I'm sure you have all noticed by now that we FINALLY LAUNCHED THE LONG AWAITED REDESIGN!
Stamper mocked up over 100 different headers and navbars before we finally settled on the new look for NG. We think it's much more fresh and current than what everyone is accustomed to, but don't worry, in time you'll adjust to the new style!
Ross and James have re-coded the entire NG back-end from scratch, so you'll notice the site is running A LOT faster now. That's been the biggest and most challenging phase of the redesign, rewriting and optimizing old code that went all the way back to 1999. We've now laid the groundwork for all the new features that we've been planning ever since the redesign began!
Code junkies will also notice that we are using CSS for our background stylings and fonts, although we weren't able to move towards a completely CSS layout; in order to do so, we would have had to simplify the layout way too much and we would have looked like every other bland CSS site. We think we have a perfect amount of CSS that ensures pages will load faster while still looking good, so coupled with the new back-end, the site should roar.
Tim has spent months preparing new hardware, so we have additional web and database servers carrying the load as NG continues to grow! We're expecting traffic to surge when news gets out about the recent changes!
Unfortunately, due to how long the redesign dragged out, we haven't launched with ALL the new features (hence the BETA). After staring at the new level icons for the past months, Jeff is no longer happy with how they turned out and wants to redraw them. We always liked his new level icons, but we trust Jeff's judgment and we know the new icons will be better than ever. Expect to see them this summer at the latest!
Also, we are still dealing with some bugs pertaining to the new features in the Audio Portal, so until we get those straightened out, those features are on indefinite hold. Finally, the user pages aren't quite ready yet, either. We are still finishing the features that will afford you maximum customization of your page, so you can decorate it however you like, run fun external code and insert your favorite YouTube videos and widgets from across the web. It will be just like Myspace, only you'll be able to customize your page EVEN MORE!
Be sure to Digg this news, so that it can spread to the rest of the internet! Tell them Newgrounds 2.0 has arrived!!!!!!!!!
