Nitrome.com 1.2

The Site's original main page

Nitrome 1.2 is the second version of Nitrome.com. Launched between November 8th 2006 and November 16th 2006, this version of Nitrome.com stayed up until it was changed to Nitrome.com 1.5 between November 20th 2007 and December 3rd 2007. 1.5 carried over many design aspects of 1.2, essentially being 1.2 with graphical updates and new pages added. Despite 1.5 carrying over many pages from 1.2, some content for pages was not included with the 1.5 version of the page.

History

Nitrome.com 1.2 was envisioned prior to the releases of Nitrome.com 1.0, but was unable to be brought out likely due to the immense work required. Thus, for over a year, Nitrome possibly alternated between working on this site and their own games. Between November 8th and 16th, the full site was brought up. This site stayed up the least amount of time of all Nitrome.com versions, staying up only one year, with around 2 weeks short of staying up one year one month. It was removed between November 8th 2006 and November 16th 2006.

Layout

Nitrome.com 1.2 consists of 9 pages, excluding the pages containing games. The layout of the site was improvised and used in Nitrome.com 1.5, Nitrome.com 1.5 essentially being and updated Nitrome.com 1.2.

Border boxes

Used on every page on Nitrome.com 1.2 are border boxes - boxes placed at the edges of the middle page, only a few pixels away from the middle box (the middle box contains the content that is exclusive to that page). On the left side of the middle box is a button placed at the bottom of the left side, depicting a mailbox with forks awaiting mail to be blown towards it.

Above this image is a space where nitrome advertisements are presumably placed. Above this is another button that shows a fly hovering towards a computer monitor that reads "Nitrome". Above this image are the words "Make Nitrome your homepage". Clicking this would make Nitrome.com the player's homepage, so that whenever the reader entered their web browser, they would come to Nitrome.com.

Found above this little button is a rectangular box called "Contents", acting a bit like the table of contents of nitrome.com, this box containing links to the most important content of Nitrome.com. This box has seven links, which (from top to bottom) are:

• Games - Has the icon of an original Gameboy, links to the front page of Nitrome.com
• Licensing - Has the icon of a piece of paper with a ribbon; links to the Licensing page
• Services - Has the icon of a wrench; links to the services page of nitrome.com
• Shop - Has the icon of a shopping cart; links to the shop page of Nitrome.com
• Contact - Icon is a regular letter envelope; links to the Contact page
• Jobs - Icon is a green coffee mug; links to job page
• Links - Image is of airplane,; links to link section

Above this large box is a square that has the isometric Nitrome letters amidst a few small bushes and a flower. Right of this box is a long rectangular box titled "advert" that would contain an advertisement, and to the right of this box is a box titled "News".

It is uncertain how this box worked, as visible in the box is a screen which would presumably hold and image, to the left of this screen possibly being text. On this box are the two words "click here", whose destination page is unclear, possibly linking to the mailing list page. The top heading of this box, across from the "News" word is a bar that has an arrow on each end, each pointing away from each other.

Although it is mostly unknown the function of this box, it being based off the game boxes on the front page of Nitrome.com 1.2 suggests that it showed the icon for a game and a short description, where "click here" lead to the game's page. The bar at the top may have been used to alternate between game boxes, the click of an arrow changing the image, text, and "click here" destination to another game and it's image and description.

Like the news box, it is uncertain what this bar and the arrows did. It is possible this box acted like an early version of Twitter, having short pieces of information related to Nitrome. Finally, below this box is another box titled "advert", being longer in length than the previous one.

Legacy

Much of these "border boxes" were improvised and used in Nitrome.com 1.5, with the section for Nitrome to put up their own Nitrome adds extended, as the "Make nitrome your homepage" button and "mailing list" button were scrapped, the previously mentioned button becoming obsolete with the introduction of the nitrome blog.

Additionally, the News box was also scrapped in favour of the nitrome blog, with the top advert box being made longer.

Front page/Games

Page: The Front Page/Games (December 1st 2006)
The front page of Nitrome.com 1.2 (also known as "Games", as clicking the game link on the sidebar leads to the front page) has (at the top of the page) a large screen. This screen would presumably show short videos of Nitrome games, showing a made-for-video level with the main character doing something, usually something to get to the goal. Below this is a box titled "games", that held eight game boxes.

Each game box displayed the icon for that game's game box, a short description, and a the words "click to play" that linked to the game's page. When Nitrome.com 1.2 was released, the game's box was filled with only 7 games. The either game box had an image of Cuboy, with the words in pink "Coming soon!", this box having the description "Watch this space as a new action packed game will be coming soon!".

Despite informing the reader that a new game will fill the section, this section would be filled by the game box that came after this "Coming soon" box, with the new game being placed at the top left corner of the games box.

Game page

Clicking to play a nitrome game would take the player to a page that displayed a box that would contain the game. Underneath the box would be a dark pink box that explained how to play the game. Two buttons are found to the right of this box: one that allows the player to email the link to the game to a friend, while the other button allows the player to play the latest version of Flash Player. Below this box lists two random game boxes, complete with the box, icon, description, and the "click to play" button.

Licensing

Link: The Licensing Page (December 1st 2006)

Licensing

The licensing page has a short description about licensing Nitrome's games - how to be kept informed about new games to license, how to find the price for a game, and how to get exclusivity of a game for the buyer's site. Basically, the page is about how to use Nitrome's games on other sites.

Below the description of licensing Nitrome's games are two buttons: an "enquire" button that links to the enquire form, and a"keep me informed" button that links to the mailing form. Below these two buttons is a box titled "availability", which would list the icons of games and whether they were available to license. Games that could be licensed would have a "click to enquire" buttons, which when clicked would take the potential buyer to the Enquire Form, with that game's check-off box checked off.

