Absintheuse
Posts: 348
2/16/2018
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For the past few months our tech team have been diligently working on rehauling the Fallen London website. Fallen London’s been running for about 8 years and the architecture of the website has changed very little since its launch, so we’re extremely excited to bring it to a more modern state!
The most pronounced and exciting change will be an update of the face of Fallen London! As you may have seen in our sneak peek screenshot of the new front end, the website will be receiving an update in its UI and also some of its visuals.
Other updates include:
- A much better experience on mobile browsers
- Tech updates such as bringing the whole site to HTTPS!
- Reorganisation of the Myself tab to make finding information about your character easier
- General improvements to the overall user experience of the website
Barring any belligerent bugs, we’re hoping to put the updates live in 2-3 months time. Don’t worry, we’ll be sure to give everyone at least a week’s heads up once we’re close. Once the initial revamp is live, we’ll be focusing on fine-tuning the mobile responsiveness work.
We can’t wait to share the redesign with you! Throughout this process, feel free to send any feedback to feedback@failbettergames.com.
edited by Absintheuse on 5/23/2018
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Kaijyuu
Posts: 1047
2/19/2018
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It just wouldn't be Fallen London without being called "delicious friend" all the time.
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Be of good cheer. Our contacts have assured us that your sins are forgiven.
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Harry P.
Posts: 116
2/16/2018
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You can almost feel the excitement radiating from this post, which makes me feel rather bad for saying what I am about to say. Regardless, my opinion has yet to change and I will say it once again.
I am sorry to say this, but I am personally not a big fan of the website's redesign. I prefer our current 'parchment'y styled website over this more modern aesthetic. I feel as if Fallen London would lose some of its character and appeal, if it were to make the switch. The loss of the greeting, action candle, its 'parchment'iness, and blocky qualities makes me feel rather upset and the idea of making Fallen London look like more like a modern website just makes me feel rather uncomfortable overall. And personally, I never had an issue with the site whenever I had accessed it via mobile phone.
Regardless, this is merely my personal opinion. Even if FBG were to make the transition to the more modern looking website, I will still play Fallen London to the very end. Even if I do disagree with some of it, I very much appreciate all the hard work FBG has done for its game and for its fans.
edited by Harry P. on 2/16/2018
--
Harry P.: http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/HarryP22h
A Magnanimous Gentleman Author with a tendency for melancholic monologues.
Elizabeth K. Broker: http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Elizabeth%20K%20Broker
A Socially-Awkward Dueling Trickster with a thirst for vengeance and a soft spot for urchins.
If you are ever in need of any assistance, do not hesitate to ask either of them. The second one is still finicky, though.
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Optimatum
Posts: 3666
2/16/2018
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As part of this update, it would be lovely if we could get additional outfits. I know that many people have suggested a BDR slot, and a sixth slot for general purposes would come in handy too.
So if I'm remembering the app right, square images are for items and circles are for qualities? It does help to distinguish, but the combination looks quite strange, especially since some items and qualities use the same images.
I'm also very glad to hear you're trying to keep the candles; it's such an integral part of the FL Aesthetic.
--
Optimatum, a ruthless and merciful gentleman. No plant battles, Affluent Photographer requests, or healing offers; all other social actions welcome.
 Want a sip of Cider? Just say hi!
PM me for information enigmatic or Fated. Though the forum please, not FL itself.
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Absintheuse
Posts: 348
2/16/2018
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I have managed to procure another sneaky screenshot from our programmers and added it to the main post - hopefully this helps! Also we are looking into how to keep the candles, even though they aren't featured in the screenshots.
edited by Absintheuse on 2/16/2018
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Siankan
Posts: 1048
2/16/2018
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Harry P. wrote:
I am sorry to say this, but I am personally not a big fan of the website's redesign. I prefer our current 'parchment'y styled website over this more modern aesthetic. I feel as if Fallen London would lose some of its character and appeal, if it were to make the switch.
