avatars, for this board Options

[Sillara of th...]

Is there any way to upload an avatar? Am I just not seeing it? All I seem to be able to find is the gallery of pregenerated ones.

Thanks!

Sillara

[drake127]

If someone cares about my opinion (I am really naive). I think that space requirements of storing avatars are negligible. Size of avatar is at most 10 KB (and I would not recommend to anybody breach this limit). If your board has about 500 users your folder with avatars does not exceed 5 MB. I can't stand remote linking from two reasons. First, remote loading really slows all page loading because you have to find (DNS lookup), contact and download proper image - locally linked avatars you can download directly so you will have page loaded (~second * AvatarCount) sooner.
Secondly you cannot guarantee availability of avatar - yes this task is on user himself but image will be unavailable at your forum!

One solution is in having a huge gallery where (almost) everyone is able to choose "his" avatar. Advantages are clear - you are in charge which pictures you want to see on your board and which not or take gallery as a complement for lazy users (novices).

Resolution of avatar is game without winner. Always someone appears who will think it should be otherwise. But my (subjective) opinion is that you should prefer content instead of form, discouraging example can be found at SpellHold Studios where resolution of avatars is enormous. Otherwise when you choose resolution too small people with higher resolution of screen loose details and avatars begin to melt. On my forum I try to maintain reasonable height of post (and it can be problem with custom of IE community to have really giant signatures) but for my forum appears to be best 100×100 pixels. I have another reason for smaller avatars - it does not distract from reading so even if here would be free space for larger ones, I would not fill whole space with avatar.

About BWL's policy to assign avatar for deserts I have mixed feelings. I do not execrate it but it is some form of user-hostility. If you going to change it so be it; if not so be it. I'd like idea about gallery which would includes IE games potraits - BG(2), IWD(2) is classic; PST avatars are beautiful and some of NWN as well (bronze dragon is mine).
About custom avatars I do not think it should be entirely forbidden but they should be related to RPG and assigned with care as you are trying to keep your own style (without any exceptions because the one makes the other).

This post has been edited by drake127: Dec 10 2005, 02:22 PM