A new lobby for BGA

[dpjahnke]

Has someone explained why they/ you took away the opportunity to suggest people to join your game? Thanks for your consideration.

[sourisdudesert]

UPDATE September 14th:

• A sound is now played when a player join one of your realtime table, wherever you are on the website.
• When the minimum number is reached at a realtime table where you are admin, you are now warned (=> you can create/join several realtime tables and do not miss when it's time to start the table).
• A blue border has been added to the game with available tables, to make sure you won't miss that a table is available.
• When you have expanded the "Show all available tables for favorite games", it is stored in your settings so it is kept expanded after a refresh.
• Sorting the games also sort the expanded games.
• "Quick join/create" buttons placement on mobile has been optimized.
• (many little things)

[litheandra]

UPDATE:

Following the feedback of some of you, we added a "See all available tables" at the bottom of the "Favorite" section.

Using this tab, you are able to see the list of all tables for your favorite games, ordered by creation time (like in the previous lobby).

This way, each of you can choose to use the new design (tables grouped by games) or the old one (tables ordered by creation time).

We are doing this update for the players who are playing a lot of different games here, and prefer to join other tables than creating new ones.

wow. that's quite impressive reaction to feedback. Thanks a lot!


1. "Favourite Games" box in old design.

There's another thing that can be improved. You can make icons small in your favourite games header (old design), but this small is almost no different from medium. Please, change size of small icons to really small.

I do appreciate the ability to choose between large/medium/small icons, but all things considered, it doesn't make sense to have anything but small icons there. The whole point of lobby it to pick games and large icons at the header is just a distraction (this header is not crucial for interaction, it's just information, nothing more, but those large icons make it feel super important, thus impairment of experience). What's the point of having large icons if it just adds to overwhlem / distraction and undermines user experience in old-styled lobby?

Anyway, really grateful that you returned this ability to have old interface back. This prompt reaction to user feedback is a breadth of fresh air amidst "just shove it" attitude of majority of companies / startups / websites.

2. Create table redundancy in old design.

When you scroll down and see no more available tables, you see your favourite games and an option to create your own table. Frankly speaking, it seems as redundancy. First, it takes spaces away from seeing suggested games. Second, because many players don't usually play **all** their favourite games. I assume, many, just like me, would add to favourites not only "regular games", but also those that sounded like fun some time in the past. Depending on number of favourite games, this part of forced "Create Table" in your lobby feed can create very bad experience. How so? Let's say I add to favourites ONLY games that I play regularly. Well, then it might be totally fine, but the thing here it's like lobby is pushing me to create a table whether I like it or not instead of giving me a choice. The lobby is information, feedback from all other players, an opportunity to join. Imagine, now that I add to favourites more games than I regularly played. Well, I have all this space filled out with something totally out of my interest. It would feel like spam.


TLDR option to create your own table for each favourite game is redundant in old design lobby because at best it takes agency / adds something that can be easily done somewhere else + creates incoherence in flow of information/interaction on page, and at worst it overwhelms user and can lead to frustrating experience bugs down the road (e.g. annoying standard members with forcing to become premiums by proposing by default to create tables for games like 7Wonders; yeah, you need to monetize, but there are more sophisticated ways to monetize than "spam" effect, although it does feel that it was never the intent of this new feature/display).


3. No suggested games tables.

This is just personal feedback, based on preferences / likes / habits. It's very sad to not to see available tables for suggested games. It felt like very fun way to explore other than your favourite games. Actually, for me this was the only way to explore new games. When I didn't feel like playing my favourite or felt tired of waiting, I'd sometimes open those suggested games tables, read the rules or watch others play, and ultimately it would get me if not into new games but into just being curious about them. Something tells me I might not be alone in this "exploration" way because boredom is very big stimulus and you had this bait there, in suggested games available tables, showing "hey, there's more to the world than you currently have and people are alive there!". Now I just see pictures of suggested games, but I don't care because there's no world out there, there is no movement, and no invite. That's how it feels with no "Suggested games available tables" part in lobby page. If it was one of the mechanisms of exploring / trying new games for many people (not just me), well, it might have pretty drastic consequences down the road (less exploration of new games).

[vichy]

UPDATE:

Following the feedback of some of you, we added a "See all available tables" at the bottom of the "Favorite" section.

Using this tab, you are able to see the list of all tables for your favorite games, ordered by creation time (like in the previous lobby).

This way, each of you can choose to use the new design (tables grouped by games) or the old one (tables ordered by creation time).

We are doing this update for the players who are playing a lot of different games here, and prefer to join other tables than creating new ones.

Thanks for this


One question: I navigate with several tabs always open, one of them bga. When I had to play in one of the games in turns on the tab, the icon changed. It doesn't happen now. Have you changed anything about this?

[HappyGuy]

After a first moment of loss I must admit that the new version is much better, from many points of view. congratulations guys you did a wonderful job. And yes, you know that you do! Absolutely

[asd123321]

The adjustments are good but there is excessive clicks needed. The standard action should
not require an extra click. 95% of the time Create is going to be followed by Open so
just Open it.

Where it says Play Now, it could be broken into 2 actions Watch | Open.

I see nothing indicating the required players have arrived, I missed 1 already.
Jumping to that game would be good or Start it.

[sunnypsyop]

I strongly dislike the new format

[senatorhung]

The adjustments are good but there is excessive clicks needed. The standard action should
not require an extra click. 95% of the time Create is going to be followed by Open so
just Open it.

no, create is followed by configure (which they thankfully added).

[Caninski_Jen]

What I dislike the most and it makes it look stupid to be honest.

When you create a table ... numbers of people are available for to play this game:
yes which people? You cant see a list..

Do you really needed to be friends with everyone?

Cant you make just an option.. for people who doesn't like to get invited: mute button. For them it would work

but to me.. I have used alot that suggestion list and it always had worked perfectly fine for me.

But now what good makes it? To see only a number.. of people available to play this game lol..

[LordChambers]

How do you now find active games to spectate?

I wonder this too, but couldn't go through enough pages of the thread to learn if it was addressed.