I don't understand how to create a table in BGA studio

[Bids]

Hi all,
I have a very basic question: how do I create a table in BGA studio? I only see the "play now" button but after pushing it keeps looking forever for opponents. I'm following the first steps tutorial but I'm stuck in the "let's code" part:

Let's code!
Now, you can try to launch a new game on BGA Studio from the "Play now" menu entry, as you would do on Board Game Arena website.

1. Find your game in the 'PLAY NOW' section and create a table (how?)
2. Use the 'I want between X and X' players to tick down the maximum players number to the minimum
3. Click 'Express start' (how?) : your game launches with the maximum number of players specified. It shows an empty canvas: in the game zone you just have a sentence 'This is your game interface. You can edit this HTML in your ".tpl" file.'.
4. ...

[RicardoRix]

Express Start, and then Go to game.

[Bids]

Hi Ricardo,
Thanks a lot for your answer. I just really have no clue where to find "express start". I only see a button with "play" for all games, when I go to play now, but never the option to create a table like in the normal Board Game Arena. I guess I'm missing something obvious but I really have no idea at the moment.

[fafa-fr]

Hi,
I'm not sure what you mean (on which page you are) when you say

I only see the "play now" button but after pushing it keeps looking forever for opponents.

but if you see a "Create a new table" box, with a number of player slots (Free - required), and a "create" button on the right of this box, you just have to click the "create" button (or anywhere on the box) to create a new table, even if the player slots seem empty. Then, in the newly created table page, you'll find the "express start" button.

[Bids]

Hi thanks for your answer as well!
What I did was:
I'm the BGA studio; I clicked on the upper left on "Play now", then I see all the games I know + 3 tutorial projects I have tried to create with all of them a button "Play now!". When I click on this, it will just keep looking for oponnents and I do not see any other option to create tables or to start express. I attached a screenshot of what I'm seeing, maybe this helps? Let me know if I have to provide more information.

[fafa-fr]

Thanks for your screenshot. I never saw this hanging like that. Does it hang with all the games?
There's another way to open a game table, don't know if it will work better or if it will hang too:
In the studio projects list, search your project and click on the "game page" link. It should open a page with a "play this game now" button, and if you click on this button, it will (edit: should) open the lobby with a "create a new table" box already opened.

[Bids]

Hi fafa,
Thanks for you quick answer. Yes it hangs for all games. I just went to the control panel and I found the buytton on the page "check your project" and now I managed to get this page for the first time (see attached screenshot). Is this what I was supposed to get with creating a table? Following the steps you described with "play this game now" also just brought me back to the same page as my previous screenshot.

[DrKarotte]

This is the project check page, totally wrong to create a table.

Try to use the manual mode instead of automatic matchmaking (on the page of the screenshot posted before, where it hangs).

[fafa-fr]

oh yes, didn't see on your screenshot that it was set to automatic, this is the problem (just tried and it hanged the same way as you)

[Bids]

Thanks a lot both of you! This solved the issue yes. I didn't realize that was the problem.