An analysis of vintagestory.at's current web properties, identifying specific issues and opportunities across the main page, purchase flow, branding, mod repository, wiki, and update presentation. Each finding includes context, a proposed solution, and where applicable, a working prototype.
7
Key Findings
8
Prototypes Built
3
Properties Audited
Finding 01
The main page underperforms both visually and technically
Main Page
Problem
The main page is the first point of contact for potential buyers discovering Vintage Story — and it doesn't do the game justice. While relatively functional, it is aesthetically limited: the layout feels flat, content is poorly organized, and there's no visual hierarchy guiding the visitor toward the game's strongest qualities. On top of that, a PageSpeed analysis revealed significant performance issues, meaning the page loads slower than it should — a critical problem when first impressions are made in seconds. The page tries to cover the game but doesn't frame its content in a way that builds curiosity or desire.
Solution
Redesign the index page to keep the existing trailer as the hero element — it's a strong asset — but optimize its implementation so it no longer compromises performance. Reorganize the existing content into a more visual, structured layout that highlights the game's key features without trying to summarize everything on one page. The goal is to spark curiosity and guide the visitor toward discovering what makes Vintage Story unique, not to overwhelm them with information.
Conversion impact
Highest — the main page is the #1 entry point for new buyers
The account purchase page — the primary sales channel for Vintage Story, since the game is not sold on Steam or other storefronts — is aesthetically very limited. For certain audience segments, this lack of visual polish can significantly reduce conversion rates. The page doesn't build confidence or desire; it simply presents a transaction. While there is a buy button in the main navigation and relatively high on the main page, these aren't optimized for conversion — they don't stand out visually, lack urgency, and aren't positioned within the natural flow of the visitor's decision-making journey.
Solution
Redesign the purchase page with a polished, conversion-focused layout that builds trust and reduces friction. Place a prominent buy button in the index hero and the main navigation — the two highest-visibility spots on the site — so the path to purchase is always one click away. Additionally, it would be recommended to create a dedicated sales page for game servers, as this represents an untapped revenue stream that deserves its own optimized funnel.
Conversion impact
Highest — directly affects revenue on the only sales channel
The main page, wiki, and mod repository lack a unified visual identity. While some colors and elements are shared across them, there is no consistent branding system — no cohesive color palette, no shared typography rules, no unified design language. Each property feels like it was built independently, which fragments the brand perception and weakens the overall experience. This is something the team is already aware of, but it remains unaddressed.
Solution
I've developed a brand guide based on the existing colors found across Vintage Story's current web properties — extracting a cohesive palette, selecting typography, and defining a design system to use as the foundation for all three redesigned prototypes. While this branding work is functional and consistent, I am not a professional brand designer, and I'd recommend hiring one to refine the system further. In particular, a professional should work on a modernized logo — one that respects the current identity but is fully optimized for web and social media use. The prototypes I've built are designed to be easily adaptable if the branding is refined or updated by a specialist.
Conversion impact
High — brand coherence builds trust and perceived quality
The mod repository is one of Vintage Story's greatest assets — over 6,000 mods created by a passionate community, with new ones appearing constantly. However, the current presentation doesn't do justice to this ecosystem. The main mods page only shows the latest 10 mods, with no immediate access to trending or most-downloaded content. While the filtering system inside the full mod listing is actually quite functional — users can sort by downloads, comments, and apply various filters — this functionality is buried. Aesthetically, the page is outdated and disconnected from the rest of the brand. There's no curation, no editorial layer, no way to surface hidden gems that deserve attention beyond raw download numbers.