There's an entire topic already dedicated to complaining about the aesthetics of the preview. Most of this announcement was on technical details, and we can (I think) at least agree that a better-organized Myself tab would be a major plus for everybody.
As a side note: If someone happened to work in making the Addressed As quality visible on characters' profiles, I wouldn't complain...
edited by Siankan on 2/16/2018
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Prof. Sian Kan, at your service.
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Holden
Posts: 22
2/17/2018
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Very happy to hear that Failbetter is looking into trying to keep the candle, and also that Myself will be better-organized.
Add me to the list of voices missing the greeting up top that tells me the name of the area I'm in.
Also.. there is just something weird about all that powder blue. I know it's more readable than red-on-black, I get that, but red-and-black is just... it's Fallen London's aesthetic, to me. I wish we could at least keep the red progress bars.
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Ophelia Caldecott is probably burgling something from your lodgings as you read this.
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Dudebro Pyro
Posts: 757
2/19/2018
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Well I know what I'm making a user style/script for in a couple months' time.
I only really, really hope nothing gets irreversibly broken - for instance, if they were to physically crop off the corners of the newly-circular art, it would be far more painful trying to restore the old aesthetic. Are there any archives/mirrors anywhere (perhaps on the wiki or something) of the Fallen London assets, in case some things do get irrecoverably removed upon update?
--
Dudebro Pyro, eccentric scholar
Spare Starveling Kitties always welcome. I collect them.
For that matter, send me your unwanted cat boxes too.
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Absintheuse
Posts: 348
5/18/2018
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Hello everyone, just wanted to pop back on here and let you know the redesign timeframe. The website will relaunch the week commencing 4th June! We'll be putting out a fuller announcement next week with some more details. Really can't wait to share it with everyone - and of course a huge thanks to anyone who helped us test the beta version.
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CatLady
Posts: 53
2/16/2018
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I just hope that no functionality (like, having menaces easily visible whenever you are, unlike mobile port) won't be lost. Other than that, as long as candles are kept, I am OK with whatever - trusting the Sunless Sea-like interface guidelines.
Also, hoping that extensions won't be much harder to implement OR that most useful of them get implemented as vanilla interface, at last.
Thanks for heads up!
edited by CatLady on 2/16/2018
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http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/profile/CatLady_
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silurica
Posts: 210
2/16/2018
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The only major things bugging me right now about the preview image are the circular icons and the floating tabs. The circular icons I find quite problematic as icons in FL were drawn to fit in a rectangle frame and not all of them look fine in a circular one. This might have been a better (not necessarily good, but better) change if you were to redraw all those icons to fit both frames, but seeing the sheer number of images assets currently in the game that doesn't seem feasible to do. The matter with floating tabs I admit is more of my own personal taste, but the current tab design is more familiar and easier to understand for me on a glance.
It would be nice to have the greetings back too since the top area now looks so empty, but this isn't something I'd die for as long as I can see my username somewhere.
And I assume there's no easy way to let the current candle(s) stay in the web version? I can see why you'd want to remove it for mobile interface, but it's such a nice visual indicator... I'm not a programmer or a web designer so I have no idea, haha.
--
 Meika Osborne, the Reckless Researcher
 Leonard West, the Scarlet Informant
 Chizuru Nishiooji, the Rueful Ex-Diplomat
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Jason5237
Posts: 298
2/22/2018
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I am one of those people who played Sunless Sea and thoroughly enjoyed it, to the point that I wanted more. This brought me to Fallen London maybe a year and a half ago.
I remember researching the reviews of the FL website vs. mobile app; I chose the latter because it had music. To me, the music was such an integral part of the SS experience. SS and FL are dripping with atmosphere on so many levels, and the music is such a significant part of that. I remember trying the website a few times but it was too clunky and outdated for me aesthetically. So I’m looking forward to a revamped site despite the sad news about the app’s retirement.
That said, I sincerely hope that the revamped website will allow the commensurate music tracks to play when visiting the various areas around FL and across the Unterzee.
