Board Game Arena

Does anyone know what the deal is with the change sometime in the last week to games needing to be set up with a specific player count rather than a range?

I set up several games a week limited to people in my gaming group and with a minimum player count of three and a maximum of whatever the game will take, so if we don't get a full table, as long as there are three of us the game will start automatically with whoever it has after the three day timeout. But some time over the last few days the game setup interface seems to have changed to insist on an exact specified player count, which is a serious step backward - if I set up games with a player count of three then not everyone who could be having fun and joining in gets to play, but if I set a player count of four and we don't get four then the three of us who were interested don't get to play (or I guess I'll have to let it time out and then start a new three player game and specifically invite the right players (which is pretty rubbish - taking something that was happening automatically and making it into manual admin

Anyone have any idea what the reason is for the change? It seems to add no benefits that I can see, and significantly affects the ability of people who want to play games to play games.

The games still can be started without filling player slots completely.

ufm wrote: ↑13 August 2021, 04:04 The games still can be started without filling player slots completely.

But even so, this makes a big difference.

For example I love playing Love Letter, but a 3-4 players game is a whole lote different kind of game than a 5-8 player game(extra cards with different effects are added).
So if the table admin sets a range of 5-8 players, I know I am in for an entertaining game. But if they start it prematurely at 3-4 players, I just get an average game.
(I don't mind the base game, but sometimes I want a bit more)

Truth be told, the table admin could still change the ranges even after I joined the table(mostly turn-based), but seems less likely to be done. Now it is just to hit the start button.

I agree. They should bring it back. Now I don't know the intent of the table administrator. I like kingdom builder, but generally dislike 2 player games. I just don't like joining just to refuse a game. Not good for the admin too.

Yepp, not we can't see how many players the table owner wants at least before they start the game. That's a big change for the worse.

It's also worse for the table owners as well. Because of they now attempt to start with their wanted minimum size, many players might decline and leave - as they wanted more players


Makes for longer waiting times, more frustration because of game starts getting declined

ufm wrote: ↑13 August 2021, 04:04 The games still can be started without filling player slots completely.

How can you start a game without all the slots being filled? I don't have the option - i just have 'View' or 'Quit' as my options until every slot is taken. I hate this change.

TheVirgoan wrote: ↑13 August 2021, 13:36 How can you start a game without all the slots being filled? I don't have the option - i just have 'View' or 'Quit' as my options until every slot is taken.

Click "View" and then "Start game".

I agree that it's a worse interface than the previous one, though.

I don't know what to think of it.
In a way, that will force me to said in chat '4+ players please' more often.
But it's way simpler, so pretty good.

Raging Calm wrote: ↑13 August 2021, 09:02 I agree. They should bring it back. Now I don't know the intent of the table administrator. I like kingdom builder, but generally dislike 2 player games. I just don't like joining just to refuse a game. Not good for the admin too.

I totally agree with this comments. For some game I don't like 2 player games or don't like 4 player payer, for some game I don't mind, and I want to know before I join the table which is the intend of the administrator. I really dislike this new function.
Also as an administrator it's more difficult to start the same even if the table is not full as you need to click on the table to start the game.

TheVirgoan wrote: ↑13 August 2021, 13:36

ufm wrote: ↑13 August 2021, 04:04 The games still can be started without filling player slots completely.

How can you start a game without all the slots being filled? I don't have the option - i just have 'View' or 'Quit' as my options until every slot is taken. I hate this change.

If you only have View and Quit, then you're not the table admin.