Additional fonts for the forum?

[Reploid Productions]

Feedback time, folks!

I've been discussing with Pyth various things related to fonts on the forum. I'd like to open up some other fonts, while Pyth doesn't see any particular reason anybody would need them. So the point of this thread is two-fold:

• Do you think being able to choose some other fonts would be a useful thing? Examples of how fonts might be used would be helpful.
• What fonts would be the most useful? Remember, we're talking fairly mainstream, common fonts like Times New Roman, Verdana, Courier New, that sort of thing. Not ApocalypseFont or Arwing or BattlestarFont or something.

~Evil Forum Empress Rep Prod the Ninja Mod
~She who wields the Banhammer; master of the mighty moderation no-dachi Kiritateru Teikoku

[Topid]

In RPd dialog between two characters from one nation it could be used to tell one person from another. (One uses Times New Roman and one uses something else.)

I don't see it being useful for much else...

[Bavin]

In RPd dialog between two characters from one nation it could be used to tell one person from another. (One uses Times New Roman and one uses something else.)

I don't see it being useful for much else...

I'd use it for this...

And much F7 silliness, to be sure.

[Weylara]

Just like colors are used now? As in...

One paragraph could be like this...

...and another like this. This could be used for decorating OPs in things like Forum 7 Churches, and alliance threads?

And it'd definitely be useful for sigs, make sure to enable it in those too if you're going to do it.

[Bears Armed]

In RPd dialog between two characters from one nation it could be used to tell one person from another. (One uses Times New Roman and one uses something else.)

Agreed, that would be useful.

[Emporer Pudu]

I miss very much the ability to use other fonts for roleplaying purposes. For communications, dialouge, or just because someone likes using another font to post in. It would be VERY welcome.

[Charlotte Ryberg]

Yes, it should be possible to use additional fonts for all sorts of roleplay purposes, but as a freelance graphic designer myself, I've been waiting to say this:

Avoid Comic Sans.

To be honest, it is overused in almost everything in my opinion. Instead, I suggest the following:

Fixedsys/Lucida Console/Lucida Sans Unicode/System - Good for digital text
Helvetica/Arial/Microsoft Sans Serif - all sans serif fonts that work, even if Helvetica is not installed on the computer.
Times/Times New Roman/Georgia/Book Antiqua/Palatino Linotype - Serif text for formal documents
Futura/Century Gothic - Futuristic text
Univers Condensed Bold/Impact - Impact is used on NationStates, no there's contest about bringing them here.
Verdana/Frutiger/Segoe UI/Tahoma - All good web fonts.

[Glen-Rhodes]

The main use would be aesthetics. Which isn't unimportant. If fonts are implemented, I would just go with the same set vBulletin uses:

-Arial Black
-Arial
-Arial Narrow
-Book Antiqua
-Century Gothic
-Comic Sans MS
-Courier New
-Fixedsys
-Franklin Gothic Medium
-Garamond
-Georgia
-Impact
-Lucida Console
-Lucida Sans Unicode
-Microsoft Sans Serif
-Palantino Linotype
-System
-Tahoma
-Times New Roman
-Trebuchet MS
-Verdana

[Dread Lady Nathicana]

Not until you can get the forums working regularly rather than shutting down regularly. No fluff is worth non-working forums, and lately, that's what we've had all too often.

[Zwangzug]

One thing I used different fonts for on the old forums was giving my different newspapers (I've had at least eight, though not all writing coherent articles) their own header. Probably a minor concern, though (and one I could use images for, I guess...this never crossed my mind until now...)

[[violet]]

Opposed, as it decreases readability.

[Ballotonia]

We got the regular proportional font...

Code: Select all

and fixed pitch font for quoted blocks

That's all I need...

Ballotonia

[Solm]

Opposed, as it decreases readability.

I agree with Violet, it would be a strain on the eye, having different fonts would create quite a problem, we are fine with the basic fonts, we don't need any extras.

[Bears Armed]

Opposed, as it decreases readability.

I agree with Violet, it would be a strain on the eye, having different fonts would create quite a problem, we are fine with the basic fonts, we don't need any extras.

So, what next, are you going to argue that we should lose the ability to use colours too?

[Yaltabaoth]

Opposed.

Fonts are like tribbles, and their population growth must be carefully kept in check, lest Comic Sans disasters start to threaten the very fabric of this forum.

[Glen-Rhodes]

Not until you can get the forums working regularly rather than shutting down regularly. No fluff is worth non-working forums, and lately, that's what we've had all too often.

The forum errors are due to MySQL and bandwidth issues. The increased load on the MySQL database (if bbcodes are even stored in the database) is minuscule at best.

Opposed, as it decreases readability.

Websites all across the Internet have been using multiple fonts for years now. On a design note, different fonts actually tend to increase the readability of text -- it sets certain things apart for emphasis, for one example.

We were able to use different fonts over at Jolt. Didn't seem to be much a problem there.

[[violet]]

On a design note, different fonts actually tend to increase the readability of text -- it sets certain things apart for emphasis, for one example.

They can increase the readability of an individual post, if used appropriately. But they decrease the readability of the thread and forum as a whole, because your eye can no longer scan over blocks of text that look a particular way and assume each one is a post.

[Sionis Prioratus]

I just love Book Antiqua. Would be wonderful for General Assembly Documents.

[Bears Armed]

I just love Book Antiqua. Would be wonderful for General Assembly Documents.

Yes!

[Linux and the X]

Hah. My first thought was "only if Book Antiqua is one of them, or at least a Garamond".

[Savior Masquerade]

this would be interesting, though I wish there could be a thread censor that only allows people who know the password to view. I am for this just for Signatures and F7

[Greater Sanctum]

I'm in favour of new fonts. Whether for rPing, official documents, or just a general spice up of a post, it would be very useful.

[Dread Lady Nathicana]

If it doesn't affect how the site runs, fine and well. Still.

People strongly in favor of are assuming users as a whole (there are always exceptions) would be capable of using said extra fonts without dragging us into a veritable visual hell. Have you seen some of the monstrosities out there where too much free rein is given to folks without a basic understanding on how to pull it off well? Dare I quote Myspace and other such easy-bake personal website offerings as a glaring example of internet horror?

One can always type something in whatever font desired and link it as a pic. *shrugs* Again, its all fluff. Not necessary to discussion or debate, not necessary to decent writing, and not necessary to implement when it can be achieved by other means readily available to most.

But hey, maybe that's just my grumpy old eye-for-proper-design side talking.

[Lackadaisical2]

Opposed, as it decreases readability.

Thirded. Its bad enough when people post in multiple colors, sizes, italics and bolding.

[Savior Masquerade]

Opposed, as it decreases readability.

Thirded. Its bad enough when people post in multiple colors, sizes, italics and bolding.

Maybe if we limited the certain colors and sizes for certain fonts, we should have the Grammar Hammer Squad