Anyone at FB available to confirm this either way?
J-
--
H.G.R.: Adventuer, Explorer, Paramount Londoner https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/User766505
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Daedalus_Falk
Posts: 234
2/22/2018
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I've noticed that the website's been really unstable the last few days - some images are missing, the text in "who is here" is in a different font, and the site in general is a lot choppier than normal.
Is this related to the update? For what it's worth, I've already submitted a support ticket to Failbetter, but I'd be interested to know if anyone else is having similar issues.
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https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Daedalus_Falk
----
For I was hungry, and you gave me rats. I was thirsty, and you gave me rats. I was naked, and you gave me rats. The rodents were gathered together, the cats slept in the Sun’s blindness, and the rats rose like the Moon, in the light at the edge of the cheese.
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genesis
Posts: 924
2/19/2018
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I don't have anything profound to say other than to state that I have NO reservations whatsoever about this change. I don't feel it's a big deal. I don't feel it will break immersion. I think it's a good change and FBG has my wholehearted support.
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http://fallenlondon.com/Profile/mikey_thinkin
Keeping track of incomplete content and loose ends in Fallen London
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Absintheuse
Posts: 348
5/17/2018
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Jason5237 wrote:
When can we look forward to a revised launch date for the new site?
We're aiming to have a date before the week is out, we're just tallying all the bugs and feedback we received from the beta and comparing it with the rest of our scheduled development. Thank you for your patience, delicious friends
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Plynkes
Posts: 631
2/25/2018
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Jason5237 wrote:
I can’t make a large enough appeal to FB to include music in this move from app to updated web!
J-
I'd be fine with that, providing there was a setting to permanently turn it off, so you didn't have to hunt for the button to turn it off every single time you went to the page. That would probably be enough to make me stop playing. I haven't even heard the music, but websites that start blaring out music the second they load, even if I happen to like the music, are something I find very, very irritating (and it is so very 1990s - this is meant to be the 1890s!).
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"Then tell Wind and Fire where to stop, but don't tell me."
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Elaina Schill
Posts: 191
2/19/2018
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I'm probably just iffy about it because I'm so used to the site as it is, but I don't think a change like this could make me stop playing FL. I am very happy to hear that we'll (most likely) still have the candle, but still wish we could have the greeting too. I have five accounts and often forget which one I'm playing. Even so, I welcome this update with open arms and will celebrate by buying my main 450 more weasels from the Bazaar.
--
Main, Phiri Ulfur, the Cunning Shadow. Their heart belongs to a Pirate-Poet across the Zee.
Alt Vermillion Liminate, the Tragic Scholar.
Alt #2,Lady Jacqueline Blackwood, the Savage Beauty.
Alt #3, Veracity Taylor, the Dame of the Docks.
The Dogged Seeker, self explanatory.
I will accept any social actions on Fallen London(unless its a box of live rats. I already got rid of the d---ned things once and am not eager to repeat the endeavor).
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Chrona
Posts: 63
3/20/2018
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Kaijyuu wrote:
It just wouldn't be Fallen London without being called "delicious friend" all the time.
Agreed. I don't understand it, and I don't care. I love the phrase. Maybe they can just slip it in, centered, under the location.
Welcome to
Your lodgings
Delicious friend..
I may or may not have noticed the two additional pages when I originally posted this...so I feel a tad silly.
edited by Chrona on 3/20/2018
--
Chrona Trigger: An academic adventurer, who is rather a large fan of masks, and is desperately curious about the many secrets of the neath. Except the one that isn't spoken of.
Arsene, Pillager of Twilight, The masked, magnanimous, and charming master thief, who will give and take as pleases him. Surprisingly steadfast for such a fickle fellow.
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Optimatum
Posts: 3666
2/20/2018
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Aberrant Eremite wrote:
Iona Dre'emt wrote:
Just curious, do we have an actual date or anything more exact than "2-3 months" yet?
