I figured that this page was necessary to sort of explain the way that this site has been redone! I've taken full advantage of new html methods such as Style Sheets and Dynamic HTML, as well as using Java Scripting all over the site. I've changed my html editor in order to enhance this site as painlessly on my weary brain as possible. After using the same editor for over four years now, I had NO IDEA what all I was missing out on! I just had NO idea that I was doing everything the hard way and that there was something out there that I could live with real nice and easy!

The vast majority of this site is created using "templates", which help tremendously when it comes time to update things! What this means for Fantasy Realm Castle is that you will see a lot of pages in a secion using the same basic background images. These are set up within the templates and can be changed easily! Update one page and it will affect ALL pages in that section and then I'll simply have to upload the changed graphics and affected pages! Cool, huh!

This has been a very educating and exciting experience, learning all the new tricks that are "out there" and learning a new html program on top of it! I've also been playing with different graphic programs and having a blast with it all! When you use the same programs for over four years it's not easy getting used to the way something else works but is it ever FUN!! *giggling* Its nice discovering that there are easier methods of doing things than what you are use to! Experimenting with new things can also have a positive effect on you if you are "burned out" on it all. It really has helped me a lot....

I've tried to keep the pages as small as I possibly could and still have them look nice like I want them to look. Why have I kept them smaller? Well the best size for a web page is roughly 30 KB...this helps the pages to load quicker and gives a bit of help on Internet bandwidth as well. On the graphics pages, of course, this isn't the case. There isn't any way really to keep those pages at 30 KB! I have used a good image optimizer and made the JPG files progressive. This means they load quicker too! GIFS are condensed down as small as I could get them too, but not too much that they lose too much quality to them. So that is the reason for my having a pretty simplified site now. Plus the fact that if you get too techy, there are people who won't get to enjoy your site at all. I would rather be simpler and have more people be able to enjoy their visit. Pages that load pretty quickly are a plus! hehe!

Music is BACK...I have really missed music on my site! It is NOT forced music, you have the option of hearing it or not, the choice is your's...no music here will ever be forced on you! *I'm working my way towards doing that on all of my other sites!* On scattered pages throughout the site you will find a musical icon. Right-mouse click on it and select "Play" from the selection list. You don't HAVE to have Crescendo, it's just recommended that you do! Its a nice plug-in and its free!

Oh, some bad news for you graphic hunters...you have become victims! hehe! What do I mean? Well you will run up on some of my "experiements" as I am getting use to some of the new image programs that I've been fiddling with! As I get into the programs more and figure stuff out, I'll be replacing stuff, so if you see something you really like in the freebie areas, don't trust that I'll not decide its horrible and think that it will be there for downloading later! Snatch it now! *giggling*

The GOOD thing about all these new technologies is that it enables the designer to create web sites easier as well as to put in cool things that we've never been able to do before! The BAD thing is that if you don't have a more recent browser, meaning at least a version 4 of Netscape and Microsoft or any other type recent browser, you won't see pages as the designer has designed them to be seen! Unfortunately, not all computers can handle newer browsers, some don't have space for one, and some people prefer to use what they feel more comfy with. I've been very careful about what all has been used on this site because I don't want to be "browser-specific" or size specific or anything else! I want you all to be able to see things ok regardless of what browser you use or what size resolution you are using!

If you have Java Scripting disabled, there is a lot you will miss out on, not just on this site but others too. If you use a "pop-up-killer" there are things you won't be able to see, such as in the graphics areas...but this is something that I"m still contemplating on doing, not a fact as of this writing! A lot of artists are using scripts where a new small page opens up displaying images, etc., which makes it easier on the viewer because you don't have to be tossed to another page and then back again! The only experience I've had with a pop-up killer is that it tended to see these smaller windows as things they have to kill! Perhaps they aren't all that way, just the one I ended up trying! I was on a font downloading frenzy and hit a site where the font sample and download popped up in a small browser....well you guessed it....that pop-up killer smashed its face in before I could even blink! *I POOFED IT*

My monitor is set at a resolution of 1024 x 768....that is what these pages are designed to be viewed at, however, since I have used a table on all pages in the site, with the table width being set at 95 to 100%, I'm HOPING, with my fingers and toes crossed tightly, that the site will be viewed just fine regardless of what your monitor resolution is set to! If you find yourself having to scroll to the right to see things, please let me know....but I honestly feel that putting the tables at these sizes it will be viewed as intended on your screen regardless! If you happen to visit this site during the "switch over" please pardon the mess till I can fix it if it's disasterous looking! *snickering*

I do test pages at various screen resolutions, however this monitor is pretty big and there is just no telling what kind of nightmare I'm sitting here creating, when everything is viewed on a 14 inch monitor! *wiping brow* I could sit here and design the site using pixels that will be perfect for viewing in 800 x 600, BUT...I don't like seeing all the "blank" space to the right. I just don't think it looks very good to do that. According to standards, my site isn't up to snuff because I DO use percentage when creating a page inside of a table, but that is fine with me...I like tables set at percentages! hehe! Some of the web site editors I tested were strictly pixel tables and I just didn't like that so well. Anyway, I've sat here and yacked on long enough! I just hope all will be fine once its online!

You just never can tell how things are going to look on different computers! I recently designed a page at work and every computer in the place saw it differently! The background was "tan", yet one computer saw it as "rose"! I just don't understand why browser and computer makers can't just work together to give us all a "uniformity" somehow! *laughing*

If you would like to check into obtaining a newer version of your browser, here are only a few....there are tons out there now! Its not totally necessary for you to update your browser, just recommended! Up until a few months ago I was still using Netscape 3! I switched over to Netscape 4 only because there were so many sites that I visited that were BLANK or that had a "you can't visit my site with your browser" messages. I'm enjoying using "Neo Planet"...it is the browser that I prefer over all others...check it out if you haven't gotten it already! I get frustrated seeing "X" marks instead of graphics with it but all you have to do is right mouse click on the image and select "show image" and up it comes! They have some super cool "skins" you can download to decorate your browser....I've got several and switch them out!

Microsoft Internet Explorer * Netscape * Neo Planet