User experience consistency across games

[mykels]

Hi,

I have been using BGA regularly for some time now and overall I really appreciate the platform. It is honestly impressive how many games are available and how smooth some implementations are.

That said, I have noticed that the experience can vary quite a bit depending on the game.

In some titles everything feels clear and intuitive. In others I sometimes struggle with understanding what changed during a turn, what actions are currently available, or where to focus on the screen. It is not about bugs, more about small usability friction that adds up over time.

I am curious to hear from other regular users:

* What are the most common usability issues you encounter?
* Are there patterns you notice in heavier games versus lighter ones?
* Are there interface elements you find confusing or inconsistent?
* Which games do you consider examples of really polished implementations?

Not trying to criticize, just interested in understanding common user pain points and how others experience the platform.

Thanks.

[Hervor]

When it comes to small things that aren't bugs, but still irrationally annoy me (specifically in Sagani): the "use ALT+mouse wheel to zoom the board" overlay when scrolling down the page. Yes, I am aware how to zoom the board, but I want to scroll and now I can't see what I actually want to see.
It only lasts a second or two, but it still gets to me every single time.

[FDHenneberg]

Maybe I’m missing something, but I’d like it if you could easily see at a glance who’s the first, second player and so on. I mostly play turn-based on a tablet in portrait mode, and always checking the log is a pain. Some games have little icons for that, for example Barrage (I know that’s because turn order meeples are part of the game, but I think there is no reason not to extend this to games which haven’t got something like this).

I also notice that I prefer it if there are not too many buttons at the top. In some games, there’s a lot of things you can do, and each of them having its standard button, all looking exactly the same, can be a bit overwhelming. So I definitely prefer it to have as much as possible of that integrated into the board. This of course also depends on the way the physical board works, so it may not always be possible.

[BarnardsStar]

Maybe I’m missing something, but I’d like it if you could easily see at a glance who’s the first, second player and so on. I mostly play turn-based on a tablet in portrait mode, and always checking the log is a pain. Some games have little icons for that, for example Barrage (I know that’s because turn order meeples are part of the game, but I think there is no reason not to extend this to games which haven’t got something like this).

This isn’t quite what you asked, but the player panels are arranged in turn order… it is just that you are always shown first, then the player who comes next, then the one after them, and so on, until the last player panel is the player who comes just before you. (I’ve even confirmed this by checking Formula D where in each round the player in the lead goes first, then the current second place etc, and the order of the player panels changes to reflect the current order.)

Games arranged in rounds, or where everybody ends up with the same number of turns, usually have a “first player” marker although its appearance is inconsistent, which may be what you are getting at?

[Arjuna92]

Maybe I’m missing something, but I’d like it if you could easily see at a glance who’s the first, second player and so on. I mostly play turn-based on a tablet in portrait mode, and always checking the log is a pain. Some games have little icons for that, for example Barrage (I know that’s because turn order meeples are part of the game, but I think there is no reason not to extend this to games which haven’t got something like this).

This isn’t quite what you asked, but the player panels are arranged in turn order… it is just that you are always shown first, then the player who comes next, then the one after them, and so on, until the last player panel is the player who comes just before you. (I’ve even confirmed this by checking Formula D where in each round the player in the lead goes first, then the current second place etc, and the order of the player panels changes to reflect the current order.)

But that isn't true of all games. Talking of racing games, Heat maintains the same order of panels throughout the game. Numbers within the panels show the current position and play order. And in games where it's important to know who the starting player is it also varies a lot. Many games have a starting player token or something like that in the panels. But in Through the Ages you have to scroll down to the other players' boards in order to find out who's starting player (important for the game end condition).

[FDHenneberg]

This isn’t quite what you asked, but the player panels are arranged in turn order… it is just that you are always shown first,

Well, I said “maybe I’m missing something” for a reason
Thanks a lot!