Imho search should allow following options:

- Text search for title AND description
- License (free/restricted/commercial)
- Date range (in order to filter too old contributions)
- Tag (Limit to "Models", "Textures" etc.)
- and maybe Author

To start, I would like to mention that I do not use any type of CMS platform since it always limits me in what designs I can build. I enjoy more freedom in my development. It will take some time to add all the features that are needed, but in the end, it will be a unique custom site instead of a WordPress or other CMS design. My version will use only html/CSS/JavaScript and does not currently include any php, etc. George, if this is a problem for you, the please let me know.

Everyone please remember that adding lots of new features are great, but also keep in mind the extra workload it will place on the admin. With every new feature you put in, make sure it can be easily managed and updated. Otherwise George could be drowning in submissions that he can't keep up with and will cause things to get behind.

I will continue to watch the thread and do my best to integrate what the community needs, but it will be done in a way so that it does not overwork the admin.

I will have my version done in time, but there are certain features and optimization that must be complete before I upload it for testing.

Here is a quick overview of my current progress :

* Design : I started with my favorite boilerplate, Skeleton, which gives me a solid foundation to build a responsive, mobile friendly website. Combine that with custom dynamic pages that will allow easy navigation and a special "universal file viewer page" that allows all items to have their own product page, without actually giving it a new product page I'll give more details on that later. It sounds more complicated than it actually is and is very easy to manage.

* Style : I decided to stick with the original color style of blue and black for header, footer and image visuals, while giving the body content a soft tint of grey. Black text and default ariel font allows for maximum readablilty. (I'm still deciding on a custom font...)

overall, everything looks good and is working great so far, but there is still much to do. I can promise you that I am very dedicated to this project and hopefully I'll have it ready for testing soon.

@Firoball,
search is one of the reasons i asked if we are allowed to install any additional stuff on the server, f.i. elastic search.

Hi guys,

@Superku: Thank you for the kind words. I've been very busy, but the new Aum should be released in a week or two

@EVO
1. If you will be the site admin, what requirements are you looking for? My AU version is custom built and I do not use WordPress. Any details on important features that you feel you would need? (Or perhaps a feature you hope to see?)
Just the standard stuff, being able to upload resources, etc.
2. Are we going all out with this design with everything finished and linked to all older downloads? Or are we starting anew with an easy to use prototype for you to update and complete?
I'd say that a fully working project is enough; I can upload / link the old resources.
3. This contest is different so I assume there will be only 1 winner this time, is that correct?
Yes, there's only one winner. JCL will decide which project deserves the prize.

@Quad
also is there a limitation in the tech used? does it have to be PHP?
PHP / Linux is the preferred solution. I have limited access to Conitec's server, so we won't install additional stuff.

@exile
Thank you for the kind offer concerning the public VPS sandbox.
I know that an old WordPress installation is an easy target, but it can auto-update lately, not to mention that I've got effective backup / recovery tools. Anyway, you can use other platforms if you want to (well, maybe excepting Joomla
I'm pretty sure that JCL doesn't want to redo the main site at this point, so we can't integrate the payment platform into the new site.

Have a great day.
George

well, i am out then.

Wow, we are seriously overstocked on tables. We got little tables, we got big tables, demo tables, texture tables, we got every type of table you need. lol. I can see why no one wanted to ever redesign the original AU website or 3dgs website, unless you just really loved working with tables.

when I first started this project, I ripped the complete AU site from the web and went over all the original scripts to understand the original design structure. It's table madness in there.

Tables and iframes are not used in my own design.

But either way, the originals were set up with the same languages that my version is using and all this talk of needing additional installs, php and plug-ins seem pointless in creating this resource site. (Or perhaps my misunderstanding comes from the fact that I don't use a cms platform) based on my research, if the original AU worked with html/css/js, then there is no reason that my own version will not work.

all that is needed for my version to operate is for the admin to have simple access to the ftp where the site is stored to upload submissions. Other than that, my detailed information for updating and managing the site is all you should need to quickly keep up with everything.

George : So unless I am misunderstanding something. I'm staying in this contest and working hard to get this job done. If I have misunderstood anything, please let me know so that I can reconfigure the core design.

edit: out of curiosity, who within this community will still be entering in this new project/contest? I see that some are already dropping out.

Edit2: new progress : today I created a custom sub-category system and integrated it into the current framework. All parent categories now have their own unique child categories. As a community, what sub-categories would you like to have based on the original AU categories?

I also added two new parent categories to the design.
1. Music and SFX
2. Video tutorials

@EVO: You are right, the project isn't a complex one. The old site was probably designed using Dreamweaver.

aka Nightmareweaver

I wanted to list the current features of my version of acknex unlimited. But until I have more done and upload it, I would first like to get some feedback on ideas that the community has regarding a new design and what feature the community would like to hopefully see.

My current File structure :
1. acknex_unlimited.html
2. AU_file_viewer.html
3. evoeontheme.min.css
4. AU_database.js

1. 100% responsive design and optimized for speed.
2. A single html document controls the entire AU website (without iframes).
3. Auto-sorting responsive item lists for easy management of contributions.
4. Sub-category system that filters based on type.
5. Javascript database for management of all contribution data.
6. Universal file viewer for displaying data of selected contributions.

new features that I would like to add are :

1. Special theme changer to alter the main colors, style, and certain images. 2 to 4 Skins. Easily Selected from menu. Local storage saves the settings so it does not reset.

2. A marketplace example using the 3dgamestudio engine that links to conitec checkout pages. To show that we don't need to integrate it, instead we just link to original share it pages. Conitec or shareit could host the commercial products, while the website markets and links to checkout.

what are some more ideas that the community would like to see?

This is a good feature list, I like it!