It's up to ya'l. No ropa, please.

I'm also posting this early idea upfront so that I can see whether you think it is a hit or miss. I don't want to devote time to something which you don't feel is good enough. I am limited on time, unfortunately. So I rather you say "NO!" so I can present another possible look.

Here goes an idea I drew up. It's a working (and editable) model. But I think League, Cups, Tourneys, and Challenges may be grouped into one easy button. But perhaps we should separate League and CTC into it's own tab. Keep in mind so far I am encompassing a simple navigation. We still need to maintain an advanced navi on the side or something; a fine tuned version.

Colors are not exact and I tried to maintain minimum site width of 1024. What are your thoughts? 
This is only 1 of possible many header designs.

Flat. Non-editable.
[attachment=2]

Editable below.

**edit: darn attachments keep swapping order. xD

Good stuff, fada. I agree with you as well about the backend being a bit confusing and not at it's peak.

I would like to keep in mind the current state of activity in WormNet and the attempts we are going to make here to keep the community together. With that in mind, perhaps having this site with it's forum influences is a good thing. Sure it could be super optimal and have a backend trouble-ticket systems, but not everything should be put a side back system. Wormers need to see that stuff is actually going on in the forum. More pit pockets on the website will further distance the relationship we receive from worms via this ultimate site. Not only that, but this is creating more work for MI. If the WN were to grow a bit more, and after redesign takes place, then maybe then will be a preferable time to talk about more functions.

Report page: I suppose it can be tweaked a bit. Drop down boxes, opposed to JavaScript, would be more user friendly when choosing clan/buddy-names/scheme. This is very minor of course. Everything automated allows for more issues, though it would be cool if it auto populated. Though I would be concerned about margin of error and cpu-host requirements. I also wouldn't want to put MI to work. That guy needs a year off.

Finding TUS/Clanners: Great idea! maybe a little box on the side that has a green dot next to clans or players who are down to play some tus. Maybe there can be a button that stays lit for 30 mins. IM notification sound would be helpful. But again, I'm not advocating the need for this, but merely pointing it out for future idea implementation.

Overall, really good stuff you pointed out. Great ideas, but as much as the ideas are great, I will stay out of the discussion and concentrate on design and easy fixes with site congestion. I

Also, this heat map for the links: Will you be coordinating this with MI?

MI, does tus use hooks for quick population of the navigation menu? In other words, does your theme have a [menu] as an action word that tells the TUS system to pour the entire menu in that place? Or can TUS customize what appears in the menu (ie, specific hooks per parent link) (ie, [League], [cups], etc)

And is it possible to get a copy of ur current theme? Please do make sure all sensitive info is scrubbed from its content. Or is it possible to use a SMF theme from their website and template over that? I'm trying to understand your beastly system.

Ello Bart. I'll start off with a small intro about myself.

I'm Perf, I love worms and I pride myself in trying to make things wormy. I've built a few wormy websites in my time and I've kept up with the trends of HTML, CSS, and overall web design. I don't refer to myself as a professional, but I do feel I am very competent in molding a project into a perfect blend of worminess.

I don't like to see myself as the leader of this design project, but more of a guide. So everyone's input (from the group) is always appreciated and welcomed.

So what is the overall goal? An easy flowing design that incorporates quick links with organized sub-links is what seems to be requested here. This, with the inclusion of a more wormy environment, with not too much load on bandwidth, CPU usage, or eye strain...  And perhaps one day there can be a mobile version of this site, that is if we survive this project.

I give no promises, deadlines, or timelines. Any of you are always welcome to take charge. Let's do have a vote before inviting others to this group.

And ok, that's it.

I like to start things off by uploading a pic image of how the site could look. It can be bland, blocks w/ solid colors, or a canvas of blocks and wormy images positioned in ideal places. Those who have a preference to working on looks, can submit an editable PNG file on this forum.

We also need someone to make a list of all navigation links, and possible recommended links (dynamic or static). Possibilities on structure of the navigation can be drawn out. Perhaps a simple menu and advanced menu (on the side) could be included. I think we should agree what does not belong and where to put it.

Down the line we will need to see how to actually test the template out as we work on it. We will need to coordinate with MI. I believe there is a link somewhere that says how to do it.

Questions? Comments? Lets get to drawing.