The nitrome games available to license would be updated to include newly released games, with an Email sent out to ones who have filled out the mail form. New games listed would usually not immediately be available for license - the date when it was available for license would be listed instead, or that it was unavailable to license. In future releases of Nitrome.com, dates when games were available for license was scrapped, likely because games ability to be licensed could change.

Along with date-of-license being scrapped, the ability to buy exclusive rights to games was also scrapped. Exclusive to the lifetime of Nitrome.com 1.2, Nitrome allowed for people to buy exclusive rights to one of their (Nitrome's) own games, so the buyer would be the only one able to use the game on their site for a "limited term". Despite no restrictions on how long a term could be, Nitrome listed typical lengths of a term such as 1 month, 2 months, and 6 months.

Nitrome would also make games for companies that would pay Nitrome to make the game. The ability to get exclusive rights to a game, get Nitrome to make exclusive games for whoever would hire them, and dates for when a game will be able to be licensed, were all elements which never made it into Nitrome.com 1.5, likely due to the work involved. Nitrome would later offer several of their games "free" to place on other sites, free of charge, games like this being called distributable games.

Enquire Form

Interested in licensing one or more of our games for your own website? Fill in this simple form and we will get back to you with prices and further details.

- Words at the top of the Enquire Form

Link: The Enquire Form (December 1st 2006)
The Enquire Form had several field that had to be filled in, these field having a name and a white box, this white box having to be filled in. The field are: Name (fill in real name), Company Name (fill in company name), Email Address (fill in Email Address), Confirm Email Address (fill in Email Address), Telephone (fill in telephone number), and Website Address (fill in website URL).

All fields have to be filled in, except for telephone, which is optional to fill in. Below this box is another box, where the filler of the form can pick what games they wish to license. More than one game may be licensed. Nitrome also informs the filler of the form that some games that can be filled out may not be available to immediately license.

Mail form

Join our mailing list to receive an email update whenever we have a new game available to license. Just fill in this simple form:

- Words at the top of the mail form

Link: The Mailing Form (December 1st 2006)
The mail form is literally an Enquire Form, only with the purpose being to inform subscribers of new games to license instead of licensing games. It features only five of the six fields the Enquire Form had, with the only field missing in the mail form being the Telephone field.

Services

Link: Services page (December 6th 2006)

Services (images not available)

This page explains that Nitrome allows for people to license their games, and allow exclusivity for a limited time. They then explain that they can work on creating games for companies to advertise products, and list past companies that they have mad games for. They also mentioned how they can turn one of their own games they have made into an advergame by changing the sprites and levels.

Along with mentioning that they can create flash games and mobile phone games, they also can provide work for individual parts of advergames (such as art, programming, and music). Nitrome also informs the reader that they have some examples of their work in their portfolio, the portfolio available via asking for it through email.

Nitrome includes pictures of games they have previously developed, showing pictures for three past games they have made for companies.

Shop

Main article: Shop#Nitrome.com 1.2

Contact

Contact

Link: Contact page (December 12th 2006)

This page lists methods of contacting Nitrome, listing Nitrome's phone number and email addresses. Listed close to the bottom of the page are different email addresses for different subjects relating, having an address for Fanmail, Jobs, Advertising, Links (for asking for adding/removing links), press support and enqires, and business related content. Nitrome's current location at the time is also listed, this place being the Pentax House.

A short description about contacting Nitrome is also provided, Nitrome asking that emails sent to them being coherent, polite, and actually relating to Nitrome for them to be answered. Nitrome also reminds the reader that the time for Nitrome will be different from the contacter's time.

Jobs

Jobs

Link:Jobs page (December 9th 2009)

This page lists some points about working at Nitrome. Of the provided description, Nitrome informs the reader that if they want to work for Nitrome, their "C.V. and examples of their work" should be emailed to Nitrome, Nitrome replying if they have the requirements. Most of the page is taken up by the list of necessary requirements for programming games or doing art.

Links

Links

Link: Links page (December 10th 2006)

The Links page of Nitrome.com 1.2 contains external links to other sites, often sites that somehow help Nitrome. Five categories for external links are placed on the page, the categories being Games Portals (links to other gaming sites that use Nitrome's games), Game Review Sites (site that review nitrome's games), Link Sites (sites that have requested to have a link on Nitrome's link page), Pixels, and Music. Below these bunch of categories is a "Link to us" category, explaining how one can link back to Nitrome.

A few images are provided that can be used to link back to Nitrome. Nitrome also explains how one can request to have a link on Nitrome.com's link page, a link that link's to the requester's site. In return, the requester also has to place a link to Nitrome on their site.

Nitrome states that fans can support them by placing a link to Nitrome.com on their own site, and also explain how to download the images Nitrome as provided for linking.

Terms of Use

Link: Terms of Use page (November 22nd 2006)
A terms of use page informing the user of the terms of visiting Nitrome.com and Nitrome's copyright on content on the site.

Privacy Policy

Link: Privacy Policy page (November 22nd 2006)
A basic Privacy Policy describing the the collected information from the visitor.

Games released

Throughout the lifetime of Nitrome.com 1.2, 13 games were released on the site. All games coming after Scribble but before Twang are known to have been released. It is not known if the Nitrome games Scribble, Twang, or Thin Ice were released on the site. In Scribble's case, it is not known whether it was released on Nitrome.com 1.0 or 1.2. For the other two games, it is not known whether they were released on 1.2 or 1.5.

Skins

Being able to customize the skin on Nitrome.com was a feature that had not yet been implemented on Nitrome.com. This feature would later be implemented in Nitrome.com 1.5. Until 1.5 was released, the entire skin for the site was the classic skin.

External links

• Nitrome.com backups of 2006
• Nitrome.com backups of 2007