Yes we do! An official announcement yesterday had dates: http://www.failbettergames.com/retiring-the-fallen-london-app/
Those are the dates for discontinuing the app, not for the website update.
--
Optimatum, a ruthless and merciful gentleman. No plant battles, Affluent Photographer requests, or healing offers; all other social actions welcome.
Want a sip of Cider? Just say hi!
PM me for information enigmatic or Fated. Though the forum please, not FL itself.
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Dudebro Pyro
Posts: 757
2/24/2018
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While music is great for atmosphere, it seems to me that FL is one of those games that isn't particularly well-suited to it. You're meant to check up on the game multiple times a day, meaning people will often be playing it while commuting, in the office, or other public places - especially so since the update is focusing on a better mobile experience - and in those circumstances it's really not convenient to have music playing, unless you're going to dig out your headphones just for one website visit that'll last all of a couple of minutes while you spend your actions.
I guess use cases differ, but it would seem to me like most people wouldn't use a sound option on the website. I certainly have music turned off in the app. From a technical standpoint, there's the problem of bandwidth, which would drive up hosting costs and further strain the servers, while slowing down the website. Caching certainly exists, but is in no way a reliable solution.
So while I would perhaps occasionally enjoy having the option to turn on music, and I realise that many people might even use it all the time, I'm not too hopeful.
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Dudebro Pyro, eccentric scholar
Spare Starveling Kitties always welcome. I collect them.
For that matter, send me your unwanted cat boxes too.
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Flannigan
Posts: 6
2/25/2018
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As nice as music has been to create atmosphere in the FB games, I don't think implementing it on the webpage is a good idea. Having to mess around to try and turn it off so you can keep listening to other music while on a commute or playing during a break at work would be a lot of bother and would probably keep me from playing as much as I do. Not to mention the times you really need your phone to be as silent as possible, and to use up as little of the mobile data available to you that month.
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Flannigan
They say… Choices are made in brief seconds and paid for in the time that remains.
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Kaijyuu
Posts: 1047
2/25/2018
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Embedded midi was the best worst thing ever.
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Be of good cheer. Our contacts have assured us that your sins are forgiven.
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Harlocke
Posts: 506
2/27/2018
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As a mobile website user, one thing I'd really appreciate is more ways of profitably spending many actions in a single click. When you account for the lag needed to draw a card, change pages, change outfits, wait for an action to take effect, it all adds up into a lot of dreary waiting per button press. It'd be great to be able to spend my 40 actions in just a few clicks to minimize lag, and the gang of hoodlums is really the only option right now.
Yesterday I don't know if the website was running slower than usual, or if my cell phone connection was glitching, but it came out to something like 15 seconds of lag per action. It was essentially unplayable. Even on a good day it's usually at least 1 or 2 seconds, often more like 5. That means in order to spend my daily actions, I'm spending several minutes of my life each day just staring at the rotating exceptional hat loading screen, waiting for it to vanish. That's not even accounting for the time to play the actual game itself, just the lag.
A few minutes per day doesn't sound like that much, but it's enough time to read an interesting article online, check my email, do various other things I'd find actually enjoyable. There's a considerable opportunity cost to sitting through lag. And if you consider how much time that adds up to over the months and years, that's a heck of a lot of time wasted waiting through FL loading screens. We're talking multiple hours each year, just claimed by lag.
All that could be avoided if we had some more 5, 10, 20 AP actions sprinkled through the game.I'm always delighted when I draw the overgoat card since that means I'll get to spend 8 actions in one profitable go. Maybe there could even be a 40 AP action in the house of chimes!
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I welcome social actions, and can visit your salon as an author.
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Harlocke
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Sara Hysaro
Moderator
Posts: 4514
2/28/2018
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It's the latest Dilmun Club content - you offer things to the Tigers in the Fifth Coil of the Labyrinth of Tigers and get Tribute to trade in across the Unterzee at the Court of the Wakeful Eye.
