Hey everyone! 1260 here, to report the latest news on Whyville. As I'm sure many of you have seen on the welcome page, Whyville has decided to give the site a new look. There will no longer be a plain black background. In this article, I will introduce all of the new features that have been added! Well actually, there's not that many 'new features', but things have been arranged to make operating on Whyville much easier.
First, let's start with the bus.
As you can see below, the bus has been changed to a new, shinier and a more detailed design. It also has 4 buttons above it which I will get into next. In addition to that, instead of the blinking board that used to be on our bus on the old look, there's now a new one which shows the population, time, weather, and how much cash you have! In comparison to the old bus, I have to say I like this new one better:
The only thing I do not like is the fact that my house and the landscape is gone. But the useful buttons make up for it! Here's what you can do with these buttons:
Home
Home just brings you right to the welcome page, it's the same thing as clicking "Welcome Page" in the bus menu, but right there for ease of access.
Play
This button will especially be useful for all of you game lovers out there! When you click this, it brings you to a page that's listed with most of Whyville's fun activities! This will also be useful for any new citizens who are confused as to where to go to play these games.
Chat
When you click the chat button, it brings you to a list of chat rooms to go to chill with your friends, or just explore around Whyville.
Shop
And last but not least, the shop button, which happens to be my favorite one! Here, you can run all your errands -- whether it's trading with a friend, going to buy some furniture, buying a new shirt at Akbar's, getting a new car, or getting vaccinated, it's here!
Next, I'd like to go over how the Y-mail system has changed. It hasn't changed TOO much, but the change that it has, I'm for it! First, the Y-mail has a clearer, bolder and brighter text. And then this is where my favorite part comes in; when you click to read a Y-mail, it will highlight the Y-mail that you're reading! I find this especially useful for those of us who get tons of Y-mails from people and you might lose track of what mail you were reading.
And to make up for the missing icons that were on top of the bus before like Y-mail, Whyville Times, 911 call button, satchel, etc., they are all listed on the top of the page.
There are 13 icons in all and each one links to the following (from left to right):
1. Y-mail
2. Calendar
3. Salary Ledger
4. Manage/Access Bank Account
5. Satchel
6. Visit your house
7. Safety Tools
8. Buy Clams
9. Whyville Map
10. Whyville Times Newspaper
11. Report a Bug
12. Pamphlets
13. Log out
So there you have it, and number 11, "Report a bug," is a new tool!
Above is what pops up when you click it. In the event of noticing a glitch in Whyville, such as games not functioning properly, a typo on a page, etc, you should report it immediately! However, do not abuse this tool by reporting false glitches, or thinking that the bumps on you when you have the pox is a glitch! Be sure to check with a Y-mail helper first if you're having any second thoughts as to whether it may be a glitch or not. And if it is, who knows, maybe you'll be rewarded some clams!
Well, I've pretty much summed everything up. And if I've missed anything and you find something else, be sure to post it in the BBS, and your opinions as well! Do you like the new look? For me, it's bittersweet. It will take a while to get used to, but I appreciate the ease of access. Thanks for reading!
-1260
