations tables.