Solution
Redesign the mod repository index and individual mod pages to align with the unified brand system. Prioritize content discovery by surfacing trending and most-downloaded mods alongside the latest additions. Introduce a "Staff Picks" section — not just the most popular mods, but hand-curated recommendations from the team: mods that stand out for their creativity, technical complexity, or gameplay value, even if they don't have massive download numbers yet. Beyond the visual redesign, there's a deeper opportunity here: the mod ecosystem deserves its own content strategy. A dedicated social channel (Twitter/X, or similar) showcasing new and noteworthy mods would give modders visibility, reward their work, and give fans an official way to discover fresh content. The mods section has enormous untapped potential — this redesign is a starting point, but there's much more that could be done at an organizational and content level to truly leverage this community asset.
Conversion impact
High — mod ecosystem is a major purchase driver and retention tool
The wiki is arguably the most functional of the three properties — it does its job and covers a wide range of content with over 3,000 entries. However, it still has notable issues. The main search doesn't work as expected, the language selector is clunky, and the overall content organization, while decent at the surface level, could be significantly improved to help users find what they need faster. Aesthetically, it's disconnected from the rest of the brand — it looks and feels like a separate project. The wiki also currently houses game updates, which arguably deserve their own dedicated space (addressed in the next finding).
Solution
Apply the unified brand system to both the wiki index and individual article pages, bringing them in line with the rest of the redesign. Beyond aesthetics, the wiki would benefit from a deeper content organization effort — ideally led by someone with deep knowledge of the game — to improve how content is prioritized and surfaced, making the most important entries easily accessible to both new and experienced players. This kind of organizational work goes beyond what can be done in a visual redesign alone, but the aesthetic foundation is now in place. A game expert could dedicate time to restructuring categories, improving navigation paths, and ensuring the wiki serves as a truly effective knowledge hub rather than just a searchable archive.
Conversion impact
Medium — improves retention and reduces frustration for active players
Game updates are currently presented through the DevBlog and partially accessible via the wiki, but the presentation is basic and forum-like — a chronological list with minimal visual treatment. This undersells one of Vintage Story's strongest assets: its consistently impressive updates. While some patch notes are minor fixes, many major updates come with rich visual content — screenshots, GIFs, detailed changelogs — that has enormous potential to build excitement and showcase the game's ongoing evolution. Currently, all this content is flattened into the same plain format, with no distinction between a small bugfix and a landmark feature release.
Solution
Create a dedicated, visually rich update page that takes full advantage of the screenshots and GIFs already being produced for major updates. Instead of a plain text format, present key updates as visual showcases that let the content breathe and build excitement. As a starting point, I've redesigned an individual update page to demonstrate how much more impactful the same content can be with better presentation. Beyond individual pages, the news/blog index itself should be redesigned — moving away from the current forum-style listing toward a more visual, accessible layout that makes it easy to browse updates and immediately see which ones are major releases worth exploring.
Conversion impact
Medium — builds excitement, showcases active development, retains players
Beyond the six core findings above, there are many smaller improvements across the Vintage Story web ecosystem that would collectively make a significant difference. The individual server pages — especially paid servers — could present their offering much more effectively. The About Us page could better tell the story behind Anego Studios. Various micro-interactions, secondary pages, and details across all properties could be refined. Additionally, the game's official channels outside the website — Twitter/X, YouTube — would benefit from a more cohesive, professional presentation that aligns with the brand.
Key recommendation
The single most impactful investment I can recommend, based on everything I've observed during this analysis, is hiring a professional brand designer. While I've built a functional brand system from the existing colors and assets, and the prototypes work well with it, a professional could take this much further: defining proper brand guidelines that cover not just the website but also social media, YouTube thumbnails, update announcements, and all public-facing touchpoints. Most critically, the game needs a high-quality, modern logo — the current concept isn't wrong, but technically it doesn't meet the standards the game deserves. A professional logo would bring freshness to the entire project and unify everything: web, social, marketing materials. The prototypes I've created are designed to adapt to whatever branding decisions a professional makes — the layout and UX work stands independently from the specific colors and typography.
Conversion impact
High — professional branding elevates every touchpoint simultaneously
Every problem has a working solution
These aren't mockups — they're functional prototypes with real content, dark/light mode, responsive layouts, and production-ready code.