--
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Sara%20Hysaro
Please do not send SMEN, cat boxes, or Affluent Reporter requests. All other social actions are welcome.
Are you a Scarlet Saint? Send a message my way to be added to the list.
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Optimatum
Posts: 3666
2/28/2018
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The grind itself is up to 2.22 EPA, but the zee trips to get to and from London mean it has to be done in large batches to be worthwhile. For example, it takes 4700 echoes worth of Urchins to hit 2 EPA. Of course, you can start small as each trip provides additional money to invest in future trips.
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Optimatum, a ruthless and merciful gentleman. No plant battles, Affluent Photographer requests, or healing offers; all other social actions welcome.
Want a sip of Cider? Just say hi!
PM me for information enigmatic or Fated. Though the forum please, not FL itself.
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Jolanda Swan
Posts: 1789
2/28/2018
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Yes, you make sure LOTS of them are adopted by the tigers.
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Lover of all things beautiful, secret admirer of ugly truths, fond of the Parabola Sun... and always delighted to role play.
http://fallenlondon.com/profile/Jolanda%20Swan
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xKiv
Posts: 846
3/2/2018
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Skinnyman wrote:
xKiv wrote:
Skinnyman wrote:
Guess older browsers are blocking you to go for HTTP2 directly or the serving mechanism?
Isn't https a prerequisite for http2, and browsers can negotiate http2 when both browser and server support it? Amazon aws cloudfront apparently supports http2 and FL seems to be using that ...
edited by xKiv on 2/16/2018
Do feel sorry, mate, but I was way too busy, but as a coincidence, I remembered about you.
HTTP2 just requires a secure protocol and Apache 2.4 (with other sub-requirements); browsers that don't know that protocol will just get it from 1. More info if you are interested.
Yes, that does sound like "can negoriate".
My point was more about the part where you won't have http/2 without https (because most browsers declared they won't implement http/2 over TLS, meaning that they will require https urls before they even bother asking for http/2).
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https://www.fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/xKiv - a witchful, percussive, dangermous and shadowry scholar of coexplodence, hopsidirean, and walker of fallen kitties.
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Aberrant Eremite
Posts: 362
2/20/2018
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Optimatum wrote:
Aberrant Eremite wrote:
Iona Dre'emt wrote:
Just curious, do we have an actual date or anything more exact than "2-3 months" yet?
Yes we do! An official announcement yesterday had dates: http://www.failbettergames.com/retiring-the-fallen-london-app/
Those are the dates for discontinuing the app, not for the website update.
Right you are. I apparently forgot what thread I was in.
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Hieronymus Drake: Gentleman scholar, big-game hunter, scar-faced aristocrat. Remarkably sane, all things considered.
Tanith Wyrmwood: Longshanks cat-burglar; Bohemian author; now, perhaps, something more. Bubbly, expressive, and affectionate. It’s not only still waters that run deep.
Telemachia Lee: Gentle lady by birth, brawling Docker by choice. Good company in the drunk tank.
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Jason5237
Posts: 298
2/25/2018
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I think the music would work just like other web page (or more specifically) account settings.
J-
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H.G.R.: Adventuer, Explorer, Paramount Londoner https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/User766505
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Plynkes
Posts: 631
2/17/2018
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I too have certain reservations about the changes, but if they result in a site that doesn't bug out every five minutes or ignore three out of five of my card clicks it will be well worth it.
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"Then tell Wind and Fire where to stop, but don't tell me."
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Jermaine Vendredi
Posts: 588
2/22/2018
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@ Daedalus
The site was unplayable for me yesterday for around two hours -- it must have cycled to the apologies page and back at least six times. I gave up in the end, and when I got back hours later, it was okay. I am missing images in various places, however, including the main page, and have been for three days now.
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No plant battles, please.
https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/Jermion
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hwoosh
Posts: 104
2/22/2018
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Jason5237 wrote:
I am one of those people who played Sunless Sea and thoroughly enjoyed it, to the point that I wanted more. This brought me to Fallen London maybe a year and a half ago.
