I'd also like to see a strong emphasis on guiding people new to the GOTM to how to join in for the first time (which I think is a real weakness of the current GOTM site - it doesn't obviously lead new users to the right links to join in a GOTM).
I still remember quite well when I visited the GOTM page for the first time, and I was almost repelled because it didn't point me towards the "entry" in an obvious way. It looked kind of "elitist" to me, as in "this is a site for the pros who've played this for years and they just know where to click to get into a game". It wasn't clear to me at all that basically you just have to download a savegame (and a mod) and can start playing and then submit it later.
I don't think that the page must open with a lenghty introduction to newbies, pushing the content that matters (current games, deadlines, etc.) out of sight. It should, however, make it clear where you have to click to enter the competition.
As it is, the most prominent link on the page is
introduction page, leading to a page that reads:
A Brief Summary of the Procedures
Read the rules of the competition here. Please note the two over-riding rules:
- Do Not Reload A Save To Change Any Move, Outcome Or Decision.
1. This Includes Replaying From The Start.
2. If you are uncertain about whether an action is an exploit, you should contact the staff before doing it.
- Get the game information and download the start file using the links on these pages
- and so on
This is highly irritating, because the first thing you are told is not to f*ck it up and a lengthy summary of procedures, and you still don't know what to
do (download a save, submit your game, check results).
That's not necessarily a good idea. It would mean that multiple tabs of content have to be downloaded even if a user is only interested in one of them. There are not many pages that can be assumed to be grouped in that way.
Extra data will be downloaded, but this is not a problem unless the user is behind a really slow internet connection (read: modem). If you don't throw several megabytes worth of pictures into the tabs you won't even notice that a lot of hidden data has been loaded but is already there for display. As an example, load this page:
http://www.wowhead.com/?item=811
and click through the tabs.
As an aside, that entire site (Wowhead) is one of the best designed websites I've ever seen. These guys are doing almost everything right.
The start page is a prime example of how to keep things simple and still have every relevant link only one mouseclick away. The most important thing (search) is immediately accessible, and for the rest you've got a menu that guides you right there. They also avoid drowning the front page in information.
For another example, compare
this site to
this one. Where would you rather go to quickly search something on the net?
There isn't room for big shiny buttons on the GOTM web pages, but there is a "1st visit to the land of GOTM" link at the top left and top right of every page. That takes you to a page of explanations of how to play in the competition.
At the danger of sounding sarcastic, but the page uses a lot of big shiny buttons already on the sidebars, linking to the current game (for example the picture of the Washinton Monument linking to the current BOTM).
But a newcomer wants to see that 1st Visit information once or twice. Thereafter s/he wants what the regular players want - see (2) above. So putting static instructions on the Home page would cater for very few visits to that page, and bring back the tumbleweed ...
I think the original suggestion was not to have all the instructions right on the main page. That would, again, drown the important stuff under lots of small print as it is right now, only a different kind of small print (noob intro instead of a forum RSS feed).
To give an actual example of what could be done: "Welcome to the GOTM, an online competition where you can rank your Civ games with other players. To participate, download a current game (possible link here) and submit it before the deadline. Read more here (link to introductory page with more detailed instructions.)"
That would be a reasonable short bit of tumbleweed that you could leave there for ages without annoying any of the veterans, I guess.
Re. MarkM's comment on links FROM the GOTM site TO the Forums, it's worth noting that the news item titles on the Home page are links to the relevant forums, and the news items themselves contain links to the source threads.
Fair enough, but since it's called "News" with no indication whatsoever that it's actually forum postings, one should not expect users to click on the colored headlines in the expectation to be led to these forums.
To be honest it didn't even occur to me that those "news" are just a replication of the forum announcements until you've mentioned that you parse an RSS feed in order to get them on the homepage. Actually I've never bothered trying to read that small print in green italics in the first place ;-).
Thanks a lot for adjusting the page already. Your changes, how small they might be, in fact do make a difference to the readability of the page (page looks great without "fit to width" now, and the side bars are indeed a lot more readable with the subsectioning).
Let me also say that I really appreciate you taking the time to respond in such detail here. It was a lot more than what I've expected when filing my initial complaint, to be honest.
I just turned it off momentarily to see what I was missing and ... More Models and Hot Girls as FOXYFANS -- Go! ... with a scantily-clad chick staring out at me?!? 
I think we should take collection for a new pair of reading glasses for you! I guess I should be honored, though, that I have been figuratively adopted into the "H clan" by you 
, and we can then discuss potential improvements (such as making it IE compatible or adding/correcting features).
