The History of Biohaze

Article written by:

Owner
 Name: George Melita
 Username: Yama

Origin

Like many series specific fan sites, Biohaze didn't start as a unique website. It was merely a thread dedicated to Resident Evil on a video game forum, named "Everything Resident Evil." The thread took off and was floated soon after, it was near the time Resident Evil released on the Gamecube. As the thread grew, the first post was updated frequently as a database for basic information on the series. It didn't take long for the Everything Resident Evil Thread to form a community, one that would stick together for over two years and accumulate over 15,000 posts.

  

Growing

As the Everything Resident Evil Thread started to grow, some members figured it'd be a good idea to start a union, in order to promote the community/thread. The database now listed these members and each were required to add a "ERE Tag" to their signature. Some depicted the item inventory from the games, however it was the small rectangular tags that took off best. These were later used by many other new communities, some went as far as to use the distinctive tag style and "Everything (insert series)" name, trying to replicate ERE's success.

The video game forums later allowed members to create their own boards, which we carefully accepted as a route for Everything Resident Evil. Knowing we couldn't splinter the community, we had to choose a single direction, thus forcing us to close the two year old, ultra-successful thread. The community now had a new depth to it, allowing a more organized way to go about various discussion at once. News was reported in a more orderly manner and while we retained most members, we gained even more.

  

Evolving

After about a year of the "Everything Resident Evil" user board, I consulted a fellow staff member about making our own site. Eager about the idea, we planned it carefully. First was a name change, one more friendly for a web address. Also, we wanted to recruit new users, not only those from the ERE community. After presenting the name "Biohaze," we knew we were on our way to creating a distinct, unique Resident Evil fan site.

Undoubtedly, the most important element to Everything Resident Evil was the community. With that in mind, on November 3rd, 2005, we decided to direct all user board and union members to Biohaze.com's forums without delay. The website was not open yet and had no data submitted, however we were already forming a lively community, just like we had before.

Exactly one month later Biohaze.com was opened, both site and community. It featured a unique interface, one that was not replicated anywhere else. Templates were not used, instead the site was created from scratch. To create some resemblance and similarities, our  first Biohaze design was based off of the Everything Resident Evil user board. To pay respect to one of our many talented graphic designers, we decided to use our original banner from the board and add the Biohaze name over it. We also went as far as to use the video game forums default gray color scheme, to create a similar feel.

  

Perfecting

During April of 2006, new forums were implemented. The style was welcomed by the community, however it didn't match the site. In May of 2006, not too far from the sites original release, we took it upon ourselves to perform a complete makeover. This created what we both know and use today, Biohaze V2. The site name did not change, but the page names inform the user they are using version two of the site.

The original update was done for a few reasons. First, we wanted a unique look for Biohaze. While it was good to pay respects to Everything Resident Evil, it was time to let Biohaze take the next step and form its own unique style. Also, to match the forums and have one unified theme. Second and perhaps most importantly, the original design was restricting us from performing the amount of updates and additions we would like. Lastly, even though the site is more graphically inclined, it loaded up to 800% faster due to various compression methods.

While were always brainstorming fresh and new ideas, V2 was built to last us for years to come. Already proving its usefulness, (24) new sections have been added to the site since the update. All of the main categories are now complete to the fullest, including some of the most in depth character, enemy and weapon bios on the net. Some other additions include the Outbreak Player Database and "The Resident Evil Mythology," perhaps the most complete timeline available. This just scratches the surface.

While we have completely evolved from Everything Resident Evil, members who partook in those days will certainly remember. For those who weren't with us then, this is the purpose of the feature. For a site just passing its one year anniversary, there is a lot more history behind it than meets the eye. Due to this great transition we've became a top Resident Evil site on the internet. We will continue to create new features and update the site on a daily basis because we enjoy doing so!

Special thanks to Progenitor (Matt) and Green_Lizard (Luis.) While you two haven't been around as much as the old days, it was your encouragement and help that made this site possible.

Discuss this feature