I remember researching the reviews of the FL website vs. mobile app; I chose the latter because it had music. To me, the music was such an integral part of the SS experience. SS and FL are dripping with atmosphere on so many levels, and the music is such a significant part of that. I remember trying the website a few times but it was too clunky and outdated for me aesthetically. So I’m looking forward to a revamped site despite the sad news about the app’s retirement.
That said, I sincerely hope that the revamped website will allow the commensurate music tracks to play when visiting the various areas around FL and across the Unterzee.
Anyone at FB available to confirm this either way?
J-
The Failbetter twitter account has posted a link to a bandcamp album containing the Fallen London OST: https://failbettergames.bandcamp.com/album/fallen-london-ost
Having never used the mobile app much, I can't attest for certain whether all the music in the app is included in the album, but my presumption would be that it is. Even if the website doesn't include a soundtrack, at the very least, you could stream this in the background for that atmospheric goodness.
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Persona: hwoosh
R Fellow Oswho. Don't ask what the "R." stands for. The poor fellow is sensitive about it. And violent.
Most social requests gladly and promptly answered.
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Jason5237
Posts: 298
2/23/2018
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hwoosh - thanks so much; I've seen that link before and was thinking along the same lines, worst-case scenario. Don't know if that will work with multiple pages/apps open. Sometimes you open up another program and the music stops. This is the challenge for us mobile players.
Ideally, if FB is revamping their website and bringing it current, there is no reason that they can't tie in music tracks to pages. I realize that they are a smaller studio and have to be particularly mindful of how they plan and spend accordingly. But this really should be part of the architecture - if not at launch, than at least the foundation's properly set for music to be added in a planned future update.
Given how important music is to Sunless Sea and Sunless Skies - and the investment they've made in hiring a composer and studio to create and record - it really should be part of Fallen London's update.
I can’t make a large enough appeal to FB to include music in this move from app to updated web!
J-
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H.G.R.: Adventuer, Explorer, Paramount Londoner https://www.fallenlondon.com/profile/User766505
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Skinnyman
Posts: 2133
2/16/2018
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xKiv wrote:
Skinnyman wrote:
Guess older browsers are blocking you to go for HTTP2 directly or the serving mechanism?
Isn't https a prerequisite for http2, and browsers can negotiate http2 when both browser and server support it? Amazon aws cloudfront apparently supports http2 and FL seems to be using that ...
edited by xKiv on 2/16/2018
Probably there are more reasons, but I'm sorry as my brain went on vacation as of 2-3 hours ago after 12 consecutive days of intense work! Most I remember is that HTTP2 delivers content way faster, but blink browsers don't like the new protocol. Will need to conduct more research next week! 
--
ESs items and quality requirements sheet. Please check if there are errors or if something is missing
Achievement list if you're feeling bored!
I am accepting Plant battles, Neath's Mysteries card, Starveling Cats and boxed cats.
No suppers, no second chances gain and no need to cure my menaces!
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Harry P.
Posts: 116
2/16/2018
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Well, I will admit the changes to the 'Myself' tab do sound appealing. Separating 'Myself' and my 'Possessions' would be a nice feature. And admittedly the game has crashed on me on mobile browsers several times, though that could be a problem with my mobile. And it is great to hear that they are keeping the candle.
Aesthetic is still a topic of debate, and this is an offical announcement, making it a better place for discussion rather than the other easily missable post.
edited by Harry P. on 2/16/2018
--
Harry P.: http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/HarryP22h
A Magnanimous Gentleman Author with a tendency for melancholic monologues.
Elizabeth K. Broker: http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Elizabeth%20K%20Broker
A Socially-Awkward Dueling Trickster with a thirst for vengeance and a soft spot for urchins.
If you are ever in need of any assistance, do not hesitate to ask either of them. The second one is still finicky, though.
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