New GruntMods Website

It’s been a long time since we made any significant software changes to the website, but given how much time has passed, I decided it was time for a major refresh. Here’s a quick overview of the changes and new features:

New Modern Menu Design

We’ve introduced a better menu layout with more responsive features, allowing you to navigate the site faster.

Dark Mode

Clicking the sun icon in the top-right corner will switch the site to dark mode, a feature many users prefer on modern websites. It was easy to implement and provides a sleek look.

Refreshed Homepage

Sliders have become somewhat dated, especially the way we were using them. Now, the homepage features a well-organized overview of mods and the latest blog posts.

No Ads

All ads have been removed from the site. I found they made the site feel too cluttered, and with many users using ad blockers anyway, it made sense to focus on a cleaner look. I’ll be relying on donations through the familiar button in the footer and will fund the rest of the site out of pocket.

Cleaner Downloads

A lot of effort went into designing content-specific download styles. Simple web pages now feature streamlined download cards that make it easy to find what you’re looking for, while more complex pages have more detailed download cards that stand out.

For pages with more going on, we use a more defined download card to make options clear.

Faster Site Speed

Site speed has been improved significantly, especially for mobile users. On the old site, some pages took as long as two seconds to load, but now they should load in under a second on average. In testing, several pages loaded in under half a second.

Wider Pages

The new design isn’t constrained by a small viewport, so larger screens are utilized more effectively to display content. Smaller screens still benefit from improved responsiveness across all pages and components.

Enhanced Flexibility and Security

While not directly visible, the site is now easier to maintain and customize with new content and styles. There is also a smaller attack surface, with no web interface for page editing, helping to protect against the growing amount of botnet traffic on the modern internet.

Overall, I’m very pleased with how the new site has turned out, and I hope you are too!

Interested in the Technical Details?

If you’d like to dive deeper into the technical side of this website update, check out the detailed Technical Article to learn more about the development process and underlying technologies.