GameCreate.com's interface has been designed to streamline the workflow involved in managing game servers. We will discuss how the information architecture is set up, along with the specific interface features that can make GameCreate.com easier to use. Much of the information here can be derived from simply using GameCreate, so casual users may wish to skip this chapter. If you want to make the most of GameCreate and all it has to offer please keep reading.
Tabs
The top level of tabs corresponds to the concepts discussed in Manual Introduction: ?Servers, ?Games, ?Hosts and ?Domain.
The Servers tab displays a list of all game servers currently being managed by GameCreate (that you have permission to access). Clicking on a particular server allows you to view information and modify settings pertaining to the server. Manual Servers discusses servers in detail.
The Games tab displays a list of games that have been installed onto at least one host. Clicking on a particular game allows you to view information and modify settings pertaining to that game; you will also see a list of servers for the game. Manual Games discusses games in detail.
The Hosts tab displays a list of hosts you have registered with GameCreate. Clicking on a particular game allows you to view information and modify settings pertaining to that host; you will also see a list of servers on the host. Manual Hosts discusses hosts in detail.
The Domain tab holds all other information and settings that do not pertain directly to servers, games, or hosts. Manual Domain has further discussion on this tab.
Whenever a server, game, or host is displayed the second-level of tabs is displayed consisting of an Overview section along with various other sections such as Configuration, Statistics, and Permissions. This second level of tabs allows you to move freely around the configuration and information pages relevant to that server, game, or host without returning to the Overview page.
There Is More Than One Way
The three tabs Servers, Games, and Hosts are not discrete areas of GameCreate.com - they are simply starting points that allow you to navigate in the way that works best for you. For example say you had a Counter-Strike server called "Test Server" running on the host named "My Host" and you wish to view its statistics. You can navigate to "Test Server" in three ways:
Click the Servers tab. The "Test Server" will appear on this page; however if you have a lot of servers it could be time-consuming to find.
Click the Games tab and then click on "Counter-Strike". On the Overview page that loads, you will see "Test Server" in the Counter-Strike Servers list.
Click the Hosts tab and then click on "My Host". On the Overview page that loads, you will see "Test Server" in the My Host Servers list.
So to find a server, you do not necessarily need to go through the Servers tab to get there.
The Overview pages for servers, games, and hosts all contain links to related areas:
Each server's Overview page links to the game and host for the server.
Each game's Overview page links to the servers of the game type and the hosts which have the game installed.
Each host's Overview page links to the servers on the host and and the games installed on the host.
Remember, the top-level tabs are starting points. As you need related information, it may be more convenient to use the Overview pages to find related information.
Quick Links
GameCreate.com contains a feature called ?QuickLinks which enables easy access to particular sections of the site. Whenever you see a link with a double underline like this:
You have encountered a Quick Link. Besides acting like a regular link (which in this case would display the server's Overview page), a Quick Link can also be access with the right mouse button which produces a menu like this:
This particular menu allows access to the Configuration, Files, Statistics or Permissions sections of the server. Click a selection with the left mouse button to jump directly to that page.
As you become familiar with the GameCreate.com interface, Quick Links will provide a major boost in productivity allowing you to navigate directly to the section you are interested in.
Quick Links are shown for servers, games, and hosts providing appropriate shortcuts for each. They have a secondary "Summary" facility that is invoked by moving your mouse cursor over a Quick Link and not clicking. After one second a summary of the Quick Link appears such as the following:
This facility can be quite useful when combined with the Navigation Bar discussed later.
Breadcrumbs
Breadcrumbs are displayed on the grey bar near the top of each page: they represent your current location in GameCreate's hierarchy:
Note in the example that the current game is displayed with a Quick Link.
Navbar
The Navbar is an optional part of the interface: click the 'Show Navbar' link displayed on any GameCreate.com page to enable it.
A side bar will open that displays links to items related to the currently displayed section. The following example shows a user who has clicked on the "Games" tab, entered the "Alien vs Predator 2" overview and lastly selected the "Alien vs Predator 2 Overrun" server:
It is worth mentioning that this side bar remembers which tab you used as your starting point: Servers, Games, or Hosts. In this example the user started with the "Games" tab and so the sidebar contains all installed games. When interacting with a particular game, the servers for that game are displayed as an indented beneath the game. This allows for rapid navigation between game servers of a particular type.
The Navbar utilises the Quick Links discussed previously. In combination, the Navbar and Quick Links can be used to move rapidly between otherwise distant areas.
Icons
GameCreate.com utilises icon conventions designed to aid in conveying information without utilising additional display space. In particular:
Games are displayed using the icon imagery supplied by the manufacturer.
Servers are displayed with either a green arrow pointing up, a red arrow pointing down, or an orange circle with an hourglass in the center. When there is enough space, a larger icon is displayed with the green, green or orange indicator overlayed onto the game's specific icon. The green arrow is displayed when the server is running; the red arrow when the server has been taken offline; and an orange circle with an hourglass is displayed when the server is busy, such as when it is starting, stopping or the server host is updating software related to that server.
Hosts are displayed with a "computer" icon. The computer's screen is blue when the host is functioning correctly, or red when the host is currently not connected to GameCreate.
Screen Resolution
GameCreate.com is best suited to a display of at least 1024x768 pixels. While it is usable on a smaller resolution, when a width of 800 pixel or less is utilised GameCreate is unable to display two columns of information. Additionally, the interface tabs may be forced to display in two rows.
Next: Manual Servers