So I’m back in the lab again, working on Beatbots. What I’m preparing to undertake is essentially an entire site redesign, from the database to a new graphic design and everything in between. Presently, I’m in the “get hyped” phase, wherein I get myself prepared enough mentally to sit down and work on the site for 3 to 4 hours a night, 2-4 days a week until this is done, time permitting.
I’m starting with the databases. I’m planning to change the entire schema, so I’ll have a more flexible system in place for further site development down the line. Now that I’m going back and revisiting the code I wrote for the site two years ago (it was this time two years ago, to the month, that I started Beatbots) I’m seeing that what I put together is far from elegant. It reprents my design abilities at the time, and it got the job done, but it’s not worth building on. I’ve decided to take the slash and burn approach instead.
Beatbots V2 Dev Stages (to be released in stages):
1. Database redesign, refactoring / redesigning php+mysql code to match the new schema
2. New site functionality, refactoring general layout php code + move to (mainly) css driven layout
3. New graphic design, big push to update the look of the site / increase interface feedback
If I give myself a month for each stage (which may be too conservative an estimate), I won’t be done with this lifecycle till October/November. Wish me luck …
